E*TRADE review: Try your hand at trading or automate your investing with this popular broker

Whether you're a beginner or experienced investor, E*TRADE makes it easy to trade stocks, bonds, index funds and more.

E*TRADE, a subsidiary of Morgan Stanley, is an electronic trading platform for investors. The brokerage's popular tools allow users to track their investments' performance and other market news.

Newbies just starting out can access E*TRADE's educational webinars to learn about important investing topics like diversifying your portfolio, while seasoned traders can use the advanced Power E*TRADE investing app and get access to tools like a market dashboard and technical charts.

Below, Select reviews E*TRADE's offerings to give you the details on the investment options, features and fees so you can decide if it's right for your needs.

• Investment options
• Features
• Fees
• Bottom line

E*TRADE account holders have the ability to buy and sell stocks, bonds, mutual funds, CDs, ETFs, options and futures, though there is no forex or crypto trading. You also cannot purchase fractional shares of stocks unlike some other brokerages that offer the feature, including Robinhood and Fidelity.

While E*TRADE offers normal, taxable brokerage accounts, it also offers a number of other account types.

For beginners, there is an automated investing option through E*TRADE's Core Portfolios. The Core Portfolios platform is essentially a robo-advisor where you provide your investing goals and risk tolerance and E*TRADE experts (along with automated technology) build and manage a diversified portfolio for you.

Retirement savers can tap into one of E*TRADE's many different IRAs offered, from traditional, to Roth, Rollover and Beneficiary IRAs, to name a few. Investors over age 59½ can get immediate access to their IRA savings through the E*TRADE Complete™ IRA. And for parents who want to start saving for their child's college education, there is an E*TRADE Coverdell ESA (Education Savings Account) that allows for tax-free withdrawals for qualified educational expenses, such as tuition and books.

E*TRADE stands out mostly for its educational resources that help you invest your money, no matter which route you choose.

There is a library of in-depth articles and videos, as well as free analyst research and investing tools. While some reviews indicate that the E*TRADE website is cumbersome, E*TRADE has a strong mobile platform.

New users can also score a limited-time bonus right now: Get up to $3,500 when you open and fund a new eligible retirement or brokerage account within 60 days of account opening, using promo code: REWARD22. Deposit minimums start at $10,000, and the more you deposit, the more you earn. This offer ends Mar. 1, 2022.

The E*TRADE app is available to download for free in both the App Store (for iOS), where it has 4.6/5 stars, and on Google Play (for Android), where it has 4.3/5 stars at the time this article was written.‎ The free Power E*TRADE advanced trading app, which is what we recommend for seasoned traders, has 4.5/5 stars in the App Store and 3.8/5 stars on Google Play.

Zero-commission trades (i.e. you won't pay a fee to buy or sell a security) can be made with stocks, ETFs and options, and there are no transaction fees for over 4,400 mutual funds. E*TRADE's ETFs have low expense ratios (similar to ones from Vanguard).

Minimum deposit and balance requirements vary depending on the E*TRADE account you select. While there is no minimum to open an E*TRADE brokerage account, there is a minimum $500 deposit to invest in E*TRADE's robo-advisor platform Core Portfolios. Core Portfolios also charges a 0.30% annual advisory fee.

E*TRADE has something for everyone, from brokerage accounts for you and your child, to automated investing platforms that do the work for you. Experienced investors can also take advantage of the Power E*TRADE platform, packed with charts and market tools.

If you're interested in the robo-advisor element of E*TRADE, you may want to first check out alternatives such as SoFi Invest, whose automated investing platform has zero account management fees and no minimum requirements. It offers a broad range of low-cost ETFs and will automatically rebalance your portfolio on a quarterly basis. Read our full SoFi Invest review.

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