Fidelity Investments

I have been a Fidelity customer for more than 20 years. I have always found their PAAS managers on the phone, to be very efficient and knowledgeable.
We recently began our retirement planning and found an excellent, smart advisor to help us with all aspects of the plan. He recently moved to this office (the office is very nice). No matter what Fidelity office he moves to we will gladly drive over to meet with him.

I have entrusted my 401k to Fidelity Managed Account for more than a year and performance is miserable. On top of that, commissions are of course paid no matter. I have called to discuss the situation and nobody called back to make an appointment. Very disappointing so far and I am thinking of going elsewhere.

I have been a Fidelity customer for a couple of decades now and the service has always been really great. I am fairly sophisticated and buy and sell options and own preferred stocks and ETFs. I have always gotten my questions answered no matter how esoteric. I have always worked with them over the phone or have gone to the Campbell office near my home.
I called the Walnut Creek branch to see if I could get some help opening an account for my elderly parents. I spoke to Adam who assured me that if I came in they would have someone to help me and I didn’t need and appointment.
I brought my parents over and it turns out Adam was available to help us.
HE SPENT AN HOUR AND FIFTEEN MINUTES with my parents not only setting up the account but going over every little detail and answering every question. My parents do not have a large amount of money and I was worried they might not even open and account for them.
Here’s my five stars for Fidelity as a company: NO FEES, no minimum to open an account. Adam actually set up the accounts with NO MONEY in them and told them when they were ready to move money from their current bank they could move it over. No charge for checks. No fees for the debit card. All ATM charges (in their network, which is Star and something else, so it covers most ATMS) are rebated. Just incredible.

I have recently been trying to consolidate some of my accounts. In particular, I have a QDRO-​related pension and one from a relatively brief stint with my first employer out of school. The calculations give me a choice of a per month stipend after retirement or a lump sum. I’ve decided on the later, and with an IRA rollover that allows me to be responsible for growing my money.
I already have accounts through Fidelity, both through my employer and on my own. So it make sense to use them for some of my investment choices. Over the years, Fidelity’s recommendations have been well considered and I have always felt that their representatives have been helpful and low pressure. The resulting ROI is my responsibility, but I certainly appreciate the help and the research behind their recommendations.

I’ve been a Fidelity customer through my previous workplace and decided to spend some face time with a Fidelity rep to get their perspective on what I was doing right/​wrong.
The rep gave me several recommendations, all of which seemed rational and a couple of which I acted on right away.
The office is close to BART. There’s a nearby Starbucks, which I see is listed for closure.