How to open a Fidelity account, invest, and reach support.

Fidelity opens personal brokerage accounts and IRAs at fidelity.com, and it administers many employer plans under NetBenefits. Those are different relationships. A personal brokerage application will not automatically give you access to a workplace 401(k), and the reverse is also true.

Fidelity’s contact page offers a virtual assistant, live chat, phone, and — once you are logged in — a secure message for issues that are not time sensitive.

What to have ready

• Legal name, date of birth, Social Security number, and U.S. address, entered on Fidelity’s form.
• Email, mobile number, and employment information.
• The account type: taxable brokerage, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, or another Fidelity account you qualify for.
• A linked bank account for electronic deposits, or instructions for a wire or check.
• For a workplace plan, your employer’s plan access rather than a new retail application.

Create the account

1. 01

   Open the account on fidelity.com

   Choose Open an account and select brokerage or IRA. Read whether the account is self-directed. Fidelity also offers managed accounts; those are a separate product with their own agreement.

2. 02

   Verify your identity with Fidelity

   Submit your Social Security number and personal details only on Fidelity’s site. They may ask for a copy of an ID or a bank statement if the automated check does not clear.

3. 03

   Fund the account

   Link a bank with routing and account numbers inside Fidelity, or send a wire using the instructions Fidelity shows after you log in. Ignore wiring instructions that arrive by unexpected email.

4. 04

   Set alerts and security

   Turn on multi-factor authentication. Fidelity publishes the short codes it uses for texts and warns that it does not contact customers on WhatsApp or Telegram.

How to invest once the account is funded

1. 01

   Choose the right account

   Before the trade ticket, confirm you are in the brokerage or IRA you meant to use. A trade in an IRA follows contribution and withdrawal rules that a taxable account does not.

2. 02

   Place the order

   Enter the symbol, buy or sell, quantity, and market or limit. Mutual funds at Fidelity often trade at the next calculated price rather than the live stock price. The ticket should say which one you are using.

3. 03

   Save the confirmation

   Download or note the confirmation number. If a later dividend, transfer, or cost-basis question comes up, that number is what Fidelity support will ask for.

How to reach Fidelity and open a ticket

The steps below create a case with Fidelity. They are not the same as a Northline support ticket. Use Fidelity when the money or the login is theirs. Use Northline when you want the path explained first.

1. 01

   Pick the channel that matches the urgency

   Use 800-343-3548 for a locked account, a missing deposit, or a trade you do not recognize. Use secure message, after login, for document uploads and questions that can wait.

2. 02

   Start chat from Fidelity’s site

   Fidelity’s contact page hosts chat. Log in when the issue is about your account so the representative can see it. Visitors can ask general questions during posted hours.

3. 03

   Describe one issue per case

   A single clear case is easier to track than three problems in one paragraph. Include dates and amounts, and ask for the case number before you hang up or close the chat.

4. 04

   Workplace accounts

   For a 401(k), start at NetBenefits and use the workplace number on your statement. Retail brokerage representatives may not be able to change a payroll contribution.

Open Fidelity’s contact page

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