Compare brokers side by side before you choose.

88

91

93

100

86

92

89

94

89

89

U.S. self-directed stock/ETF investors · Options traders · Futures traders needing CME/ICE US/CFE access

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…

FINRA/SEC/SIPC for Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC; NFA/CFTC for futures; FDIC for Morgan Stanley Private Bank deposits; NYDFS for Zero Hash crypto-related services disclosed by E*TRADE.

SEC; FINRA; SIPC; CFTC; NFA; FDIC

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.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. CRD 5393; SEC 801-29938 and 8-16514

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.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.; Charles Schwab Futures and Forex LLC; Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Charles Schwab Premier Bank, SSB

No negative balance protection found; official margin/futures disclosures state customers may lose more than deposited funds and be liable for deficits.

Not disclosed as retail brokerage negative balance protection; futures/forex are leveraged and losses may exceed initial investment.

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.

SIPC protection up to $500,000 including a $250,000 cash limit for brokerage account assets; futures accounts are not protected by SIPC.

Brokerage accounts: no minimum funding requirements; Core Portfolios: $500 minimum; Premium Savings/Bank CD/Checking: $0 minimum opening deposit but must be funded within 90 days to remain open where disclosed.

$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.

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.

Not applicable to this stock/ETF investment broker profile; no CFD/FX spread schedule identified as a core product in reviewed sources.

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; E*TRADE 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 E*TRADE receives a portion.

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

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.

$0 for funds entering a standard brokerage account; banking deposit services generally no monthly/account minimum fees, but certain services can have fees

Outgoing wire transfers: $25; full outgoing account transfer: $75; check requests: $0; stop payment requests: $25.

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.

No inactivity fee found in checked official Pricing and Rates account activity, special request and brokerage account pages.

$0 annual maintenance/inactivity fee for standard brokerage accounts

E*TRADE offers stocks, ETFs, options, futures, mutual funds, bonds/CDs, IPOs, crypto-related securities/futures, cash savings and managed portfolios.

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.

E*TRADE Web/App for investors; Power E*TRADE Web/App/Pro for active and advanced traders.

Schwab.com; Schwab Mobile; thinkorswim desktop; thinkorswim web; thinkorswim mobile; paperMoney

Brokerage, retirement, managed portfolios, small-business retirement, banking and crypto-related account/exposure categories are listed on the official accounts page.

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.

Funding methods include Transfer Money (ACH), wire, external asset/account transfer, mobile or mailed checks, direct deposit and internal transfers.

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.

Withdrawals/money movement supported via Transfer Money, wires, check requests, internal transfers and account transfers; exact outbound methods depend on account type and destination.

Transfer to linked bank/checking; wire transfer; check; ATM/debit card for Schwab Bank Investor Checking; ACAT outbound account transfer.

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.

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.