Interesting. Fidelity is the custodian of my 401(k). I'm very happy with their website and service on the few times I've had to call. I also have a Fidelity brokerage account to sell my employee stock purchase plan shares because the company-chosen ESPP administrator charges about $50. I use Vanguard for our IRA's, though, because I like the company and prefer their funds to Fidelity's NTF funds. I agree with the conclusion Vanguard is great for long-term buy and hold investors, though Fidelity would also be a solid choice. I've never had a problem accessing either site, regardless of trading volume.
Check the minimums reported in that link. You can start with $1,000 at Vanguard by choosing either the STAR fund or one of the Target Retirement funds. Just make sure you sign up for electronic statements to avoid the $20 annual fee for having less than $10,000 in a fund. I also think Fidelity might have done-away with minimums in IRA's if you sign up for automatic contributions of $200/month.
