UBS IRA Review for 2026

UBS Wealth Management Review

Based in Switzerland, UBS is one of the largest financial institutions in the world. American investors, however, don’t need to travel to Europe to open an investment account with the company. UBS has many branches throughout the United States that offer traditional brokerage and investment-advisory accounts. Here are the details:

Overview of UBS America

UBS offers both brokerage and managed accounts to investment customers in the United States. Both types of accounts are offered in a traditional setting with access to dedicated human financial advisors rather than a robo-advisor.

In a brokerage account, UBS may make investment recommendations, but the customer is ultimately responsible for deciding what to buy or sell. UBS advisory accounts may be non-discretionary or discretionary. In a non-discretionary advisory account, the client makes the final investment decisions. In a discretionary account, UBS or a separate investment manager can make trades and other investment decisions on the client’s behalf.

Finding a UBS Financial Advisor

Because UBS offers a traditional wealth-management service, clients generally work with a financial advisor or advisory team. An initial meeting does not necessarily require a visit to a brick-and-mortar office because most UBS advisors offer both virtual and in-person meetings. The company has offices in many states, including Alaska and Hawaii, although some states, such as Wyoming, do not appear in its advisor directory.

Thanks to the company’s advisor locator tool, it’s easy to search for a nearby office and contact an advisor. If you don’t know whom to choose or can’t find anyone nearby, there is a scheduling tool that UBS can use to connect you with an advisor. The initial consultation may be conducted by phone, video, email, or in person.

UBS ACCESS^SM is an investment-advisory program that provides access to separately managed account strategies through UBS. UBS hires the applicable SMA, model, or overlay manager on the client’s behalf under the program.

Whichever route is chosen, the important point is that standard UBS Wealth Management accounts are generally opened with help from a financial advisor rather than through a completely independent online application. UBS also operates the UBS Wealth Advice Center, which provides access to a centralized team of financial advisors through a more digitally focused service.

UBS Financial Products, Services, and Accounts

Opening a brokerage account with UBS provides access to the following investment vehicles:

• Stocks
• Futures
• Bonds
• Mutual funds
• Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
• Options
• Certificates of deposit (CDs)
• Annuities
• Structured notes
• Hedge funds
• Private equity funds
• Real estate funds
• Funds of funds
• Real estate investment trusts
• Business development companies
• Precious metals

Not all accounts are eligible for every product on the above list. UBS also offers insurance products to its clients.

To help its customers manage their money, UBS provides many general financial services. These include:

• Mortgage loans
• Charitable planning
• Investment recommendations
• Long-term care planning
• Education and research tools
• Trust and estate planning
• Financial planning
• Margin lending
• Retirement planning
• Banking services provided by UBS Bank USA
• Credit cards
• Cash sweep services
• Savings accounts

An investment account at UBS can be opened in one of several formats. There are individual and joint accounts on the taxable side. On the tax-advantaged side, there are IRAs, including rollover and small-business accounts, Coverdell Education Savings Accounts, entity accounts, and 403(b)(7) custodial accounts.

Digital Tools

Once an account is open, it can be managed through UBS’s website or mobile app. The website has several useful resources, including bill pay, educational materials, research, and goal tracking. A single login can provide access to multiple accounts, including investment and banking accounts.





The mobile app is available for Apple and Android devices. A bottom menu makes navigation easy. Like the website, multiple UBS accounts can be accessed with a single login, and external accounts can be linked through My Total Picture. At the top of the app, there is a tool for contacting a financial advisor.

The app makes depositing a paper check easy with its mobile check-deposit tool. Funds can be deposited into an eligible brokerage account. Electronic transfers can also be made between eligible UBS accounts and linked accounts at outside financial institutions.

Cost and Minimums for Self-Directed Accounts

UBS’s emphasis on traditional investing results in a wide variety of brokerage accounts with different levels of assistance and advice.

Brokerage accounts with UBS generally have no investment minimums. However, a $95 maintenance fee may apply when the eligible assets in a client’s UBS relationship remain below $75,000. Separate annual service fees also apply to many account types and may be discounted or waived in certain circumstances.

Commissions vary by product and can be very expensive in some situations. For stock trades under $2,000, the maximum commission is the greater of 5% of the principal value or 10¢ per share, subject to a cap. Larger trades use lower percentage rates but also include fixed-dollar amounts that can reach $925. Discounts may apply.

Mutual fund trades use a similar tiered commission schedule, although the applicable caps and other charges can differ from those for stocks. Purchases or sales of no-load mutual funds and institutional share classes may instead incur a separate processing fee.

Bond trades can cost between 0.25% and 2.25%, depending on the product, maturity, and whether the transaction is a purchase or sale. Additional trading-desk markups or markdowns may apply.

Option trades are subject to several charges. These can include a percentage of the trade value of up to 2.25%, a fixed-dollar amount of up to $330.75, and a charge of $7.50 per contract. Each option trade is subject to a cap that varies by principal amount. The highest cap is 5% of the principal value plus $1,241.

Futures commissions generally range from $70 to $120, depending on the contract and whether the transaction is a day trade, overnight round-turn trade, or spread order.

Reduce Your Investing Costs

The fees charged by financial advisors take a substantial amount out of an investor’s portfolio over the long term. A higher return option is to build a diversified portfolio of index funds at Charles Schwab with no online trading commissions, allowing more of the investment gains to remain in the account.

Open Schwab Account

Cost and Minimums for Managed Accounts

Advisory accounts have minimum investment requirements. The exact minimum varies by the chosen program. Some strategies have minimums starting at $5,000, while larger advisory and institutional programs can require relationships of several million dollars.

Each setup invests in a selection of asset classes, which could include bonds, ETFs, stocks, mutual funds, separately managed accounts, alternative investments, and structured products.

Annual management fees also vary by the selected program. The maximum UBS investment-advisory fee for many programs is 2.5%. Actual fees are negotiable and may be lower. Separate manager, overlay, product, or underlying fund expenses can also apply.

Educational Resources

In addition to its extensive range of products and services, UBS publishes educational materials that both brokerage and advisory clients can use. These materials can be accessed on the company’s website with or without a login.

Resources include podcasts, videos, and articles. We found many topics covering a wide range of subjects. Examples include:

- Teaching children about money at different ages and stages
- US earnings season likely to provide a reality check
- Tech layoffs underscore challenging backdrop for growth
- How to position in view of the war in Ukraine

A search tool can scan the resources by keyword.

UBS Trending is a live discussion of market news and investing topics. It broadcasts each weekday at 9:30 a.m. ET.

UBS Wealth Management Review Judgment

UBS offers a comprehensive financial-management service that is difficult to match elsewhere. However, this comes at a steep cost, especially in the brokerage-account category, where commissions are extremely expensive. In an era when most brokers have switched to $0 commissions, UBS is not competitive for frequent self-directed trading.

The company’s investment-advisory service can also be expensive, with maximum UBS advisory fees reaching 2.5% in many programs. Actual fees are negotiable and may be lower, so it is incorrect to assume that most accounts pay the maximum rate. A robo-advisor elsewhere can offer a lower price, but it can’t provide the long list of financial services available at UBS. High-net-worth clients who value personalized advice may find a good fit here.