5-minute lesson

Fidelity Basics for Beginners

Hi Roy! This short lesson walks you through Fidelity's website (fidelity.com) and the Fidelity mobile app.

You'll learn five things: logging in safely, finding your way around, reading a stock quote, filling out a trade ticket, and checking your cash.

Is there paper trading? As far as we could confirm from Fidelity's own pages (Sept 2026), the website and app have no built-in paper trading (practice money) for regular accounts. Some outside blogs say otherwise, but Fidelity's site doesn't back them up. To practice safely: fill out a real trade ticket and stop at Preview. Don't place the order. You can also track stocks in a watchlist.

You need a real Fidelity account to log in, see balances, or place orders. The screens in this lesson are simplified illustrations, not the real app. Real screens and names can change over time.

Education only. This is not financial advice. Investing involves risk, including loss of money.

Section 1 of 5

Logging in (and 2-step security)

On fidelity.com, select Log In and enter your username and password. In the app, open it and sign in the same way.

Next, Fidelity may ask for a security code. It comes by text message or an automated call. You can also connect an authenticator app for codes.

On your own device, you can pick "Remember this device" so you're asked less often. Never do this on a shared or public computer.

Someone calls you out of the blue. They say they're from Fidelity and ask you to read back your security code. What do you do?

You log in on a library computer. Should you choose "Remember this device"?

Section 2 of 5

Finding your way around

After you log in on the website, you'll see your portfolio. The Summary view shows your accounts and their total value.

Positions lists what you own. Activity & Orders shows your orders and past transactions. The Trade button in the top menu opens the trade ticket.

The app has the same ideas, but the menus sit in different places. Look for your accounts, a search box for symbols, and your activity.

You placed an order this morning. Where do you check if it went through?

Section 3 of 5

Reading a stock quote

Search a symbol to see its quote. Last price is the price of the most recent trade. Day change shows how much it moved today, in dollars and percent.

The bid is the highest price buyers are offering right now. The ask is the lowest price sellers will take. Volume is how many shares traded today.

⚠ Simplified illustration — not the real Fidelity app

EXMP · Example Corp (made-up stock)

$50.00

+$1.25 (+2.56%) today

Bid$49.98

Ask$50.02

Volume1,200,000

You want to buy EXMP right now with a market order. Which price is closest to what you'd likely pay?

What does "Volume: 1,200,000" tell you?

Section 4 of 5

Placing a simple stock order

On the website, select Trade. Then pick the account, look up the symbol, choose the action (Buy or Sell), and enter the quantity.

Choose an order type. A market order fills fast at the next available price, but the price isn't guaranteed. A limit order sets your top buy price, but may never fill. Time in force sets how long the order stays open, like Day or Good 'til canceled.

Select Preview order to check everything. Only Place order sends it for real. In the app, you tap Review and then slide to trade.

Placing an order needs a real, funded account. To practice, fill out the ticket, preview it, then stop. Don't place it.

Tap the button you should press first to safely check this order.

⚠ Simplified illustration — not the real Fidelity trade ticket

Trade · Stocks/ETFs

AccountIndividual (sample)

SymbolEXMP

ActionBuy

Quantity2 shares

Order typeLimit $50.00

Time in forceDay

You'll only buy EXMP if it costs $49 or less. Which order type fits?

Section 5 of 5

Checking your balance and cash

On the website, go to your portfolio and open Balances. Total account value is everything in the account, stocks plus cash.

Cash available to trade is what you can spend on new buys without adding money. Open buy orders lower it. Recent deposits may take a few business days before you can use them. You need a real account to see these numbers.

Tap where you'd find "Cash available to trade."

⚠ Simplified illustration — not the real Fidelity website

Portfolio · Individual (sample)

Your total account value is $1,000. You own $700 of stock and have a $100 buy order still open. About how much cash is available to trade?

Lesson complete

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Quick recap

Log in with your username and password, then a security code. Never share a code you didn't ask for.
Summary shows totals, Positions shows what you own, and Activity & Orders tracks your orders.
Quotes: last price, day change, bid (buyers), ask (sellers), and volume (shares traded today).
Trade ticket: account → action → symbol → quantity → order type → time in force → Preview order → Place order.
Market means fast, with no price guarantee. Limit means your price, with no fill guarantee.
Cash available to trade is what you can spend now. Find it under Balances.
Practice tip: there's no built-in paper trading. Fill out a ticket and stop at Preview.

Not financial advice. This lesson is for education only. Fidelity's screens and menu names can change, and the app may look different from the website.

Sources

fidelity.com/learning-center/…/how-to-trade-stocks-etf
fidelity.com/customer-service/faqs (app: Review, then slide to trade)
fidelity.com/trading/faqs-placing-orders
fidelity.com/trading/faqs-about-account (balances, cash available to trade)
fidelity.com/security/security-code-faq
fidelity.com/security/extra-security-login
fidelity.com/learning-center/…/etfs-spreads-volumes (bid, ask, volume)
fidelity.com/research/backtesting/about.html (Strategy Testing uses history, not paper trading)

Checked September 28, 2026.