Best IRA Accounts and Custodians: Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, and How to Choose
The phrase “best IRA accounts” gets used as if one financial institution wins for everyone. It does not. An IRA is a tax-advantaged wrapper. The firm you pick changes the fees and how easy it is to buy index funds or build your own portfolio.
This guide compares Fidelity Investments, Charles Schwab, and Vanguard, using official fee and IRA pages I opened on November 10, 2026 (America/New_York). It is not a gold IRA company ranking, not a substitute for how to open an IRA or types of IRA accounts.
If you want real estate or physical metals, use our self-directed IRA custodians guide, and keep the dealer versus custodian roles separate. I have completed a gold IRA rollover. Sean Webster, CPA, reviews these guides.
How we chose the best IRA accounts
I compared Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Vanguard, the three investment firms readers ask us to compare, and each publishes a current retail fee schedule. The criteria are published fees, closeout and transfer-out charges, any account minimum or minimum deposit, online commissions for U.S. stocks, ETF trades, options, and mutual funds, listed account types, the stated investment menu (including Fidelity’s Crypto IRA), and mutual fund minimums.
I am not assigning star ratings or a “best overall” crown. “Best” means a reasonable fit for a stated use case among the three firms I reviewed. Fees change; read the current official schedule. See our affiliate disclosure and editorial policy.
What this comparison is not
It is not a forecast of “IRA rates,” and it will not tell you what $5,000 will be worth in 20 years.
IRA accounts vs. the investments inside them
Individual retirement accounts are investment accounts with tax rules attached. The retirement account can be a traditional IRA or a Roth IRA.
A workplace retirement plan such as a 401(k) is a different legal structure. You may later roll a 401(k) retirement plan into an IRA, but the menus and fees are not the same. A retirement plan rollover is not a contribution. Our IRA investment options page covers the standard menu.
Traditional and Roth IRAs
The choice between traditional and Roth IRAs is a tax-design question, not a brand question. All three firms offer both. For the rules, use our traditional IRA and Roth IRA guides, and how to open a Roth IRA.
Traditional IRA
Eligible contributions to a traditional IRA may be tax deductible if you meet IRS income rules, especially if a workplace retirement plan covers you or a spouse. You may deduct contributions on your tax return when the rules allow, and those tax deductions, tax advantages, and tax benefits can lower current income tax. Further tax deductions depend on IRS rules. Investment earnings grow tax-deferred, and you generally pay taxes on traditional IRA distributions as ordinary income. Withdrawals before age 59½ can face a 10% additional tax unless an exception applies, including some qualified higher education expenses.
Roth IRA
Roth IRA contributions are made with after-tax dollars. They are not tax deductible and do not create upfront tax deductions. Qualified withdrawals can be tax free if you meet the five-year and age tests, and those earnings stay tax free. You can generally withdraw Roth IRA contributions tax free at any time. A Roth IRA has an income limit for direct contributions and no required minimum distribution during the original owner’s lifetime. People who expect a higher tax bracket later, or less favorable tax rates in retirement, often look at a Roth IRA.
Both a traditional IRA and a Roth
You can hold both a traditional IRA and a Roth IRA at the same firm, but the annual contribution limit is a combined cap across traditional and Roth IRAs. Mixing pre tax dollars and after-tax savings can help if your income tax bracket in retirement is uncertain.
Contribution limits
Contribution limits are set by the IRS, not by Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard. For 2026, our IRA contribution limits page states an annual contribution limit of $7,500, or $8,600 if you are age 50 or older and eligible for the catch-up. Those contribution limits are the combined IRA contribution cap.
Annual contribution limit versus a 401(k)
The IRA cap is separate from 401(k) elective-deferral limits. A rollover is not a contribution. If you are deciding between a Roth IRA and a 401(k), see Roth IRA vs 401(k).
IRA contribution timing
You can generally make an IRA contribution for a tax year through that year’s tax-filing deadline, not counting extensions. Confirm the date with the IRS or a tax professional.
401(k) rollovers into IRA accounts
A 401(k) rollover into either IRA type is a common reason to open these brokerage accounts. A direct trustee-to-trustee move keeps the money inside a retirement account and avoids the 60-day clock. Compare menus, fees, and creditor-protection differences first, as our 401(k) to IRA rollover guide explains. All three firms offer a rollover IRA.
SEP IRA and other account types
A SEP IRA is a different contribution regime, usually for self-employed owners. Fidelity’s Traditional IRA page discusses SEP IRAs and SIMPLE IRAs among its retirement accounts. Schwab lists a SEP-IRA and a SIMPLE-IRA with $0 opening and maintenance fees. Vanguard offers a SEP-IRA that, on its IRAs page, “is designed exclusively for self-employed owners who don’t employ others.” I did not see a SIMPLE IRA on that Vanguard page and will not claim one. See our SEP IRA and IRA for the self-employed pages.
Account fees and account minimums
Published account-level charges at these three firms are low.
Minimum deposit and minimum balance
Fidelity’s Traditional IRA page states there are no opening charges or minimums for a retail brokerage IRA, and you can invest with as little as $1, a $0 minimum deposit. A footnote allows a quarterly residual-balance maintenance fee of up to $5 on brokerage accounts with residual balances below $100 that are not invested (other than in a core position) and have had no other financial transactions for over a year.
Charles Schwab’s April 2026 Pricing Guide lists a $0 minimum deposit requirement for a Schwab IRA, including Traditional, Rollover, Roth, SEP-IRA, and SIMPLE IRA accounts, and a $0 account minimum.
Vanguard says there is no charge to open a Vanguard IRA, and no firm-wide minimum deposit, but “the fund or product you choose may have a minimum investment amount.” Vanguard ETFs can be bought for as little as $1. Mutual fund minimums, from Vanguard’s fees page, are $1,000 for Target Retirement Funds and the STAR Fund, $3,000 for most Investor actively managed funds and most Admiral index funds, $50,000 for most Admiral actively managed funds, and $100,000 for certain sector-specific index funds. Treat those floors as a practical minimum deposit.
Low fees still hide a few line items
The official schedules: Fidelity’s commissions page as of November 10, 2026 (America/New_York); Schwab’s Pricing Guide, April 2026; and Vanguard Brokerage Services’ schedule, effective July 10, 2026.
Online U.S. listed stock and ETF trades are $0 at all three. Options: Fidelity says contract fees apply, but the HTML schedule I opened did not print a per-contract amount, so I will not invent one; Schwab is $0 plus $0.65 per contract online; Vanguard is $1 per contract if qualifying assets are under $1 million. Broker-assisted trades add $25 at Schwab, and $25 at Vanguard when qualifying assets are under $1 million. Schwab automated phone trades add $5.
Fidelity lists $0 IRA closeout, $0 transfer of assets, $0 domestic wires, $0 Roth conversion, and a $0 SIMPLE IRA annual fee. Schwab lists a $50 full transfer-out fee, $0 for a partial transfer out, and outgoing wires of $25, or $15 online. Vanguard may charge a $25 annual service fee, waived with the listed e-delivery elections or at $1 million in qualifying assets, and $100 for account closure and a full transfer out, waived at $5 million in qualifying assets or for Wealth Management or affiliated advisory accounts. Vanguard wires are $10 and are waived for wires from retirement accounts.
I am not using Fidelity’s 2018/2023 competitor table, which still showed a Vanguard service fee that does not match Vanguard’s July 10, 2026 schedule.
Investment options in a brokerage IRA
All three firms let you hold a standard menu of retirement savings: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. IRA accounts are retirement savings on these investment platforms. The differences are in fund minimums, proprietary funds, and a few extras.
Mutual funds, index funds, and target date funds
Fidelity highlights mutual funds with zero expense ratios — the Fidelity ZERO funds — and says there are no minimums to invest in Fidelity mutual funds. Target date funds are on its Traditional IRA menu for a single-fund investment strategy that becomes more conservative toward the target year.
Schwab’s Mutual Fund OneSource list is $0 online for thousands of funds; other mutual funds can cost up to $74.95 per purchase. A short-term redemption fee of $49.95 can apply to OneSource funds held 90 days or less.
Vanguard funds do not charge front-end or back-end loads. Expense ratios belong in the prospectus. Target Retirement Funds are the one-fund path Vanguard emphasizes, and most Admiral index funds have a $3,000 minimum.
Stock and ETF trades
Stock and ETF trades are $0 online at all three firms for U.S. listed securities, with the usual exceptions. Commissions of $0 are real, and are not the same as a free fund.
Fidelity Investments
Fidelity Investments often fits a DIY investor who wants $0 published account-level charges, no standard account minimum, funds with zero expense ratios, and, in eligible states, a direct Crypto IRA.
Fidelity account fees and minimums
The $0 closeout, transfer, wire, and minimum-deposit figures are in the snapshot above. Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC is the broker-dealer named on the pages I opened.
Fidelity investment options and brokerage services
The Traditional IRA page lists stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and target date funds, and you can manage your own portfolio with the firm’s planning tools. Brokerage services also include secondary-market bonds at $1 per bond and $0 online U.S.
Fidelity Crypto IRA
Among these three firms, only Fidelity published a direct Crypto IRA. Fidelity Crypto, offered by Fidelity Digital Assets, lets you buy and sell bitcoin, ethereum, litecoin, and solana, subject to state availability, with no fee to open and no custody fee. The trading fee is 1% on buys and sells. It is not available in California or Oregon. You must have a linked Fidelity brokerage IRA of the same registration; you cannot contribute dollars or transfer crypto directly into the Crypto IRA. Fidelity discloses that crypto is highly volatile, can become illiquid, is not FDIC- or SIPC-insured, and is for investors with a high risk tolerance.
Fidelity Go automated investing
Fidelity Go is the firm’s robo-style managed account. There is no minimum to open; a $10 balance is required to invest according to the chosen strategy. The advisory fee is $0 under $25,000 and 0.35% a year at $25,000 and above.
Charles Schwab
Charles Schwab often fits someone who wants $0 opening and maintenance, a $0 account minimum, and published branch access.
Schwab account fees and IRA types
Traditional, Roth, Rollover, inherited, SEP-IRA, and SIMPLE-IRA accounts are listed with $0 opening and maintenance fees and a $0 account minimum. Schwab also lists an annual custody fee for non-publicly traded securities of $250 per position, capped at $500 per account — a Schwab brokerage IRA is not a general alternative-asset custodian.
Schwab investment options and trading
The menu is a full brokerage platform: listed stocks and ETFs, options, Mutual Fund OneSource, and Treasuries at $0 online. Schwab invites you to call, chat, or find a local branch. Good customer service is fair to evaluate in person.
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios
Schwab Intelligent Portfolios is the robo-style managed program on the pricing page: no advisory fee, no commissions, and a $5,000 account minimum. A portion of the portfolio is placed in FDIC-insured deposit accounts at Charles Schwab Bank, SSB. Schwab describes Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as a dually registered investment adviser and broker-dealer.
Vanguard as an IRA provider
Vanguard often fits a fund-first investor who will use e-delivery, can meet Vanguard mutual fund minimums, and wants Vanguard Brokerage Services as the place to hold Vanguard funds and ETFs.
Vanguard account service fee and fund minimums
The $25 service fee and $100 closure and full transfer-out fee apply unless a listed waiver in the snapshot does. The IRA custodian named on the fee schedule for certain tax filings is Vanguard Fiduciary Trust Company — the financial institution that holds the IRA, not just the fund brand.
Vanguard investment options
Stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds, including Target Retirement Funds. If you want one Target Retirement Fund and automatic contributions, the fund minimum and the e-delivery waiver are the details that matter.
Fidelity vs Schwab vs Vanguard: a fee snapshot
Fidelity and Schwab are easier for very small first purchases of in-house funds; Vanguard’s mutual fund minimums are higher, and its ETFs start at $1.
Brokerage accounts, credit unions, and other financial institutions
A brokerage IRA at one of these firms is not the only legal way to hold individual retirement accounts. Some people want an IRA CD at a bank or credit union, with deposit insurance up to applicable limits.
If you want a plan built around your timeline and risk tolerance, you may hire financial advisors or certified financial planners. Some people also work with financial advisors at these firms. An online broker is not that relationship.
Tax-loss harvesting (and why it is not an IRA feature)
Tax-loss harvesting is a technique used in taxable investment accounts: you sell a position at a loss to offset gains or, within limits, ordinary income. It is not a feature of traditional and Roth IRAs, which already have their own tax benefits; you generally do not deduct market losses inside the IRA.
Some managed-account programs offer tax-loss harvesting in a taxable account that sits next to an IRA — not in the IRA itself.
Uninvested cash
Uninvested cash in a brokerage IRA usually sits in a core sweep. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios allocates some cash to bank deposit accounts and discloses that other cash alternatives may pay more. Account balances can also affect fee waivers.
Who each IRA provider may fit
Among the three firms I reviewed, these are use-case fits — not awards.
Fidelity Investments may fit a DIY investor who wants $0 published account-level charges and, in eligible states, a Crypto IRA they have read the disclosure for. Fidelity Go may fit smaller balances because the advisory fee is $0 under $25,000.
Charles Schwab may fit someone who wants a $0 account minimum and a branch. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios may fit a managed portfolio with no advisory fee and a $5,000 minimum.
Vanguard may fit a fund investor who will elect e-delivery, can meet the mutual fund minimum, and wants Target Retirement Funds or Vanguard ETFs.
If your priority is physical metals or other alternatives, use the self-directed IRA custodians guide.
When a brokerage IRA is not enough
A conventional brokerage IRA is the right starting point for stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs. It is usually the wrong place to hold a rental property, a private placement, or IRS-eligible physical metals. Use our self-directed IRA explainer, the custodians guide, and, for metals, the gold IRA custodian versus dealer roles page.
How to open an IRA account
The mechanics — choosing a traditional or Roth IRA, naming a beneficiary, and funding by contribution or transfer — are on how to open an IRA. Compare fees, the menu, and any minimum deposit or fund minimum that applies to how you will invest.
Investing involves risk: you can lose money
Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Funds, stocks, and crypto can fall in value. Target date funds do not guarantee a principal amount at the target year. Cash and IRA CDs may protect nominal principal within insurance limits and still lose purchasing power to inflation.
Best IRA accounts FAQ
Where can I put $10,000 to make the most money?
No responsible comparison can answer that. Returns are not guaranteed. The tax advantages of a retirement account can matter, but investments can decline. Your income tax bracket and whether you use a traditional or Roth IRA will shape after-tax results. You will still pay taxes at some point unless a Roth withdrawal is qualified and tax free. Talk with a licensed tax professional. I cannot give you tax advice, and I am not your tax advisor.
Who has the best IRA rates right now?
An IRA at these investment firms does not have one advertised rate, and tax rates are not a substitute for a yield. People who ask about “IRA rates” often mean a bank IRA CD.
How much would $5,000 in an IRA be worth in 20 years?
It depends on contributions, fees, and results, and it can be less than you started with. I will not publish a made-up future value.
Where is the safest place to put $100,000?
There is no single safest place. Deposit-insured cash at a bank is only as “safe” as the insurance limits and still faces inflation. Brokerage assets are typically protected against firm failure within SIPC limits, not against market loss.
The bottom line
The best IRA accounts in this review are context-specific. Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and Vanguard all offer $0 online U.S. listed stock and ETF trades. The meaningful differences are closeout costs, mutual fund minimums, options pricing, and extras such as Fidelity’s Crypto IRA.
Written by Tim Schmidt and reviewed for tax and account accuracy by Sean Webster, CPA. Last reviewed November 10, 2026 (America/New_York). This guide is for general education. It is not tax, legal, or investment advice, and it is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security or to open any account. IRAInvesting.com is not a custodian, dealer, broker-dealer, or investment adviser. Before you act, talk with a licensed tax professional or adviser who can review your situation. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. You can lose money. Past performance does not guarantee future results.