Fidelity App: A Guide To Investing Wisely

The Fidelity Investments app is an award-winning, secure, and easy-to-use app that provides access to a wide range of investment options, expert insights, and tools to help you make informed financial decisions. With no account fees or minimums, the app offers commission-free trades for US stocks, ETFs, and fractional shares for as little as $1. It provides powerful trading tools, cash management features, financial learning resources, alerts, and 24/7 customer support. The app also includes advanced options for trading crypto, customising watch lists, and accessing in-depth research. The app is available on Apple, Android, and Amazon devices, making it convenient for users to manage their investments and benefits anytime, anywhere.

Trade stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds

Trading stocks, ETFs, and mutual funds is made simple with the Fidelity app. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to trade:

• Select the account you want to trade in.
• Enter the trading symbol.
• Select Buy or Sell.
• Choose between Dollars and Shares, then enter an amount.
• Choose an order type: either Market or Limit. Use the definitions provided to help make a choice.
• For limit orders, decide how long the order will stay open: Day or Good 'til Cancelled (GTC). Again, use the definitions to help make a choice.

After you've entered these details, preview your order and if everything looks good, click Place Order. That's it—you've placed your trade!

It's important to note that different order types can affect the time and price at which you buy or sell. Your chosen order type will generally be determined by your investing strategy and goals for the trade.

• Market Order: This is the quickest way to place a trade as it executes at the next available price when the market is open. Market orders prioritise execution but do not guarantee a price.
• Limit Order: This type of order sets the maximum price you're willing to buy or the minimum price you're willing to sell at. Limit orders target a specific price but do not guarantee execution.
• Time in Force: This refers to how long you want an order to stay open before it is executed or expires. There are several types of time-in-force orders, including day orders, fill or kill (FOK), immediate or cancel (IOC), and good 'til cancelled (GTC).

Schedule transfers and automate investments

Scheduling transfers and automating investments on the Fidelity app is a straightforward process. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Understand Automated Investing

Automated investing involves contributing money to your investment accounts regularly through direct deposits from your paycheck or recurring bank transfers. This method helps you save and invest more by removing the decision-making process, ensuring you save and invest consistently.

Step 2: Create a Financial Plan

While not mandatory, creating a financial plan can help you determine how much to save and how to invest to achieve your goals. This plan can guide your automated investments, ensuring they align with your objectives.

Step 3: Choose Your Automation Method

Fidelity offers several automation options:

• Recurring investments from your paycheck: You can set up direct deposits from your paycheck into multiple accounts. You can allocate part of your paycheck to a bill-paying account and the rest to an investment account.
• Recurring transfers from your bank account: If your investment account is at a different institution, you can set up transfers from your bank or the investment account.
• Automated investment plan in your investment account: With a Fidelity account, you can set up automatic investments into funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, etc., from the cash available in your account or by linking to a bank account.
• Managed account: You can add extra money to your account at any time through direct deposit or recurring transfers, and the funds will be invested according to your investment plan.

Step 4: Set Up Automatic Transfers and Investments

To set up automatic transfers and investments using the Fidelity app:

• Login: Access your Fidelity account by logging in through the app.
• Select the account: Choose the account for which you want to set up automatic investing.
• Set up an automatic transfer or investment: You'll see several options:

• Transfer funds from an external bank account.
• Transfer and then invest funds from an external bank account.
• Invest funds from the core position (for funds already in your investment account).

Select the source and destination of the transfer:

• Transfer From: Choose the bank from which you wish to transfer money.
• Transfer To: Select whether you want the money to go into your Brokerage Core Account or a mutual fund for automatic investment.

• Enter the amount: Decide on the amount you want to automatically transfer and invest from your bank account. You can start with a small amount and increase it later. The minimum amount for auto-investing is $10.
• Determine the investment schedule: Customize your auto-investing schedule by choosing the frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, or quarterly) and timing of your recurring investments.
• Review and finalize: Check your schedule, make any necessary adjustments, and then finalize it.

Congratulations! You've now set up your automatic investments with Fidelity. You can always modify or cancel your recurring investments if your circumstances change.

Receive alerts and notifications

The Fidelity app offers a range of alerts and notifications to help you manage your investments and stay informed about your account activity. Here's how you can receive and customize alerts on the app:

Types of Alerts:

• Transaction Alerts: These alerts notify you via text or email whenever your Fidelity Debit Card or Visa Signature Card is used. You can customize these alerts and set dollar amount thresholds to trigger notifications.
• Security Alerts: Security alerts are triggered when certain transactions or changes are made to your account or card. For example, if there are changes to your personal information, such as your address, email, phone number, ID, or password, you will receive a notification.
• Fraud Alerts: You will receive fraud alerts via text or email if suspicious or unauthorized activities are detected on your account or card. These alerts help protect you from potential fraud and allow you to verify the activity.

Customizing Alerts:

• Alert Preferences: You can choose to receive alerts via email, text message, or both, depending on your preferences. Ensure that your contact information, including your email address and mobile number, is up to date in your profile.
• Alert Settings: To customize your alerts, navigate to the "Alerts" section within the app. Here, you can set up specific types of alerts, such as transaction alerts, security alerts, and fraud alerts. You can also specify the dollar amount thresholds or transaction types that will trigger an alert.
• Notification Indicators: If you have any alerts, messages, or notifications, you will see a green dot on the profile icon in the upper right corner of the Home screen. Tap on the icon and scroll down to "Communication" to view your alerts.

By utilizing the alerts and notifications feature on the Fidelity app, you can stay informed about your investment activity, monitor your accounts for security purposes, and make timely decisions regarding your investments.

Customise your features

Customising your features on the Fidelity app is a straightforward process. From the Home screen, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner. This will bring up a menu that includes various options for customisation. You can choose to show or hide certain features, such as your account number, balances, balance chart, and markets. This allows you to personalise the information that is most relevant to you.

In addition, you can customise your account view by tapping on an account from the Home screen and then tapping the three dots in the upper right corner again. From there, you can select either a single-screen or tabbed layout for your account. This gives you the flexibility to choose a format that aligns with your preferences and needs.

The Fidelity app also offers the ability to customise your navigation bar. To do this, tap on the profile icon on the Home screen, scroll down to Settings, tap Layout, and then select your preferred navigation bar style. You can choose between the Standard layout, which is the newest version, or the Classic layout.

Furthermore, you can customise your trade ticket settings. Go to the Profile screen, scroll to Account Features, tap on Brokerage & Trading, and then Additional Trade Settings. From here, you can choose between a single-screen or multi-screen trade experience. This allows you to tailor the trading interface according to your preferences.

The app also provides the option to set up recurring investments. You can specify the amount, frequency, and payment timing of these investments, and you have the flexibility to modify or cancel them at any time. This feature streamlines your investment process and helps you stay on track with your financial goals.

Trade crypto

Trading crypto on the Fidelity app is a simple process.

Firstly, you will need to open a Fidelity Crypto® account, which can be done in just a few minutes. If you don't already have one, you will also need to open an eligible Fidelity brokerage account to fund your new crypto account.

Fidelity Crypto® is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets® and is only available to US citizens over the age of 18 who reside in a state where Fidelity Digital Assets® serves customers.

Once you have your account set up, you can start trading. You can buy and sell crypto like bitcoin and ethereum, starting with as little as $1. Trading is available 7 days a week, 23 hours a day, on the website and mobile app.

It is important to note that crypto is a high-risk investment. It is a volatile asset class that can become illiquid at any time and is susceptible to market manipulation.

Frequently asked questions