The Fidelity Investments app is a powerful tool for managing your finances on the go, whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting out. It offers a comprehensive suite of features, from tracking your portfolio to placing trades and accessing valuable research. This lengthy guide will walk you through everything you need to know to make the most of the Fidelity app, step by step.
Welcome to Your Financial Journey: Getting Started with the Fidelity App!
Are you ready to take control of your investments right from your pocket? The Fidelity Investments app makes it incredibly easy. This guide will help you navigate its features, understand its capabilities, and empower you to manage your money with confidence. Let's dive in!
Step 1: Downloading and Setting Up Your Fidelity App
The first hurdle is always the easiest! Getting the app onto your device is straightforward.
Sub-heading: Finding the App
For iOS users (Apple iPhones/iPads): Open the App Store on your device. In the search bar, type "Fidelity Investments" and tap the search icon. Look for the official Fidelity Investments app (usually with their distinct logo) and tap "Get" or the cloud icon to download.
For Android users: Open the Google Play Store on your device. In the search bar, type "Fidelity Investments" and tap the search icon. Locate the official app and tap "Install."
Sub-heading: Initial Login and Security
Once downloaded, open the app.
Existing Fidelity Account Holders:
You will be prompted to enter your Fidelity Username and Password. If you have enabled biometrics on your phone (Face ID, Touch ID, Fingerprint), the app will likely ask if you want to set up biometric login for future access. We highly recommend enabling this for quick and secure access.
You might be asked to answer a security question for verification.
New to Fidelity?
If you don't have a Fidelity account yet, the app will guide you to "Open an Account." This will typically direct you to the Fidelity website to complete the account opening process. Make sure you have your personal information, including your Social Security Number, readily available. Once your account is open, you can return to the app and log in.
Sub-heading: Exploring the Home Screen
After logging in, you'll land on the Home screen. This is your central hub, offering a quick snapshot of your financial life.
You'll typically see an overview of your total portfolio value, often with a performance chart.
Below that, you'll find a list of your individual Fidelity accounts (brokerage, IRA, 401k, etc.), each showing its current balance and performance.
Keep an eye out for important alerts or news relevant to your investments.
Step 2: Navigating Your Accounts and Portfolio
Understanding where your money is and how it's performing is crucial. The Fidelity app makes this remarkably clear.
Sub-heading: Account Overview and Details
Tap on any of your listed accounts on the Home screen. This will take you to the Account Detail screen for that specific account.
You'll see a more detailed breakdown of the account's performance, including daily gains/losses, total gains/losses, and recent activity.
Positions: This tab (or section) shows you all the investments you currently hold in that account, including stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and more. You'll see the quantity, current price, and total value of each holding.
Activity: This section lists all your recent transactions, such as trades, deposits, withdrawals, and dividends. This is a great way to keep track of your money's movement.
Performance: Here, you can view the historical performance of your account over various timeframes (1-day, 1-month, 1-year, etc.), helping you assess your investment strategy.
Sub-heading: Customizing Your View
Fidelity allows for some personalization to make the app work best for you.
From the Home screen, you might find a "Customize" or "Settings" option (often represented by three dots or a gear icon).
You can choose to show or hide certain information like account numbers, balance charts, or market data.
Some users prefer a "Standard" navigation with quick access to positions and net worth, while others might opt for a "Classic" view that prioritizes market information and watchlists. Experiment to find what suits your preferences!
Step 3: Making Trades and Managing Investments
This is where the real action happens! The Fidelity app provides robust tools for buying and selling investments.
Sub-heading: Placing a Trade
To buy or sell a security:
Tap "Transact" or the trade icon (often a dollar sign or an arrow icon) usually found at the bottom navigation bar.
Select "Trade" from the options.
Choose the Account: Select the specific account you wish to trade in.
Enter the Symbol: Type in the stock ticker symbol (e.g., AAPL for Apple) or the name of the mutual fund or ETF.
Select Action: Choose "Buy" or "Sell."
Enter Quantity:
For stocks and ETFs, you can often buy in whole shares or fractional shares (investing a specific dollar amount, e.g., $50 worth of AAPL).
For mutual funds, you typically invest a specific dollar amount.
Choose Order Type:
Market Order: This executes your trade immediately at the best available price. While quick, the exact price isn't guaranteed.
Limit Order: This allows you to set a specific price at which you want to buy or sell. Your order will only execute if the market reaches that price. This gives you more control over the price, but execution isn't guaranteed.
Other order types (Stop, Stop Limit, Trailing Stop) are also available for more advanced strategies.
Time in Force: For limit orders, specify how long the order should remain active (e.g., Day Order - expires at market close, or Good 'Til Canceled (GTC) - remains active for an extended period, usually 180 days, unless filled or canceled by you).
Review and Confirm: Carefully review all the details of your trade before tapping "Place Order."
Sub-heading: Setting Up Recurring Investments
Dollar-cost averaging is a powerful strategy, and Fidelity makes it easy to automate.
Navigate to the "Transact" or "Move Money" section.
Look for "Recurring Investments" or "Automate Investments."
You can set up regular, automatic investments into various securities like stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds from your Fidelity core cash position or a linked bank account.
Choose the amount, frequency (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly), and the date for your recurring investments.
Sub-heading: Monitoring Your Watchlist
Keep a close eye on investments you're interested in, even if you don't own them yet.
Go to the "News & Research" or "Discover" section.
Find "Watchlist." You can create multiple watchlists to organize different types of securities.
Add stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds by searching for their symbols.
Your watchlist will show real-time quotes, daily performance, and relevant news for these securities.
Step 4: Research, News, and Insights
Making informed decisions is key to successful investing. The Fidelity app offers a wealth of resources.
Sub-heading: Market News and Analysis
The "News & Research" or "Discover" section provides access to up-to-the-minute market news, articles, and analysis from various sources.
You can filter news by sector, asset class, or specific companies.
Sub-heading: Investment Research Tools
Stock Screener: This powerful tool allows you to filter stocks based on various criteria like industry, market capitalization, dividends, growth rates, and more. This helps you identify potential investments that align with your strategy.
Analyst Ratings: For many stocks, you'll find ratings from independent research firms, giving you an opinion on the stock's potential performance.
Mutual Fund and ETF Research: Access detailed information, performance data, expense ratios, and holdings for a vast selection of mutual funds and ETFs.
Sub-heading: Educational Content
Fidelity is committed to investor education.
Within the "Discover" or "Learn" sections, you'll find a library of articles, videos, webinars, and tutorials covering a wide range of topics, from investing basics to advanced strategies and personal finance tips.
This is an invaluable resource for enhancing your financial literacy.
Step 5: Money Management and Transfers
Beyond investing, the Fidelity app helps you manage your cash and move money efficiently.
Sub-heading: Linking External Accounts
In the "Transact" or "Move Money" section, look for an option to "Link External Accounts" or "Linked Accounts and Banks."
You can securely connect your bank accounts, credit cards, and even other investment accounts, providing a holistic view of your finances within the Fidelity app.
Sub-heading: Transfers and Deposits
Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT): Easily transfer money between your linked bank accounts and your Fidelity accounts.
Mobile Check Deposit: Take a picture of a check with your phone to deposit it directly into your Fidelity account.
Wire Transfers: Find instructions for wiring money to your Fidelity account.
Sub-heading: Bill Pay and Cash Management
If you use Fidelity for cash management, you can:
Pay bills directly from your Fidelity account.
Set up recurring bill payments.
Manage your cash balances.
Step 6: Planning and Goal Setting
Fidelity also offers tools to help you plan for your financial future.
Sub-heading: Financial Planning Tools
In the "Planning & Advice" section, you can build a free financial plan for various goals like retirement, buying a home, or saving for college.
These tools often allow you to input your goals and current savings, then project what it would take to achieve them, providing personalized strategies.
Sub-heading: Retirement Calculators
Use the retirement calculator to estimate how much you need to save for retirement based on your desired lifestyle and age.
Step 7: Security and Support
Fidelity prioritizes the security of your accounts and offers robust customer support.
Sub-heading: Security Features
Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Ensure you have this enabled for an extra layer of security. This often involves a code sent to your phone or an authenticator app in addition to your password.
Biometric Login: As mentioned earlier, Face ID/Touch ID/Fingerprint login provides convenient and secure access.
Security Alerts: Set up notifications for suspicious activity or large transactions.
Fidelity uses strong encryption and other industry-standard security measures to protect your data.
Sub-heading: Customer Support
The app typically has a "Contact Us" or "Support" section.
You can often access a virtual assistant 24/7 for quick answers to common questions.
For more complex issues, you can usually find options for live chat with a representative or phone support during business hours.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - How To's
Here are 10 common "How to" questions about using the Fidelity Investments app, with quick answers:
How to find my account number in the Fidelity app?
Tap on the specific account from your Home screen, then look for an "Account Details" or "About this Account" section. Your full account number is usually displayed there, though sometimes you might need to tap an eye icon to reveal it fully.
How to deposit a check using the Fidelity app?
Navigate to "Transact" or "Move Money," then select "Deposit Check" or "Mobile Deposit." Follow the on-screen instructions to take pictures of the front and back of your endorsed check.
How to transfer money from my bank to Fidelity in the app?
Go to "Transact" or "Move Money," then select "Transfer" or "Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT)." Choose your linked bank account as the source and your Fidelity account as the destination, then enter the amount.
How to set up alerts for my investments in the Fidelity app?
Find the investment you want to set an alert for (e.g., from your positions or watchlist), then look for an "Alerts" or "Notifications" option. You can set price alerts, news alerts, and more.
How to view my investment performance over time in the Fidelity app?
Tap on the specific account from your Home screen, then look for a "Performance" tab or section. You can usually select different timeframes (e.g., 1 month, 1 year, 5 years, inception) to view performance.
How to customize the home screen in the Fidelity app?
From the Home screen, look for a "Customize" option, often represented by three dots or a gear icon in the top right corner. This allows you to show or hide various elements like account balances, charts, or market summaries.
How to find research and news on a specific stock in the Fidelity app?
Use the search bar at the top of most screens to enter the stock symbol. Once on the stock's detail page, you'll find tabs or sections for "News," "Research," "Quotes," and more.
How to change my login password for the Fidelity app?
While logged in, navigate to your "Profile" or "Settings" (often accessible from the bottom navigation bar or by tapping your profile icon). Look for "Security Settings" or "Login & Password."
How to contact Fidelity customer support through the app?
Look for a "Contact Us," "Help," or "Support" option within the app, usually found in the main menu or profile section. This will typically provide options for a virtual assistant, live chat, or phone numbers.
How to set up recurring investments in the Fidelity app?
Go to "Transact" or "Move Money," then look for "Recurring Investments" or "Automate Investments." Select the investment, amount, frequency, and source account, then review and confirm.
We hope this comprehensive guide empowers you to confidently use the Fidelity Investments app and take charge of your financial future! Happy investing!
