Chase runs its Roth IRA through J.P. Morgan, and for a self-directed investor it is genuinely competitive: $0 online stock and ETF trades, no account minimum, no annual fee, and the full public market to build from. The catch is depth, not price. Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard still beat it on low-cost index funds and long-term tooling.
Key takeaways
- A Chase Roth IRA is really a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account. Commission-free online stock, ETF, and options trades, $0 to open, and no annual account fee.
- The old J.P. Morgan Automated Investing robo-advisor is gone. It was shut down in 2024 and existing accounts were rolled into Self-Directed Investing, so the only managed option now is human advisors.
- J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors handles the hands-off crowd at 0.60% a year (0.50% at $250,000 and up), with roughly $25,000 to start.
- There is no proprietary-fund lock-in. You can hold outside index funds and ETFs, so you are not forced into house products.
- The real pull is the Chase ecosystem: one login across your checking, credit cards, and retirement money. The real cost is a thinner low-cost fund menu than the big three.
- Current signup bonus runs up to $1,000 for new money, but it rewards size, not the average saver. Details and the date below.
What "Chase Roth IRA" actually means
Chase does not sell a standalone Roth IRA product. When you open one inside the Chase app or at chase.com, you are opening a J.P. Morgan account, since J.P. Morgan Wealth Management is the investing arm of JPMorgan Chase. That gives you two live paths today.
The first is J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing, the do-it-yourself brokerage. You pick the investments, place the trades, and manage the account yourself. The second is J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors, where a team of advisors builds and runs a portfolio for you at an annual fee.
A third option used to exist. J.P. Morgan Automated Investing was the low-cost robo-advisor, but the bank wound it down in 2024 after deciding the robo model was not profitable at scale. Existing robo accounts were converted into Self-Directed Investing accounts. If an older review points you toward a Chase robo at 0.35%, that product is no longer available.
Chase Roth IRA options at a glance
| Option | Annual fee | Minimum to start | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | $0, plus $0 online stock and ETF trades | $0 | DIY investors who want to pick their own funds |
| J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors | 0.60% (0.50% at $250k and up) | About $25,000 | Hands-off investors who want a managed portfolio |
| Automated Investing (robo) | Discontinued in 2024 | Not available | No longer offered |
Fees and fund selection
On price, the self-directed account is hard to fault. Online stock and ETF trades are $0, options run $0 per trade plus the standard $0.65 per contract, there is no minimum to open, and there is no annual account fee on the IRA. For a Roth investor buying broad ETFs and holding them, that is the same headline pricing you get at Fidelity or Schwab.
Fund selection is where the picture splits. Self-Directed Investing gives you the full public market: individual stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, including low-cost index funds from outside providers. There is no proprietary-fund lock-in, so you are not boxed into J.P. Morgan house funds. What you do not get is the same deep bench of ultra-low-cost, in-house index funds that Vanguard and Fidelity are built around, including Fidelity's zero-expense-ratio index funds. For a serious indexer optimizing every basis point over 30 years, that gap matters more than the trade commission.
Personal Advisors is a different calculation. At 0.60% a year you are paying for a managed portfolio and a human to talk to. That is reasonable against a traditional advisor, but it is well above running an index portfolio yourself at Schwab or Vanguard for close to nothing.
The ecosystem pull, and the current bonus
The honest reason to open a Roth IRA at Chase is that you already bank there. Seeing your checking, your Sapphire card, and your retirement account under one login, moving money instantly between them, and getting in-branch help is a real convenience that Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard cannot fully match. For some people that consolidation is worth a slightly shallower fund menu.
There is also a live promotion. As of this review, J.P. Morgan is offering up to $1,000 for opening and funding a new Self-Directed Investing account with new money by October 21, 2026. The tiers reward size: $50 for $5,000 to $24,999, $150 for $25,000 to $99,999, $325 for $100,000 to $249,999, and $1,000 for $250,000 or more. You add the qualifying new money within 45 days and keep it in the account for 90 days. Terms change often, so confirm the current offer on Chase's site before you count on it. Never let a one-time bonus decide a decades-long retirement account, but if Chase was already your pick, it is free money on the way in.
How it compares to Fidelity, Schwab, and Vanguard
For a serious Roth investor, the big three still win on the things that compound. They offer deeper low-cost index fund lineups, more mature retirement planning tools, stronger research, and, at Fidelity and Schwab, some of the lowest fund expense ratios anywhere. Vanguard remains the reference point for a set-and-forget index portfolio.
Chase's self-directed account closes most of the gap on headline pricing but not on depth. If your Roth is going to be a simple three-fund or target-date portfolio you rarely touch, any of the four works, and Chase's convenience can tip it. If you want the widest low-cost fund selection and the best long-term tooling, the big three are the stronger home. It is the same trade-off you weigh in a Robinhood vs Fidelity Roth IRA matchup or when sizing up a Capital One Roth IRA: a slick, familiar platform against a deeper, cheaper fund shelf.
The verdict
A Chase Roth IRA is a solid, low-fee, self-directed account, and the ecosystem convenience is real if you already live in the Chase app. But it is not the deepest or cheapest home for serious indexing, and the low-cost robo option is gone. Open one if you value having everything in one place. Choose Fidelity, Schwab, or Vanguard if you want the widest low-cost fund menu and the best long-term tooling. For more on structuring the account itself, see our retirement planning hub, and if you are moving money out of an old provider, our guide on how to close a Roth IRA account at Fidelity walks through the mechanics.
Frequently asked questions
Does Chase offer its own Roth IRA product?
No, Chase does not sell a standalone Roth IRA. Opening one in the Chase app or at chase.com actually opens a J.P. Morgan account, since J.P. Morgan Wealth Management is the investing arm of JPMorgan Chase. That gives you two live paths: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing for do-it-yourself, or J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors for a managed portfolio.
What happened to J.P. Morgan's robo-advisor for Roth IRAs?
J.P. Morgan Automated Investing, the low-cost robo-advisor, was shut down in 2024 after the bank decided the robo model was not profitable at scale. Existing robo accounts were converted into Self-Directed Investing accounts. If an older review points you toward a Chase robo at 0.35%, that product is no longer available.
How much does J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors cost for a managed Roth IRA?
J.P. Morgan Personal Advisors charges 0.60% a year, dropping to 0.50% at $250,000 and up, with roughly $25,000 to start. That pays for a managed portfolio and a human to talk to, which is reasonable against a traditional advisor but well above running an index portfolio yourself at Schwab or Vanguard for close to nothing.
Are you locked into J.P. Morgan house funds in a Chase Roth IRA?
No, there is no proprietary-fund lock-in. Self-Directed Investing gives you the full public market: individual stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, including low-cost index funds from outside providers. What you do not get is the same deep bench of ultra-low-cost in-house index funds that Vanguard and Fidelity are built around.
Is there a signup bonus for opening a Chase Roth IRA?
Yes, J.P. Morgan is offering up to $1,000 for opening and funding a new Self-Directed Investing account with new money by October 21, 2026. The tiers reward size: $50 for $5,000 to $24,999, up to $1,000 for $250,000 or more. Add the money within 45 days and keep it 90 days, and confirm current terms first.