Choosing a Roth IRA Account Provider

Most financial service providers can assist you in opening a Roth IRA account. Contrary to popular belief, a Roth IRA is nothing more than a way to tax holdings--not an investment product in and of itself. Online discount brokers tend to charge the lowest fees on trades and ongoing account maitinence.

Why Go Discount?

If you are confident in your ability to choose which assets to invest your earnings in, it is wise to go with a discount brokerage. As stated above, these brokers charge the lowest fees and allow the most flexibility in terms of investment choices. Learn more about a few of the more well known Roth IRA account providers below.

Scottrade

Scottrade is the most well known discount internet broker and continuously maintains extremely high customer satisfaction numbers. While not the bottom line "cheapest" provider on our list, Scottrade provides the highest quality mix of low prices, free investing research tools, and a track record of reliability.

• $7 stock trades
• Robust free tools
• Highly trusted online broker

Click Here to Open an Account with Scottrade

Zecco

Zecco has remained one of the most popular brokerages on the 'net for quite a few years. Low trading commissions paired with a high quality platform and great customer service tends to keep customers around for quite a while. Why consider opening a Roth IRA with Zecco?

• $0 stock trades
• $0 maintinence fees
• No minimum account to open

Click Here to Open an Account with Zecco

TradeKing

TradeKing was ranked #1 in customer service by SmartMoney Magazine. Trades cost a bit more but if you place a premium on ease of use, TradeKing might make the most sense despite slightly higher fees. Why consider opening a Roth IRA with TradeKing?

• Highest customer service ranking by SmartMoney Magazine
• Low, simple per trade pricing
• Industry leading research tools

Click Here to Open an Account with TradeKing

optionsXpress

Despite the name, optionsXpress is a major force in the online IRA space. This discount brokerage is of note for its best in class website usability and proprietary tools. Why consider opening a Roth IRA with optionsXpress?

• Free, powerful research tools
• Low cost stock trades
• Rated #1 overall online broker by Barron's

Click Here to Open an Account with optionsXpress

The Bottom Line

Don't spend months scrutinizing every detail about a provider when you could just as well be contributing the whole time! Maxing out your Roth IRA account with any provider is going to take you much further in the long run than saving a few bucks a trade here or there.