No, Fidelity Go is not a Roth IRA. Fidelity Go is a robo-advisor service that can manage a Roth IRA on your behalf, along with several other account types. The Roth IRA is the tax-advantaged account defined by federal law; Fidelity Go is the automated platform that picks investments, rebalances, and handles day-to-day decisions inside that account.
The distinction matters because the tax benefits come from the account structure itself, not from who or what manages the money inside it.
What a Roth IRA Actually Is
A Roth IRA is a type of individual retirement arrangement created under Section 408A of the Internal Revenue Code. You contribute money you have already paid income tax on, and your investments then grow tax-free. Qualified distributions, meaning those made after you reach age 59½ and have held the account for at least five tax years, come out entirely free of federal income tax.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 408A – Roth IRAs
You can open a Roth IRA at almost any brokerage or bank. The tax rules stay the same wherever it lives. What changes from provider to provider, and from product to product within a provider, is how the investments inside the account are chosen and managed.
What Fidelity Go Actually Is
Fidelity Go is Fidelity’s robo-advisor. When you open a Roth IRA through Fidelity Go, the platform’s algorithms choose your investments, adjust your portfolio over time, and handle rebalancing based on the goals and risk preferences you set during enrollment.2Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Overview You get the Roth IRA’s tax treatment without having to pick individual funds yourself.
Fidelity Go builds portfolios from Fidelity Flex mutual funds, which are proprietary funds that include both actively managed and index-based options and carry zero expense ratios. During enrollment, you rate your comfort with risk on a scale of 1 to 10. The most conservative strategy targets roughly 20% stocks and 80% bonds and short-term investments; the most aggressive targets 100% stocks.2Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Overview Each year the platform checks in to ask whether anything major in your life has changed and adjusts the strategy if needed. You can update your risk profile or goals at any time.
Other Accounts Fidelity Go Can Manage
A Roth IRA is one of several account types Fidelity Go can manage. The full list of eligible accounts includes:
- Traditional IRA, where contributions may be tax-deductible depending on your income and workplace plan coverage.3Internal Revenue Service. IRA Deduction Limits
- Rollover IRA, for money moved from a former employer’s 401(k) or similar plan.
- SEP IRA, for self-employed individuals and small business owners.
- Health savings account, invested in Fidelity Flex mutual funds with no fund-level expense ratios.4Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go FAQs
- Taxable brokerage account, individual or joint, without retirement tax advantages but with more flexibility.
Custodial accounts for minors (UTMA/UGMA) are not eligible for Fidelity Go management. If you hold multiple eligible account types, you can manage them all from a single dashboard, though each account keeps its own tax treatment and rules.
What Fidelity Go Costs
Fidelity Go charges no advisory fee while your balance is under $25,000.2Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Overview Once your balance reaches $25,000, a 0.35% annual advisory fee applies.5Fidelity. Straightforward and Transparent Pricing On a $50,000 balance, that works out to about $175 per year. The fee is calculated on your daily average balance and deducted periodically.
Reaching the $25,000 threshold also unlocks one-on-one financial coaching calls. Taxable brokerage accounts at that level become eligible for automated tax-loss harvesting, but that feature is not available for retirement accounts like Roth IRAs, because those accounts are already tax-advantaged.4Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go FAQs
Because the underlying Flex funds carry zero expense ratios, the advisory fee is effectively your only cost. No additional fund management fees stack on top.2Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Overview
Opening a Roth IRA Through Fidelity Go
The online application takes only a few minutes. You provide your Social Security number, legal residential address, employment information, and income details, along with answers about your retirement goals, expected retirement age, and risk tolerance so the platform can build your investment profile.
There is no minimum deposit to open the account. Fidelity Go will not begin investing your money until your balance reaches at least $10.2Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Overview You fund the account by linking an external bank account, which supports both one-time deposits and recurring contributions.
Leaving Fidelity Go While Keeping the Roth IRA
If you decide later to stop using Fidelity Go and manage your Roth IRA yourself, the transition is not seamless. Because Fidelity Go invests in proprietary Flex funds, those funds cannot simply be transferred into a regular self-directed Fidelity account.6Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Client Agreement When you terminate the managed service, your Flex fund holdings are sold and the proceeds placed into a core money market position, unless you move them to another Fidelity fee-based account that accepts Flex funds.
Inside a Roth IRA, this liquidation does not trigger a taxable event, because the sale happens within a tax-advantaged account. After the proceeds settle, the account converts to a standard self-directed brokerage account where you pick your own investments.6Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Go Client Agreement The Roth IRA itself, and its tax benefits, stay with you regardless of who manages it.