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How to Open an E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley Account

Published Aug. 29, 2024
Emma Newbery
Emma Newbery
| 1 other [ + ]
Eric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie
Many or all of the products here are from our partners that compensate us. It’s how we make money. But our editorial integrity ensures that our product ratings are not influenced by compensation.

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley from Morgan Stanley is a popular low-cost broker with an excellent web platform and a huge range of investment offerings. It does not charge monthly fees for its brokerage accounts, and there are no minimum deposit requirements. Not only is opening an E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley account online easy, but it will also give you access to Morgan Stanley banking services.

Here's everything you need to know about how to set up your E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley account.

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Our Rating:

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4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
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Bottom Line

E*TRADE offers low fees and tons of account types. If you need it, chances are, E*TRADE has it. You can access advanced features through its popular Power E*TRADE platform. Open an E*TRADE account to trade fee-free mutual funds and do all your investing in one place.

Fees:

Commission-free; other fees apply

Account Minimum:

$0

Special Offer Circle with letter I in it. Open a new eligible E*TRADE brokerage account, fund your account within 60 days of opening, and earn a cash bonus of up to $1,000, depending on the size of your deposit. Offer good for one use per customer, on a single account. Please read full terms and conditions on our website.

Open and fund a brokerage account and get up to $1,000. Terms apply.

Learn More for E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

On E*TRADE's Secure Website.

What you'll need to open an E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley account

To open an E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley account, you'll need a Social Security number, U.S. address, U.S. phone number, and various other pieces of personal information. Opening an account is free. E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley will also help you to transfer or rollover an existing brokerage account, IRA, or 401(k).

You'll also need to know what type of account you want. The company offers brokerage accounts, retirement accounts, and private banking. You can open individual, joint, or custodial accounts.

If you don't want to open an account online, you can also do it by phone (800-387-2331) or mail. To open an account by mail, you'll need to download the form, fill it in, and send it with a check to E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley from Morgan Stanley.

Step 1: Fill in your personal information

Once you click "open an account" on E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley's sign-up page, you'll need to provide your information across a series of pages. The broker says the process will take about 10 minutes to complete.

Be prepared to answer questions about the following:

  • Full name, address, phone number, date of birth, email address
  • Social Security number
  • Employment information, including the address of your employer
  • Income, net worth, investment experience
  • Regulatory questions such as whether any family members work for financial institutions
  • Where the money you'll invest comes from, such as your job
  • How you plan to use the account
  • Whether you want to access more advanced features such as options, margin, or futures trading. If so, you'll need to meet some additional requirements.

If you have a promo code to get a sign-up bonus, have it ready -- you'll need to enter it when you're opening your account. Check out the latest E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley promotions to see if any apply to you.

Step 2: Read and agree to E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley's brokerage agreements

All stock brokers will ask you to sign various agreements when you open an account, and E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley is no different. Tempting as it is to skip to the signature section, it's important to read them so you know what your rights are.

Once you've looked over the documents, check the box to say you've read and understood them. Then click "Accept and continue."

Step 3: Create your user ID and password

Now that you've given E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley all the information it needs, it's time to set up your username and password. Your password controls access to your brokerage account so make sure it's unique and hard to guess, ideally with a mix of letters, symbols, and numbers.

When you log in for the first time, you'll also need to set up some security questions and answers. This is in case you need to reset your password or have other issues logging on.

Step 4: E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley will verify your identity

You have now successfully created your account. However, E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley needs to check that you are who you say you are. It will do things like check that the phone number you provided is registered to your name. You may also have to provide additional documents, such as proof of address or a photo I.D.

Brokerages need to comply with various laws when it comes to customer information. Part of this is to make sure that any trades you make on its platform are in line with your risk tolerance and investment objectives.

More widely, brokers need to check the identities of their clients so they can stay in line with anti-money-laundering rules. That way, brokerages are doing their bit to stop money that might be used for illegal activities or to finance terror activities from entering their systems.

Step 5: Fund your account

When depositing money with E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, you have a few options. Think about what works for you in terms of timing, fees, and convenience.

Here are the four ways you can deposit money with E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley:

  • Bank transfer: This lets you move money from external bank accounts to your E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley or Morgan Stanley Private Bank accounts. It can take up to three working days.
  • Wire transfer: This is the fastest way to get money into your account, but you may have to pay the originating bank a fee to make the wire transfer.
  • Transferring an account from another financial institution: It can take 10 or more business days to move funds from another stock broker electronically and three to six weeks to do so by mail.
  • Mobile check deposit: You can use the E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley mobile app to deposit checks directly into your account.
Ratings Methodology
Featured Offer
Award Icon 2025 Award Winner
E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

Learn More

Double arrow

Our Rating:

Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5 Circle with letter I in it. Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale. 5 stars equals Best. 4 stars equals Excellent. 3 stars equals Good. 2 stars equals Fair. 1 star equals Poor. We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
 = Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor
Bottom Line

E*TRADE offers low fees and tons of account types. If you need it, chances are, E*TRADE has it. You can access advanced features through its popular Power E*TRADE platform. Open an E*TRADE account to trade fee-free mutual funds and do all your investing in one place.

Fees:

Commission-free; other fees apply

Account Minimum:

$0

Special Offer Circle with letter I in it. Open a new eligible E*TRADE brokerage account, fund your account within 60 days of opening, and earn a cash bonus of up to $1,000, depending on the size of your deposit. Offer good for one use per customer, on a single account. Please read full terms and conditions on our website.

Open and fund a brokerage account and get up to $1,000. Terms apply.

Learn More for E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

On E*TRADE's Secure Website.

Check out other brokerage accounts

Our step-by-step instructions show you exactly how to open an E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley account. But perhaps you're still not completely sure that E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley is the right broker for you. If that's the case, check out our other best online brokerage picks.

If you need some tips on how to get started investing, check out these articles:

FAQs

  • Morgan Stanley bought E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley at the end of 2020. The deal combines its investment banking experience with E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley's popular online investment platform. There are various benefits for E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley customers, such as increased access to investment research and other offerings.

  • Power E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley is the company's advanced trading platform. It has additional features designed for more experienced traders. Both charge the same commissions and fees, and both are free to use.