Firstrade Offers Largest Commission-Free ETF Program with More Than 700 ETFs

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Apr 09, 2018, 08:08 ET

NEW YORK, April 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Firstrade Securities, Inc., a leading online brokerage firm, has eliminated its commissions for more than 700 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) effective today, adding yet another significant value proposition for their customers. Firstrade now offers more commission-free ETFs than any other online brokerage firm. More than three-quarters of these ETFs have received a Morningstar Rating, or "star rating" of three, four or five stars.*

Under the just introduced program, Firstrade investors will have a wide selection of ETFs to choose from across eight asset classes, three exchanges, 82 categories and 40 fund families. These available ETFs are designed for long-term investors and must be held for at least 30 days (if less than 30 days, the low-cost commission is $2.95). Also included are low expense ratio ETFs from leading fund families — Vanguard, iShares, SPDR State Street and First Trust, among others. In order to minimize risk, no leveraged ETFs are being offered.

Investors will continue to receive the many benefits of Firstrade's powerful trading tools that they have come to expect, and free access to proprietary research from Morningstar and other leading financial industry experts.

"Firstrade's mission since its inception has been to provide its customers with the tools necessary to make it simpler and seamless to execute their investment strategies," said John Liu, Firstrade's founder and chief executive officer. "We've carefully selected our offerings to best empower investors to design diversified and customized portfolios. It's wealth management at no cost, an investment philosophy we are proud to be pioneering."

Firstrade had already set among the lowest trading commissions in the industry, having reduced its commission for stocks, ETFs and options from $4.95 to $2.95 per trade in September 2017. Now it has gone a step further by totally eliminating commissions on a wide range of ETF offerings, enabling its customers to invest their wealth without having to worry about any added costs and saving money in the process.

In the current market, ETFs — baskets of stocks, bonds or commodities — have becoming increasingly valuable investment tools for self-directed investors seeking greater portfolio diversification, reduced risk, increased flexibility and tax efficiency through exchange-traded investing. Investors can choose from a wide array of funds in virtually any sector, industry or asset class.

Assets of ETFs globally continue to explode, increasing to more than $4.5 trillion in 2017 from $396.5 billion in 2005. ETFs are widely expected to grow in popularity, making Firstrade's no-cost trading even more attractive and timely for investors.

"We continue to deliver for our customers through our advanced technologies, easy-to-use platforms, customer service and no-cost to low-cost trading," added Liu. "Given the expected continued growth in the ETF market, we're helping to facilitate great investment opportunities."

To learn more about Firstrade's free ETFs go to https://www.firstrade.com/content/en-us/trading/etfs
*The Morningstar Rating is a quantitative, backward-looking measure of a fund's past performance, calculated at the end of every month. © 2018 Morningstar. All Rights Reserved. The information contained herein: (1) is proprietary to Morningstar and/or its content providers; (2) may not be copied or distributed; and (3) is not warranted to be accurate, complete or timely. Neither Morningstar nor its content providers are responsible for any damages or losses arising from any use of this information. Past performance is no guarantee of future results.

About Firstrade Securities

Firstrade is a leading online brokerage offering a full line of investment products and tools to help self-directed investors take control of their financial future. Since its founding in 1985, Firstrade has worked to provide high value and quality services to our customers. Combining proprietary trading technology, a highly intuitive user interface, outstanding customer service and mobility applications, Firstrade is a comprehensive solution for all of your investing needs. Whether you are a new investor or an active trader, at Firstrade, we are committed to excellence, and putting the investor first. For the fifth year in a row, Firstrade was awarded 4.5 stars out of five for the website's ease of use and also received 4.5 stars for its commissions and fees by StockBrokers.com 2018 Online Broker Review. For more information, visit www.firstrade.com.

Media Contact:
Anne Steinberg
Kitchen Public Relations
[email protected]
212-687-8999

SOURCE Firstrade Securities Inc.