J.P. Morgan investing review: Trade on your own or invest with an automated portfolio
JP Morgan; Rachel Mendelson/Insider
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Overall rating
| Feature | Insider rating (out of 5) |
| Fees | 4.25 |
| Investment selection | 4.00 |
| Platform navigability | 4.00 |
| Customer service | 4.25 |
| Trustworthiness | 4.50 |
| Educational resources/research | 3.50 |
| Overall score | 4.08 |
Is J.P. Morgan right for you?
JP Morgan | |
| Editor's rating | 4.08 out of 5 |
| Fees | 0% (0.35% for robo-advice) |
| Account minimum | $0 ($500 for robo-advice) |
| Promotion | None at this time. |
If you're searching for low-cost investment options, don't overlook J.P. Morgan online investing. The brokerage functions as the investment division of J.P. Morgan Securities, LLC, and it offers several inexpensive investment choices for both active traders and passive investors.
It includes two investment options: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and J.P. Morgan Automated Investing. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing functions as an online brokerage, and J.P. Morgan Automated Investing provides managed portfolios.
J.P. Morgan online investing is convenient for existing Chase Bank customers interested in trying their luck in the stock market. That's not to say you've got to have a Chase bank account to sign up; the brokerage just makes it easier to connect all of your Chase accounts in one place.
Today, Chase offers more than 4,300 branches and 16,000 ATMs in the US.
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Not sure if J.P. Morgan is right for you? Keep reading to see how it stacks up against similar investment platforms.
How does J.P. Morgan compare?
JP Morgan | E*TRADE | SoFi |
Min. Investment $0 ($500 for robo-advice) | Min. Investment $0 ($500 for robo-advice) | Min. Investment $0 ($1 for robo-advice) |
Fees 0% (0.35% for robo-advice) | Fees 0% (0.30% for robo-advice) | Fees 0% |
Investment choices Stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, treasury bills, bonds, notes, and CDs | Investment choices Stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, mutual funds, futures, and CDs | Investment choices Stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrencies |
J.P. Morgan online investing, E*TRADE, and SoFi all offer self-directed investing, automated investing, and various investment choices. However, the platforms diverge when it comes to fees and investment types.
J.P. Morgan and E*TRADE both offer commission-free stocks, ETFs, and options, but SoFi only offers commission-free stocks and ETFs. SoFi makes up for this, though, with fee-free automated investing and its selection of cryptocurrencies.
On the automated investing end, J.P. Morgan charges more in advisory fees, but it provides a wider range of investment types.
Ways to invest with J.P. Morgan
Self-directed brokerage accounts
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing lets you place trades without paying commissions for stocks, ETFs, options, and mutual funds. You can get started without having to meet a minimum initial investment requirement, and you'll be able to trade with general investment accounts, traditional IRAs, and Roth IRAs.
You'll only run into fees for options contracts and secondary corporate bonds, municipal bonds, and brokered CDs. J.P. Morgan charges $0.65 per options contracts, while bonds and CDs cost $10 per trade plus an extra $1 for every bond over 10 bonds.
Chase's mobile app also makes it possible to carry your investments with you wherever you go. Plus, existing Chase customers can access both their investing and bank accounts under one umbrella.
Automated investment management
You can also sign up for J.P. Morgan Automated Investing if you'd like your portfolio managed by professionals. This account is great for those who like robo-advice, but it also offers a unique feature: a team of investment specialists.
J.P. Morgan uses both automated investment technology and human specialists to keep your portfolio on track. So you won't have to worry about making any trades or rebalancing your portfolio on your own like you would with a self-directed account.
Just be prepared to pay a bit more for J.P. Morgan Automated Investing. You'll need a minimum of $500 to get started, and you'll have to pay an annual advisory fee of 0.35%. Its automated account also includes a Portfolio Builder feature that helps you find investments that work best with your risk tolerance and short- or long-term savings goals. You'll need at least $2,500 for this feature, though.
The platform mainly uses four portfolios: conservative, moderate, growth, and aggressive. Each portfolio utilizes a different mix of J.P. Morgan ETFs.
If you're looking for more personalized financial advice from a human professional, you can sign up for J.P. Morgan Advisors.
Retirement accounts
Both J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and J.P. Morgan Automated Investing offer investment options for traditional IRAs and Roth IRAs. With the self-directed investing option, you can open either retirement account with no minimum requirement. But you'll need at least $500 to get set up an automated traditional or Roth IRA with J.P. Morgan Automated Investing.
Additionally, it's worth pointing out that J.P. Morgan online investing doesn't offer IRA rollovers, SEP IRAs, and SIMPLE IRAs. If you're looking for any of these accounts or other retirement plans, you should consider other brokerages.
Is J.P. Morgan trustworthy?
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. currently has an A- rating with the Better Business Bureau. Since the BBB rates companies using an A+ to F range, this suggests that J.P. Morgan online investing displays trustworthy business practices and interacts well with its customers.
Though ratings aren't the same for every company, the BBB says it assesses all companies by reviewing licensing information, advertising, government actions, and more. J.P. Morgan Chase has closed more than 1,400 complaints in the last 12 months, according to BBB data.
J.P. Morgan online investing hasn't racked up any major lawsuits. But in 2020, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission forced its parent company, J.P. Morgan Chase, to pay a $920 million fine to settle market manipulation claims.