Investing & Brokerage Platforms Directory

What to look for

• 1.
  Expense ratios on index funds and ETFs — The expense ratio is the annual fee deducted from your holdings. A 0.03% expense ratio on a broad market index fund vs. 1.0% on an actively managed fund is a difference of roughly $970/year on a $100,000 balance — every year, permanently. This is the most important cost comparison.
• 2.
  Account types offered — Confirm the platform supports the specific account type you need: Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP-IRA, 529, or taxable brokerage. Not all platforms support all account types, and some charge fees for certain account structures.
• 3.
  Automated investing vs. self-directed — Robo-advisors handle asset allocation, rebalancing, and (at some platforms) tax-loss harvesting automatically. Self-directed brokerage accounts give you full control but require you to manage those steps yourself. Match the approach to your actual time and interest level.
• 4.
  Minimum deposit and fractional shares — Some platforms require a minimum opening deposit of $500–$5,000. Others allow you to start with any amount using fractional shares. If you're starting out, platforms with no minimums remove the barrier to beginning.