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Important
On April 26, 2022, FidelityFidelity Investments became the first retirement plan provider to offer 401(k) investors access to Bitcoin (BTC). The new feature will be available to employers who administer their retirement accounts through Fidelity by the middle of 2022.
Launched in 2016, Fidelity Go provides a user-friendly automated investment management experience catered towards hands-off investors, beginners, and existing Fidelity clients. The platform keeps the focus on a streamlined portfolio decision-making process to provide a straightforward investment solution. Fidelity Go investors are able to leverage Fidelity’s broad resources gained from being one of the top brokerages in the world.
Fidelity Go’s all-digital approach allows you to easily set goals and start investing quickly by choosing from a short menu of portfolio allocations once you’ve filled out the onboarding questionnaire. We’ll take a closer look at Fidelity Go’s robo-advisory service to see if this platform is right for your portfolio needs.
Important
In addition to our review of Fidelity Go, we've also reviewed Fidelity's traditional brokerage services.
Key Takeaways
- Fidelity Go’s all-digital platform aligns with hands off investors and existing Fidelity users.
- The robo-advisor offers straightforward investment strategy and goal setting options.
- Fidelity Go charges no fees on accounts less than $25,000 and has competitive fees above this amount.
- There are limited portfolio customization, investment management, and holistic money management product options.
Easy account opening
Low management fee and no-fee funds
View and adjust portfolio risk before account funding
Existing Fidelity customers seamlessly interact with the platform
No tax-loss harvesting
Only proprietary mutual funds offered
No aggregating non-Fidelity accounts for portfolio allocation
Limited account options, investment vehicles, and no human advisors
| Company Overview | |
|---|---|
| Account Minimum | $0 ($10 to invest) |
| Fees | Less than $25,000: No Fee Over $25,000: 0.35% annual fee |
| Goal Planning | Retirement, Home |
| Available Assets | Proprietary Fidelity Flex Mutual Funds |
| Interest Paid on Cash Balances | 0.01% |
| Customizable Portfolio | Yes, 14 Different Risk Levels |
| View Portfolio before Funding | Yes |
| Customer Service | Phone lines open 24/7, Live Chat Mon-Fri 8am - 10pm EST, Sat - Sun 9am - 4pm EST |
| Financial Advisor Available | Yes, after $25,000 |
| Cash Management | Sweep Account |
| Tax-Loss Harvesting | No |
| External Account Sync/Consolidation | No |
| Mobile App | Android, iOS |
Account Setup
Fidelity Go has a straightforward guided onboarding process to help you get started. The signup process kicks off by prompting you to select a savings goal of either retirement or “Something Else." Next, you’ll answer a short series of questions asking about your investment timeline, risk tolerance, and personal financial data. Once this is complete you’ll find a proposed portfolio that best matches the information you’ve provided so far. There is also an option to select a different portfolio risk level if desired.
From here you’ll also choose which type of investment account to open. Fidelity Go has a limited number of options as you’ll choose from taxable accounts, traditional individual retirement accounts (IRAs), Roth IRAs, rollover IRAs and health savings accounts (HSA). You’ll also be prompted to choose a funding method, which includes linking your bank account, transferring cash or securities, or making a deposit via check. There is no minimum deposit needed to open your account, although there is a $10 minimum before your funds will be invested.
Goal Planning
Fidelity Go allows you to set up savings goals when your account is created. While each account can only have a single goal assigned to it, you can set up multiple accounts with different goals depending on your situation. The initial investment goals are centered around retirement, large purchases, and general investing, but other goal setting options are available through Fidelity’s larger platform integrations.
This is one of the major benefits Fidelity Go offers: access to the larger Fidelity suite of financial tools and goal setting options. Fidelity Spire is a separate offering which can be integrated with Fidelity Go that offers more extensive financial planning options, including the ability to connect external financial accounts like 401(k) workplace retirement plans for more holistic goal planning. This is helpful as you can potentially view all your financial accounts in one place to evaluate financial wellness.
If you’re looking for goal planning combined with human guidance, Fidelity offers a personalized planning and advice platform that provides a true hybrid money management experience. For a minimum of $25,000 invested at a 0.35% annual fee, you’ll have access to financial coaching, professional money management, and more dynamic financial planning.
Account Services
Fidelity Go’s focus is to help you achieve your investment goals in your taxable accounts, IRAs, and HSA accounts. To that end, the deposit process includes a decisioning tool that helps you determine how to balance contributions to multiple accounts while staying on track to reach your goals. These deposits are automatically invested based on the portfolio best aligned for your timeline without placing individual trades, choosing stocks, or timing the market.
These features emphasize Fidelity Go’s platform being geared towards a streamlined portfolio and planning solution to save for common, straightforward goals. As a result, there are limited investment account features on the platform. Margin, loan, credit, spend, and banking options are not available through Fidelity Go but are accessible through other platforms within Fidelity.
Cash Management
There is a cash management option available through Fidelity Go. Cash that is not invested in your account is automatically swept into the Fidelity Government Cash Reserves fund. This has the potential to offer a bit higher return compared to being swept into a bank deposit account. While there isn’t a spend option through Fidelity Go, all Fidelity users have access to the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature card which offers 2% cash-back rewards. Even though this card isn’t uniquely integrated to Fidelity Go, it highlights the platform’s benefit of being associated with the larger suite of Fidelity products.
Portfolio Construction
Fidelity Go portfolios are built solely through different proprietary Fidelity Flex mutual funds. These zero-fee funds help ensure more of your dollars are invested on your behalf and combine to make up 14 different pre-built portfolio allocations based on your situation, goals, and timeline. Using these funds, you’ll invest in bonds, short term, domestic, and foreign asset classes. The most conservative allocation is 20% equity and 80% bonds while the most aggressive portfolio is 85% equity and 15% bonds.
The portfolio strategy is generally passive, attempting to match overall market growth adjusted for your investment risk preference. This approach is a solid starting point. However, the lack of other asset classes or funds outside of Fidelity misses an opportunity to build a stronger investment selection. These same portfolio constraints also impact investors seeking a socially conscious option as there is no portfolio dedicated to this strategy.
| Available Assets | |
|---|---|
| Individual Stocks | No |
| Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Fixed Income | No |
| REITs | No |
| Socially Responsible or ESG Options | No |
| ETFs | No |
| Non-Proprietary ETFs | No |
| Private Equity | No |
| Crypto, Forex | No |
Portfolio Management
The main strategy Fidelity Go uses to ensure your portfolio stays within its desired risk level is rebalancing, which is important as the market changes over time. This is done at a threshold level based on your assigned portfolio. Once the investment allocation drifts outside certain parameters, a rebalance is triggered to reallocate your money back to the initial portfolio risk level. This is all managed by Fidelity Go as there isn’t an option to request a rebalance, although you can adjust your portfolio risk level at any time.
Alongside rebalancing, tax optimization is another key component when investing. Fidelity Go doesn’t offer tax-loss harvesting but supplements this by placing tax-advantaged funds (such as municipal bonds) in taxable accounts. This helps enhance your tax situation over time.
A nice feature that complements these strategies is monthly and annual updates on your goal progress so you can ensure that you're on track as your situation changes. You also have the option to link external investment accounts for a more holistic view of your financial situation. Keep in mind that Fidelity Go’s goal tools do not factor these accounts into any planning calculations.
| Automatic Rebalancing | Threshold |
| Reporting Features | Tax, Transaction, Goal Updates |
| Tax Loss Harvesting | No |
| External Account Sinking/Consolidation | Yes - non-fidelity accounts not included in portfolio construction or planning tools |
User Experience
Desktop Experience
Existing Fidelity investors will find the Fidelity Go desktop experience very familiar, the main difference being less tabs and tool options compared to other Fidelity platforms. The onboarding, account management, performance, and money movement screens are relatively easy to understand. Investors new to Fidelity may take a bit longer getting ramped up as the site can feel like it is built on top of the original Fidelity brokerage offering. Overall, though, Fidelity Go provides an intuitive experience.
Mobile Experience
Fidelity Go is built into the main Fidelity app available on both iOS and Android, with very similar functionality to the desktop experience. You’ll have the option to turn on push notifications and prompts depending on your desired level of engagement with the app. For investors new to Fidelity, be mindful of the services available in the app as it can take a little while to get comfortable if using multiple Fidelity platforms in tandem. As an example, Fidelity Go is available through the main Fidelity App, but Fidelity Spire has its own app.
Customer Service
- Phone line available 24/7
- Live Chat Mon - Fri, 8am - 10pm EST Sat - Sun, 9am - 4pm EST
- Virtual assistant and email 24/7
- High Level FAQ page
- No human financial planners
Fidelity Go’s platform is geared towards digital first users and the support structure is built with this in mind. There is a high-level FAQ page and virtual assistant function that answers many initial questions. For more in-depth support, live chat and phone lines are available with human support. Keep in mind that no human financial planners or investment advice is included on the platform.
Security
- Two-factor authentication
- Biometric entry (fingerprint and face recognition)
- Securities Investors Protection Corporation (SIPC) coverage
Security is another important factor for investors, and Fidelity Go benefits their users by drawing on features available on the larger Fidelity platform. You’ll have the option to enable two factor authentication and biometric entry which adds an additional layer of security to your account. The platform is also covered by the SIPC which protects your funds should the brokerage become financially troubled.
Education
A major benefit to Fidelity Go users is access to Fidelity’s extensive educational content library. This content spans all ranges of investment topics, experience levels, and consumable formats such as articles, videos, podcasts, commentary, and classes. This information is constantly refreshed to ensure it continues to be relevant as the financial landscape evolves. Fidelity Go users will not only get a good understanding of how robo-advisors work but can also build their overall investment knowledge at their leisure.
Commissions & Fees
Fidelity Go uses a tiered pricing structure when determining fees. Your first $25,000 is managed without a fee. Accounts with more than $25,000 will be charged an annual fee of 0.35%. This is a competitive pricing structure, especially when you consider that there are no ongoing mutual fund fees which helps you keep more money in your pocket.
| Category | Fee |
| Up to $25,000 | None |
| $25,000 and up | 0.35% annual fee |
| Expense ratios | None |
| Mutual funds | Fee Free |
Final Verdict
Fidelity Go provides a strong offering overall that clearly stands out for existing Fidelity customers, hands-off investors, and new robo-advisor users looking for a company that has a well-established track record. As one of the largest financial services companies in the industry, Fidelity flexes its muscles by offering competitive fees, access to a suite of financial tools, and extensive education content.
Investors who are looking for more extensive customization, investment options, socially conscious offering, or human advice may not find this platform to be their ideal financial home. The lack of tax-loss harvesting may also give pause to investors with larger taxable accounts. On the whole, however, Fidelity Go gives many investors a great option to manage their money.
Methodology
Our mission at Investopedia is to provide investors with reviews and ratings of robo-advisors that are comprehensive and unbiased. Our team of researchers and expert writers, led by Michael Sacchitello, spent months evaluating all aspects of a robo-advisor’s platform, including the account setup process, goal planning tools, account service options, portfolio construction offerings, portfolio management, mobile and desktop user experience, educational content, fees, and security. As part of this evaluation, we extract critical data points that are weighted by our quantitative model that produces a powerful star-scoring system.
With the individual investor in mind, we’ve designed a comprehensive ranking methodology to find the best overall robo-advisors and the best robo-advisors across nine key categories. Each advisor is then scored across multiple variables to rate performance in every applicable category. The score for the overall award is a weighted average of the categories.