Morgan Stanley (Roth) IRA Fees For 2026

Item: Morgan Stanley IRA
Rating: 3
Author: Andrew Fitzgerald

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) at Morgan Stanley

Points to know:

• Investors can open an IRA at Morgan Stanley as either a brokerage account or an investment-advisory account.

• Under either setup, a Morgan Stanley IRA is supported by a licensed financial advisor.

• Retirement accounts at Morgan Stanley carry several meaningful account and service fees.

Overview of IRAs at Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley provides several retirement account choices for clients who want tax-advantaged savings. One group in this lineup is Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs). The IRA types available include:

Roth
Traditional
SEP
SIMPLE
Inherited
Rollover

Under IRS rules, new SAR-SEP accounts can no longer be established, although an existing SAR-SEP account opened before January 1, 1997 can be transferred to Morgan Stanley. After an IRA is opened at Morgan Stanley or moved there from another firm, it becomes subject to the company’s pricing schedule, which is fairly detailed, as shown below.

Morgan Stanley IRA Fees

A Morgan Stanley IRA has a standard annual account fee of $125. If the IRA is handled through Morgan Stanley Virtual Advisor (MSVA), the standard annual fee is $95. Clients who enroll in all eDelivery for eligible account documents receive a reduced price. The all-eDelivery fee is $75 for standard IRA accounts and $50 for MSVA IRA accounts.

In addition to the annual charge, Morgan Stanley IRAs can be subject to the same fees that apply to other account types. For example, the voluntary reorganization fee is $25 for any account, and ADR custody fees are passed through to the customer in any account registration.

Managed IRAs at Morgan Stanley also have advisory fees. These depend on the specific investment program or strategy chosen. Some Morgan Stanley advisory program materials list a maximum total annual Morgan Stanley Advisory Fee of 2.00%, and larger accounts may qualify for meaningful discounts from the maximum rate.

Brokerage IRAs at Morgan Stanley are not charged an advisory management fee, but trades can have commissions or other transaction costs. For large orders, these costs can reach hundreds of dollars. Morgan Stanley is not a discount broker.

Morgan Stanley also applies closing and transfer fees to IRAs. The standard IRA termination fee is $125 per account, and the full outgoing account transfer fee, including ACATS, is also $125 per account. If the termination fee and transfer fee would both apply to one transaction, only the transfer fee is assessed. For MSVA and self-directed accounts, the IRA termination or transfer fee is $95. The fee is waived in cases of disability, death, or the attainment of age 75.

Because Morgan Stanley has many investment programs, account minimums differ by setup. An IRA does not have special minimums beyond the minimums required by the program being used. Morgan Stanley Virtual Advisor generally starts at $100,000, a traditional Financial Advisor relationship can require $500,000, and the Portfolio Management program generally requires $10,000 to get started.

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IRA Features

Although a Morgan Stanley IRA is not a low-cost retirement account, the firm does provide a broad service package for clients. Each IRA comes with access to either an in-person or virtual human advisor who can help with many planning and account needs. Examples include:

Retirement planning
Tailored roadmap
Portfolio management
Goal planning
Wealth preservation
Inheritance navigation
Tax planning
And more...

Financial Products

An IRA can access the same broad product menu available to other account types. This large selection of asset classes includes:

Stocks (including OTC, foreign, and penny stocks)
Bonds and other fixed-income vehicles
Mutual funds
Exchange-traded funds
Closed-end funds
Options contracts
Limited partnerships
Variable Rate Demand Notes (VRDNs)
Annuities
Insurance products
Additional alternative assets, such as hedge funds

Not every IRA will qualify for every investment category. Certain advisory programs, for instance, may invest only in mutual funds or exchange-traded funds.

Fractional shares, portfolio rebalancing, and automatic dividend reinvesting (DRIP) are available in some IRA programs.

Morgan Stanley Roth IRA Fees

Opening a Morgan Stanley IRA

A retirement account or another account type at Morgan Stanley can be opened through the firm’s Virtual Advisor program. Even though the name sounds digital, the program is conducted by phone. This part of the company can be contacted Monday through Friday at 866-743-5700.

A traditional in-person IRA is also available. This type of account has to be opened through a local financial advisor. A nearby branch can be located with Morgan Stanley’s branch locator tool.

Distributions from an IRA

When a client is ready to take money out of a Morgan Stanley IRA, this PDF form should be completed, signed, and submitted to the firm.

Morgan Stanley Discount IRAs

If Morgan Stanley’s high-cost schedule for full-service IRAs is more than an investor wants to pay, the company also owns , a discount brokerage firm. Several IRA types can be opened through E*TRADE. In fact, E*TRADE provides more IRA choices. In addition to the Morgan Stanley IRA types listed above, E*TRADE also offers a Minor IRA and a Complete IRA. The Minor IRA is designed for children under 18 with earned income, while the Complete IRA adds cash-management features for retirement clients over age 59½ who already have an eligible E*TRADE IRA.

E*TRADE’s IRAs have no annual maintenance fees, which creates a major cost advantage. Brokerage IRAs pay $0 commissions on online U.S.-listed stock, ETF, mutual fund, and options trades, although options contract charges and other fees may still apply.

E*TRADE does not charge an IRA termination fee, although there is a $75 full outgoing IRA transfer fee.

An IRA at E*TRADE can be opened as either a brokerage account or a robo account. The managed version is called Core Portfolios and has an annual advisory fee of 0.30%, with a $500 minimum.

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Margin

Some brokerage IRAs at Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE may qualify for limited margin. This helpful feature does not allow borrowing, leverage, short selling, or naked options, but it can let investors trade with unsettled funds. That can make more active trading possible, including some same-day trades, subject to approval and applicable day-trading rules. It can also support certain option spreads, which require margin approval.

Cash Management

IRAs are not usually known for banking tools, but the Complete IRA at E*TRADE includes useful cash-management features. These include check writing, a debit card, and online bill pay. Withdrawals made through any of these methods count as IRA distributions and are reported on Form 1099-R. The Complete IRA has no annual IRA fee and no account minimum, although transaction fees, fund expenses, brokerage commissions, and service fees may apply.

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Morgan Stanley IRA Review Judgment

Morgan Stanley and E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley both provide IRAs with many useful features. Because pricing and features differ substantially, investors should review the details carefully before opening an account.

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Updated on 8/20/2026.