O nline discount brokers have a variety of resources that the average investor might not know about.  One of those resources is housing your Independent Retirement Account, commonly known as your IRA.  Whether you are looking to open a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, rollover or SEP IRA, an IRA is an excellent way to set aside funds for your future.

Not every online broker, however, offers IRA accounts. And with those discount brokers that do, the minimums, fees, and resources available can vary significantly from one brokerage firm to the next.

With that in mind, lets take a look at the best options available for IRA accounts within the discount brokers space.

Scottrade

Scottrade offers very low cost trades, excellent trading tools, and locations throughout the country where clients can talk to real people in person. Its physical locations was the primary reason I opened my SEP IRA at Scottrade back in 2010. Making trades is very easy an super fast. All of my trades were completed in seconds.

• IRAs available. Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP
• Fees associated with account. None (No opening, maintenance, custodial or closeout fees of any kind)
• Account minimums. None (No initial minimums and/or account requirements)
• Takeaway. Editors Choice Scottrade offers the best mix of low cost, excellent trading tools, and branch locations. For more information check out our Scottrade review or visit Scottrade .

Betterment

Betterment is the easiest way to get started with an IRA. Simply select how much you want invested in stocks and bonds, and Betterment does the rest. It rebalances your investments and reinvests your dividends automatically.

• IRAs available. Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP
• Fees associated with account. None (No opening, maintenance, custodial or closeout fees of any kind). Betterment does charge a fee based on account balance.
• Account minimums. None (No initial minimums and/or account requirements)

• Takeaway. Editors Choice Betterment is ideal for those who want low cost passively managed investments, but dont want the hassle of picking mutual funds and rebalancing. For more information check out our Betterment review or visit Betterment .

OptionsHouse

• IRAs available. Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP / Educational
• Fees associated with account. None (No opening, maintenance, custodial or closeout fees of any kind)
• Account minimums. $1,000 for a cash account and $2,000 for a margin account
• IRA Bonus. Open an IRA and get 100 free trades and up to $125 in transfer fees.
• Takeaway. Editors Choice OptionsHouse offers one of the lowest fee structures youll find anywhere (e.g. $2.95 flat fee to trade stocks) and is one of the few brokerages that allow you trade options in an IRA account. For more information check out our OptionsHouse review or visit OptionsHouse .

E*Trade

• IRAs available. Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP / SIMPLE / IRA  for Minors /Beneficiary / Roth IRA CD / Traditional IRA CD
• Fees associated with account. $25 annual custodial fee  + additional fees
• Account minimums. To avoid additional custodial fees, a minimum of $25,000 between all E*Trade accounts need to be kept
• Takeaway. If you can avoid some of the fees with high balances, E*Trade is a full service brokerage option. For more information check out our E*Trade review or visit E*Trade .

OptionsXpress

• IRAs available. Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP / SIMPLE
• Fees associated with account. No open, maintenance, or custodial fees, however there is a fee for closing out an IRA dependent on your account status
• : None (No initial minimums and/or account requirements)
• Takeway. Editors Choice OptionsXpress is our top pick if you are looking to buy and sell options in your IRA. Its options tools, pricing, and education are first rate, in our opinion. For more information you can check out our OptionsXpress review or visit OptionsXpress .

TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade is a trusted brokerage house with excellent IRA options. Its research tools are unparalleled, and it even offers up to $600 when you rollover a 401k to an IRA. You can open an account online in just minutes.

• IRAs available Traditional / Roth / Rollover / SEP
• Fees associated with account No set-up, maintenance or annual fees.
• Account minimums None (No initial minimums and/or account requirements)
• Takeway. Well known for its trading tools and research, TD Ameritrade was ranked #1 for IRA accounts by Kiplinger. For more information check out our TD Ameritrade review or visit TD Ameritrade .

When deciding which online discount broker is the best place to transfer an existing IRA, or start investing into a new one, there are a few important factors to consider. First you should make sure that the broker offers the specific type of IRA you are interested in. While most online discount brokers carry the same IRA accounts, there are a few unique options available. The next and most important question you need to ask is What are the fees associated with opening, maintaining and closing my IRA? If you are paying a high premium, then the tax benefits may not be worth it in the long-run. Finally, when you factor in account minimums and customer service, you should find the online discount broker thats right for you.