Most online brokerage firms let you open a self-directed IRA for free. This means you chose your investments. If you want professional management or a robo-advisor to select investments, you'll pay a fee for these services. Some brokerages charge a commission for buying and selling assets within your IRA. But an increasing number of online brokers are eliminating commission fees for stock trades and offering commission-free ETFs or no-load mutual funds. You might instead pay a flat monthly fee. However, you'll still pay fees associated with certain types of investments, such as fund management fees for mutual funds. These fees are paid to the fund managers, not your brokerage firm, and they'll apply no matter which broker you use to buy the investment.