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Self-Directed Trading

For The Do-It-Yourself-Investor
Stock and ETF trades for $4.95 with no account minimums.
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Intelligent Investing for the Independent Type

We give you the tools. You take it from there.

Trade anywhere.

Connect to the market from any device. Research investments, analyze your portfolio, place trades and make the most of any opportunity at home or on the move.

24/7 support.

When it comes to your investments, we know you want answers fast. If you have a question about your accounts you can call, chat or email us and one of our knowledgeable specialists will help get you back on track. You may be investing yourself, but you’re not all alone.

Up to a $150 transfer fee credit.

If you’re already trading somewhere else, move your account to us and we’ll reimburse up to $150 in transfer fees if you make a one-time transfer of $2,500 or more. You’ll need to complete the Automated Customer Account Transfer (ACAT) form, and we must receive it within 15 days of opening the new account. Account owners who complete a first-time ACAT transfer of $2,500 or more are eligible to receive a transfer fee credit of up to $150 to cover the outgoing transfer fee from the current brokerage firm. This credit will be deposited into the new account within 30 days of receiving proof of charge. Keep in mind, this credit can’t be applied to termination or maintenance fees.

Investment Choices

Keep costs low and create an approach you're comfortable with.

An investment strategy with competitive edge starts here. Whether you’re in it for the long term, short term or somewhere in between, we offer a broad range of products so you can diversify your portfolio as you see fit.

Stocks and ETFs

Stocks

The most common type of security, stocks let you own a piece of a company. Investors usually buy stocks because of their potential for growth. We have thousands of stocks to choose from and multiple ways to invest.

ETFs

This is a more diversified investment that trades like stock but pools the money of many investors to purchase a group of assets such as stocks, bonds, foreign currency or commodities. Some of the most popular ETFs offer a type of index investment, where the manager tracks the performance of a specific index such as the Dow Jones or S&P 500. There are some types of ETFs, such as leveraged or inverse, which are short-term, higher-risk investments that should only be considered by experienced traders. Learn about ETFs

Standard Pricing

$4.95

No account minimums

Ally Invest Select Pricing

$3.95

30+ trades per quarter or daily balance of $100,000 or more.

How we compare on stocks and ETFs

Ally Invest E*Trade Schwab TD Ameritrade Wells Trade

Standard Pricing

No account
minimum.

 $4.95 $6.95 $4.95 $6.95 $5.95

Ally Invest Select Pricing

30+ trades per
quarter or daily
balance of $100,000 or
more.

 $3.95 $4.95 n/a n/a n/a
About Our Commissions

An account with (tax) benefits.

Take steps to secure your financial future and open your invest account as an IRA. Learn about Ally Invest IRAs

Before you decide, know every aspect of investing with us.

View Details and Disclosures | Straight Talk Fees Guide

A Powerful Platform for Traders

Everything you need. All in one place.

Our award-winning experience is customized for online traders and designed to help you make more informed investing decisions. You have everything you need to explore opportunities, gain insight, take action or build your portfolio whenever the mood strikes.

Streaming charts

View six chart types with 90 chart studies and drawing tools to analyze the performance of stocks, ETFs and indices.

Nerdwallet 5 stars for Stock Trading Costs 2017
Stockbrokers.com 4 stars Best in class "offering of investments" 2016 and Best in Class "Commissions & Fees" 2016
Barron's Rated 4 stars from 2007-2016
About Our Awards

Let us do the work for you.

A professionally managed portfolio keeps you on track so you can focus on other goals.

Explore Managed Portfolios

FAQs

We have answers

Still have questions? Visit our Help Center.

You can find background on Ally Invest Securities at FINRA's BrokerCheck. Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors.

Review the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options brochure (17.8 MB PDF) before you begin trading options. Options investors may lose the entire amount of their investment in a relatively short period of time.

Product screenshots are provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered as advice to buy or sell any particular security.

About Our Awards


Barron's

Ally Invest received 4 out of 5 stars in Barron's 12th (March 2007), 13th (March 2008), 14th (March 2009), 15th (March 2010), 16th (March 2011), 17th (March 2012), 18th (March 2013), 19th (March 2014), 20th (March 2015), and 21st (March 2016) annual rankings of the Best Online Brokers. Barron's also ranked Ally Invest as one of the industry's "Best for Options Traders" in their 2016 survey. The surveys are based on Trade Technology, Usability, Mobile, Range of Offerings, Research Amenities, Portfolio Analysis & Reports, Customer Service & Education, and Costs. Barron's is a registered trademark of Dow Jones & Company© 2016.

According to both StockBrokers.com 2015 and 2016 Online Broker Reviews, Ally Invest received an overall 4 out of 5 star review and therefore is referred herewith as "a top brokerage" in both surveys.

Stockbrokers.com

Ally Invest was rated Best in Class for Commission & Fees and Offering of Investments by StockBrokers.com in their 2016 Broker Reviews. Four-stars were awarded for Commissions & Fees, Research, Customer Service, and Education in 2015 and 2016. The Ally Invest platform received the #1 Broker Innovation in 2015 and the Trader Network was rated the #1 Community in 2014. Each StockBrokers.com annual review takes several hundred hours of research to complete and includes broker ratings for nine different areas across 272 different variables: Commissions & Fees, Ease-of-Use, Platforms & Tools, Research, Customer Service, Offering of Investments, Education, Mobile Trading, and Banking.

StockBrokers.com is an investing website which is branded as helping consumers make money decisions. StockBrokers.com maintains a cross-marketing relationship with Ally Invest.

Ally Invest, LLC is not affiliated with, does not sponsor, is not sponsored by, does not endorse, and is not endorsed by the companies mentioned above or any of their affiliated companies.

Straight Talk Fees Guide

With any investing approach, high expenses can have a big impact on your returns. That's why we have affordable, competitive fees and low commissions that won't get in the way of your financial goals.

SEC
.0218 per $1,000 principal (sells only)
ORF (Options Regulatory Fee)
.0404 per contract (buys and sells)
TAF (Trading Activity Fee)
.000119 per share (equity sells)
TAF (Trading Activity Fee)
.002 per contract (option sells only)

Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) transaction fee (TAF) This fee is charged on all stock and ETF sales at a rate of $.000119 per share with a minimum charge of $0.01 and a maximum charge of $5.95. This fee is rounded up to the nearest penny. Bonds are also subject to a TAF fee and can be charged up to $0.75 per bond traded, regardless of the bond's par value.

About Our Commissions

Commissions and fees from published websites are current as of 2/14/2018. Some brokers may offer more competitive fees than the ones published if certain balances or levels of activity are met. You should contact your broker to confirm their commission schedule.

Ally Invest Select Pricing

We offer select pricing of $3.95 per equity trade and 50¢ per options contract for investors who make 30+ trades in the prior calendar quarter or maintain an average daily balance of $100,000 or more in the prior calendar quarter. Select pricing begins on day 1 of the first quarter of eligibility. We charge an additional 35¢ per contract on certain option index products where the exchanges charge a fee.

More details

We require a minimum opening purchase order of $100 per order in OTCBB and Pink Sheet stocks, and add 1¢ per share on the entire order for stocks priced less than $2. Maximum commission per order can’t exceed 5% of the trade value, with minimum commission of $4.95. We don’t accept opening trades for stocks below 1¢ per share.

Note for GTC orders: If we receive partial executions on different trading days you'll be charged separate commissions.

Commissions for Mutual Funds

Load

Purchases: $0 (subject to change from mutual fund)
Sale: (subject to change from mutual fund)

No Load

Purchases: $9.95
Sale: $9.95

Commissions for Bonds and CDs

Bonds

$1.00 per bond ($10.00 minimum, $250.00 maximum) per transaction

Treasuries

$1.00 per bond ($10.00 minimum, $250.00 maximum) per transaction

Certificates of Deposit (CDs)

$24.95 per transaction

Ally Invest may act as principal on any fixed-income transaction. When acting as principal, we will add a markup to any purchase, and subtract a markdown from every sale. This markup or markdown will be included in the price quoted to you and you will not be charged any commission or transaction fee for a principal trade.

Margin Account Details

The base rate of 3.50% is set at Ally Invest Securities' sole discretion with reference to commercially recognized interest rates, such as the broker call loan rate. All rates are tiered using the Base Rate plus a standard percentage. Base rates and balance tiers are subject to change without notice.

Commissions and fees from published web sites as of 04/03/2018. Some brokers may offer more competitive fees than the ones published if certain balances or level of activity are met. Please contact each broker individually to confirm their commission schedule. Rates are negotiable for active traders. Contact us to learn more.

Margin Requirements

Long Stock: Equities between $3.00 and $6.00

Initial and Maintenance

50% of purchase price

Long Stock: Equities above $6.00

Initial

50% of purchase price

Maintenance

30% of current market value (50% for concentrated accounts, when one security constitutes 50% or more of the account market value, 40% when one position constitutes 35-50% of the account market value and 35% when a position constitutes 25-35% of the account value).

Options Trading

Options involve risk and are not suitable for all investors. Options investors may lose the entire amount of their investment in a relatively short period of time.

Prior to buying or selling options, investors must read the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options brochure (17.8 MB PDF), also known as the options disclosure document. It explains in more detail the characteristics and risks of exchange traded options.

November 2012 Supplement (PDF)

You can also request a printed version by calling us at 1-855-880-2559.