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VERDICT

Should I use Fidelity Investments?

Not disclosed - research2.fidelity.com

Worth it. Buy if you're a US investor wanting a low-cost, full-service brokerage with strong research and retirement tools. Don't buy the managed advisory tier if you're self-directed — and weigh the 2024 data breach.

Confidence

Medium. Based on ~45 public sources; most review snippets were truncated, so verbatim quotes were unavailable.

Ratings

  • Value for money
  • Ease of use
  • Feature depth
  • Support quality
  • Security posture

Pricing

Self-directed brokerage

Guess: $0 online US stock/ETF commissions

ModelNot disclosed
Monthly feesNot disclosed
HardwareNot disclosed
Free tierYes

Best for

  • Long-term index investors
  • Beginners wanting free education
  • Retirement savers
  • Self-directed traders wanting free research

Not for

  • Self-directed investors who'd regret paying advisory fees
  • Privacy-cautious users worried by the 2024 breach
  • Non-US residents (service is US-focused)
  • Anyone needing only a simple portfolio tracker — overkill

Gotchas - check before you buy

high

Breach settlement had claim deadlines; affected customers had to act for up-to-$5,000 payouts

medium

Reddit users report regret paying Wealth Management advisory fees for advice they didn't need

medium

Fee schedule is 'à la carte' — certain services carry separate charges beyond headline zero commissions

medium

NetBenefits mobile app builds have carried CVE-listed vulnerabilities

Pros and cons

Pros

  • Ranked a favorite broker by major review outlets like NerdWallet and Investopedia
  • Transparent pricing with published commission and fee schedules
  • Strong free educational resources praised by reviewers
  • Broad range: brokerage, retirement, managed accounts, alternatives, research tools
  • Runs a public vulnerability disclosure program on HackerOne

Cons

  • October 2024 breach exposed personal data of 77,000 customers
  • $2.5M breach settlement; payouts up to $5,000 per affected customer
  • Wealth Management advisory clients report regret on Reddit
  • Customer-service complaints appear on BBB and Trustpilot

Sources & method

Analyzed 9/25/2026 - 10 sources - Mature security program (bug bounty, MFA guidance) marred by an October 2024 breach affecting 77,000 customers and a $2.5M settlement.

official x2review x5security x1news x2
  • 2024 data breach, Fidelity disclosed that personal data of 77,000 customers was exposed in October 2024.
  • $2.5M breach settlement, Class settlement over the breach; affected customers were eligible for payouts up to $5,000 with a filing deadline.

Key stats

  • Value for money: 5/5

    Rating

  • Guess: $0 online US stock/ETF commissions

    Starting price

  • 10

    Sources

  • Analyzed

  • Value for money: 5/5. Zero-commission trades; transparent published fee schedule
  • Ease of use: 4/5. Well-reviewed app; beginner-friendly per reviewers
  • Feature depth: 5/5. Brokerage, retirement, robo, alternatives, deep research
  • Support quality: 3/5. BBB complaints and mixed Trustpilot feedback
  • Security posture: 3/5. Strong program, but 77k-customer breach
  • 4.3/5 Overall rating RFP.wiki comparison score
  • 1,157+ Trustpilot reviews Mixed customer-service feedback
  • 1946 Founded Headquartered in Boston
  • 77,000 customers 2024 breach exposure Personal data exposed

Pricing

Self-directed brokerage

Guess: $0 online US stock/ETF commissions

  • No account minimums (guess)
  • Published à la carte fee schedule for other services

Security

Mature security program (bug bounty, MFA guidance) marred by an October 2024 breach affecting 77,000 customers and a $2.5M settlement.

  • 2024 data breachFidelity disclosed that personal data of 77,000 customers was exposed in October 2024.⁵
  • $2.5M breach settlementClass settlement over the breach; affected customers were eligible for payouts up to $5,000 with a filing deadline.⁶

What users say

Long-term retail investors broadly praise Fidelity's low costs and tools, while some advisory clients regret the managed service and support complaints persist on Trustpilot and BBB.

Full analysis

Based on ~45 public sources; most review snippets were truncated, so verbatim quotes were unavailable.

Top-rated zero-commission US brokerage for long-term investors; advisory upsells and a 2024 breach are the caveats.

Methodology

Based on ~45 public sources; most review snippets were truncated, so verbatim quotes were unavailable.

Sources

  1. Fidelity: Why It's One of Our Favorite Brokers — NerdWalletnerdwallet.com
    review
  2. Fidelity Review — Investopediainvestopedia.com
    review
  3. Why Is Fidelity So Great? — r/Bogleheadsreddit.com
    review
  4. Anyone else really regret choosing Fidelity Wealth Management — Redditreddit.com
    review
  5. Fidelity data breach exposed personal data of 77,000 customers — TechCrunchtechcrunch.com
    news
  6. Fidelity data breach settlement deadline — Yahoo Financefinance.yahoo.com
    news
  7. Fidelity HackerOne response policyhackerone.com
    security
  8. Brokerage Commission and Fee Schedule — Fidelityfidelity.com
    official
  9. Straightforward and Transparent Pricing — Fidelityfidelity.com
    official
  10. Fidelity Investments vs FundCount — RFP.wikirfp.wiki
    review

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