TD Ameritrade Pricing and Minimum Deposit
| Investments | Commissions |
|---|
| Stocks and ETFs | $0 |
| Stocks and ETFs broker assisted | $25 |
| No-load mutual funds | $49.99 to buy, $0 to sell |
| Treasuries at auction | $25 |
| All other bonds and CMOs, CDs | on a net yield basis |
| Futures | $2.25 per contract plus exchange & regulatory fees |
| Forex | Non-commission currency pairs trade in increments of 10,000 units (and do not contain a "#" symbol suffix). There are no additional fees or charges. |
| Investments | stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, CDs, UITs, futures, and forex |
| TD Ameritrade minimum deposit to open account | $0 |
| Fees | TD Ameritrade fees |
TD Ameritrade Brokerage Review
TD Ameritrade advertises a lot and brings in many customers. But is the fanfare backed up by good-quality investing services? Let our research provide the answer.
Bulls Comment On...
Great trading tools. With several mobile apps, a professional-level desktop program, and a well-designed website, TD Ameritrade clients have some very good software programs, all free of charge.
Competitive commission schedule. TD Ameritrade responded to the broker price war and
lowered all of its trading fees.
Large selection of mutual funds. Despite the broker’s emphasis on stock trading tools,
TD Ameritrade has over 13,000 mutual funds, one of the largest lists in the low-cost brokerage industry.
Bears Comment On...
Robo-advisory services aren’t offered. Some brokers are offering robo investing services.
Margin rates are high. Some competitors have lower margin rates.
Investment Vehicles
TD Ameritrade customers can invest in several asset classes that aren’t available at a lot of other broker-dealers. These products include forex, futures, bitcoin futures, equity IPO’s, and annuities.
TD Ameritrade also offers the standard lineup of stocks, bonds, ETF’s, closed-end funds, and mutual funds. And the bond category includes Strips, Zeroes, and brokered CD’s.
Missing at TD Ameritrade are warrants, precious metals, contracts for difference,
cryptocurrencies, and foreign stocks.
Cash Management
Our brokerage firm under investigation hasn’t forgotten the banking needs of its clients. They can sign up for free tools (a Visa debit card and checks). Other tools—such as mobile check deposit, an ACH transfer tool, and a wire transfer form—are easy to use on the TDA website or mobile app. External bank accounts can be linked easily.
Besides the free debit card with no ATM fees, TD Ameritrade also reimburses any ATM fees incurred while using the card in the United States. Checkbook reorders are free as well.
TD Ameritrade offers FDIC insurance on free cash balances through TD Bank. The current interest rate on balances below $200,000 is just 1 basis point.
Security Research
TD Ameritrade clients get a lot of great resources in this category, starting with a video channel at tdameritradenetwork.com. Guests can access it, too. There is live programming and on-demand videos. During our investigation, we found topics on interest rates, precious metals, and the retailing industry.
At tdameritrade.com, there is a large collection of educational articles, courses, and videos on many investing topics. Bond investing and bull market strategies are two examples we found.
Screeners do an excellent job of locating stocks, fixed-income securities, and funds. And profile pages present lots of information. For ETF’s, there is a prospectus and top 10 holdings. Stocks have pdf reports from several analysts.
TD Ameritrade is one of the few brokers to offer in-person events. We found a technical analysis workshop at the Marriott Hotel in New York City.
Exchange Traded Funds
There are ETF picks from CFRA posted on the TDA website free of charge. A pdf icon is listed next to each fund on the list; this is CFRA’s free analysis that explains why they’re so bullish on the fund. Free commentary from Morningstar is also posted on the website’s ETF hub.
TD Ameritrade displays the day’s biggest ETF movers by % gain and % loss. These categories can be sorted by volume, 5-day trend, and the day’s change.
Other great ETF resources include a fund comparison tool and a screener. The former looks at funds side-by-side with important data points like 1-year return and inception date. The latter offers too many search criteria to list.
Mutual Funds
The mutual fund screener on TDA’s website can look for potential investments based on expense ratio, fund
manager tenure, NAV return, category rank, and many more criteria. There are over 4,200 funds with zero load and zero transaction fee. Results for some reason never seem to display correctly for us in Google Chrome, one technical weakness. Results can be displayed in a pop-out window, however; and this solves the glitch. Buy and sell buttons are in the far-right column for quick trading.
Fund profiles on TD Ameritrade’s site offer a great deal of important data points. A prospectus can be downloaded, analyst ratings are shown, and the growth of $10,000 is displayed on a chart. There is also a condensed version of the profile that can be downloaded in pdf format.
Pricing
Despite TD Ameritrade’s excellent showing thus far, it has some very good rates. Stock and ETF
trades are now an unbeatable $0.00.
Using the brokerage firm’s automated phone system to submit an order costs just $5, a discount of $30 compared to TDA’s old commission schedule. Using a human broker now costs $25, another rate cut. Trades of over-the-counter stocks are subject to a $6.95 commission.
TD Ameritrade’s commission for non-NTF funds is
$49.99 to buy and $0 to sell. Funds that are commission-free themselves could be subject to a $49.99 fee if they’re sold in less than 6 months after purchase.
Futures cost $2.25 each, plus exchange and regulatory fees. Forex trades are commission free; although TD Ameritrade is compensated through the spread. Treasuries at auction are commission-free. Other bonds have a markup or markdown in their prices.
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Customer Support
TD Ameritrade has agents on the phone all hours of the day and night, 365 days per year. Foreign language service is available more limited hours. There’s also a robo chat service operating around the clock. Named Ted, it is able to answer some, but not all, questions. A link to a human chat service is displayed after Ted answers a question in case you need some additional help.
There is an extensive network of brick-and-mortar TDA locations stretching from the East Coast all the way to Hawaii and Alaska. We counted about 300 of them.
More customer service functions are available through the broker’s website. They can be accessed through the “Client Services” tab in the top menu. Here, accounts can be linked, documents can be uploaded, a message can be sent to the broker, and much more.
Website
Speaking of the website, TDA clients get a very well-designed platform to research securities and trade them. At the bottom of the browsing window sits SnapTicket. This is a trade bar that provides streaming data, a small chart, and the ability to submit orders for stocks, ETF’s, closed-end funds, and derivatives.
Besides SnapTicket, orders can also be sent using web pages. This second option provides contingent orders, which aren’t available on the trade bar.
Charting on the website is at an intermediate level. A graph can be displayed full-screen with about 30 technical studies. We counted 5 display styles, including dot and mountain. Colors cannot be changed, which is one weakness. Trade buttons are displayed on the graphing window for quick order entry.
Alerts and multiple watchlists can be used on the site. An income estimator tool shows how much a particular fund or stock is expected to pay in distributions based on a share amount.
Desktop Software
TD Ameritrade clients with any trading frequency and any account balance get to use the company’s desktop software thinkorswim for free. The program is on a professional-level, so it does require some time to learn. Thankfully, there is a demo login where a practice currency can be used.
Charting on thinkorswim has some of the most advanced tools we have ever seen. There are hundreds of technical indicators, 10 graph styles, and multiple drawing tools. Examples include channels, Fibonacci retracements, and cycle brackets. CNBC streams free of charge, and there are even some basic video games included.
The software’s trade ticket offers some very advanced order types, such as on-the-close, blast all, OCO, and trailing types. Direct-access routing and Level 2 quotes make the trading experience that much more advanced.
A recent addition to thinkorswim is an educational center that offers several tools to help beginners learn the software.
Mobile Trading
Now we come to the broker’s solution to today’s mobile lifestyle. There are actually 3 apps that TDA customers have to choose from. The first is a thinkorswim clone that has a lot of the advanced charting features that its desktop parent has. Besides stocks, ETF’s, and options, futures and forex can be traded on it.
The second platform is an app called “Trader.” It has a lot of the same features that thinkorswim has. These include an economic calendar, alerts, and a watchlist.
The third and final platform is the basic app. But don’t let the name fool you. We found mobile check deposit and Level II quotes (neither of which are available on the other 2 apps), a dashboard with heatmaps and social signals.
Other Tools
TD Ameritrade goes further than its desktop platform, offering a smartwatch app for Apple watches. It shows market indexes, trading data for stocks, and a watch list. iMessage is another feature Apple users get.
Amazon Echo users can enable a TD Ameritrade skill that can deliver a market briefing, an account summary, and security quotes. It can even place trades.
Portfolio Management
TD Ameritrade is more than just a discount broker for self-directed accounts. It also offers a large suite of managed accounts. At the bottom of the heap is a robo program that costs just 30 basis points. Both recurring deposits and a $500 minimum initial deposit are required.
Human advisors cost more and have higher minimums but provide more asset classes, one-one-one question & answer sessions, a financial plan, and more. With the broker’s large network of branch locations, we think this second option would be beneficial for many investors.
Account Types
There are many account types available to TD Ameritrade customers. Of course, there’s the traditional taxable brokerage account. There are also several retirement accounts, including IRA’s, profit-sharing plans, and self-employed 401(k)’s.
For minors, there are 529 plans, UTMA/UGMA accounts, and the Coverdell Education Savings Account. Trusts, businesses, and investment clubs have account options as well.
TD Ameritrade permits residents of several foreign countries to open accounts, an unusual service.
Other Services
TD Ameritrade offers both DRIP service and recurring investments into mutual funds. There is no charge for either.
Recommendations
Mutual Fund Investors: With a large list of funds, a very good screener, and excellent mutual
fund resources, TD Ameritrade is a good pick.
Individual Retirement Accounts: We can recommend TD Ameritrade for its great IRA selection
and pricing schedule.
Beginners: With its outstanding learning materials and user-friendly website (but not desktop
platform) we can endorse TD Ameritrade for new investors.
Active Stock and ETF Trading: We can easily propose TD Ameritrade over other brokerage firms
for frequent equity traders due to its sophisticated desktop software.
Long-Term Investors and Retirement Savers: Once again, TD Ameritrade is a great choice here.
Small Accounts: With no fees or minimums, traders with limited resources will find a great
value at TD Ameritrade.
Awards
TD Ameritrade Review Summary
With its new commission schedule, TD Ameritrade is easily one of the best values out there.
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TD Ameritrade Questions and Answers
What investments can clients make through TD Ameritrade?
TD Ameritrade customers can trade the following asset types: stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, CDs, UITs, futures, and forex.
What are TD Ameritrade's fees?
A list of all the fees TD Ameritrade is charging is under this link.
What are TD Ameritrade IRA charges?
A list of all the IRA fees is under this link.
What interest does TD Ameritrade pay on cash?
TD Ameritrade interest rates on uninvested cash are in TD Ameritrade cash sweep options.
What are TD Ameritrade margin interest rates?
Current TD Ameritrade margin interest rates could be found here.
What is TD Ameritrade account minimum?
TD Ameritrade does not have minimum requirements for brokerage accounts.
What minimum deposit is required to open a TD Ameritrade account?
TD Ameritrade minimum deposit requirement to open a taxable or an IRA account is $0 for cash account and $2,000 for margin account.
What is TD Ameritrade clearing company?
TD Ameritrade is self clearing. Forex trading clearing is done by KCG Americas.
How to close TD Ameritrade account?
You could learn how to close or transfer your TD Ameritrade account under this link.
TD Ameritrade Margin Rates
|
Debit Balance
|
Margin Interest Rates
|
|
above $499,999
|
call 800-655-4777
|
|
$250,000 - $499,999
|
12.75%
|
|
$100,000 - $249,999
|
13%
|
|
$50,000 - $99,999
|
13.25%
|
|
$25,000 - $49,999
|
14.25%
|
|
$10,000 - $24,999
|
14.5%
|
|
under $10,000
|
14.75%
|
TD Ameritrade IRA Fees
| Fee |
Amount |
| TD Ameritrade IRA setup fee |
$0 |
| TD Ameritrade annual IRA fee |
$0 |
| TD Ameritrade IRA termination fee |
$0 |
| TD Ameritrade account maintenance fee |
$0 |
| TD Ameritrade account inactivity fee |
$0 |
| TD Ameritrade outbound full account transfer (ACAT) fee |
$75 |
| TD Ameritrade outbound partial account transfer fee |
$25 |
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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.
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