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Fidelity Review 2026

"The full-service broker for long-term investors"

📅 Updated February 2026 Long-Term Investing Reviewed by the Option Stack editorial team
4.5
out of 5 · Overall score Best for: Retirement investing, index funds, long-term wealth building, research depth
Quick Verdict

Fidelity is the safest, most complete choice for retirement and long-term investing. If you're building a 401k, IRA, or long-term portfolio, there's no better platform. For active options trading, supplement with Tastytrade.

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Key Specs

Min. Deposit $0
Commission Commission-free stocks and ETFs. $0.65/options contract
Account Types Individual, IRA, Roth IRA
Regulated FINRA / SIPC

Who Is Fidelity For?

Long-term investors building retirement wealth, index fund investors, and anyone who values research quality, platform reliability, and customer service over flashy features.

Our Take: Fidelity in 2026

Fidelity is the gold standard for long-term investors. Zero-expense-ratio index funds, best-in-class research, and a reliability record unmatched by any competitor make it the default choice for serious wealth building.

Pros & Cons

What we liked
Zero-expense-ratio index funds (FZROX, FZILX)
Exceptional research — Morningstar, S&P, CFRA
Best-in-class retirement account management
Fractional shares on S&P 500 stocks
Extremely reliable platform with no outages
Award-winning customer service
Watch out for
Options platform trails Tastytrade and Webull
Interface is dated compared to newer platforms
No cryptocurrency trading
Active Trading Pro requires qualification
Mobile app is functional but not beautiful

Commissions & Fees

Commission-free stocks and ETFs. $0.65/options contract
Commission-free stocks and ETFs. Options at $0.65/contract with no base fee.

Deep Dive: Fidelity Platform Review

Fidelity manages over $12 trillion in assets and has operated continuously since 1946 — the institutional trust is unparalleled in the retail brokerage space. The ZERO fund lineup (FZROX, FZILX, FZRPX, FZESX) offers genuinely zero-expense-ratio index funds with no investment minimums — a category Fidelity invented. Research access includes full Morningstar reports, S&P Capital IQ, and CFRA — research that typically costs $99-200/year at other brokers. The retirement planning tools are the most comprehensive available for retail investors, with Monte Carlo simulations and Social Security optimization. The platform's reliability record is exceptional — Fidelity has never had a major outage during market volatility events that have taken down Robinhood and others.

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Takes about 5 minutes. Most accounts have no minimum deposit requirement.

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See How Fidelity Compares

Disclosure: We may earn a commission if you open an account through our link. This doesn't affect our rating or review. Fees verified February 2026 — check the official site for current rates.
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