Retirement & planning · 2026
Long-term saving with a tax advantage attached. Compare the best IRA accounts, make the most of your 401(k), and see what the yearly limits actually are before you decide how much to put away.
8 providers here have their retirement accounts verified at their own site. 3 more from our lineup are still pending — they are left off this page rather than listed on figures we have not read.
$7,500IRA limit
$8,600if you are 50 or older
$24,500 401(k) deferral · $32,500 at 50+
Ages 60–63 get $11,250 instead of the standard catch-up
One combined ceiling across your Traditional and Roth IRAs, not one each. Roth eligibility phases out from $153,000 – $168,000 filing single and $242,000 – $252,000 filing jointly.
Source: IRS Notice 2025-67, announced 2025-11-13 · verified 2026-08-09. Read the notice
Bank Compass is not a bank, is not FDIC-insured, does not provide financial advice, and is not affiliated with the entities compared unless otherwise noted. Rates and terms change — always verify on the bank's official website.
3 manage the portfolio for you and charge a percentage of the balance every year; 5 leave the choices to you and charge nothing to hold the account. Over forty years that difference compounds, which is why the fee is the biggest number on every card.
Showing 8 of 8 providers, cheapest to run first.
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley
Management fee
None — self-directed
Retirement accounts are free to open and have no maintenance fees. The page does not publish an opening minimum, so we do not print one.
Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC
Management fee
None — self-directed
No account-opening fees or minimums — invest with as little as $1. The $0 commission on US stocks and ETFs is the same inside the IRA as outside it.
Fidelity Personal and Workplace Advisors LLC
Management fee
0.00%
No advisory fee while the balance is under $25,000; at $25,000 it becomes 0.35% a year on the whole balance. No minimum to open, though investing starts once the balance reaches $10.
J.P. Morgan Securities LLC
Management fee
None — self-directed
$0 commission on online stock and ETF trades inside the IRA, and fractional shares from $5. The page does not publish an opening minimum.
Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated
Management fee
None — self-directed
Unlimited $0 online stock, ETF and option trades with no trade or balance minimums. Option trades still carry a $0.65 per-contract fee.
Robinhood Financial LLC
Management fee
None — self-directed
No management fee on a self-directed IRA, and a 1% match on annual contributions — 3% with Gold at $5 a month, which has to stay active for a year to keep the full match. The match is the differentiator here; nobody else in this lineup pays one.
Betterment LLC
Management fee
0.25%
No minimum balance to keep the account open, but the $5-a-month floor applies to a retirement account exactly as it does to a taxable one: below $24,000 of household balance, and without $200 a month going in, a small IRA pays far more than 0.25% a year.
Wealthfront Advisers LLC
Management fee
0.25%
0.25% a year with no monthly floor, and no fee to convert a Traditional IRA to a Roth. Tax-loss harvesting is the headline feature here, but it only works in a taxable account — inside an IRA there is no annual taxable gain to offset.
Which of these accounts to fund first, and whether you pay the tax now or on the way out.
The limits on this page are the ceiling. These four work out what filling it actually leaves you with.
Free and no sign-up, on financeinyourpocket.com — our sister site.
We are an independent platform. We do not provide tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation before making financial decisions involving retirement accounts or taxes.
Contribution limits come from the IRS and change most years; the figures above are for tax year 2026and carry the notice and date they were read. Fees and minimums were read on each provider's own site on the date printed with them. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal, and a tax-advantaged account does not change that. How we rank and verify everything. The same providers, and what they charge outside a retirement account, are in our investing comparison.
