Vanguard vs Etrade 2012: Commissions, Fees and Investments
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- Stocks and ETFs: $9.99 if 0-149 trades per quarter; $7.99 if 150+ trades per quarter
- Options: $9.99 plus $0.75/contract if 0-149 trades per quarter; $7.99 plus $0.75/contract if 150+ trades per quarter
- Mutual Funds: $19.99
- Futures contracts: $2.99 per contract, per side + fees
- Investment products: stocks, bonds, mutual funds, futures, options, ETFs
- Minimum to open Etrade account: $2,000 for margin account. For securities accounts (except retirement accounts), an account minimum deposit of
either at least $500 in cash or a deposit of securities is required within 60 days of account opening for the account to remain active. There is no initial minimum deposit requirement for retirement, custodial, or employee stock plan accounts. Accounts not meeting the minimum deposit requirement will be closed after 60 days.
- All Etrade fees
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- Stocks and ETFs: $7 for the first 25 trades, $20 for subsequent trades for account with less than $50,000
- $7 for account with $50,000–$500,000 (Voyager Services®)
- $2 for account with $500,000–$1,000,000 (Voyager Select Services®)
- Free for first 25 trades, $2 for subsequent trades for account with $1 million (Flagship Services™)
- Options: $30 plus $1.50 per contract
- Options for accounts with over $1 million: $8 + $1.50 per contract
- Mutual funds: Vanguard mutual funds - free. All others - Standard: $35; Voyager® and Voyager Select®: $20; Flagship®, $8
- Certificates of deposit (CDs): Purchase: $5 per $1,000, Minimum: $50. Sale: $35 per transaction
- Commercial paper: $50 per transaction; minimum purchase: $100,000
- U.S. Treasury: $0.75 per $1,000 face amount, $40 min–$75 max
- Mortgage-backed securities: $50 per transaction; GNMA minimum purchase: $25,000
- Investment products: stocks, options, mutual funds, bonds, CDs, foreign securities, insurance,
commercial paper, ETFs
- Minimum to open Vanguard account: $3,000
- All Vanguard fees
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Etrade vs Vanguard: Pros
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- Very good trading tools
- No IRA account fees, no minimums with electronic statements and confirms
- Minimum to open: $1,000 for cash account, $2,000 for margin account
- Banking products: checking, savings, money market accounts, CDs and credit cards
- No surcharges on large orders, penny stocks and extended hours trading
- Great research amenities
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- Low cost and good performance Vanguard mutual funds
- Free Vanguard ETFs
- Free dollar-cost-averaging transactions for no-fee mutual funds. $3 per transaction, minimum purchase $100, minimum two transactions, for transaction fee mutual funds.
- Free dividend reinvestment
- No ACAT fee
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Etrade vs Vanguard: Cons
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- High commissions on all investment products
- High margin rates
- Customer service complaints
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- High commissions in many cases
- $20 annual maintenance fee for regular accounts with balance less than $50,000
- $10 monthly Low Balance Fee for accounts with $2,500 or less
- Poor trading and research tools
- $3,000 minimum to open account is somewhat high
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Etrade versus Vanguard: Comparison Summary
Etrade (Etrade Review)
offers somewhat similar to Vanguard (Vanguard Review)
commissions on stocks and ETFs:
$9.99 per trade versus $7 for the first 25 trades, $20 for subsequent trades at Vanguard (for accounts with less than $50,000).
Both brokerage firms don't have account inactivity fees (but Vanguard charges $20 annual maintenance fee for accounts with less
than 50K) as well as surcharges on extended hours, penny stock and large-size orders.
Etrade easily beats Vanguard in trading tools, independent research, banking services and customer service. Vanguard fell far behind
its competitors in trading technology and client services.
There are better brokerage firms for beginner investors than Etrade and Vanguard. Some of them offer vibrant online communities where users
could ask questions, learn from more experienced traders and even get investment ideas. If you are new to investing, check out
our Best Online Brokers for Beginners recommendations.
Unlike Vanguard, Etrade does not have IRA fees, but the firm was not included in our
Best IRA Companies in 2012 list.
Because of poor services we can't recommend Vanguard even for investors with $1 million or more. We believe Etrade is a decent choice
for an IRA account and for "buy-and-hold" investors. We encourage investors to research other
brokerage firms, some of which offer lower commissions and better services.
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