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Best brokers for bonds in the US in 2023

TD Ameritrade Logo
1st place
TD Ameritrade
Charles Schwab Logo
2nd place
Charles Schwab
E*TRADE Logo
3rd place
E*TRADE

Top 5 brokers for bonds in the US in 2023

  1. TD Ameritrade is the best broker for bonds in the US in 2023. - Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading). Superb desktop trading platform. Great customer support.
  2. Charles Schwab - Free stock and ETF trading. Outstanding research. Great customer service.
  3. E*TRADE - Low trading fees (free stock and ETF trading). User-friendly mobile trading platform. Great research tools.
  4. Interactive Brokers - Low trading fees. Wide range of products. Many great research tools.
  5. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing - Commission-free US stocks, ETFs, funds and bonds. Fast and fully digital account opening. Well-established parent company.

How did BrokerChooser pick the best brokers for bonds?

  • We compared fees (with a special focus on bond fees),
  • Checked whether the broker charges an inactivity fee,
  • Examined whether the broker is regulated by a trusted regulator,
  • Opened an account and tested the platform (charting, features, usability) with real money.
Save hours of research!
Our expert team has done all the work for you, and reviewed brokers based on BrokerChooser's unique methodology.

BrokerChooser evaluates 9 key areas for all brokers including fees, safety, ease of account opening, education, and trading platforms. We check more than 500 criteria for each broker and finetune our methodology every year based on our own and our users' experiences. We have more than 100 brokers reviewed on our site and our team of analysts examines more than 50,000 data points overall.

Best online brokers for bonds in the US
Key features of the best brokers for bonds

While many online brokers and trading platforms offer an excellent service, the ones in our toplist go the extra mile.

Best brokers for bonds key data compiled for March 2023
Broker Bond fee class Number of bonds available Inactivity fee Custody fee
TD Ameritrade Low 40,000 No No
Charles Schwab Low 60,000 No No
E*TRADE Low 88,000 No No
Interactive Brokers Low 38,321 No No
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Low 22,000 No No

Best online brokers for bonds in the US
Trading fees at the best brokers for bonds

How much you have to pay for a trade in spreads, commissions and other trading costs is a key broker selection criteria. Check out the fees these top brokers charge for trading US and EU government bonds.

Fees at the top brokers for bonds in March 2023
TD Ameritrade Charles Schwab E*TRADE Interactive Brokers J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
US Treasury bond $0.0 $0.0 $0.0 $5.0 $0.0
EU government bond - - - $10.0 -

An alternative to buying bonds directly is buying a bond ETF. For example, if you buy an 'Emerging markets bond ETF', you'll get exposure to a wide selection of bonds issued by countries classified as emerging markets. Check out BrokerChooser's selection of the best brokers for ETF trading.

If you are unsure how brokerage fees work, check out this article on the various fees, charges and costs.

Best online brokers for bonds in the US
Non-trading fees at the top brokers for bonds

Non-trading fees are charges not directly related to a given trade and typically include the account maintenance fee, deposit/withdrawal fees, and the inactivity fee.

TD Ameritrade Charles Schwab E*TRADE Interactive Brokers J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Account fee No No No No No
Inactivity fee No No No No No
Withdrawal fee $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
Deposit fee $0 $0 $0 $0 $0
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And now, let's see the top brokers for bonds in detail one by one, starting with the winner, TD Ameritrade.

TD Ameritrade Logo

#1 Best online broker
TD Ameritrade

Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and a well-equipped desktop trading platform

Visit broker

TD Ameritrade snapshot
Minimum deposit $0
Mobile app score 4.8 stars
Deposit methods Bank transfer
Withdrawal methods Bank transfer
Read review For a detailed analysis of TD Ameritrade services, check out our review for 2023
Charles Schwab Logo

#2 Best online broker
Charles Schwab

Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research, low fees and great customer service

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Charles Schwab snapshot
Minimum deposit $0
Mobile app score 4.2 stars
Deposit methods Bank transfer
Withdrawal methods Bank transfer
Read review For a detailed analysis of Charles Schwab services, check out our review for 2023
E*TRADE Logo

#3 Best online broker
E*TRADE

Recommended for investors and traders looking for solid research and a great mobile trading platform

Visit broker

E*TRADE snapshot
Minimum deposit $0
Mobile app score 4.5 stars
Deposit methods Bank transfer
Withdrawal methods Bank transfer
Read review For a detailed analysis of E*TRADE services, check out our review for 2023
Interactive Brokers Logo

#4 Best online broker
Interactive Brokers

Recommended for traders looking for broad market access and a professional trading environment

Visit broker

Interactive Brokers snapshot
Minimum deposit $0
Mobile app score 3.5 stars
Deposit methods Bank transfer
Withdrawal methods Bank transfer
Read review For a detailed analysis of Interactive Brokers services, check out our review for 2023
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Logo

#5 Best online broker
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing

Recommended for beginners and buy-and-hold investors focusing on the us stock market

Visit broker

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing snapshot
Minimum deposit $0
Mobile app score 3.9 stars
Deposit methods Bank transfer
Withdrawal methods Bank transfer
Read review For a detailed analysis of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing services, check out our review for 2023

Best online brokers for bonds in the US
FAQ

Can bonds be purchased through a broker?

Investors can buy bonds either through a broker or directly from the issuing entity. When buying bonds through a broker, it's essential to check that the broker is regulated by a top-tier authority (i.e. the FCA in the UK, the SEC in the US or BaFin in Germany), it charges low fees for its services and it offers investor protection.

Are bonds a good investment?

Bonds are especially favored by conservative investing strategies, as they are relatively safe. Their returns, while often lower than that of other asset classes such as stocks, are reasonably predictable. It's easy to learn how to buy bonds via online brokers, though you should be aware of potential risks such as inflation risks or the possibility of default.

Can you lose money investing in bonds?

Bonds are generally viewed as a safe investment, but they are far from entirely risk-free. Some of the most common risks associated with bonds are the default risk and inflation risk. These are primary concerns for bond investors who hold a bond until maturity. Other risk types such as downgrade risk, liquidity risk, exchange rate risk or interest-rate risk will typically affect bond traders active on the secondary market.

Want to understand bond trading in more detail?

Check out these articles written by our broker and trading experts:

Author of this article

Gyula Lencsés, CFA

Author of this article

Gyula has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He spent most of his career in the wealth management business as a portfolio manager of mutual funds. He has trading experience in a wide range of asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, forex, and derivatives markets. He joined BrokerChooser in 2020 and his aim is to make finding the best brokers in a rapidly changing investment world as easy as possible.

Gyula Lencsés, CFA

Head of Content

Gyula has more than 10 years of experience in the financial industry. He spent most of his career in the wealth management business as a portfolio manager of mutual funds. He has trading experience in a wide range of asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, commodities, forex, and derivatives markets. He joined BrokerChooser in 2020 and his aim is to make finding the best brokers in a rapidly changing investment world as easy as possible.

Everything you find on BrokerChooser is based on reliable data and unbiased information. We combine our 10+ years finance experience with readers feedback. Read more about our methodology

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