IBD Releases Seventh Annual Survey Of The Best Online Brokers

Business Wire

Investor’s Business Daily (IBD), a leading financial news and research organization, today announced the results of its seventh annual investor survey of the Best Online Brokers.

Notably, Charles Schwab and Fidelity maintained top ratings for the sixth consecutive year, with Charles Schwab edging just ahead of Fidelity in Overall Customer Experience after Fidelity’s four-year reign at the top. Interactive Brokers also ranked as one of the Best Online Brokers overall.

Conducted in conjunction with polling partner TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, the study analyzed responses from thousands of investors to determine which brokers met or exceeded their expectations. Respondents indicated that Low Commissions & Fees and Trade Reliability were the most important considerations for them.

“Investors count on our Best Online Brokers report each year so they can ensure that they work with the brokerage that best meets their specific needs -- and every investor is different,” said Chris Gessel, Chief Content Officer of IBD. “This list is 100 percent user-driven so investors can make decisions based on feedback from the people who actually rely on the various platforms and services.”

“We congratulate these brokerage leaders for another year of strong performance in the eyes of their clients,” Gessel added.

Every year since the survey debuted, IBD’s Best Online Brokers list has been based solely on objective data drawn from the brokers’ own customers, unlike other broker rankings constructed from editors’ subjective selections. The result is honest, unfiltered feedback from investors that include everyone from beginning ETF investors to veteran options traders who actively use these brokers to execute their investment strategies.

As in past years, the rankings were determined through a two-phase process that assessed both investor priorities and their brokerage’s ability to satisfy them. During Phase I, survey respondents were queried regarding which attributes of an online broker were most and least important to them. In the next phase, they were asked to rate their primary broker on the 14 most important criteria -- including the new Range of Products Available and Website Security attributes, which replaced Trade Ideas and Investment & Retirement Planning Tools. Weights were assigned to each attribute to compute an Overall Customer Experience Index for each broker. The top three overall and in each category are recognized as Best Online Brokers.

Complete Survey Results:

2019 Top Overall Customer Experience:

Charles Schwab
Fidelity
Interactive Brokers

Customer Service:

Charles Schwab
Fidelity
TD Ameritrade

Educational Resources:

Fidelity
Charles Schwab
TradeStation

Equity Trading Tools:

TradeStation
Charles Schwab
Fidelity

Investment Research:

Fidelity
Charles Schwab
TD Ameritrade

Low Commissions & Fees:

Interactive Brokers
Charles Schwab
Fidelity

Low-Cost/Free ETF Trading:

Charles Schwab
Fidelity
Interactive Brokers

Mobile Trading Platforms/Apps:

Interactive Brokers
Charles Schwab
Fidelity

Options Trading Platform:

TD Ameritrade
TradeStation
Interactive Brokers

Portfolio Analysis & Reports:

Fidelity
Charles Schwab
Interactive Brokers

Range of Products Available:

Interactive Brokers
Charles Schwab
Fidelity

Research Tools:

Fidelity
Charles Schwab
TD Ameritrade

Site Performance:

Fidelity
Charles Schwab
Interactive Brokers

Trade Reliability:

Charles Schwab
Fidelity
Interactive Brokers

Website Security:

Interactive Brokers
Fidelity
Charles Schwab

To find out more about this year’s winners, including brokerage profiles, please visit Investors.com/BestOnlineBrokers. To learn more about the rankings, read details of the survey methodology.

Licensing and Reprints of the 2019 Best Online Brokers logo and accolades are available through IBD’s partner, The YGS Group. For more information, go to www.IBDlicensing.com.

About IBD

Investor's Business Daily (IBD) is a leading financial news and research organization recognized for proprietary stock screens, comparative performance ratings and a record of identifying stock leaders as they emerge. The company takes a data-first approach to investing, educating investors about how to invest successfully using tested methods and sound research. IBD has honed its approach over the last 50 years to help investors make smarter decisions. Its stock lists have outperformed the S&P, and its presidential poll, the most accurate over the past four election cycles, was one of only two national polls to accurately predict the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election. IBD offers a number of interactive stock research tools and provides information for investors of every level. To learn more about all that IBD has available, please visit www.investors.com.