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VS field	Vanguard investor.vanguard.com ETF BrokerStock BrokerStock	Charles Schwab schwab.com Stock BrokerETF BrokerMutual Fund	Fidelity fidelity.com Stock BrokerETF Broker

Decision summary
Overall score	88	91	91	88
Trust score	92	100	100	93
Cost score	90	92	89	86
Platform score	78	94	94	89
Withdrawal score	80	89	89	89
Best for	U.S. long-term investors · retirement investors · index-fund and ETF investors	Best suited for U.S.-centric investors and active traders who want a large, bank-affiliated multi-asset brokerage with $0 online listed stock/ETF commissions, strong platform dept…	Evidence supports Fidelity as a U.S.-focused, highly regulated multi-asset broker for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, options, cash management, managed portfolios, and sepa…	U.S. self-directed stock/ETF investors · Options traders · Futures traders needing CME/ICE US/CFE access
Watch out	you are not a U.S. citizen/legal permanent resident with a U.S. mailing address for U.S. account opening · you need forex, CFDs, futures, or crypto trading · you need guaranteed n…	Needs verification	Needs verification	Needs verification
Trust & regulation
Regulators	Vanguard Marketing Corporation / Vanguard Brokerage Services is a FINRA-regulated broker-dealer and SIPC member; SEC number appears in FINRA BrokerCheck. Source	SEC; FINRA; SIPC; CFTC; NFA; FDIC Source	Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC is SEC registered and regulated by FINRA; FBS and NFS are members of NYSE and SIPC. Source
Costs & account conditions
Minimum deposit	$0 to open a Vanguard Brokerage Account; mutual funds vary by fund; Vanguard ETFs $1 per share; Digital Advisor requires $100 per brokerage account. Source	$0 minimum for standard U.S. brokerage and IRA accounts; Schwab One International accounts require a minimum deposit but amount is not disclosed in checked official pages. Source	$0 to open a retail brokerage account; Fidelity states no account minimum and ability to invest with as little as $1; exceptions apply by account/product. Source
Markets, platforms & payments
Tradable assets	Vanguard Brokerage Account can hold mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, options, CDs and cash/money market products. Source	Stocks; fractional shares; ETFs; mutual funds; bonds/CDs/fixed income; money market funds; options; futures; futures options; forex; international stocks/ADRs/foreign ordinaries; cash products; annuities; alternatives; crypto ETPs/securities/futures. Source	Stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, crypto, fixed income, bonds and CDs; Fidelity says stocks include domestic and international.

License numbers	CRD#: 7452; SEC#: 8-21570 Source	Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CRD 5393; SEC 801-29938 and 8-16514 Source	FBS CRD# 7784 / SEC# 8-23292; NFS CRD# 13041 / SEC# 801-50706, 8-26740. Source	Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC: CRD# 149777; SEC# 801-70103 and 8-68191. E*TRADE Futures LLC: NFA ID 0401545 from NFA BASIC search result. Source

Regulated entities	Brokerage assets are held through Vanguard Brokerage Services, a division of Vanguard Marketing Corporation, member FINRA and SIPC. Advice services are provided by Vanguard Advisers, Inc., a registered investment advisor, or by Vanguard National Trust Company, a federally chartered, limited-purpose trust company. Source	Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC; Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB Source	Primary securities brokerage entities are Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (FBS) and National Financial Services LLC (NFS), each member NYSE/SIPC; advisory and crypto entities differ by product. Source	Securities and advisory services: Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; commodity futures/options on futures: E*TRADE Futures LLC; banking: Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association; crypto commission charged by zerohash with Zero Hash NYDFS virtual currency business licenses noted on crypto page. Source

Negative balance protection	No CFD/forex negative balance protection found; Vanguard margin disclosure says clients can lose more than deposited and are responsible for any shortfall after forced liquidation. Source	Not disclosed as retail brokerage negative balance protection; futures/forex are leveraged and losses may exceed initial investment. Source	Not applicable/not disclosed as a CFD-style negative balance protection policy; margin trading can create debt/interest obligations. Source	No negative balance protection found; official margin/futures disclosures state customers may lose more than deposited funds and be liable for deficits. Source

Investor compensation	SIPC coverage up to $500,000 including $250,000 cash; certain bank sweep deposits are FDIC insured subject to limits. Source	SIPC protection up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit for brokerage account assets; futures accounts are not protected by SIPC. Source	SIPC coverage up to $500,000/$250,000 cash plus Fidelity excess SIPC; FDIC sweep coverage may apply to eligible cash programs; important exclusions apply. Source	SIPC: up to $500,000 including $250,000 cash; excess of SIPC policy: $1B aggregate firmwide, $1.9M per client uninvested cash; FDIC: brokerage sweep up to $500,000 individual/$1,000,000 joint and bank deposits at least $250,000 or $500,000 for Premium Savings where conditions are met. Source

Restricted countries	Vanguard states U.S. account opening requires U.S. citizenship or legal permanent residence with a U.S. mailing address; site products/services are intended for U.S. residents. Source	Not all products, services, or investments are available in all countries; Schwab is not registered outside the United States and products/services may not be registered in a user's jurisdiction. Source	U.S.-persons focused; sanctioned countries/prohibited parties restricted; no exhaustive country availability list found. Source	Official promotional terms exclude non-U.S. residents and residents of any jurisdiction where an offer is not valid. Full account-opening country availability/restriction list was not located in public pages checked. Source

Spread from	Not applicable as a forex/CFD spread field; Vanguard is not presented as a forex/CFD broker. ETF shares trade on the secondary market at market prices that may be above or below NAV. Source	Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources. Source	Not applicable to Fidelity's core U.S. stock/ETF brokerage model; securities trade by exchange/market prices rather than quoted CFD/FX spreads. Source	Not applicable as a primary pricing metric for this U.S. securities/futures/banking platform; E*TRADE discloses commissions, contract fees, bond markups/markdowns and margin rates rather than forex/CFD-style spreads. Source

Commission	$0 online stocks, ETFs and Vanguard mutual fund trades; options $0 + $1 per contract; broker-assisted commission may apply. Source	stock_commission: $0 online commission for listed stocks and ETFs; OTC equities $6.95; broker-assisted service charge $25; etf_commission: $0 online commission for listed U.S.-exchange ETFs; options_commission: $0 online base commission plus $0.65 per options contract; futures_commission: $2.25 per contract, per side, for futures and futures options; exchange, regulatory, overnight, NFA, and market-data fees may apply; mutual_fund_commission: $0 on thousands of Schwab Mutual Fund OneSource funds; all other mutual funds up to $74.95 per purchase; bond_commission: New-issue bonds/CDs: $0 online/selling concession included; Treasuries online $0; most other secondary bonds $1 per bond with $10 minimum and $250 maximum; forex_commission: $0 commission; forex trade costs are reflected in the bid/ask spread Source	$0 online U.S. stock and ETF trades; $0 online options commission plus $0.65/contract; other product/service fees apply. Source	stock_commission: $0 for online U.S. exchange-listed stock trades; OTC stock trades $6.95 online or $4.95 for 30+ trades/quarter; broker-assisted trades add $25.; etf_commission: $0 online ETF trades.; options_commission: Options: $0 base commission, $0.65 per contract, reduced to $0.50 with 30+ trades per quarter; exercise/assignments $0; regulatory/exchange fees may apply.; futures_commission: Futures and options on futures: $1.50 per contract per side plus exchange, NFA and other fees.; mutual_fund_commission: $0 for no-load, no-transaction-fee funds; load funds per prospectus; ETRADE states $0 for online U.S.-listed mutual fund trades in FAQs.; bond_commission: Bonds/CDs: $1 per bond for online secondary trades ($10 min/$250 max); U.S. Treasury auction and online Treasury secondary trades $0; broker-assisted online secondary pricing plus $20 commission.; crypto_commission: Cryptocurrency commission: 0.50% on notional trade value, charged by zerohash, of which ETRADE receives a portion. Source

Maximum leverage	Vanguard supports margin loans, but maximum leverage is security- and account-dependent. Current minimum margin maintenance requirement is 35% for most marginable securities. Source	Not disclosed as a single broker-level maximum; leverage/margin depends on product, account approval, and regulatory/product requirements. Source	No universal maximum leverage ratio disclosed for Fidelity retail brokerage; margin borrowing is available subject to approval and margin requirements/rates rather than a single max leverage figure. Source	Product-dependent. For securities margin, official margin disclosure gives minimum Reg T margin account equity of $2,000 and portfolio margin eligibility at $100,000 equity plus Level 4 options approval, but no single maximum leverage ratio. For futures, overnight margin is 100% of exchange minimum requirements and intraday margin is 50% of initial requirements for all products except Bitcoin; eligible futures IRAs are 200% of initial requirements with $25k minimum equity. Source

Deposit fee	Vanguard does not charge for Electronic Bank Transfers; wire transfers are $10 where applicable; physical certificate deposits can cost $100 per CUSIP. Source	$0 for funds entering a standard brokerage account; banking deposit services generally no monthly/account minimum fees, but certain services can have fees Source	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and Fidelity does not charge wire fees; external banks may charge. Source	ACH Transfer Money is free; incoming wire transfers listed as $0; incoming non-U.S. currency may incur conversion fees from Wells Fargo/MSPBNA note says MSPBNA does not charge fees on incoming USD wires. Source

Withdrawal fee	ACH/electronic bank transfers are not charged by Vanguard; wires are $10 where applicable; full account closure/transfer-out may be $100. Source	No fee for routine withdrawals from standard brokerage per FAQ; full outbound ACAT $50 and outgoing wire $25; Schwab Bank Investor Checking has unlimited ATM fee rebates for cash withdrawals worldwide, subject to conditions. Source	$0 Fidelity fee for EFT and domestic bank wire withdrawals; foreign exchange wire up to 3% of principal; receiving bank may charge. Source	Outgoing wire transfers: $25; full outgoing account transfer: $75; check requests: $0; stop payment requests: $25. Source

Inactivity fee	No distinct inactivity fee found in official fee schedule; annual account service fee may apply instead. Source	$0 annual maintenance/inactivity fee for standard brokerage accounts Source	No explicit inactivity-fee line found in official fee schedule; official account pages state no retail brokerage account fees/no account or subscription fees. Treat as needs manual confirmation before publishing as '$0 inactivity fee'. Source	No inactivity fee found in checked official Pricing and Rates account activity, special request and brokerage account pages. Source

Trading platforms	Vanguard supports online brokerage trading through its website and mobile app for account management, deposits/withdrawals and buying/selling investments. Source	Schwab.com; Schwab Mobile; thinkorswim desktop; thinkorswim web; thinkorswim mobile; paperMoney Source	Fidelity.com, Fidelity mobile app, Fidelity Trader+ Web/Desktop/Mobile mode, and legacy Active Trader Pro Classic. Source	ETRADE Web/App for investors; Power ETRADE Web/App/Pro for active and advanced traders. Source

Account types	Vanguard supports individual/joint brokerage accounts, IRAs, custodial accounts, 529 plans, cash management and advice/robo-advisor services. Source	Individual Brokerage; Joint Brokerage; Schwab One Brokerage; Investor Checking-linked brokerage; Futures Account; Global Account; IRAs; custodial, education, trust, estate, organization, and business retirement accounts; Schwab Intelligent Portfolios. Source	Broad account menu including taxable brokerage, retirement/IRA, cash management, HSA, custodial/youth, education, trust/business, managed and crypto accounts. Source	Brokerage, retirement, managed portfolios, small-business retirement, banking and crypto-related account/exposure categories are listed on the official accounts page. Source

Deposit methods	Funding methods include bank transfer, check/mobile check deposit, and asset transfers/rollovers. Source	ACH/electronic transfer/MoneyLink; wire transfer; check/mail check; Schwab Mobile Deposit for checking; direct deposit for checking; account transfer/ACAT; branch/in-person deposit where available. Source	EFT/ACH, bank wire, check/mobile check, direct deposit, recurring deposit, Fidelity-to-Fidelity/account transfer, transfer of assets, and eligible payment apps. Source	Funding methods include Transfer Money (ACH), wire, external asset/account transfer, mobile or mailed checks, direct deposit and internal transfers. Source

Withdrawal methods	Withdrawals/transfers can be initiated from settlement fund; fee schedule covers electronic bank transfers/ACH and wire transfers. Source	Transfer to linked bank/checking; wire transfer; check; ATM/debit card for Schwab Bank Investor Checking; ACAT outbound account transfer. Source	EFT/ACH, bank wire, paper check, Fidelity-to-Fidelity transfers, third-party/person-to-person transfers and eligible debit card/ATM access. Source	Withdrawals/money movement supported via Transfer Money, wires, check requests, internal transfers and account transfers; exact outbound methods depend on account type and destination. Source

Withdrawal processing time	Securities settle T+1 before proceeds can be withdrawn; electronic bank transfer/check funding may have a 7-calendar-day hold; incoming digital asset transfers may take as little as 5–7 days. Source	Cash moved from brokerage to linked Investor Checking is generally available in seconds, but weekend/after-hours transfers may not be available until the next business day; other withdrawal methods vary/not fully disclosed on checked pages. Source	EFT withdrawals 1-3 business days; bank wire same day if submitted by 4 p.m. ET; paper check about 5-6 days. Source	ACH outbound to external account: contact receiving external institution; wire transfer: same business day if received before 6 p.m. ET; internal transfers generally immediate; full brokerage transfer electronically typically 10+ business days, paper/mail 3-6 weeks. Source