J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review for 2024

If you are looking for a low-cost stock market trading platform that is simple and mobile-friendly, you don’t need to look any further. Existing customers and new investors can open the J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account and trade several investment products, including stocks, options, and mutual funds.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Overview 

J.P. Morgan self-directed brokerage account is a trading account that enables you access to the Chase Bank stock market trading platform. If you open this account, you will be able to buy, sell, and trade securities like options, ETFs, stocks, and mutual funds.

The account is designed for both new and existing Chase clients, and it allows quick and painless integration with other Chase accounts. 

This brokerage account is a part of J.P. Morgan Securities, an investment management company owned and operated by J.P.Morgan Chase & Co. Services offered by this company also include brokerage solutions.

The J.P. Morgan trading platform was launched in 2018. It allows trading with two types of brokerage accounts: Self-Directed Investing account and Automated Investing. 

The Self-Directed Investing account works as an online brokerage, while Automated Investing is a robo-advisor account. Our review will focus on Self-Directed Investing and highlight the trading convenience that you get with this account.

Before we started our research, we checked how active investors evaluated the Self-Directed Investing account. The first thing worth mentioning is that many of them are satisfied with free mutual funds trading, which is a somewhat unique advantage that the broker offers compared to other similar platforms.

Secondly, both experienced and first-time investors praised Chase Bank’s customer support for its accuracy and availability. This J.P. Morgan brokerage account is, after all, backed by one of the most iconic banks in America, so you know that your account is in good hands.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Brokerage Account 

Self-Directed Investing is an account through which you can trade on the J.P. Morgan trading platforms. It’s a commission-free trading platform with the following investment products: 

• Stocks
• ETFs
• Options
• Mutual Funds and Fixed Income

Though the list of securities you can buy, sell, and trade is limited, Self-Directed Investing offers great benefits to its customers, both existing and new ones.

The lack of other trading products, like foreign currencies, cryptocurrencies, and futures, is compensated by offering an intuitive, commission-free platform and excellent customer support. 

J.P. Morgan Chase Brokerage Account Fees 

Like many trading platforms today, the J.P. Morgan doesn’t charge commission fees on stocks, options, ETFs, and mutual funds. It means that you can buy and sell available securities online without worrying if the brokerage will take a share of the money from you. 

Although the platform offers commission-free trading, there are a few other costs that you need to watch for, especially if you want help from Chase agents. The platform charges $0.65 per contract on options trading and another $25 per trade for assistance from J.P.  Morgan’s representatives.

The bank will charge you $25 per representative-assisted trade for stocks and exchange-traded funds and $20 per trade for assisted mutual funds. In addition to the account fee, you will also have to pay $75 to transfer funds to a non-Chase account or close the Self-Directed Investing account.

Overall, fees are generally lower than those found with most competitors, which is always a plus.

How to Open a Self-Directed Investing Account With J.P. Morgan

Once you arrive at the website, you’ll be offered to choose between two types of personal investment accounts - Self-Directed Investing and Automated Investing.

The first choice you have to make is whether you want to trade on your own or use robo-advisor services. In our review, we will focus on the Self-Directed Investing account that offers three investment options to choose from: 

• General investment
• Traditional IRA
• Roth IRA

The difference between traditional and Roth IRA options is thoroughly explained on the website, but you can also contact customer service and get more details for each of them. The general investment account option is the most flexible, meaning that you will be able to withdraw your earnings at any time.

When starting with Self-Directed Investing, you’ll also need to decide whether you want a joint or a personal account. Also, if you already have a Chase account, you will need to log in to continue the application procedure. 

The good thing to know is that you can open this trading account without depositing any money. Furthermore, there is no minimum account balance either. 

Continuing with the application process, the bank will ask you to provide standard personal information like your name, home address, and Social Security Number. Then, you will be required to read some documents and confirm that you accept the bank’s terms.

Additionally, you will be asked to add beneficiaries, but only if you’re applying for a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA account. The final step is to sign in some documents online and decide how to fund the account. 

If you already have a Chase checking account, you can connect it to the brokerage account and transfer funds instantly. In our review, we mentioned that the Self-Directed Investing account is good for Chase clients because it’s easy to connect all accounts through one online dashboard.

This doesn’t mean that Self-Directed Investing is not suitable for other consumers. On the contrary, the excellent online platform allows you to very quickly add an external bank account and transfer funds from it. It’s also up to you to choose whether you want one-time funding or to set up regular money transfers.

Once the application procedure is completed, you can access the trading platform through the online dashboard or the Chase mobile app. 

J.P. Morgan Tools and Features 

Different tools support your J.P. Morgan Chase investments for easier trading. Here are some of them:

Portfolio Builder

Once you create the account and transfer funds, you can immediately start trading. You will get access to a trading market so you can choose what you want to exchange.

If you are a first-time investor, you will need help in the beginning. Since the stock market can seem a bit confusing for new traders, J.P. Morgan offers its clients the Portfolio Builder. 

Portfolio Builder is a convenient tool to help you determine your risk tolerance and set up your investment goals. Note that this is not the same service as the J.P. Morgan managed brokerage account.

If you want to use this tool, you’ll need an account balance of at least $2,500. You will not get advice from J.P. Morgan on what to sell or buy, but the tool will help you create your trader portfolio, manage asset allocation and place trades by yourself.

Excellent Dashboard

One of the best things regarding the J.P. Morgan investment account is its smooth and quick integration with any other checking accounts that you may have. During the application process, your current account information will automatically be pulled to complete the Self-Directed Investing account approval.

The easy integration of the brokerage and other accounts that you might have through Chase’s app is possible thanks to the highly intuitive and well-designed online dashboard.

Chase Mobile App

With Chase’s mobile app, you will be able to trade your securities whenever you want, from any place you want. The mobile app enables quick access to your Chase accounts from both Android and iOS devices. It is simple to download and use, allowing you to add the brokerage account with one simple click. 

Chase’s mobile app got the highest score in the J.D. Power roundup for 2020. It was rated the best wealth management tool in the Wealth Management Mobile App Satisfaction Study, earning 877 points. 

Automated Investing 

In addition to Self-Directed Investing, the bank offers an Automated Investing account that works like a robo-advisor. This brokerage account will review your profile, look at your investment goals, and match you with the portfolio that fits your individual needs. 

Education Tools and Research Analysis 

The good thing for beginners is that you can rely on the company's free support for education and research analysis. You can subscribe to a newsletter to receive investment news and get information about investment trends. 

The mobile app can be used to discover different investment products - stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds. This way, you can make better investment decisions and trade products that fit your goals. 

J.P. Morgan Customer Support

Should you have any questions regarding J.P. Morgan investments, the Chase bank’s support is there for you. The agents are well-known for providing accurate information on time.

You can speak with an agent via phone or email during business days from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For those who prefer face-to-face meetings, you can visit one of the bank’s numerous branches across the country. 

On the Chase Bank website, you can find lots of articles, documents, and guides to help you understand finance, choose the account that’s good for you, or create your retirement plan. The bank offers personal support to clients who want to learn about banking and managing their finances. 

J.P. Morgan trading platform also includes support from a financial advisor. If you are a J.P. Morgan client, you can get your personal advisor to help you create the best investment strategy for your financial situation.

You will communicate with your advisor frequently to discuss your financial goals and see how to update your portfolio based on market changes and your priorities. 

Bottom Line

In our opinion, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is the best investment platform for new and existing Chase customers. If you already have a checking account or a Chase IRA account, opening this one will be a breeze. The bank’s effective online dashboard enables clients to connect all accounts effortlessly.  

We compared Self-Directed Investing vs Robinhood. Our impression is that the trading platforms are designed for different types of investors. Robinhood’s poor customer support and lack of educational materials imply that this platform is for more experienced investors.

On the other hand, the J.P. Morgan trading platform offers limited investment products and research tools, so it is definitely more suitable for new investors.

Overall, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers an excellent option for investors, with no fees on several services that competitors usually charge users for. It’s best suited for existing Chase customers, but even new customers will find its low-cost services appealing.