E*TRADE Reviews

Horrible experience ongoing... MANAGERs need to be retrained. Park your investments elsewhere!! Run away from ETrade!!! 49 calls and locked out of my cash account?? You cannot fathom how dismal my experience with this CONFEDERACY OF DUNCES and they have me locked out of using my cash account balance for a month over a pre auth from a hotel???

After a recent ATM withdrawal, Etrade blocked my account access pending a code sent to my phone. Unfortunately, it was not possible to access the phone and when I called the overseas number provided, I just received a recorded message (something within the country). They should consider, many moons ago, that they are causing serious problems, totally unnecessarily. Had Etrade wanted to do something by email to verify, that is usually more accessible for people.

They are a scam. They will charge a fee without notice and explanation. They will tell you to be aware with company that I bought trades with. If something wrong with the company, you will lose all your shares and owe them a fee.

In one word this company is HORRIBLE. And at this point I am ready to pull all accounts away from them. Started with opening a personal brokerage account. This shockingly took 2 weeks for them to accomplish... A simple brokerage account. Next I tried to move my IRA from William Blair to eTrade. This took about 5 weeks of back and forth and resending the application, paperwork, statements multiple times because they couldn't find it. At the same time I was trying to move my wife's IRA and rollover her 401k into an IRA with etrade. Her IRA was just as miserable of a process as my own taking about 5 weeks. The 401k though... Took 2 months for etrade to get themselves in order. In that time the 401k was emptied but it took nearly 2 weeks for it to show in etrade. Simply unacceptable.

I have been an E-Trade customer since they first started operating. All these years I have had a great experience. However, recently and after its acquisition by Morgan Stanley, we have had a very unpleasant experience. We opened an E-Trade account for my 23-year-old daughter. Opening the account was a little cumbersome (had to take pictures and send DL) but within reason and funding the account directly from her bank was quite easy. However, when my daughter tried to access the account, the E-Trade system could not verify her mobile number (supposedly because she was under our family plan and their third-party verifier could not handle it). As such she could not access the account or the funds. E trade customer service instructed her to go through an additional arduous process of sending a multitude of additional information via some nebulous process using a different mobile phone app in conjunction with Docusign.

Terrible bank, Run! Continually restricts account with an intentionally difficult process in place to further frustrate customers. They provided no answers, no help and wholly ignored my customer needs. Almost 2 weeks without being able to access MY money because E-Trade restricted my access to my money. Theft is described as permanently or temporarily depriving a person of their personal property or finances, They continue to hold my money, while providing no answers and even less help.

I am giving Etrade a 2 star because when it was time for me to make a withdrawal from my Child's Coverdell Account for College, instead over being able to transfer the cash proceeds to my checking account or my son's they said a check would have to be mailed out, Now if this was 1984, I would have been cool with that, but this is 2025, I invested thru electronic transfer from my bank amount to fund this account for 14 years, and when I needed some of the funds they said a check would have to be mailed out, for this type of account. Now I have owned another coverdell account with Janus and that was not the case when funds settled, they transferred to my bank account. This policy of sending out a check is bogus, and charging $25 for expedited delivery is extra B.S.

They froze my account without telling me because I asked about giving power of attorney to my Son, I had some accounts on auto pay with them and they returned them all, they destroyed my credit! DO NOT USE THEM! THEY ARE CROOKS! Have been with them 17 years.

This is the worst financial institution. I can't wait to get my money out. The account was set up by my company, but it is just such a hassle dealing with their poor systems. Do yourself a favor and sign up with Schwab.

Etrade has completely failed us in the worst way. I work with my son to manage his Roth IRA account at Etrade. We are trying to do an asset transfer of over $40K to a rollover Roth IRA account. We started this process over 5 weeks ago. Our first attempt we used the transfer form for the firm we were transferring assets to. Etrade’s first response was they did not accept e-signatures. We provided Etrade a wet signature. They then said they don't accept transfer requests from outside banks, so we filled out an Etrade form to initiate a transfer to another bank. They responded that they needed a color photograph of my son’s drivers license, and we sent that.

Best $100 I spent. Tried it out a few years ago, traded for some decent stocks at nearly a dollar. Took $20 to set aside for security, the rest for trade. Fast forward to date, the stocks paid 50 cents in dividends, then it merged, costing $15. I sold some of the stocks at 80% to make up the difference, and another merger hit at $38. Selling all the stocks left the account in a negative $12 balance with no purchasing power. The $20 security was also eaten up along the way. I’d rather go feed Vegas slot machines than this.

E*trade is terrible! They literally sabotage trades by closing out positions on options trades. Yesterday October 24th 2025 I had opened a $618 put on QQQ because it was rejecting off of a resistance level at around $618.30. It took mostly the entire trading day but with about 15 minutes left in the trading day price had reversed and closed below the 9 ema heading to the 21 ema around $217. I was charting on trading view just knowing that I was in the money and would have some profits. With more than 10 minutes left I went back to my E*trade account where I was holding the position. Somehow I was logged out of my account. That was strange because I was just on there less than 5 minutes before going back and forth from E*trade and trading view. QQQ was making almost a dollar move past my strike price so I knew that I was in the money.

My experience with E trade was horrible. I only had my account a couple of months and I change my phone number. Because I had not finish putting everything into the system, they shut down my account and I could not get into it and had to jumped through hoops, like sending over my Drivers Licenses and a detail note with wording they had created for me to hand write and either fax or email it over to them for the back office to just release my account from hostage. Their MFA Multi-Factor Authentication would not even let me log into my account for more than (10) days.

My father passed away over two years ago and we are still trying to get his assets from E*Trade. The case manager is never available, others direct us on next steps, we complete all tasks and then are constantly told of a new form needed. This is unbelievable and I will definitely not leave any assets with them in the future if this ever gets settled. Do yourself a favor and run from this company.

Wow - I saw an E trade baby commercial from 15 years ago and thought I would check them out. I was planning to move my brokerage portfolio and open a HYSA. I did a test transfer of $4k just to test timing. I was told I need to wait 60 days to link my external Schwab account and now they have frozen my HYSA asking for identification documents I uploaded days ago. They still will not allow my to access my funds and can not tell me why. I just want to get my money back and get the heck away from these people. Be careful and go slow, really you should not even consider them.

I have been a loyal E*Trade customer for over 20 years. I just opened a Family Trust through them. They did not honor the introductory bonus offer even though the trust was not in my name. They ran the application originally through beneficiaries because a death certificate wish they requested was enclosed for Grantor. They then voided the Trust application for no apparent reason. I had to call to find out the holdup which cost me $$$ in crypto profits and their phone system to try to speak to someone is a nightmare and no follow-through. The trust check I sent in with application to fund the trust account was deposited into my individual account in error when they canceled the trust application causing me much stress with other Trust partners thinking I was trying to do something nefarious. Very disappointed.

Called multiple times to validate my account. Every time they told me to call next day and promised it will get done. After 6 calls in a period of 14 days they said the documents expired and needed to submit again. I asked why they didn't do it in the first 14 days, the guy told me that is in the past and an explanation was irrelevant. Don't trust your money with people that won't even give you an explanation when customers is asking a simple question. In reality they basically told me I don't care if you are upset or we wasted your time just do what I told you to do and hope for the best.

Worst platform to have brokerage account. Account is very hard to navigate, hard to see portfolio, hard to check open orders. If possible I will give 0 stars. Instead of showing the current portfolio value it displays what was made in the past year.

If you want poor communication and service, put your money with E*Trade. They are not prepared to provide banking services, and the level of service is well below their peers. E*Trade Savings product, great phone service, but the savings product must be new because the service on high yield savings is very poor. They do not communicate regarding changes to interest rates, they do not communicate regarding confirmation of beneficiaries (which have to be uploaded using a handwritten form).

Been trying to settle my dads account and they have been less than helpful. They never update you on progress or call you back. Horrible customer service. Management level ignores request to speak to. I have asked to speak to my case manager and they too are never available. Very disappointing. If I could give negative stars I would...

Back in May 2025 E*Trade/Morgan Stanley froze my accounts due to questions regarding a wire transfer. I spoke to their specialized department and the restriction were cleared and released. Just recently E*Trade took it upon themselves to restrict the accounts again for no apparent reason, except for needing to ask more questions about past actions on my account which were supposedly cleared up. This company has no right to place random restrictions and prohibit access to my funds. I request for immediate release of restrictions on accounts so I may access them as soon as possible! I’ve already called and addressed this numerous times and yet nothing has been done! Enough is enough!

My father recently passed away and as the executor, I had to deal with the distribution of his assets that were with Etrade. The experience has been awful. They started the process by telling me that it will probably take 3-6 months to complete, because they're very understaffed and behind in the beneficiary department. Case managers rarely provide updates via email and never return calls.

I had one of the most frustrating and unacceptable experiences with E*TRADE. When I tried to sell stocks for a profit, their platform glitched and instead of executing my sell order, it bought me more shares. Since the stock was still in profit, I decided to sell again. This time, even though in the preview order I carefully selected the exact lot I wanted to sell, the system instead sold shares from an older lot (purchased at a much higher price). That mistake instantly turned what should have been a profit into a huge loss.

The basic E Trade platform is very dysfunctional with many features not working. I was told to use a Windows platform rather than Safari but it doesn't make much difference. I have complained many times but nothing ever gets fixed. For example if you wish to roll a put or call and push roll, you don't get anything to roll the position. They tell you to use Trade Pro, but I have used the basic platform for 16 years or more so it is difficult to transition. Margin fees are high and interest paid is not competitive so I think I must go elsewhere. Overall worse since Morgan Stanley bought it.

E*TRADE did a good job selling municipal bonds for me in the secondary market. E*TRADE did a good job completing a self-directed trade for me, in purchasing newly Treasury notes at their auction.

They just charged a $38 Reorganization Fee for the reverse stock split of a worthless stock. The fee is listed as (DEVVSTREAM CORP MANDATORY REORG FEE). They give no warning so you can sell the stock and avoid the fee. No other brokers do this, so I've closed my account with them!

I’ve been trying to open a premium savings account for over 10 days, but my account remains restricted while they “review” my Social Security card — which I submitted over 8 days ago. Their representative told me it would take 24–48 hours, yet here we are, more than a week later. I’ve called multiple times, only to be put on hold for 10 minutes and told, yet again, to “wait until tomorrow.” The delay and lack of action are unacceptable.

The site is very confusing to use. It doesn't allow you to transfer money out unless you jump through hoops. It's my money, why is it so hard to get it back? This company is the reason people use Robinhood for investing.

Updated on 09/18/2025: E*Trade Beneficiary Services is horrible. I submitted documentation for my husband's death over 2 months ago and they still have not handled the processing of the account. I have called them several times and have to keep repeating the "history" and then I get an email stating that they have to review the documents and will get back to my within 10 business days. It is now 14 days since my last phone call and interaction. It is so frustrating and disappointing. A horrible experience.

I was a member of eTrade for over a decade. When I joined, their employees were kind and helpful for all I needed. Their trading program was limited, especially with studies to help you make strong trading decisions. I now trade daily and eTrade is the worst trading platform I have ever used. The info was so limited I could not use it, so I closed all accounts and will never contact them again. Ever. I'd recommend you do the same.

My former employer moved my ESPP account (MSAD) to E*Trade but Etrade showed everything Zeroes in my account. Called in and agent asked to call Morgan Stanley to figure it out. That was not a big deal; However, the insolent tone and brushing off attitude of this agent are very unprofessional compared to Morgan Stanley customer service.

Since Morgan Stanley took over E Trade, their customer service is going downhill. I had submitted for my son notarized E trade power of attorney paperwork in January 2025. My son came from California taking time off from his job. I contacted Morgan Stanley in February 2025 for the update on my paperwork and they everything is fine. I submitted same time similar paperwork for my Charles Accounts and process completed at Charles Schwab within month and my son was notified.

I’m a long term E*Trade customer but will be leaving E*trade for fidelity this week. Been trying for over 6 weeks to open an account. They have opened the account but have been struggling todo something simple like link my account with this new one. They say they have escalated the issue but no resolution. I have given up!

I received a email from E*TRADE that they were going to close my account Oct 2024, no reason provided and no explanation given by the rude customer service. They would never transfer me to a supervisor and would hang up on me when I asked to be transferred. I sold everything I had and moved my money back to my bank savings. Come Oct. they did not close my account and all the stocks and mutual funds I had previously held sky rocked in price and I lost out on substantial earnings. I will be seeking legal advice.

I transferred to Etrade because TD Ameritrade Sold to some brokerage that wasn't credible so etrade was the next best thing. "Was". I wasn't using my Margin account so I had margin removed because I was told it would be like switching a light on. I brought margin from TD. Now I have a Local phone number that I wanted to add to my account. These imbeciles have it but when I go to log in I have to get a code to the other number instead of using my password only. This is totally unacceptable.

Been with eTrade for years for bank and brokerage. Recently have been hacked by what I suspect is a former or current employee and have spent hours and hours trying to get answers and several thousands of dollars returned to me with absolutely no results at all. Their Customer Service is horrible, inconsistent with answers, evasive and vague. They now refuse to "service the account" any longer and have given me no choice but to file a lawsuit. I highly recommend staying away from them or closing your account if you already have one. I got a call from this number and it turned out to be a hacker. They did not keep my money safe.

Their customer service is atrocious. One agent may tell you one thing, and if you ask another agent the same question (just to keep them honest), you get an entirely different rationale. I enquired about multiple transactions per day on a cash account. Was told it was fine. When the market closed, I called again to ensure that what I did was a-ok. Nope. Another agent told me the consequences and why. If you want a KNOWLEDGEABLE firm, look elsewhere.

STAY AWAY FROM ETRADE! First, they put a restriction on my account because I didn't have the proper verification. I sent in everything I was supposed to send them, and they still would not lift the restriction. This was on there for years, and I couldn't get it lifted. They put me on hold constantly. When I finally got the restriction lifted, Each person gave me conflicting information about my self-brokerage account. I asked them to close my account and refund my money, but they said I needed more verification. They won't close my account and refund my money. Their customer service is horrible. They kept putting me on hold and giving me the runaround.. Their compliance department kept rejecting the information that I sent in. Please, Please DO NOT do any business with ETrade.

Yes I'm one of the earliest customers of the E*TRADE and Morgan Stanley going back to the 1999. Excellent graphical user interface GI to manage to investments and do the daily trading. I was very happy by doing instant transactions at the low cost which professional service if you need to do options for an investments for margin calls. Original office of Detroit Bank was open near Washington DC in Arlington Virginia. I was close to our office and part of our computer company. Was also the part of the E-Trade Bank. They were able to provide very fast financial transactions domestic and international to my vendors and also receive funds from our growing client base and I want to thank you very much for your service for the last 25 years.

We have just shy of a half a million dollars sitting in E*TRADE that is in my wife's name only and all I wanted to do was to open up a new account with both our names on it and after being on the phone for over an hour they were not able to open account with me because they could not find an account that I had with them over a decade ago therefore not able to open a new account, REALLY!!! Morgan Stanley can't open up an account with me on it because they can't find my old account information with Etrade. Well a half a million dollars may not be much money to them but they can kiss it good bye.... I will be opening a different bank account with a different bank and they can play with my money. The sad thing is I was getting ready to transfer another half million dollars to them because they insure for a million dollars in one account but they blew that one!!