Ameriprise vs Vanguard, Fidelity Investments, TD Ameritrade, Etrade, and Charles Schwab


Ameriprise and Competitors Cost


Broker Fees Stock/ETF
Commission
Mutual Fund
Commission
Margin
Rate
Maintenance
Fee
Annual IRA
Fee
Chase $0 $0 na $0 $0
TD Ameritrade $0 $49.99 ($0 to sell) 14.25% $0 $0
Fidelity $0 $49.95 13.075% $0 $0
Charles Schwab $0 up to $74.95 13.075% $0 $0
Etrade $0 $19.95 13.7% $0 $0
Vanguard $0 $20 13.25% $20* $20*

** Vanguard is charging $20 annual maintenance fee (waived if user chooses to receive statements and other information electronically).


Ameriprise and Competitors Services


Broker Review Cost Investment Products Trading Tools Customer Service Research Overall Rating
Chase
TD Ameritrade
Fidelity
Charles Schwab
Etrade
Vanguard
Ameriprise


About Ameriprise Financial


Ameriprise Financial is one of the oldest investment firms in the country. Founded in 1894 they provide a vast variety of services and products. With over $900 billion in assets, they rank in the top 10 providers of financial planning, including mutual funds, annuities and insurance products. This historic customer focused company has never taken a bailout.

Ameriprise Financial is not a one package fits all investment firm. The investment options Ameriprise offers are too diverse to be able to list all of them here, and client’s needs are taken into consideration when developing their financial portfolio. Ameriprise fees and rates vary depending on the type of investment you have and how aggressively you invest.


Ameriprise Competitors


Ameriprise competitors in this article are the top online investment firms in the United States and all of them are a household names. All six firms are great for stock investors, charging $0 per trade. Mutual funds are the lowest priced at Chase - $0 per online transaction. Other brokerages are much more expensive, charging $20 at Etrade and Vanguard; and $50 at Schwab, TD Ameritrade and Fidelity.

At Ameriprise customers cannot get ETFs commission-free. All other brokers in this article offer all ETFs commission-free.

TD Ameritrade is the only firm in this review that offers access to an online user community. It allows customers to learn about investing from more experienced investors and traders, get investment ideas, and interact with members with similar views on various topics.

Charles Schwab and Chase are the best ranking firms in customer service. TD Ameritrade and Fidelity also got very high ratings in this category.

All the companies in this review (except Vanguard and Ameriprise) created easy-to-use, powerful trading tools that will satisfy everyone but day-traders. Ameriprise is definitely behind the pack in this category, while TD Ameritrade provides professional-level trading software that only a day-trader will fully appreciate.

All discount brokers in this review (except Ameriprise) are easy-to-use and will work great for anyone just starting out in investing. TD Ameritrade and Chase offer huge amounts of learning resources, and provide excellent customer service - this earns them the title of the Top Brokerage Houses for Beginners.


Recommendations

It's hard to recommend Ameriprise - all competitors in this review are better than Ameriprise in almost every category.

TD Ameritrade is an excellent firm for most investors who want the security and rich selection of services of a large brokerage house without paying higher than average fees. The company is also our top choice for anyone new to investing as well as for opening an IRA account: Traditional IRA, ROTH IRA, 401(k), SEP, and SIMPLE IRA.

JP Morgan Chase is a great broker for anyone looking for a bargain.

Fidelity Investments and Vanguard are highly recommended for those who want to invest mostly in Fidelity- or Vanguard-families of mutual funds and ETFs.

Etrade is our pick for investing in various bond products.

Charles Schwab is recommended for buy-and-hold investors and for mutual funds investing.

You could learn much more about every firm by taking a look at the detailed brokerage reviews under the following links:

JP Morgan Chase (click here),

TD Ameritrade (click here),

Etrade (click here),

Charles Schwab (click here),

Fidelity Investments (click here),

Ameriprise (click here),

Vanguard (click here).


Promotions

JP Morgan Chase: Get up to $700 when you fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account.

TD Ameritrade: $0 commissions + transfer fee reimbursement.

ETRADE: Get zero commission on stock and ETF trades.



About the Author
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.