You're assuming that all fidelity customers are competent investors, when in fact many (most?) of them are customers of fidelity only because fidelity is the cu

You're assuming that all fidelity customers are competent investors, when in fact many (most?) of them are customers of fidelity only because fidelity is the custodian for their company retirement plans. Many (most?) of these folks had no idea why a ER > 1.0% was not good for them, but now that the word is out, this could easily be a gimmick to convince more folks to choose fidelity for servicing retirement plans and investments. So, 1) pick trendy topic among casual (retirement) investors, 2) blow competition out of water by offering it for free to get their attention, 3) gain trust and additional business from casual investors My employer uses fidelity for retirement plans (so I'm a customer, whether I like it or not), and I'm bombarded by emails/communications very regularly to sign up for various services from fidelity for 'planning for my future'. These services ultimately cost a lot of money. Many of my coworkers have signed up.