Everything to Fidelity

[Charles Joseph]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

[Mr. Potter]

I’m thinking about doing the exact same thing, retiring soon and I would rather just have one brokerage. I called Fidelity and they offered a decent bonus, something like $350 up to $500k and a little more the higher you go. I know Schwab is a bit more generous so might go that route too. Currently split between Vanguard and Fidelity as well, plus my largest account is with John Hancock through work which I’m definitely moving somewhere. It would be an easier decision if I was upset with Vanguard but I’m not, they have never screwed up or let me down…

[riverant]

I did 2 years ago. zero complaints about fidelity.

[mbltna]

I've pushed everything I can to Fidelity (401k, IRA, CMA, etc) and have been quite happy. If you want to fall into the abyss, check out the Fidelity as a one stop shop topic.

[ruralavalon]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

In my opinion it's a good idea to have all investing/retirement accounts at a single low cost fund firm, for the convenience.

I am retired and have all my accounts (except my bank checking account) at Vanguard, but feel that Fidelity bid also a good choice.

[ruralavalon]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

In my opinion it's a good idea to have all investing/retirement accounts at a single low cost fund firm, for the convenience.

I am retired and have all my accounts (except my bank checking account) at Vanguard, but feel that Fidelity bid also a good choice.

[JoMoney]

The bulk of my assets (>95%) are at Fidelity. No complaints about using Fidelity, and it's certainly easier to do things like Roth conversions or transfer money between accounts when it's all under the same roof.
The biggest problems I've ran into with having literally "everything" at Fidelity are:
I changed jobs and the new employer's 401k plan was administered through T Rowe Price
Every once in awhile I've needed a cashiers check (which Fidelity used to offer, but currently doesn't)
Fidelity's Rewards Visa credit card is nice, but there are other cards that have been better for my situation

[radiowave]

OP if you are doing online bill pay, you may want to consider at least a brick and mortar bank as backup. Imagine if you can't get into your Fidelity account and need to pay your bills. Having at least some redundancy is helpful.

[Watty]

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

I already had a relatively small account with Fidelity but I moved the rest of it there last year after I could not get to a live person at Vanguard when I had a question. I have not had any problems with Fidelity but I have a simple set of accounts.

The one mistake that I did make was that I did not think to ask for a transfer bonus when I moved the funds so I kicked myself for forgetting about that.

[SmileyFace]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

[chassis]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

No negative experiences. Strong recommendation in favor of Fidelity as a one-stop shop.

[RetiredAL]

Charles Joseph --

One minor negative I have with Fidelity is if your POA Agent needs to withdraw money, they cannot do it online, they must call.

I'm not a Vanguard user so I don't know how they handle that, but at Schwab the POA Agent can transfer money online.

A big positive I have with Fidelity, is that their automated retirement disbursement process is way better than Schwab's for moving money monthly to our bank.

[VVenti7401]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

I did the same and never looked back. NO REGRETS! Vanguard lacks 24/7 customer service and their website and app are stuck in the early 2000’s. Also as stated Fidelity has more robust security features and their app makes vanguards laughable.

[Living Free]

OP if you are doing online bill pay, you may want to consider at least a brick and mortar bank as backup. Imagine if you can't get into your Fidelity account and need to pay your bills. Having at least some redundancy is helpful.

I agree it’s nice to have a backup bank, but why to you feel it needs to be brick and mortar? I use Ally for that purpose (online only) and have had a good experience with them.

[JoMoney]

FWIW, regarding the need for emergency "backup" payment accounts elsewhere. I have a credit card, and keep a small amount of physical cash as part of a disaster kit. "Bill Pay" can be done with cash at a Walmart Money Center counter (and elsewhere) or one could open a B&M bank account if they needed services, I've found that most banks can open a new account the same day.

[skeptical]

I was with Vanguard for a long time, switched everything to Fidelity after trying both Fidelity and Schwab for six months.

I am overall feeling good about the move, but not thrilled. Would I do it again knowing what i now know ? Yes, but with less enthusiasm.

Here are my opinions, some you might care about, others you may not. Biggest lesson for me is to go with ETF's, even though I much prefer mutual funds. At least with ETF's you can move brokerages pretty easily.

Vanguard:

pro: best funds for me. I use total stock and a variety of bond funds. Vanguard imo has the best muni funds, and VTI for stock is about as good it gets. Also, best money market funds. Aside for money market, I am all Vanguard funds even though I am at Fidelity now.

con: no online support, difficult phone support, no local offices. Having trouble knowing how to do something with their site ? Good luck. And when you do get someone, they do not know anything beyond the "manual". I have had one incident that cost me a lot of time and some money, and another almost incident that would have caused me time and possibly money. My "personal" rep changed 5-6 times in the last three years I was at Vanguard, and would only know it happened when either I called in or saw the name change on my login screen. As I get older, I am also looking for more services, for example, their support for trusts (simple revocable trust) is weak,they have no credit card, no banking, and no option for borrowing large sums against securities (for example, when retired, to buy a house without having to sell your house first). Also, I moved quite a large amount of assets via ACAT and never got any messages or notifications.

Schwab:

pro: great service (better than Fidelity imo), and good support for trusts, loans, etc. My rep was very responsive and very knowledgeable above and beyond the "manual". He was also the same person I spoke with many years ago, and he remembered me. When I moved my assets via ACAT I got a personal call on my cell from him later that day to make sure everything was ok, in addition to more formal electronic communication.

con: I do not like their funds, they offer AMEX (a con for me), and while their banking seems good, they do a poor job for smoothly connecting their banking with their brokerage and do not have good money market funds for banking.

Fidelity:

pro: 24/7 online chat (which I prefer) or 24/7 voice, plus very quick access to my rep, and a local office, and other services such as loans/etc. I have two revocable trusts and a joint brokerage account and banking that all work smoothly together - dividends and interest flow from the trusts into the joint brokerage and get put into high yielding money market which the banking side draws down automatically to pay bills. My money is earning good interest, and I hardly ever write any checks. Credit card is 2% cash back on everything, which, while not perfect, is pretty good and not worth complicating anything. I can also use almost all the Vanguard funds I want, but not all.

cons: service is readily available, with all kinds of "specialists" available, but I find the quality mediocre. I can use my Vanguard VTI, but had to switch muni from VWIUX to VTEB unless I wanted to pay an extra .15% in expense ratio for VWITX. Same goes for other Vanguard muni funds. If I want state specific or short or long muni funds, I must pay the extra expense ratio. The Fidelity muni funds are good, but have very high expense rations, and I will not use them. Another issue is that their banking, while very functional, does not let me do simple reports that my bank provides - I have to export data and put it into custom spreadsheets, which I do not want to do as I get older.

[muffins14]

I am also a one-drop shopper at fidelity and enjoy it

401k, Roth, taxable, CMA with my partner as a joint account, HSA, credit card, debit card

I do dabble with vanguard to access NY muni bond funds though, since they are superior. But I just don’t like the UI as much at vanguard either

[nhs76]

Only issue we have with Fidelity is that they do not support our preferred account type for a joint taxable brokerage account for our state of residence, i.e., Community Property with Right of Survivorship, or as it is also called here, Marital Property with Right of Survivorship. I'm hopeful that someday they will support that account type, and then maybe we will consolidate with them. For our IRAs and Roth IRAs, which are individual accounts, that's not an issue and so we do use Fidelity.

[Carno]

OP if you are doing online bill pay, you may want to consider at least a brick and mortar bank as backup. Imagine if you can't get into your Fidelity account and need to pay your bills. Having at least some redundancy is helpful.

Redundancy is the keyword. I would split between 2-3 brokers/banks at MOST (Fidelity, Etrade, Merril Edge or Schwab). I would avoid complicated accounts at Chase or Wells Fargo as they require high balances to waive various fees. Vanguard is OK except for their website.

[Carno]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

But do you feel tempted by all these large bonuses ($2,500-$3,000) from various major banks (Chase, WF, etc.) for partial asset transfers?

[dcabler]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

Yes. Over the years, I've had accounts at Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab and Etrade (ESPP, RSU's through employers) as well as some other 401K custodians that are so far in the past, I've forgotten who they are.

Fidelity has always had the bulk of my investments. Over the years, I've been consolidating everything at Fidelity as soon as practical. I'm now retired, and today, except for my checking account and an account at TreasuryDirect, everything is at Fidelity.

I've never had anything but positive results with Fidelity's service.

Cheers.

[dcabler]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

But do you feel tempted by all these large bonuses ($2,500-$3,000) from various major banks (Chase, WF, etc.) for partial asset transfers?

Not who you addressed the question to but at this point in my investment life (recently retired), no, I would never be tempted to do this. It's not going to move the needle at all for me.

Cheers.

[Carno]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

But do you feel tempted by all these large bonuses ($2,500-$3,000) from various major banks (Chase, WF, etc.) for partial asset transfers?

Not who you addressed the question to but at this point in my investment life (recently retired), no, I would never be tempted to do this. It's not going to move the needle at all for me.

Cheers.

I would agree. Probably past $3M of assets, the needle movement would become negligible (although some would disagree viewtopic.php?t=395847 ).

[dcabler]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

But do you feel tempted by all these large bonuses ($2,500-$3,000) from various major banks (Chase, WF, etc.) for partial asset transfers?

Not who you addressed the question to but at this point in my investment life (recently retired), no, I would never be tempted to do this. It's not going to move the needle at all for me.

Cheers.

I would agree. Probably past $3M of assets, the needle movement would become negligible (although some would disagree viewtopic.php?t=395847 ).

I'm not surprised. I suspect that for some people with larger portfolios, they still like the thrill of the hunt. And you can do this without being labelled with the mark of shame: "market timer!". Though of course on this forum, at any given time, there's somebody who can find a reason to call anything market timing.

[munemaker]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

I was in the same position...had two thirds of our assets at Vangaurd, except for my 401k which I had previously transferred from ML to Fideilty. I had a couple small DRIPS at other custodians. Due to the new fees at Vanguard, I decided to consolidate at Fidelity. Fidelity was very welcoming and did an efficient job transferring our assets. They gave us a bonus and agreed to pay all fees, but the fees only came to $10 so I didn't bother. Ask about the fee coverage and bonus in advance. They were also very helpful in consolidating some accounts that were in my wife's name only or my name only into joint accounts, and giving us authorization on each others' accounts. It is so nice to just log on to the Fidelity site and see everything in one place.

Our checking is at Capital One 360. I am pondering whether we should just use Fidelity for checking too.

Mun

[radiowave]

OP if you are doing online bill pay, you may want to consider at least a brick and mortar bank as backup. Imagine if you can't get into your Fidelity account and need to pay your bills. Having at least some redundancy is helpful.

I agree it’s nice to have a backup bank, but why to you feel it needs to be brick and mortar? I use Ally for that purpose (online only) and have had a good experience with them.

B&M as a matter of convenience as you can go to the local branch and actually talk to someone. I have used Ally but winding that down for simplification and consolidation.

[rich126]

I'm always a believer in not putting all your eggs in one basket. Weird things happen and it is possible you could lose access for a (hopefully) short period of time but maybe a time where you really need access. I'm hoping to narrow things to 2 brokerages and 2 banks in the near future.

I would agree on B&M access but I've heard some of the places such as Schwab B&M offices aren't really much of an office and is mostly a single person working there with limited or no abilities to help you. This was based on reviews of a local office. Usually I don't need to talk to people but when things go wrong, especially security wise it is much easier to prove identity in person with various IDs than dealing with people on the phone. I had that issue with Vanguard in 2021 and it was painful (many phone calls, long hold times, etc.). Unfortunately I'm not sure how useful B&M places are in most cases except expensive brokerages/money management company.

[Charles Joseph]

Wow. Thank you for all the responses. On vacation sitting on the beach at the moment but I’m going to find the time to make the call today.

When I rolled my Fido 401k over to an IRA months qgo (now have two IRAs at Vanguard and Fido) I casually mentioned I was considering the move, and someone called me the next day from the department that handles transfers. So I have a name and number. Thanks again everyone.

[KarlJ]

I would agree on B&M access but I've heard some of the places such as Schwab B&M offices aren't really much of an office and is mostly a single person working there with limited or no abilities to help you.

The brick-and-mortar local Schwab office with a single person, the advisor, is something I can confirm, as this was my situation for nearly a decade. The outcome of this was excessive pressure for me to become an advised client paying high fees for a managed account that was partially responsible for leaving Schwab a decade age. In retrospect, the repeated cold calls and even a request to deliver his sales pitch in our home might have meant that the advisor was fighting to keep his job, as I later heard that the advisor was transferred.

[anagram]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

Yes. Over the years, I've had accounts at Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab and Etrade (ESPP, RSU's through employers) as well as some other 401K custodians that are so far in the past, I've forgotten who they are.

Fidelity has always had the bulk of my investments. Over the years, I've been consolidating everything at Fidelity as soon as practical. I'm now retired, and today, except for my checking account and an account at TreasuryDirect, everything is at Fidelity.

I've never had anything but positive results with Fidelity's service.

Cheers.

Where do you keep your checking account? Do you do ACH transfers from Fidelity just in time to pay bills etc?

[anagram]

OP if you are doing online bill pay, you may want to consider at least a brick and mortar bank as backup. Imagine if you can't get into your Fidelity account and need to pay your bills. Having at least some redundancy is helpful.

I agree it’s nice to have a backup bank, but why to you feel it needs to be brick and mortar? I use Ally for that purpose (online only) and have had a good experience with them.

B&M as a matter of convenience as you can go to the local branch and actually talk to someone. I have used Ally but winding that down for simplification and consolidation.

I'm also at Ally. How are you consolidating your checking and savings? Looking for ideas on how to do this.

[dcabler]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

Yes. Over the years, I've had accounts at Fidelity, Vanguard, Schwab and Etrade (ESPP, RSU's through employers) as well as some other 401K custodians that are so far in the past, I've forgotten who they are.

Fidelity has always had the bulk of my investments. Over the years, I've been consolidating everything at Fidelity as soon as practical. I'm now retired, and today, except for my checking account and an account at TreasuryDirect, everything is at Fidelity.

I've never had anything but positive results with Fidelity's service.

Cheers.

Where do you keep your checking account? Do you do ACH transfers from Fidelity just in time to pay bills etc?

My local credit union. ACH transfers are a day or two away. I do a quarter's worth of withdrawals at a time and then transfer.

Cheers.

[woof755]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

I did the same and never looked back. NO REGRETS! Vanguard lacks 24/7 customer service and their website and app are stuck in the early 2000’s. Also as stated Fidelity has more robust security features and their app makes vanguards laughable.

This is what bothers me.
That web design is fine for us Gen Xers and older, but VG is going to have to do real work to appeal to younger investors.
I see no evidence of that happening.

[VVenti7401]

So I am 39 years old and I agree with what you said. Trust me it’s not just the looks / visual appeal of Fidelitys site and app but also the security, what actions can be performed on the app / site as opposed to Vanguards, and ease of use. I think Fidelity wins out in all categories.

This to me similar to buying a car. Some people just care about looks, others performance, other safety and reliability, etc. But many buyers, perhaps most want at least decent / good scores in all categories - and that to me is fidelity. Does vanguard have excellent super low cost funds - absolutely. Are they way behind on their website, customer service, and app, again - absolutely. As you said I see no steps being taken to address this and capture those like me; especially younger generations.

[BabaWawa]

I consolidated to Fidelity - no regrets.
I still have a couple of bank accounts but no longer have assets at brokerages (Vanguard, Schwab, Etrade - all transfered).

But do you feel tempted by all these large bonuses ($2,500-$3,000) from various major banks (Chase, WF, etc.) for partial asset transfers?

I received a nice transfer bonus to move to Fidelity a few years ago. No complaints whatsoever. When I mentioned recently some of the bonuses available out there, they hit me up with a very generous retention bonus. I'll stay a while longer.

[Carno]

When I mentioned recently some of the bonuses available out there, they hit me up with a very generous retention bonus. I'll stay a while longer.

I presume you have an asset base large enough that qualifies you for their generous retention bonus offer?

[Taylor Larimore]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

Charles Joseph:

I believe in the many advantages of simplicity by holding all accounts in one good company.

I have been with Vanguard since 1986 and have been very satisfied. I like the idea that Jack Bogle structured Vanguard so that all profits are returned to Vanguard Investors (not stockholders) in lower fees.

Having never dealt with Fidelity I will express no opinion about them.

Best wishes.
Taylor

Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: "Simplicity is the master key to financial success. -- We ignore the real diamonds of simplicity, seeking instead the illusory rhinestones of complexity."

[placeholder]

I'm pretty agnostic about the major brokerages and have use them all at one time or another along with some of the minor ones and my experience with fidelity has been fine especially now that they manage my old 401k because I can do electronic rollovers to a fidelity ira.

[BabaWawa]

When I mentioned recently some of the bonuses available out there, they hit me up with a very generous retention bonus. I'll stay a while longer.

I presume you have an asset base large enough that qualifies you for their generous retention bonus offer?

I would assume the effort to retain customers is limited to those with portfolios north of a million.

[dcabler]

I've got two thirds of my investments at Vanguard and the other third at Fidelity, and I'm planning to transfer everything to Fidelity. I use Fidelity Cash Management, have had good customer service experiences, and feel better about Fidelity security systems (such as Money Transfer Lockdown and their two-factor ID through the mobile app). I'm also retired now and think it will be easier for my wife to have everything in one place when they pull the sheet over my face.

Has anyone had a negative (or positive) experience doing this or does anyone recommend against it?

Charles Joseph:

I believe in the many advantages of simplicity by holding all accounts in one good company.

I have been with Vanguard since 1986 and have been very satisfied. I like the idea that Jack Bogle structured Vanguard so that all profits are returned to Vanguard Investors (not stockholders) in lower fees.

Having never dealt with Fidelity I will express no opinion about them.

Best wishes.
Taylor

Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom: "Simplicity is the master key to financial success. -- We ignore the real diamonds of simplicity, seeking instead the illusory rhinestones of complexity."

Hi Taylor - it's pretty simple. The competition created by Vanguard's very existence has ultimately resulted in Fidelity being very competitive in low-fee index options while retaining a high level of customer service. Same with other custodians such as Schwab, etc. A good thing, in my opinion!

Cheers

[ruralavalon]

So I am 39 years old and I agree with what you said. Trust me it’s not just the looks / visual appeal of Fidelitys site and app but also the security, what actions can be performed on the app / site as opposed to Vanguards, and ease of use. I think Fidelity wins out in all categories.

This to me similar to buying a car. Some people just care about looks, others performance, other safety and reliability, etc. But many buyers, perhaps most want at least decent / good scores in all categories - and that to me is fidelity. Does vanguard have excellent super low cost funds - absolutely. Are they way behind on their website, customer service, and app, again - absolutely. As you said I see no steps being taken to address this and capture those like me; especially younger generations.

Appearance of the website and app does not concern me at all, and I am well satisfied with customer service and functionality of the website and app at Vanguard.

I am older and curious. What is the Vanguard disadvantage (and Fidelity advantage) in security?

[mervinj7]

So I am 39 years old and I agree with what you said. Trust me it’s not just the looks / visual appeal of Fidelitys site and app but also the security, what actions can be performed on the app / site as opposed to Vanguards, and ease of use. I think Fidelity wins out in all categories.

This to me similar to buying a car. Some people just care about looks, others performance, other safety and reliability, etc. But many buyers, perhaps most want at least decent / good scores in all categories - and that to me is fidelity. Does vanguard have excellent super low cost funds - absolutely. Are they way behind on their website, customer service, and app, again - absolutely. As you said I see no steps being taken to address this and capture those like me; especially younger generations.

Appearance of the website and app does not concern me at all, and I am well satisfied with customer service and functionality of the website and app at Vanguard.

I am older and curious. What is the Vanguard disadvantage (and Fidelity advantage) in security?

There's a recent thread on lockdown mode in Fidelity accounts. Many of us use it. I also lock my Fidelity debit card unless I know I need cash (rarely).

viewtopic.php?t=382555

[Charles Joseph]

Update: I just moved everything to Fidelity and it was very easy. The rep was super helpful and knowledgeable. Since I already have my Cash Management Account there and pay many of my bills from there, this will make things much easier. It will just be simpler having everything in one place. For quite some time I've also been much more comfortable with Fidelity's security program.

I also got a $450 bonus, which was nice - a $350 transfer bonus and an additional $100 bonus for opening a new Roth to receive my Roth transfer (I already have a brokerage account and a Rollover IRA at Fido).

Thanks again for all the perspectives. Much appreciated! Transfer should be completed in about five business days.

[VVenti7401]

So I am 39 years old and I agree with what you said. Trust me it’s not just the looks / visual appeal of Fidelitys site and app but also the security, what actions can be performed on the app / site as opposed to Vanguards, and ease of use. I think Fidelity wins out in all categories.

This to me similar to buying a car. Some people just care about looks, others performance, other safety and reliability, etc. But many buyers, perhaps most want at least decent / good scores in all categories - and that to me is fidelity. Does vanguard have excellent super low cost funds - absolutely. Are they way behind on their website, customer service, and app, again - absolutely. As you said I see no steps being taken to address this and capture those like me; especially younger generations.

Appearance of the website and app does not concern me at all, and I am well satisfied with customer service and functionality of the website and app at Vanguard.

I am older and curious. What is the Vanguard disadvantage (and Fidelity advantage) in security?

Vanguard does not offer push notification through the app for website access or a digital authentication key that changes every 30 seconds like fidelity does with Symantec VIP. They use MFA via text or email which can be more easily accessed through hacking ( SIM Hacking / email Hacking).

Basically for you to get in you actually need to physically have my device. And in the off chance you do you wouldn’t be able to open it without my face (iPhone Face ID) and after 10 failed attempts my phone will erase itself.

In addition, Fidelity offers lockdown mode. Which should somebody still manage to get through all those layers of security they still cannot withdraw / sell any funds until they contact and authenticate it’s actually you doing the transaction

[Charles Joseph]

One last part of my thinking process: when RMD time comes it seems that it will be much easier having one Rollover IRA. I one each at Vanguard and Fidelity. While this won't matter for a while, I was going to combine them sooner or later.

[ruralavalon]

One last part of my thinking process: when RMD time comes it seems that it will be much easier having one Rollover IRA. I one each at Vanguard and Fidelity. While this won't matter for a while, I was going to combine them sooner or later.

That's very good reason to have all traditional IRAs combined at a single fund firm, so that it's easy to do Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs).

I have my rollover IRA at Vanguard and use their automated RMD service for easy, no-hassle, no-worry RMDs.

[ruralavalon]

So I am 39 years old and I agree with what you said. Trust me it’s not just the looks / visual appeal of Fidelitys site and app but also the security, what actions can be performed on the app / site as opposed to Vanguards, and ease of use. I think Fidelity wins out in all categories.

This to me similar to buying a car. Some people just care about looks, others performance, other safety and reliability, etc. But many buyers, perhaps most want at least decent / good scores in all categories - and that to me is fidelity. Does vanguard have excellent super low cost funds - absolutely. Are they way behind on their website, customer service, and app, again - absolutely. As you said I see no steps being taken to address this and capture those like me; especially younger generations.

Appearance of the website and app does not concern me at all, and I am well satisfied with customer service and functionality of the website and app at Vanguard.

I am older and curious. What is the Vanguard disadvantage (and Fidelity advantage) in security?

Vanguard does not offer push notification through the app for website access or a digital authentication key that changes every 30 seconds like fidelity does with Symantec VIP. They use MFA via text or email which can be more easily accessed through hacking ( SIM Hacking / email Hacking).

Basically for you to get in you actually need to physically have my device. And in the off chance you do you wouldn’t be able to open it without my face (iPhone Face ID) and after 10 failed attempts my phone will erase itself.

In addition, Fidelity offers lockdown mode. Which should somebody still manage to get through all those layers of security they still cannot withdraw / sell any funds until they contact and authenticate it’s actually you doing the transaction

What is Symantec VIP used by Fidelity? What is MFA via text used by Vanguard?

Will any of that matter if I don't do transactions on my cell phone?

[Charles Joseph]

Vanguard does not offer push notification through the app...

What I don't (didn't?) like about Vanguard's two-factor ID is that you have to sign in to your account on the mobile app. You then okay the web sign-in, and it then leaves you signed in on your phone! Just seems like an added level of risk.

With Fidelity, you initiate the push notification when you want to sign in on your computer, you get the push notification on your phone and you sign in to approve the web access, but then you never get fully signed in to your account. Once you approve the web sign-in, it's done.

That, plus the Money Transfer Lockdown feature alone puts Fidelity light years ahead in terms of security, in my un-trained, un-technical, non-security-specialist ever-so-humble opinion.

[Carno]

I have my rollover IRA at Vanguard and use their automated RMD service for easy, no-hassle, no-worry RMDs.

I have my RMD coming up. How does automated RMD service work?

[GaryA505]

I have my rollover IRA at Vanguard and use their automated RMD service for easy, no-hassle, no-worry RMDs.

That's what I plan to do, either at Vanguard or Fidelity. Is it easy to set up at Vanguard? What's the process?