Best IRA accounts in 2013. Top rated IRA brokerage companies online.

OptionsXpress IRA Account Commissions

Product	Price
Stocks and ETFs	$8.95
Options (active traders)	$12.95 for up to 10 contracts, $1.25/contract for over 10 contracts
Options (non-active traders)	$14.95 for up to 10 contracts, $1.50/contract for over 10 contracts
Mutual funds	$9.95
Bonds	$5 per bond, $9.95 minimum
Futures	1-40 contracts $6.99; 41-100 contracts $5.99; 101-300 contracts $4.99; 301-1,000 contracts $3.99; 1,001 + contracts $2.99
Options on Futures	1-40 contracts $12.99; 41-100 contracts $8.99; 101-300 contracts $7.99; 301-1,000 contracts $6.99; 1,001 + contracts $5.99
Covered Calls	$22.90 up to 10 contracts
Penny Options	1-10 contracts $4.95 flat; 10 + $0.50/contract
Spreads, Straddles & Combos	2-10 contracts - $12.95 Flat (active traders) $14.95 Flat (non-active traders); 10 + contracts - $1.25/contract (active traders); $1.50/contract (non-active traders)

Investments	stocks, options, mutual funds, bonds, futures, options on futures, covered calls, ETFs
OptionXpress minimum deposit to open account	$0 for cash account, $2,000 for margin account
Fees	OptionsXpress fees

OptionsXpress IRA Account Review

IRAs Offered: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Custodial, Coverdell (educational IRA), Minor Roth, Minor Traditional IRAs
IRA Setup Fee: $0
IRA Annual Fee: $0
IRA Termination Fee: $50

An OptionsXpress IRA account is one of the best choices for those looking to invest in mutual funds. The firm earned a 4.5 out of 5 stars rating in 2009 through 2012 investor surveys in the categories of Trade Experience, Usability, Range of Offerings, Research and Educational Resources, and Customer Service.

OptionsXpress, which is now part of Charles Schwab, offers free IRA accounts with no IRA setup or annual IRA fees. Read full OptionsXpress IRA review.

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Scottrade IRA Account Commissions

Product	Price
Stocks and ETFs	$7
Stocks and ETFs broker assisted	$32
Stocks and ETFs interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system	$32
Options	$7 plus $1.25 per contract
Mutual funds	3,000+ free mutual funds, $17 for others
CDs, OTC Secondary Corporates, OTC Secondary Municipals, U.S. Treasury Bills, Notes, Bonds and STRIPS, New Corporate Offerings	subject to a markup or markdown
Listed Corporate Bonds	$35 fee plus $3 per bond (minimum investment $1,000)
Unit Investment Trusts (UIT)	$50 liquidation fee
Foreign Stocks Transferring In or Out	$60 per transaction

Investments	stocks, options, mutual funds, CDs, munis, U.S. Treasury, Canadian and foreign stocks, ETFs
Scottrade minimum deposit to open account	$500 for a cash account, $2,000 for a margin account
Fees	Scottrade fees

Scottrade IRA Account Review

IRAs Offered: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, Simple IRA, SEP IRA, 401K Plans, Defined Benefit, Money Purchase, Keogh DVP
IRA Setup Fee: $0
IRA Annual Fee: $0
IRA Termination Fee: $0

Scottrade's IRA account is excellent for beginner, mutual fund, and long-term "buy and hold" investors. There are over 3,000 commission-free mutual funds available to its customers. Since the company is a well-established, seasoned brokerage house with a very good reputation, it is a natural choice for people nervous about opening their retirement investment account at one of the newer firms.

Scottrade IRAs are free: there are no IRA setup or annual IRA fees. The company does not even charge an IRA termination fee. The firm is consistently rated at the top in customer service and satisfaction. Read full Scottrade IRA review.

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OptionsHouse IRA Account Commissions

Product	Price
Stocks and ETFs	$3.95
Stocks and ETFs broker assisted	$3.95
Options	Plan 1. Up to five contracts for $5; each additional contract $1 Plan 2. $8.50 + 0.15/contract (great if trading over 10 contracts)
Spreads	Plan 1. Up to 10 contracts for $10; each additional contract $1 Plan 2. $12.50 + 0.15/contract
Mutual funds	$9.95
U.S. Treasury bonds and listed corporate bonds	Orders are accepted by phone

Investments	stocks, options, mutual funds, bonds, ETFs
Optionshouse minimum deposit to open account	$1,000 for cash account, $2,000 for margin account
Fees	Optionshouse fees

OptionsHouse IRA Account Review

IRAs Offered: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA, Educational IRAs
IRA Setup Fee: $0
IRA Annual Fee: $0
IRA Termination Fee: $20

OptionsHouse offers a $3.95 flat-rate commission for stocks and a $9.95 flat-rate commission for mutual funds. In the Barron's magazine online stock broker ratings, OptionsHouse got 4.5 stars (out of 5) and was named #1 in "Trade Experience."

OptionsHouse doesn't have IRA account balance minimums, or IRA setup or annual fees. With very low pricing on mutual fund purchases and sales, it's one of the cheapest brokerages for those planning to invest in mutual funds. The firm provides a lot of free services, including virtual trading, dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs), streaming quotes, and check-writing. Read full OptionsHouse IRA review.

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TD Ameritrade IRA Account Commissions

Product	Price
Stocks and ETFs	$9.99
Stocks and ETFs broker assisted	$49.99
Stocks and ETFs interactive voice response (IVR) telephone system	$34.99
Options	$9.99 plus $0.75 per contract
No-load mutual funds	$49.99
Treasuries at auction	$25 flat fee
All other bonds and CMOs, CDs	on a net yield basis
Futures	$3.50 per contract (inclusive of exchange fees)

Investments	stocks, bonds, mutual funds, options, ETFs, bonds, CDs, UITs, futures and forex
TD Ameritrade minimum deposit to open account	$0 for cash account, $2,000 for margin account
Fees	TD Ameritrade fees

TD Ameritrade IRA Account Review

IRAs Offered: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Individual 401k (for small business)
IRA Setup Fee: $0
IRA Annual Fee: $0
IRA Termination Fee: $0

In 2013 Barron’s magazine rated TD Ameritrade #1 for Beginner Investors and #1 for Long Term Investing, and gave it top scores in the Mobile Trading, Range of Offerings, Research Amenities, Customer Service, and Education categories. Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine ranked it #1 for an IRA account. SmartMoney magazine gave it a 5-star rating (the highest available) for Banking Services, Trading Tools and Research.

TD Ameritrade IRAs have no fees: there are no setup, maintenance, inactivity, or annual IRA fees. A retirement account can be opened with no money down. Read full TD Ameritrade IRA review.

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About our top IRA companies

Above is the list of our top IRA companies in 2013. All of them offer free Traditional IRA, ROTH IRA, SEP IRA and IRA Rollover accounts: there are no annual, maintenance and setup fees associated with these accounts. Some firms also offer SIMPLE IRA, Custodial and 401(k) retirement accounts.

The overall best rated IRA account has Scottrade - no IRA fees, not even account closing fee, which almost all other online brokers charge. The firm offers very reasonable commissions, great customer service and useful online community.

The best IRA account for beginners is at OptionsXpress: fantastic customer service, security of one of the largest US brokerage firm (OptionsXpress is owned by Charles Schwab), and lots of free trading tools and services.

Optionshouse is the cheapest among our top IRA companies, so it's naturally very attractive for the bargain-seeking customers. It also offers lots of valuable services for free.

If you are only comfortable having a brokerage IRA account with large, well-known in the country firm, then either Scottrade, TD Ameritrade or OptionsXpress will work great for you.

You can open new retirement account or set up to transfer your existing brokerage IRA account by clicking one of the links on this website and following instructions. Please read brokerage IRA review before making final decision.

This article was updated on 01/04/2013.

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