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eToroJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review
Written by Jessica Inskip
Edited by John Bringans
Reviewed by Blain Reinkensmeyer
Jessica InskipJessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research.
If you’re a Chase customer who prefers to keep your banking and investing under one roof, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing may feel like a natural fit. The platform is built with the long-term casual investor in mind, with tools to help plan for retirement, hit savings milestones, or just make your money work a little harder.
Casual investors will find solid research, decent fixed-income options, and a nice dose of macroeconomic context. That said, if you’re an active trader who loves dissecting charts and real-time data, this probably isn’t your playground. J.P. Morgan isn't trying to be all things to all investors – and honestly, that’s okay.
-
Minimum Deposit:
$0.00 -
Stock Trades:
$0.00 -
Options (Per Contract):
$0.65
| Range of Investments | |
| Mobile Trading Apps | |
| Platforms & Tools | |
| Research | |
| Education | |
| Ease of Use | |
| Customer Service | N/A |
Check out StockBrokers.com's picks for the best stock brokers in 2025.
| 2025 | #6 |
| 2024 | #12 |
| 2023 | #11 |
| 2022 | #10 |
| 2020 | #10 |
Table of Contents
Pros & cons
Pros
- J.P. Morgan delivers top-notch research and impressive, digestible insights.
- Seamless banking and investing integration for Chase users.
- Solid fixed-income tools with ratings and yield details
- Clear ratings, yields, and call details for treasuries, bonds, CDs, and munis.
Cons
- J.P. Morgan's platform isn’t built for active traders.
- Navigating Chase’s banking portal can feel like an obstacle course.
- Quality education content is hidden behind unintuitive menus
My top takeaways for J.P. Morgan in 2025:
- Seamless banking integration: If you’re already a Chase customer, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed might be a natural fit. The platform leverages Chase’s extensive brick-and-mortar coverage and bank-backed convenience, offering perks like real-time fund transfers that make managing your money across banking and investing accounts effortless.
- Strong research and planning tools: From the robust Wealth Plan tool to expertly crafted research reports, J.P. Morgan equips long-term investors with the insights and tools needed to stay on track. Whether you’re planning for retirement or navigating market trends, these features provide meaningful support for goal-based investing.
- Not for options traders: A recurring theme throughout the platform is its limited focus on options trading. From the lack of advanced tools in the options chain to minimal educational resources on strategies, it’s clear that options traders may struggle to find the depth they need.
Range of investments
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a full-service brokerage firm. It delivers the essentials, like stocks and ETFs for passive investing and beginners just starting their investing journey. As you graduate to a more diversified portfolio, you can layer in fixed-income products, basic options trading, and a wide variety of account types. J.P. Morgan offers more than just individual taxable accounts and IRAs; you’ll find options for retirement, custodial accounts, and even business investing.
This versatility is what earns J.P. Morgan the "full-service" label. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing serves up a well-rounded offering that satisfies the basic needs of long-term, goal-focused investors. While it might not cater specifically to active traders, it delivers everything for casual investors seeking simplicity and stability.
Retirement planning at J.P. Morgan
If retirement planning is top of mind for you, zero in on our comprehensive review of J.P. Morgan individual retirement accounts and tools: J.P. Morgan IRA Review.
| Feature |
 J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes |
| Margin Trading | Yes |
| Fractional Shares | Yes |
| OTC Stocks | Yes |
| Options Trading | Yes |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 1 |
| Bonds (US Treasury) | Yes |
| Futures Trading | No |
| Forex Trading | No |
| Mutual Funds (Total) | 3500 |
| Crypto Trading | No |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 |
| Traditional IRAs | Yes |
| Roth IRAs | Yes |
| Advisor Services | Yes |
One of the best for high net worth
We analyzed online brokers' offerings for clients with over $1 million of liquid, investable assets. See our guide to the Best Brokerage Firms for High Net Worth Individuals.
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing fees
These days, $0 commissions for stocks and ETFs are the industry standard. In that sense, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is no different than other major industry players, such as Fidelity, Schwab, and E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley. The real competition between brokerage firms isn’t in the base pricing anymore. It’s in the tools and features they offer to win your business. However, if you offer a wide array of investment options, there is room for some pricing competition.
Fixed-income pricing: Where J.P. Morgan stands out is in its fixed-income pricing, which is becoming increasingly important as we experience higher interest rates making bonds and CDs more attractive. Secondary trades for U.S. Treasuries are $0 – a standout feature for government bond investors.
Bonds: For corporate, municipal, and agency bonds, the fees are straightforward: $10 per trade, plus $1 per bond for orders over 10 bonds (capped at $250). While competitive, keep in mind that fixed-income trades across the industry sometimes involve markups, markdowns, and hidden costs baked into the price that aren’t always easy to spot. Fixed-income products don’t always get the spotlight, but they shine at J.P. Morgan.
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 |
| Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | $0.00 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | (Not offered) |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $0 |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | Varies |
Mobile trading apps
One thing that stood out to me right away about J.P. Morgan Self-Directed’s mobile app is that it’s essentially a carbon copy of J.P. Morgan’s web platform experience. For a full-service brokerage firm, this level of consistency is a big win. Anything you’ve grown comfortable with on the web platform should be just as easy to find on the app, with data neatly condensed for a smaller screen.
Research: Researching markets, stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds on the app is refreshingly straightforward. That said, I noticed pre-market updates can lag, which might leave you feeling a step behind. And if you’re hoping for advanced tools like technical analysis or in-depth options insights, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
The mobile version of J.P. Morgan's market summary page. You'll get a quick snapshot of market performance – major indices, top movers, and filtered news – all laid out clearly.
Placing trades: Placing a trade is easy enough for beginners; buying a stock only takes a few taps. But I have to admit, some design choices caught me off guard – like having to input a limit price before selecting the number of shares.
Education: One thing I appreciated was the curated educational content and analyst opinions available through "The Know." But here’s my issue: finding it felt like solving a puzzle. The navigation isn’t the most intuitive, and the app’s persistent pop-ups don’t help. Still, if you’re willing to do a little digging, the resources add valuable context and make you feel a bit smarter about your decisions.
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | No |
| Stock Alerts | Yes |
| Charting - After-Hours | No |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 36 |
| Charting - Study Customizations | Yes |
| Watch List (Streaming) | No |
| Watch Lists - Create & Manage | Yes |
| Watch Lists - Column Customization | Yes |
Trading platforms
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing stands out with thoughtful planning tools and practical resources. For me, the standout highlights were the Wealth Plan tool and the Tax Resource Center. Beyond that, the platform offers a refreshing approach to essential features like the Positions page, where you can toggle between asset classes, tax lots, and margin details. It’s easy to access key documents, from trade confirmations to shareholder materials, all in one place. Margin traders will appreciate the detailed tab.
Wealth Plan: The star of the show here is the Wealth Plan tool, a tool designed for goal-setting and financial planning. I was able to set my goals and priorities while factoring in my income, monthly spending, and even Social Security. What impressed me most was its holistic approach – it didn’t just show me my goals and target amounts, but also highlighted gaps in my plan.
J.P. Morgan's Wealth Plan tool helps with goal-setting and financial planning. I was able to set my goals and priorities while factoring in my income, monthly spending, and even Social Security.
Retirement planning: One standout feature was the cost-of-retirement comparison across different cities. For example, when I entered my target monthly spending, the tool showed me how that budget would stretch (or shrink) depending on where I planned to retire. It even had a goal simulator, allowing me to tweak factors like retirement age or expected spending to see how those changes would affect my plan.
One delightful surprise? The tool automatically invested my Social Security excess – nice touch! That said, I did have to do some backward math to realize where all that extra money was coming from, which felt a bit clunky. Overall, it’s a tool that delivers real value.
Jessica's take:
"J.P. Morgan’s Tax Center provides clear guidance on everything from IRA rollovers to the dreaded K-1 form. Long-term investors should find the explanations and expected availability dates for tax forms to be super helpful."
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Active Trading Platform | No |
| Desktop Trading Platform | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | No |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Trade Journal | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 20 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 36 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 10 |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 3 |
| Charting - Save Profiles | No |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | No |
| Streaming Time & Sales | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No |
Research
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed excels in many areas of research. From market overviews to in-depth reports, there’s a lot to like. However, fixed income and options research leave room for improvement, particularly in accessibility and educational support.
Market research page: One of the standout features for me was the market research page. It’s among the best I’ve seen for understanding what’s happening at a glance. You’ll find the three major indices, daily highs and lows for each, and a concise summary that answers the critical question: Why is the market moving? This page also features news, top movers, and a "Today’s Events" section packed with everything you’d want to know: conference call schedules, analyst rating changes, dividend updates, earnings releases, guidance, economic events, IPOs, and splits – all sourced from Benzinga.
One of J.P. Morgan's standout features is the market research page. It’s among the best I’ve seen for getting an at-a-glance understanding what’s happening in the markets.
The inclusion of commodities data and a yield curve comparison (current rates vs. one month and one year ago) was amazing. My excitement turned to disappointment when I realized the ‘current’ yield curve data lagged by what seemed like a week, making it nearly useless for assessing the credit market.
Research reports: J.P. Morgan’s in-house research reports reignited my excitement. They allow you to explore the "why" behind market movements with a professional lens. The organization here is excellent – you’ll find economic commentary, the latest rating changes (with direct links to reports), and weekly economic updates, all presented clearly and concisely.
Stocks and funds: When it comes to individual stock and fund research, the platform delivers the fundamentals you’d expect from a full-service brokerage. What impressed me most were the dynamic bullet points under each quote, tailored to the type of security:
- For funds, you’ll see the investment objective, expense ratio (with a helpful comparison to the fund category), and an income view versus its peers.
- For stocks, the bullet points provide the next earnings date, year-to-date performance compared to the S&P 500, and dividend information.
If you’re looking for deeper analysis, you’ll find plenty of third-party analyst reports alongside J.P. Morgan’s own insights, making it easy to dig into the details.
Fixed-income research: The fixed-income research is comprehensive, covering corporate bonds, treasuries, CDs, and municipal bonds. You can filter by ratings, external evaluations, coupon rates, yields, callable types, and more. While the data is thorough, the experience feels designed for those who already know their way around fixed-income trading. There’s little to no contextual education here, so if you’re new to bonds, be prepared to do some homework outside the platform.
Options: Options research is where the platform falls short. There’s minimal data essential for even basic strategies like covered calls making it difficult to structure or evaluate trades. If you’re looking to build complex options strategies or screen trades like a pro, you’ll be disappointed. The tools here are more for dipping a toe into options rather than making a splash.
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes |
| Stock Research - ESG | No |
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 2 |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes |
| Screener - ETFs | Yes |
| Research - Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | Yes |
| Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes |
Education
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers a huge library of educational content, covering everything from stocks and funds to fixed income and macroeconomic trends. The quality and even the quantity of the material is great, but there are significant organizational concerns.
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers a huge library of educational content, covering everything from stocks and funds to fixed income and macroeconomic trends.
What stands out:
J.P. Morgan offers high-quality educational content. I stumbled upon helpful pieces on growth stocks, earnings season, and bonds versus stocks. Likewise, the available educational resources for funds are great. You can dive into topics like inverse ETFs or compare mutual funds versus ETFs with detailed, well-written articles. The platform even offers insights into market movers, like the yield curve and macroeconomic trends that influence stocks.
Another strong positive note here is J.P. Morgan’s partnership with Napkin Finance. I’ve always been a fan of their infographics, which visually break down complex terms into digestible nuggets. It’s one of my personal favorite educational resources. Unfortunately, these are buried deep within the platform.
Room for growth:
Here’s the catch: When looking for educational content at J.P. Morgan, you need to know exactly what you’re searching for to get the most out of it. When I was attempting to find or search for topics as simple as, “what is a stock?”, it felt like a scavenger hunt. Typing "stocks" into the search feature in “The Know” pulled up over 1,000 articles, which felt more overwhelming than helpful. Suggested readings or “what you may like” recommendations feel generic and often unrelated to the topic you’ve selected, which disrupts the learning flow.
The one area where content feels noticeably thin is options trading. While other topics have an abundance of material, options education lacks the same depth and breadth. This is a theme if noticed consistently with J.P. Morgan Self-Directed across their entire options offering.
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes |
| Education (Bonds) | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No |
| Videos | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes |
| Webinars (Archived) | No |
| Progress Tracking | No |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No |
Banking services
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed is a bank-backed brokerage firm – not a brokerage firm that happens to offer banking. In other words, it’s a bank-first platform. The integration with Chase Bank ensures a seamless, unified experience for managing both your banking and investing needs.
- Real-time fund transfers: Easily move money between Chase checking, savings, and investment accounts.
- Extensive banking network: Access over 4,700 branches and 15,000+ ATMs nationwide.
- Premium cash management: Competitive deposit rates, such as 3.80% APY on premium deposits, provide opportunities to earn on idle cash.
- Robust digital tools: Chase’s online and mobile banking platforms allow for account management, bill payments, and fund monitoring.
While integration is smooth for Chase customers, some workflows, like account opening and maintenance tasks, can feel cumbersome and banking-first rather than investment-focused.
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | Yes |
| Checking Accounts | Yes |
| Savings Accounts | Yes |
| Credit Cards | Yes |
| Debit Cards | Yes |
| Mortgage Loans | Yes |
Final thoughts
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is a strong choice for intermediate, long-term investors – particularly existing Chase Bank customers who will appreciate the seamless banking integration and access to J.P. Morgan’s proprietary research. The platform stands out with high-quality tools for portfolio monitoring, macroeconomic insights, and tax resources. However, it falls short on advanced features for active traders and lacks the robust educational support beginners may need to get started confidently.
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Star Ratings
| Feature |
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
|
|---|---|
| Overall |
|
| Range of Investments |
|
| Mobile Trading Apps |
|
| Platforms & Tools |
|
| Research |
|
| Customer Service | N/A |
| Education |
|
| Ease of Use |
|
StockBrokers.com Review Methodology
Why you should trust us
Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg, The Schwab Network, Fox Business, and Yahoo! Finance, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.
Blain Reinkensmeyer, co-founder of StockBrokers.com, has been investing and trading for over 25 years. After having placed over 2,000 trades in his late teens and early 20s, he became one of the first in digital media to review online brokerages. Today, Blain is widely respected as a leading expert on finance and investing, specifically the U.S. online brokerage industry. Blain has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, among others. Blain created the original scoring rubrics for StockBrokers.com and oversees all testing and rating methodologies.
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- We used our own brokerage accounts for testing.
- We collected thousands of data points across the brokers we review.
- We tested each online broker's website, desktop platforms, and mobile app, where applicable.
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Our research team meticulously collected data on every feature of importance to a wide range of customer profiles, including beginners, casual investors, passive investors, and active traders. We carefully track variables like margin rates, trading costs, fees, and platform features and use them to help rate brokers across a range of categories measuring ease of use, range of investments, research, education, and more.
At StockBrokers.com, our reviewers use a variety of computing devices to evaluate platforms and tools. Our reviews and data collection were conducted using the following devices: iPhone SE running iOS 17.5.1, MacBook Pro M1 with 8 GB RAM running the current MacOS, and a Dell Vostro 5402 laptop i5 with 8 GB RAM running Windows 11 Pro.
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About J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., headquartered in New York City, is the parent company of the Chase Bank and J.P. Morgan brands, which merged in 2000. The firm's origins date back to 1799, and it has evolved through the consolidation of approximately 1,200 predecessor institutions. As of September 30, 2024, J.P. Morgan's Asset & Wealth Management division reported assets under management (AUM) of $3.9 trillion, reflecting a 23% increase from the previous year. Today, J.P. Morgan Chase stands as the largest bank in the United States, managing a vast array of financial services for a diverse clientele.
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About the Editorial Team
Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.
John Bringans is the Managing Editor of StockBrokers.com. An experienced media professional, John has a decade of editorial experience with a background that includes key leadership roles at global newsroom outlets. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from San Francisco State University, and conducts research on forex and the financial services industry while assisting in the production of content.
Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.