J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review 2026
Key Takeaways:
• J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers online trading through self-directed brokerage accounts.
• Some trades at J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing carry $0 commissions.
• A J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing brokerage account is conveniently linked to eligible deposit accounts at Chase Bank.
Before opening your next investment account, consider what J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing can offer you.
Investing and Trading
As its name implies, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers self-directed investment accounts. These discount brokerage accounts provide access to the following securities:
- Stocks
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Closed-end funds
- Mutual funds
- Options
- Bonds and other fixed-income assets
Other asset classes, such as cryptocurrencies and event contracts, are unavailable at the brokerage firm.
A brokerage account with J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing can be opened as a joint, retirement, custodial, trust, or individual account. No other account registrations are available at this time.
Advisory Services
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing previously had a sister service called J.P. Morgan Automated Investing that offered robo accounts. This part of the company has been shut down, and all low-cost advisory accounts have been converted to self-directed brokerage accounts.
JPMorgan Chase & Co., the parent company of both online investing services, continues to offer investment-advisory accounts through J.P. Morgan Wealth Management. These are not low-cost robo accounts, however; they are full-service managed accounts.
Banking
A brokerage account opened through J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing does not come with notable cash-management features, such as a debit card or checkwriting.
However, because J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Chase Bank are sister companies, an eligible deposit account or credit card opened through Chase is automatically linked to a brokerage account on the investing side. A single login is all that is needed to access both brokerage and bank accounts. With the company’s decent, although not outstanding, software, it is fairly easy to transfer funds among linked accounts.
A checking account with Chase Bank often has a monthly fee, although the charge and waiver requirements can depend on the specific account. Interest rates are generally low. ATM withdrawals are free only at Chase ATMs for most accounts, although the premium Sapphire account is one exception. Chase also offers several attractive credit cards.
Website
Traders at J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing receive a simple website accessed through Chase.com. Bank and investment accounts use the same portal, although the trading side has its own suite of tools. To get started, click the Investments tab in the main menu at the top.
The investing platform has screeners for all offered investment products except options. A watchlist displays prices and small graphs, and an unlimited number of watchlists can be created. Research reports from J.P. Morgan can be downloaded free of charge in PDF format. Some reports include price targets and trading recommendations, although not every stock is covered.
For actual trading, there is an order ticket with five order types:
- Market
- Limit
- Stop
- Stop limit
- Market on close
Charts on equity profiles have numerous features, including drawing tools and company events, although a full-screen display is not available. Farther down each profile, J.P. Morgan provides additional information, including news articles, key metrics, analyst insights, dividend history, peer comparisons, and more.
Mobile App
Like the website, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing uses software shared with its sister company, Chase Bank. A single login provides access to all linked accounts. Tap an investment account to open the trading section.
Stock profiles have the same information available on the website. Tap the blue Trade button beneath the chart at the top to open the app’s order ticket, which is nearly identical to the web-based ticket. Watchlist and alert buttons appear at the top of stock profiles. Watchlists created in the app sync with the website.
Because the app is connected to Chase Bank, users will find advertisements for other parts of the company, including auto loans and mortgages. The app also provides a free credit score, while travel rewards and shopping bonuses are available to eligible credit-card customers.
Other Software
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing does not offer a desktop program or any other advanced trading platform.
Margin
A self-directed account at J.P. Morgan can be established as either a cash or margin account. A margin account can purchase stocks using borrowed funds. However, the discount brokerage firm does not permit short stock positions, and option spreads are unavailable at the time of this writing.
J.P. Morgan’s software displays an account’s margin buying power. Another line in the balance details shows day-trading buying power. The order ticket on the broker’s website also displays a security’s initial and maintenance margin requirements. For Boeing, we found the following requirements:
Initial: 50%
Maintenance: 30%
The cost of borrowing on margin is:
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Debit Balance
|
J.P. Morgan Margin Rates
|
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$0.01 - $4,999
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11.5%
|
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$5,000 - $9,999
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11.5%
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$10,000 - $24,999
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11.5%
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$25,000 - $49,999
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11.25%
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$50,000 - $99,999
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10.75%
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$100,000 - $499,999
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10.5%
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$500,000 - $999,999
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9.75%
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$1,000,001 - $3,000,000
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9.25%
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Pricing Schedule
| Investments | Commissions |
|---|
| Stocks and ETFs | $0 |
| Options | $0.65 per contract |
| Mutual funds | $0 |
| U.S. treasury bills, notes and bonds | $0 (secondary trades only) |
|
New Issues (brokered CDs)
|
$0 |
|
Secondary Markets (corporate bonds, municipal bonds, brokered CDs)
|
$10.00 / Trade + $1.00 / Bond Over
10 Bonds ($250 Maximum)
|
| Investments | stocks, mutual funds, money market funds, options, bonds, treasuries, brokered CDs, ETFs |
| Minimum deposit to open an account | $1 to open a self-directed account; $2,000 minimum equity required to trade on margin |
| Fees | Chase brokerage fees |
Although J.P. Morgan’s margin rates are not especially competitive, the broker performs much better on commissions for self-directed traders. Online trades of stocks and funds are commission-free. Options cost 65¢ per contract, while exercises and assignments are free. Many bond trades have a $0 commission, although some carry a $1 fee per bond with a $10 minimum.
A brokerage account with J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing has no annual fee or other recurring account charge. An account can be maintained with any balance above $0.
Additional Features
Fully-Paid Stock Lending Program: Missing in action.
Initial Public Offerings: Also unavailable.
DRIP Service: Cash dividends can be reinvested in additional shares of the securities that paid them.
IRA Lineup: Roth and Traditional IRAs are available for retirement savers. Unfortunately, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing charges a $75 IRA termination fee.
Fractional Shares: The trade ticket at J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing accepts orders in either whole dollars or whole shares. Dollar-based orders have a $5 minimum for stocks and ETFs.
Extended Hours: Pre-market and after-hours trading sessions are available at J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing. There is no overnight trading session.
Automatic Purchases: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers recurring purchases of mutual funds.
Our Recommendations
Small Accounts: Because J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers fractional-share trading and
has no recurring account fees, it is a reasonable choice for small investors, at least for taxable
accounts. For an IRA, we would choose Charles Schwab, which does not charge an IRA closeout fee.
Beginners: Without simulated trading or robo accounts, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is
difficult to recommend for beginners. We suggest Webull, which offers both.
Long-Term Investing and Retirement Planning: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers retirement
accounts, but it does not provide many additional retirement-planning services. A full-service investment
account with Charles Schwab may be a better choice.
Active Equity Trading: Because the broker does not have a desktop platform or overnight trading,
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a poor choice for active traders. Webull would be a better option.
Mutual Funds: During our research on the J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing platform, we found
exactly 2,714 funds, all of which were no-transaction-fee funds. Although this selection is decent,
E*TRADE offers a larger list, with over 6,000 no-transaction-fee funds.
Our Judgment
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing has a mediocre investment program that provides basic brokerage
trading. Many features are missing, and competing brokers offer them for little or no additional cost.
Updated on 6/18/2026.
Chad Morris has been analyzing investment firms for Brokerage-Review.com since 2015. Backed by FINRA Series 65, 66, and SIE credentials, his work reflects a deep knowledge of the retail brokerage industry and digital trading tools.
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