Fidelity: best if you want
A Fidelity Go account is a great choice for investors looking for expert advice from one of the biggest names in retirement savings. The Fidelity Go robo-advisor is a low-cost solution that makes retirement planning easier for beginning investors. Fidelity’s robo advisor invests primarily in Fidelity Flex funds including asset classes like domestic stocks, foreign stocks, bonds, and short-term investments. This helps give investors a well-diversified retirement profile right from the start. With its $0 account minimum balance and $0 advisory fees for accounts under $25,000, a Fidelity Go portfolio is also a solid pick for investors with lower start-up capital for an initial deposit.
Fidelity Go customers still enjoy the benefits of live financial advice once their account reaches a balance of $25,000 or more. Fidelity’s financial advisor team can help investors tackle regular strategizing conversations like annual reviews of retirement account performance and one-off questions about budgeting, managing debt, investment strategy, achieving financial goals, and more.
Merrill Lynch: best if you want
A Merrill Guided Investing IRA is a great option for beginner and hands-off investors who want a straightforward, automated portfolio with human oversight. Current Bank of America or Merrill customers may be eligible for a discount on the annual account management fee.
Fidelity: other features
Fidelity offers key features like its advisory clients access to research and financial planning tools regardless of their level of assets under management. In addition, investing at Fidelity means you may be eligible for other benefits, such as a Fidelity Rewards Signature Visa card. The Signature Visa card comes with a $0 annual fee and can help you earn up to 2% cash back, which can be deposited directly into an eligible Fidelity investment account (including an IRA!).
Fidelity also offers a cash management account that can help you earn higher-than-average interest on your uninvested assets. A cash management account is also available with no management fee or account minimums.
Merrill Lynch: other features
Bank of Ameria customers and current Merrill customers who meet required account balance minimums may be eligible for Merrill’s Preferred Rewards – a perk that includes lower management fees.
Conclusion
Fidelity Go is a good option for investors looking for an expertly managed IRA but still want to maintain some autonomy in the mix of investment options chosen. It’s also great for investors looking for a platform that offers the low fees of a robo-advisor who likes the idea of having the account monitored by real people (and eventually working with them one-on-one). Fidelity’s commitment to making investing easy and accessible for everyone is a very good choice for people looking to have their retirement handled at a low cost.
If you’re looking to fund your new Fidelity Go IRA with a 401(k) rollover, Capitalize can help. We’ve made it our mission to make this process easier for everyone. We can handle the entire process for you. Most of the process can be done online and our rollover experts will guide you through any of the manual parts. Get started with your 401(k) to IRA rollover in just a few minutes.
Beginner and hands-off investors might appreciate the simple, customizable portfolios offered by a Merrill Guided Investing automated IRA, especially if they currently have an account with Merrill or Bank of America. However, an account will come with higher management fees and account minimums than some other providers who offer a similar service.
If you’re looking to fund your Merrill Guided IRA with a 401(k) rollover, Capitalize can help. We’ve made it our mission to make this process easier for everyone. We can handle the entire process for you. Most of the process can be done online and our rollover experts will guide you through any of the manual parts. Get started with your 401(k) rollover in just a few minutes.