Best Of Awards 2022

This year’s best

Our Nerds reviewed trading tools, fees, options, and more to help you compare the smartest investment accounts of 2022. While some winners may be partners, this didn't influence our decisions or opinions.

TIE: Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trades.
  • Free research.
  • High-quality trading platforms.
  • No account minimum.
  • Good customer support.
  • Large investment selection.

Cons

  • No fractional shares.
Read full review
Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock and ETF trades.
  • Free research.
  • High-quality trading platforms.
  • No account minimum.
  • Good customer support.
  • Large investment selection.

Cons

  • No fractional shares.
Read full review

Why this Broker made the list

TD Ameritrade wins again for its professional-level trading platform and free access to research from more than a dozen high-quality sources.

Read our methodology

TIE: Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research

TradeStation

on TradeStation's website

on TradeStation's website

Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Qualify for up to $5,000

when you open and fund a new TradeStation account. Offer Code: NERDAFJO.

Pros

  • High-quality trading platforms.
  • Comprehensive research.
  • Advanced tools.
  • Active trader community.

Cons

  • No transaction-fee-free mutual funds.
  • Plans and pricing can be confusing.
  • Low interest rate on uninvested cash.
Read full review
Fees

$0

per trade

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Qualify for up to $5,000

when you open and fund a new TradeStation account. Offer Code: NERDAFJO.

Pros

  • High-quality trading platforms.
  • Comprehensive research.
  • Advanced tools.
  • Active trader community.

Cons

  • No transaction-fee-free mutual funds.
  • Plans and pricing can be confusing.
  • Low interest rate on uninvested cash.
Read full review

Why this Broker made the list

TradeStation wins for the extensive capabilities of its desktop platform (best paired with TS Select) and depth of free data and tools available to TS Go users.

Read our methodology

Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors

Fidelity

on Fidelity's website

on Fidelity's website

Fees

$0

per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
  • Large selection of research providers.
  • Strong customer service.
  • Expense-ratio-free index funds.
  • Highly rated mobile app.
  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review
Fees

$0

per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
  • Large selection of research providers.
  • Strong customer service.
  • Expense-ratio-free index funds.
  • Highly rated mobile app.
  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review

Why this Broker made the list

Fidelity is a perennial winner here. It offers $0 trading commissions, 3,500-plus no-transaction-fee mutual funds, and extensive investor education.

Read our methodology

Best Online Broker for IRA Investing

Fidelity IRA

on Fidelity's website

on Fidelity's website

Fees

$0

no account fees to open a Fidelity retail IRA

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • $0 trade commissions.
  • Low-cost index funds and mutual funds.
  • Retirement planning tools.
  • Strong customer support.
  • Free research and data.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review
Fees

$0

no account fees to open a Fidelity retail IRA

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • $0 trade commissions.
  • Low-cost index funds and mutual funds.
  • Retirement planning tools.
  • Strong customer support.
  • Free research and data.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review

Why this Broker made the list

Fidelity’s low fees, retirement tools and expense-ratio-free index funds make it a clear winner for retirement investors.

Read our methodology

Best Robo-Advisor for IRA Investing

Wealthfront IRA

on Wealthfront's website

on Wealthfront's website

Fees

0.25%

management fee

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Get a $50 customer bonus

when you fund your first taxable investment account

Pros

  • Get $50 customer bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account (NerdWallet promotion).
  • Automatic rebalancing.
  • Digital financial planning tools.
  • Low management fee.

Cons

  • No access to human advisors.
  • No fractional shares.
Read full review
Fees

0.25%

management fee

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Get a $50 customer bonus

when you fund your first taxable investment account

Pros

  • Get $50 customer bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account (NerdWallet promotion).
  • Automatic rebalancing.
  • Digital financial planning tools.
  • Low management fee.

Cons

  • No access to human advisors.
  • No fractional shares.
Read full review

Why this Robo-advisor made the list

Wealthfront’s investment lineup, low ETF expense ratios and competitive management fee make it a standout among robos.

Read our methodology

Best Robo-Advisor for Low-Cost Investing

Vanguard Digital Advisor

on Vanguard's website

Fees

0.15%

per year (approximately)

Account minimum

$3,000

Promotion

No advisory fees

your first 90 days of Vanguard Digital Advisor investment management (Enrollment requires a Vanguard account with a minimum of $3,000)

Pros

  • Access to Vanguard’s investing expertise and ETFs.
  • Low management fee relative to competitors.
  • Low investment expense ratios and no additional account fees.

Cons

  • Limited portfolio options and customization.
Read full review
Fees

0.15%

per year (approximately)

Account minimum

$3,000

Promotion

No advisory fees

your first 90 days of Vanguard Digital Advisor investment management (Enrollment requires a Vanguard account with a minimum of $3,000)

Pros

  • Access to Vanguard’s investing expertise and ETFs.
  • Low management fee relative to competitors.
  • Low investment expense ratios and no additional account fees.

Cons

  • Limited portfolio options and customization.
Read full review

Why this Robo-advisor made the list

Vanguard Digital Advisor wins again for its low management fees, low investment expense ratios and no additional account fees.

Read our methodology

Best Robo-Advisor for Portfolio Options

Wealthfront

on Wealthfront's website

on Wealthfront's website

Fees

0.25%

management fee

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Get a $50 customer bonus

when you fund your first taxable investment account

Pros

  • Get $50 customer bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account (NerdWallet promotion).
  • Low ETF expense ratios.
  • Daily tax-loss harvesting.
  • Automatic rebalancing.
  • DIY and automated investing options.

Cons

  • No human financial advisors.
Read full review
Fees

0.25%

management fee

Account minimum

$500

Promotion

Get a $50 customer bonus

when you fund your first taxable investment account

Pros

  • Get $50 customer bonus when you fund your first taxable investment account (NerdWallet promotion).
  • Low ETF expense ratios.
  • Daily tax-loss harvesting.
  • Automatic rebalancing.
  • DIY and automated investing options.

Cons

  • No human financial advisors.
Read full review

Why this Robo-advisor made the list

Wealthfront offers ETFs from 12 asset classes, a socially responsible portfolio and access to cryptocurrency trusts. Clients can customize their portfolios.

Read our methodology

Best Online Financial Advisor

Zoe Financial

on Zoe Financial's website

on Zoe Financial's website

Fees

Varies by Advisor (free initial consultation)

Account minimum

$150,000

Promotion

3-Month Satisfaction Guarantee

Pros

  • Makes it easy to find a financial advisor.
  • Network of financial advisors offer a wide range of planning services.
  • No fee for using Zoe Financial to find an advisor.

Cons

  • Difficult to know financial advisor fees upfront.
Read full review
Fees

Varies by Advisor (free initial consultation)

Account minimum

$150,000

Promotion

3-Month Satisfaction Guarantee

Pros

  • Makes it easy to find a financial advisor.
  • Network of financial advisors offer a wide range of planning services.
  • No fee for using Zoe Financial to find an advisor.

Cons

  • Difficult to know financial advisor fees upfront.
Read full review

Why this online advisor made the list

Zoe Financial will help you find a carefully vetted advisor who can assist you with retirement planning, investing, tax strategy and more.

Read our methodology

Best App for Investing

Fidelity

on Fidelity's website

on Fidelity's website

Fees

$0

per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
  • Large selection of research providers.
  • Strong customer service.
  • Expense-ratio-free index funds.
  • Highly rated mobile app.
  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review
Fees

$0

per trade for online U.S. stocks and ETFs

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

None

no promotion available at this time

Pros

  • Commission-free stock, ETF and options trades.
  • Large selection of research providers.
  • Strong customer service.
  • Expense-ratio-free index funds.
  • Highly rated mobile app.
  • High interest rate on uninvested cash.

Cons

  • Relatively high broker-assisted trade fee.
Read full review

Why this Broker made the list

Fidelity wins again for its all-star lineup of trading tools and research. Fidelity’s mobile apps have the highest average user rating of companies we reviewed.

Read our methodology

Best Crypto Exchanges and Platforms for Beginners

Fees

0.5% - 3.49%

depending on payment method and platform

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

$20 of BTC

for new users after trading $100 or more within 30 days

Pros

  • More than 80 cryptocurrencies.
  • Available in all U.S. states.

Cons

  • Higher fees than some other crypto exchanges.
  • Unresolved legal issues regarding Gemini Earn.
Read full review
Fees

0.5% - 3.49%

depending on payment method and platform

Account minimum

$0

Promotion

$20 of BTC

for new users after trading $100 or more within 30 days

Pros

  • More than 80 cryptocurrencies.
  • Available in all U.S. states.

Cons

  • Higher fees than some other crypto exchanges.
  • Unresolved legal issues regarding Gemini Earn.
Read full review

Why this crypto platform made the list

Gemini’s easy-to-use platform and strong tools make it a top pick for beginners and serious traders alike.

Read our methodology

Want to compare brokers?

Use our comparison tool to explore additional options – for ETFs, stocks and more.