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For the fourth year, we’re pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers’ Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on such criteria as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
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Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards 2026: Best Brokers
We asked survey participants to rate brokerage firms that provide a range of services, whether online, by phone, or through in-person assistance at physical branches.
Readers evaluated their experience in three areas: the quality of their broker’s customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the firm to others and their overall satisfaction with it.
OVERALL WINNER: Fidelity Investments
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
For the fourth year running, Fidelity triumphs as the reader favorite among brokers. Survey respondents heaped on the praise for plenty of reasons, including low fees, strong research tools, well-trained professionals and an easy-to-use platform. “The best of the many that I have used. I have suggested it to family and friends, ” one reader says.
Many readers also find Fidelity’s customer support responsive and helpful. As another respondent remarked, “They’ve been my broker for over 30 years, and I’ve never had a problem or complaint. Whenever I needed assistance or help from them, they have exceeded my expectations.” Fidelity has more than 200 branch offices throughout the U.S., and the firm’s representatives are available 24/7 by phone.
Charles Schwab
Outstanding for:
- Most recommended
- Overall satisfaction
A full-service brokerage, Charles Schwab provides a spectrum of investment and retirement accounts, and it has plenty of satisfied customers among Kiplinger readers. “I have been a client for over 30 years. I look every year to see if there’s something better, but for my needs, it is perfect,” one reader says.
Some respondents mentioned that they like Schwab’s Thinkorswim online trading platform, which offers robust tools for charting and analysis, as well as the broker’s YouTube channel. If you need in-person assistance, you can visit any of about 400 Schwab branches nationwide.
Edward Jones
Outstanding for:
- Customer service
- Most recommended
Edward Jones has a reputation for building healthy relationships with investors, serving more than nine million people with $2.2 trillion in investments. Readers appreciate that they can meet with advisers at the firm’s 16,000 branch locations, and they say that the broker’s educational resources are top-notch.
One reader notes, “My adviser offers suggestions and will research and explain the pros and cons of any investment that I am considering.” Says another, “Edward Jones has provided outstanding customer service in addition to impressive returns on my portfolio.”
JPMorgan Chase
Outstanding for:
JPMorgan Chase provides a full suite of investment options, from self-directed brokerage accounts to personalized adviser services for high-net-worth investors. Some readers like it especially for its user-friendly platform. Says one, “Easy to execute trades either via the website or mobile app. Excellent phone customer service.”
Raymond James
Outstanding for:
Several respondents commented on the excellent service they get from the professionals at Raymond James, with one saying their broker is “amazingly available and very responsive.” Another reader says they have “a long-term and wonderful relationship with my broker and her office staff.” Raymond James also gets nods in the wealth management and IRA provider categories.
Kiplinger Readers’ Choice Awards Categories
How Readers Chose the Winners
For the fourth year, we’re pleased to present the winners of our annual Readers’ Choice Awards. In a survey we conducted on Kiplinger.com in January and February, more than 4,200 readers rated the financial products and services they use in 13 categories, from credit cards and banks to brokers, wealth managers and annuity providers. The results here offer valuable insight into the everyday experiences that Kiplinger readers have with their financial providers.
Respondents made their judgments on such criteria as their interactions with customer service, the likelihood they would recommend the product or service to others, and their overall satisfaction with it. They also had the option to leave comments about their providers, and we have shared some of them here (remarks may be lightly edited for length and clarity).
For each category, we’ve listed an overall winner that earned the highest total score as well as other providers that earned above-average ratings for the various criteria that readers assessed. Our thanks to all of you who participated in the survey.
Kiplinger readers were invited to take the Readers’ Choice Awards survey on Kiplinger.com between January 22 and February 19, 2026. The survey asked respondents to choose the financial product or service that they most frequently use in 13 categories: brokerage firms, wealth managers, IRA providers, cash-back credit cards, travel rewards credit cards, airline credit card rewards programs, national banks, internet banks, annuity providers, homeowners insurers, auto insurers, tax software and peer-to-peer payment services.
We asked readers to rate each provider they selected on a scale of one to 10 based on a few criteria. In many categories, readers rated the strength of customer service, how likely they would be to recommend the product or service to others, and how satisfied they are overall with the provider. In some categories, we included more nuanced criteria. With wealth management firms, we asked respondents to rate the trustworthiness of a firm’s advisers and the quality of its financial advice and retirement-planning services. For IRA providers, respondents assessed the mix of investment choices available to them. For peer-to-peer payment apps and tax software, respondents evaluated ease of use, and for auto and home insurance companies, readers judged the competitiveness of rates and strength of the claims experience.
We calculated an average (mean) score for each criterion with each provider. We also calculated an overall mean score for all providers for each criterion we asked readers to judge. We compared individual provider mean scores with the overall mean, and the three highest-scoring providers that had a score above the overall mean won an “outstanding” accolade; in cases of a tie, more than three providers are named, and if fewer than three qualifying providers achieved an above-average score, only those providers are named “outstanding.” In each category, providers are generally listed in descending order by the number of criteria for which they received the “outstanding” designation — so a product or company that is deemed “outstanding” in three areas, for example, is listed before a provider with one or two “outstanding” awards.
To choose an overall winner in each category, we added together the mean scores for each criterion rated for each product or service. The provider with the highest total score in each category took the prize for overall winner.
