Chase Roth IRA: How to Open One

Chase does offer a Roth IRA, though not under that name — it is sold as J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and it lives inside the Chase app alongside your checking account.

That integration is the entire case for it, and for some people it is enough. The cost is a narrower set of investments and no fractional shares. Here is the detail.

The short version

How to open a Chase Roth IRA

If you already bank with Chase this is the fastest account opening of the five, because the identity details are already on file.

• 1. Open it from inside the Chase app. Under Investments, choose Self-Directed Investing, then Roth IRA. On desktop it sits in the same navigation as your checking account.
• 2. Confirm your details. Existing customers mostly review rather than type.
• 3. Add beneficiaries.
• 4. Fund it. Transfers from a Chase checking account are immediate, which is the single most tangible benefit of keeping it here.
• 5. Select the contribution year. Required between January and the April deadline.
• 6. Place your first trade. Note that there are no fractional shares, so your contribution will not fully invest — expect a cash remainder.

The real tradeoff: convenience against selection

The case for a Chase Roth IRA is that your retirement balance appears on the same screen as your checking account, transfers are instant, and there is one app to remember. For people who have abandoned retirement accounts before because they were out of sight, that is not a trivial advantage.

The cost is selection and mechanics. There are no fractional shares on self-directed trades, so a $500 contribution into a fund priced at $180 buys two units and leaves $140 idle. The mutual fund list is narrower than Fidelity's or Schwab's. And there is no proprietary zero-cost index fund family to anchor the account.

The managed option costs more

J.P. Morgan Automated Investing charges a percentage advisory fee on top of the underlying fund expenses, and invests largely in J.P. Morgan's own ETFs. Schwab's equivalent charges no advisory fee (it takes its margin on a cash allocation instead), and Fidelity Go is free below a balance threshold. If you want the account managed, Chase is the most expensive of the three. Check the current fee on the disclosure page before enrolling.

Who should skip it

If you are not already a Chase customer, there is no argument for this account. Every advantage it has is an integration advantage, and integration with a bank you do not use is worth nothing. Open at Fidelity or Schwab instead.

The rules that apply everywhere

None of the following depends on your choice of provider. They are IRS rules and they are identical at Chase and at every competitor.

• Annual contribution cap. The IRS sets one limit across all your IRAs combined, not one per account, and indexes it to inflation. The 2025 figure was $7,000, or $8,000 from age 50. Confirm the current year's number on the IRS page linked below before you max out.
• You need earned income. You cannot contribute more than you earned that year. Investment income and benefits do not count.
• Income phase-out. Above a modified adjusted gross income threshold your allowed contribution shrinks, then disappears. The thresholds move annually.
• Contributions come out freely. The money you put in can be withdrawn at any age, tax-free and penalty-free. This is unique to the Roth and makes it a far less scary first account than people assume.
• Earnings are stricter. To withdraw the growth tax-free you need to be 59½ and have held a Roth IRA for five years.
• The deadline is tax day. You can contribute for a tax year right up to the filing deadline the following April, which means two years' worth can go in during the same spring.

Our pillar guide, how to open a Roth IRA, covers the decision itself — Roth versus traditional, and whether you should be using one at all.

What to actually hold in it

Opening the account is not investing. Money transferred into an IRA sits in cash until you buy something, and a surprising number of accounts sit that way for years.

For most people the answer is a broad, low-cost index fund or ETF rather than individual stocks — see the three-fund portfolio for the standard construction, and ETF vs. mutual fund for which wrapper to use. If you would rather pick individual companies, the mechanics are the same as any brokerage account: how to buy Apple stock walks through an order ticket end to end.

Once a year, check the mix has not drifted. Rebalancing takes about twenty minutes.

How Chase compares to the other four

The honest summary: for a straightforward Roth IRA the differences between Fidelity, Schwab, Chase and Ally are small enough that convenience should decide it. Webull is the outlier, and the reason is in the third column.

Frequently asked questions

Does Chase offer a Roth IRA?

Yes, through J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, which sits inside Chase online banking and the Chase mobile app. There is also a managed version, J.P. Morgan Automated Investing, which charges an advisory fee.

Is there a minimum for a Chase Roth IRA?

The self-directed account has no minimum. The automated, managed version does require an opening balance and charges a percentage fee on assets.

Can I buy fractional shares in a Chase Roth IRA?

No. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing does not support fractional share trading, so part of each contribution will sit uninvested as cash unless it happens to divide evenly into share prices.

Is a Chase Roth IRA a good choice?

It is a reasonable choice if you already bank with Chase and value having everything in one app, which genuinely helps some people stay consistent. On selection, fractional investing and fund costs it is behind Fidelity and Schwab, and those are both free to open.

Can I transfer a Chase Roth IRA to another broker later?

Yes. Roth IRAs transfer between providers without tax consequence, usually in kind so your holdings arrive intact. Expect an account transfer fee from the outgoing provider.

Does Chase charge commissions on a Roth IRA?

Online US stock and ETF trades are commission-free. Mutual funds outside the no-transaction-fee list, broker-assisted trades and outbound transfers carry fees. Check the current schedule before assuming.

Fees, minimums, promotional matches and IRS limits all change. Every figure here is checked against the primary sources listed below, but confirm the current numbers on the provider's own page before you open an account.