Which broker for my Roth IRA?

I'm a college undergraduate looking to open a Roth IRA fund next semester but am completely lost at which one is the best to start one with.

Fidelity, Vanguard, ING Direct, MetLife, T. Rowe Price, etc.

Which one should I choose? My assumption is that it all depends on what I'm looking for and obviously my personal financial situation, but I'm not even sure what metrics and criteria to base my decisions upon...

Which fund(s) would be best for a college student like me?

I figured some or most of you who already have your IRA's firmly established and are knowledgeable about this should be able to provide some insight.

If you do have a Roth IRA, which broker do you use and why?

Advantages and disadvantages between certain types of retirement funds or brokers?

Thanks in advance for your help.

4 Comments
 

It really depends on how you are going to manage the money. If you are going to passively manage it i would suggest vanguard due to the low expense ratios and target funds. Fidelity's expense ratios are routinely 2-3 times vanguards however vanguard has longer redemption periods requiring you to stay in the funds longer (i.e. 60 vs 30 days).

OR

Open an account at a discount broker if you are going to actively manage.(TD Ameritrade etc) I use Interactive brokers for my taxable account and have been happy so far.

 

Big recommendation for TradeKing here - if you're going to be actively managing your money, they have the lowest fees around at $4.95/trade and their platform is pretty useable.

- Capt K - "Prestige is like a powerful magnet that warps even your beliefs about what you enjoy. If you want to make ambitious people waste their time on errands, bait the hook with prestige." - Paul Graham
 
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