Fidelity Go Review

Fidelity Go Review 2024: Pros, Cons & Features

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Fidelity Go
Who is Fidelity Go Best For?
Fidelity Go is best suited for beginners and passive investors who prefer automated portfolio management, long-term investors seeking steady growth through diversification and automatic rebalancing, and retirement savers given Fidelity's strong reputation in this space. It's also an attractive choice for low-balance investors due to its minimal investment requirement.
Pros
Free service for balances under $25,000
Inexpensive hybrid robo advisor for balances over $25,000
Fidelity Investments is a highly trusted brand
Low Minimum Investment
Cons
No Tax-Loss Harvesting
Limited Customization
Limited Account Types Offered
CMA has a Low APY
91
Overall Score

Are you looking for a hands-off, low-cost investment solution? If so, Fidelity Go might be the ideal choice for you.

In this comprehensive Fidelity Go review, we’ll delve into the features, fees, and overall benefits of this robo-advisor to help you determine if it’s the right fit for your financial goals. So sit back, relax, and let us guide you through the world of Fidelity Go.

Key Takeaways:

  • Fidelity Go is a low-cost and highly-rated robo-advisor with no minimum opening balance or advisory fees for balances under $25,000.
  • It offers various account types and investment options from Fidelity Flex mutual funds across four asset classes at 0.35% annually (only when your account is $25,000 or higher), plus comprehensive portfolio management services such as risk assessment & allocation, rebalancing strategy & customer support channels.
  • Its main competitors include Betterment, Wealthfront, Vanguard’s robo advisors, and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios, which differ in terms of fees/minimum investments/additional features offered.

An Overview of Fidelity Go

Fidelity Go is a robo-advisor designed to create low-cost portfolios for hands-off investors. With no minimum opening balance and no management fees for balances under $25,000, it’s an attractive option for those who prefer a more passive investment strategy. Fidelity Investments’ human financial advisors are responsible for investment and trading decisions for portfolios, ensuring a human touch in the investment process.

Ideal for existing Fidelity customers and beginners alike, Fidelity Go allows you to start investing with just $10 and benefit from fee-free management until your account reaches $25,000. With a rating of 4.6 out of 5, Fidelity Go is a highly-regarded option in the robo-advisor space.

What is Fidelity Go?

Fidelity Go Review 2024: Pros, Cons & Features 1

Fidelity Go is a robo advisor that constructs portfolios using Fidelity Flex funds, free of charge, without any minimum opening balance, and without any advisory fees for balances under $25,000. To create a personalized portfolio, you’ll need to take a short questionnaire that assesses your risk tolerance, investment objectives, and desired investment timeframe.

For account balances of over $25,000, Go charges an affordable annual advisory fee of 0.35%, which comes with unlimited access to human financial advisors, qualifying Fidelity Go as a hybrid robo advisor.

Target Audience

With no minimum balance requirement and only a $10 investment minimum, Fidelity Go is an ideal choice for new investors and those with a limited initial investment.

Additionally, Fidelity Go’s target tracking feature enables investors to select a goal dollar amount for their portfolio to achieve by a specific date, with the service estimating the probability of achieving that goal.

For those with investment account balances of over $25,000, the unlimited access to human financial advisors makes sense, even for the low 0.35% annual management fee.

Account Types and Investment Options

Investment-Account-Types

Fidelity Go offers a variety of account types, including individual, joint, IRA, and health savings accounts (HSAs), all featuring automated investment management and access to a coaching team for accounts with a balance of $25,000 or more.

In terms of investment options, Fidelity Go provides a selection of over a dozen portfolio options from Fidelity Flex mutual funds, with holdings across four asset classes.

Account Types

  • Individual Taxable
  • Joint Taxable
  • Traditional IRA
  • Roth IRA
  • Rollover IRA
  • HSA Account
  • Custodial Accounts
  • 529 College Savings Plan
  • Solo 401(k)

Fidelity Go offers individual and joint taxable accounts, IRA (Traditional, Roth, and Rollover), and HSA accounts.

Although specialized account types like UGMA/UTMA accounts, 529 college savings accounts, or solo 401(k)s are not available through the service, the platform still offers a wide range of options to fit various investment needs.

Investment Options

Fidelity Go offers an average range of investment options, such as domestic or foreign stocks, bonds, and short-term investments, all managed through Fidelity Flex mutual funds with no expense ratios.

However, it’s important to note that Fidelity Go does not provide the same level of diversification as some competitors, lacking commodities, international bonds, and real estate investment trusts.

Additionally, your investment strategy will consist solely of these Fidelity Flex funds. This is good news to investors wanting to keep things simple, but it may seem limiting to more advanced traders.

Smart Shift

In May 2023, Fidelity announced Smart Shift, a feature that automatically adjusts your asset allocation strategy based on a selected target time horizon. Think of it like a Target-Date Fund.

The feature isn’t automatically enabled – you need to enable it – and you must be invested in the asset allocation strategy that Fidelity recommends for it to take effect.

Cash Management Account

Fidelity Investments, like many other financial institutions and robo advisors, now offers a cash management account (CMA) for their customers. These accounts toe the line between high-yield savings accounts and checking accounts, often offering features of both, so you can manage all of your money in one place.

The real draw of these accounts, however, is their very-high APYs, often offering several dozen times the national average of a savings account.

Fidelity’s CMA lags a bit behind its competitors, however, offering a relatively low, but still competitive, 2.72%.

For reference, Wealthfront’s APY is currently 5.0%, Betterment’s is 4.75%, and M1 Finance’s is 3.30%.

Fee Structure and Pricing

Fidelity Go Pricing

Fidelity Go’s fee structure is straightforward:

  • For account balances under $25,000, there are zero management fees. All basic services are free.
  • For accounts $25,000 and over, the annual advisory fee is 0.35% and includes unlimited access to human Fidelity Investments financial advisors over the phone.

There are no additional fees or hidden costs. This cost structure makes Fidelity Go an appealing choice for those seeking a transparent and cost-effective investment solution.

Expense Ratios and Additional Costs

One of the key benefits of investing with Fidelity Go is the use of fee-free Fidelity Flex mutual funds, which have no additional fees. By employing these mutual funds with zero expense ratios, Fidelity Go keeps your overall investment costs low and transparent.

Portfolio Management

Fidelity Go investment strategies

Fidelity Go offers robust portfolio management features, such as risk assessment, allocation, and rebalancing, ensuring that your investment portfolio remains optimized to achieve your financial goals.

However, it should be noted that Fidelity Go does not offer tax-loss harvesting, which is a disadvantage on taxable accounts.

Risk Assessment and Allocation

Fidelity Go tailors your investment portfolio based on factors such as your age, income, financial goals, account type, and risk tolerance. The platform uses Fidelity Flex mutual funds with no expense ratios to offset the 0.35% management fee, ensuring a cost-effective investment solution catered to your financial needs.

Investing with Fidelity Go is simple and straightforward. You can open an account in minutes and start investing right away. The platform also offers a variety of tools and resources to help you make informed decisions and stay on track.

Rebalancing Strategy

Fidelity Go’s rebalancing strategy involves continuous monitoring of your portfolio and the investment environment, adjusting your portfolio as needed to return it to the desired allocation.

This automated approach ensures that your investments remain optimized and on track to achieve your financial goals.

Customer Support and Resources

Fidelity Go offers a variety of customer support options and resources to help you navigate the world of investing. From live chat and phone support during weekdays to educational resources and financial planning tools, Fidelity ensures that you have the support you need to make informed investment decisions.

Customer Support Channels

Fidelity Go provides customer support via live chat and phone during weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Educational Resources

Investing with Fidelity Investments grants you access to a wealth of educational resources, including research tools, the Planning and Guidance Center, and a mutual fund research tool.

These resources provide valuable information and insights, empowering you to make informed decisions about your investment portfolio.

Tax Efficiency and Limitations

Taxes

While Fidelity Go has a lot of things going for it, it does not offer tax-loss harvesting, which is a disadvantage compared to competing robo advisors. It does, however, invest in proprietary mutual funds that can help reduce your tax liability.

Tax Efficiency Strategies

Fidelity Go offers a municipal bond fund and considers tax-advantaged investing as investing within retirement accounts. This approach helps reduce your tax burden, even though Fidelity Go does not offer tax-loss harvesting services.

Limitations

One of the key limitations of Fidelity Go is its lack of tax-loss harvesting for taxable accounts. While this may not be a deal-breaker for some investors, it is worth considering if you’re looking for a robo-advisor that offers this tax-saving feature.

Fidelity Go Alternatives

Fidelity Go vs Competitors

In this section, we’ll provide a comparison between Fidelity Go and some of its main competitors.

Fidelity Go vs. Betterment

Fidelity Go and Betterment both provide automated investment advice, but they differ in fees, investment options, and additional features. Betterment offers multiple services to its clients. These include cryptocurrency and tax-loss harvesting, as well as socially responsible investing portfolio options. Both Fidelity Go and Betterment have a very low $10 minimum investment.

In terms of fees, Fidelity Go charges nothing for its basic plan, and a 0.35% annual management fee for its hybrid service over $25,000, while Betterment charges a 0.25% fee for its basic plan and 0.40% for its premium plan, which is also a hybrid robo advisor.

While Betterment might be more expensive, it also offers far more account services, so it all depends on what you’re looking for. Go is a better choice for low-cost, simple investing, without a lot of options, while Betterment might suit you more if you want more accounts and features.

Fidelity Go vs. Wealthfront

Comparing Fidelity Go and Wealthfront, Go has no account minimum and a $10 investing minimum, while Wealthfront requires a $500 minimum to start investing. Fidelity Go charges a 0% to 0.35% advisory fee, while Wealthfront charges a fixed 0.25% fee, no matter the account balance, although you can get your first $5,000 managed for free with our link.

Wealthfront offers advanced tax-loss harvesting and additional wealth-building products, making it a more comprehensive option for investors looking for a wider range of services.

Fidelity Go vs. Vanguard Robo Advisors

Fidelity and Vanguard robo advisors are probably the most similar to any other robo advisors, and are both managed by long-running investment giants. Both offer similar account types, including individual, joint, IRA, and trust accounts. Vanguard also offers 401(k) accounts, which Fidelity Go does not.

Both Fidelity and Vanguard offer essentially two robo advisors: a digital-only robo advisor, and a hybrid robo advisor that includes access to unlimited human financial advisors.

You can view the direct comparison between the two below:

Fidelity Go “Basic”Fidelity Go “Hybrid”Vanguard Digital AdvisorVanguard Personal Advisor
Minimum Investment$10$25,000$3,000$50,000
Advisory Fee0.00%0.35%0.20%0.30%
Investment ProductsFidelity Flex mutual fundsFidelity Flex mutual fundsUses Vanguard ETFs and Mutual FundsUses Vanguard ETFs and Mutual Funds
Human AdvisorNoYesNoYes
Automatic RebalancingYesYesYesYes
Tax-Loss HarvestingNoNoNoYes
Account Types SupportedIndividual and joint taxable accounts, Roth, traditional, rollover, and SEP IRAsIndividual and joint taxable accounts, trusts, and non-profit accounts, Roth, traditional, rollover, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAsIndividual and joint taxable accounts, trusts, and non-profit accounts, Roth, traditional, rollover, SEP, and SIMPLE IRAsIndividual and joint taxable accounts, trusts, and non-profit accounts, Roth, traditional, rollover, SEP and SIMPLE IRAs

Fidelity’s offerings are less expensive and require a lower minimum balance, but Vanguard Personal Advisor is slightly less expensive if your account balance is over $50,000. If you want human financial advice and your balance is between $25,000 and $50,000, you’re better off with Fidelity Go.

Vanguard also offers tax-loss harvesting for accounts over $50,000.

Fidelity Go vs. Schwab Intelligent Portfolios

Fidelity Go and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios have a similar fee structure as well, with Schwab being free no matter your account balance, but having higher fund expenses. Both platforms offer a wide range of investment options, including stocks, bonds, ETFs, and mutual funds.

For accounts over $25,000, Schwab also offers a hybrid option in the form of Intelligent Portfolios Premium, but charges a $300 one-time fee and $30 per month for it. This may be worth it for larger accounts.

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios also offers tax-loss harvesting for larger accounts at no cost, making it an attractive option for investors looking for tax-saving strategies.

Summary

In conclusion, Fidelity Go is a compelling robo-advisor option for those seeking a hands-off, low-cost investment solution. With competitive fees, diverse investment options, and a user-friendly platform, Fidelity Go is a strong contender in the robo-advisor space.

While it may not offer all the bells and whistles of some competitors, its straightforward approach and commitment to customer support make it an attractive choice for both beginner and experienced investors alike.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between Fidelity and Fidelity Go?

Fidelity Go is Fidelity’s robo-advisor offering with lower fees and automated portfolio selection based on computer algorithms, while Fidelity Personalized Planning & Advice offers more comprehensive services that include ongoing advisor guidance. This makes the latter ideal for those looking for a more personalized experience with expert advice.

Overall, Fidelity Go is great for hands-off investors who don’t need ongoing advice, as it offers lower fees and automated portfolio selection, while Fidelity Personalized Planning & Advice is better suited for those who want ongoing guidance from an expert advisor.

Can you take money out of a Fidelity Go account?

Yes, it is possible to withdraw funds from a Fidelity Go account. You can withdraw money without paying any extra fees, and you can do so at any time.
Additionally, when closing your account, Fidelity will prorate their advisory fee for the period of time in which they managed the account.

Does Fidelity have a robo-advisor option?

Yes, Fidelity has a robo-advisor option in the form of Fidelity Go and Fidelity Personalized Planning & Advice. Both services offer an automated investing experience at different price points to cater to different investor needs.

Disclaimer: Investing involves risk. Stock prices fluctuate, the market dips and peaks, and interest rates fluctuate wildly. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. The opinions expressed on this page are exactly that: opinions, and should not be taken as investment advice. There are potential risks with any investment strategy.

Fidelity Go

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