Open an account now and fund it to earn a $50-$1,000 bonus. You must open the account by October 21, 2026, and fund it within 45 days of opening (eligibility is determined on day 45). After the determination, keep the funds in the account for at least 90 days. This account also lets you trade stocks commission-free, so if you move money in, you could buy something like VOO and put it to work.

The current sign-up bonus is tiered, depending on how much you deposit into the account:

  • Deposit $5,000-$24,999 to get a $50 bonus
  • Deposit $25,000-$99,999 to get a $150 bonus
  • Deposit $100,000-$249,999 to get a $325 bonus
  • Deposit $250,000 or more to get a $1,000 bonus

This is a pretty solid offer, so I added it to the rankings:

About J.P. Morgan Self Invest

These days, major banks all offer beginner-friendly investing platforms that focus on no trading fees, no monthly fees, and no minimum deposit. Chase’s J.P. Morgan Self Invest is one of these products. You can trade stocks and exchange-traded funds online for free, and the mobile app is built right into the Chase app, which is also convenient. It’s a great fit for beginners who want to learn how to buy and sell investments, while more advanced investors may find it lacking in available assets and tools.

Opening bonus

See the beginning of the article

Terms

  • This cash offer is limited to one per customer and applies only to one new You Invest Trade account (brokerage, Traditional IRA, or Roth IRA).
  • To qualify for the opening bonus, you must open the account through this page. Customers must transfer new funds from a non-Chase or non-J.P. Morgan account in order to open and fund a new You Invest Trade account. New funds must be transferred within 45 days of account opening.
  • On day 45, the bonus tier will be confirmed. The cash bonus will be credited to the account within 10 business days after the requirements are met. You can only receive one new-funds bonus every 12 months for You Invest, Chase Private Client Checking, or Sapphire Checking.
  • The new funds balance must remain in the account for at least 90 days after the transfer (excluding losses caused by trading or market fluctuations).

Trading fees

The main trading fees for this account are shown below, and you can see that online trades are basically free.

My take

Chase’s Self-Directed Investing account is similar to the zero-commission stock platforms out there, but it’s still pretty useful for loyal Chase customers.

That said, this account doesn’t offer a high yield on idle cash (for example, Moomoo, TradeUP, and Webull offer an extremely high 4%-8% yield). You can put the money into a money market fund such as VMMXX or VUSXX; these funds yield over 2% and are considered very safe, but they are not protected by FDIC insurance like a traditional high-yield savings account.

Also, based on feedback from readers, Sapphire Banking offers do not allow IRA funds to count toward the deposit amount, while Self-Directed Investing does. You can move IRA funds over with little to no cost. However, IRA transfers usually involve fees, so you should contact your current institution and Chase to find out about any transfer-in or transfer-out fees.

About investment platforms and bonuses

A lot of investment and stock accounts now offer very generous opening bonuses. You can pick a few good ones to open, and these accounts won’t affect your credit score, so it’s fine to open several. In most cases, the requirement to earn the bonus is simply to deposit funds, so if you have cash you can transfer, you can open one at each platform. Many platforms also pay high interest on uninvested cash, so you’re not really losing out.

Stock Investing Basics

Below are introductions to several commonly used U.S. stock brokerages and their signup bonuses.

Overview Signup Bonus Quick Take
Moomoo Futu Get a $350 stock card + $1,000 NVDA + 8.1% APY Comprehensive features and a strong Chinese-language experience. Quotes, Level 2 data, options, and cash management are all practical, making it suitable for everyone from beginners to active traders.
TradeUp Tiger Brokers Get 50 NVDA shares + draw for 5 shares + 4% for three months Good for active trading. For U.S. tax residents, trading fees and margin are relatively competitive. It supports Web Trading, Level 2 data, and Chinese-language customer service.
Webull 12 fractional shares + 1 month of Premium membership Strong market-watching and active-trading features. Charts, technical indicators, options, and pre-market/after-hours trading are fairly complete, making it suitable for frequent traders.
BBAE Up to $650 in rewards Convenient account opening for users in China, with no SSN/ITIN required to apply. Chinese-language support is strong, but it currently has a Platform Fee, so it is not ideal for small-balance, high-frequency trading.
Robinhood Draw 1 stock The interface is simple and easy to use, making it suitable for beginners buying U.S. stocks for the first time. Gold users also get a high yield on idle cash and a lower Margin Rate.
Interactive Brokers Up to $1,000 Highly professional, with support for global markets and multiple currencies. Margin costs are competitive, and it also supports account opening for China residents, making it suitable for advanced investors and global investors.
TradeStation $250 More geared toward professional and active trading. Advanced charting, strategy backtesting, and automated trading features are relatively strong, but ordinary long-term investors may not need them.
Schwab Get up to $1,000 Good for long-term investing and larger asset balances. Buying ETFs and CDs is convenient. Checking and global ATM access are also advantages, but the default interest rate on idle cash is relatively low.
Fidelity Brokerage Account Signup link A long-established full-service brokerage, suitable for long-term investing, ETFs, and retirement accounts. Cash management is also good, making it a strong choice as a long-term primary brokerage.
BIT (formerly Matrixport) Get $210 for deposits and trading Suitable for users in China and digital-asset users. It can be used to allocate USDT/USDC and other funds into U.S. stocks. It is not a traditional U.S. brokerage, so you should review fees and the asset custody structure separately.
SoFi Invest Get $75 for opening an account Simple to use and supports Stock Bits, making it suitable for small-balance and long-term investing. Professional market data and trading tools are limited, so it is not suitable for frequent trading.
M1 Finance Investing Get $10 for depositing money Focused on Pies and automated investing. It is suitable for long-term dollar-cost averaging after setting your stock and ETF allocations, but not for users mainly focused on active trading.

If you do not have an SSN/ITIN but still want to trade U.S. stocks, you can consider the following brokerages/platforms. They can be opened entirely with China-based documents, and you can register with an ID card or passport. They do not participate in China CRS.

  • BBAE: Chinese-user friendly, and you can open an account without an SSN/ITIN
  • BIT (formerly Matrixport): You can open an account with an ID card, and approval can be completed within a few hours.
  • Bitget platform: Identity verification can be completed with an ID card/Chinese passport

If you are in mainland China and want to invest in U.S. stocks, you can read this overview:

Application link