Investment Platforms

We tested dozens of services to bring you our top picks as you look to turn knowledge into action

M1 Finance

Bank and invest in one place on autopilot

A single, easy-to-use platform for banking, credit, and investing
$30 cash bonus for depositing $1,000 when you use our link
Easy to automate debt payments and recurring investments
Low credit rates make it easy to borrow from investment accounts
Good savings rates
Cash-back rewards credit card
Investing interface is great for beginners or experts
Removes the intimidating and annoying process of placing trades
Automated investing made very easy with auto-transfers, auto-invest, and auto-rebalancing, on fully customizable portfolios down to specific stocks
Build an investment portfolio of stocks & ETFs by choosing what percent you want in each investment, not by purchasing individual shares
Or choose any pre-designed portfolios
Helpful growth projections
No management or trading fees
Both regular & retirement accounts
Mobile account opening is simple
Responsive customer service over email, available for 1-on-1 tutorials

Only available for US-based investors
$100 minimum balance for investments
Unique interface takes a couple days to get used to
No live customer service chat
Relatively new institution with small asset size

Worthy alternatives

Webull

Trade and invest

Great for beginners or experts
Free stocks from Webull sometimes worth $1,000+ when you use our link
Fractional shares just launched, enabling investing for as little as $5
Traditional, basic investing functionality
Free trading & no minimum balance
Stocks, ETF's, & crypto trading
Both regular & retirement accounts
Customer service is solid
Mobile account opening & trading is simple
Interface is easy enough, but still serious (not gamified)
Extensive research tools for advanced investors

Only available in United States, India, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, China, and Korea for now
No cash checking
Extensive tools might be a little overwhelming at first
Relatively new institution

Worthy alternatives

Capitalize

Get free 401(k) rollover assistance

Personalized, free assistance rolling over old 401(k) and 403(b) accounts
Totally free and painless
Capitalize can find your old 401(k) for you if you don't know the provider
Relieves you of the stress, phone calls, hold times, paperwork, and follow-up of rolling over your old 401(k) into a new provider
A human representative schedules time with you, gets your old provider on the line, then calls you when they need your authorization
Helpful context and guidance for any questions through the process
Consolidate multiple old 401(k)s into a single IRA
Plenty of helpful educational resources

Not much guidance after the transfer is done on next-steps for investing
Scheduling availability for rollover execution call was backed up for a couple weeks
No investments or tax advice available
Rollover into a new 401(k) not available

Worthy alternatives

Beagle (401k Rollovers)

M1 Finance

Bank and invest in one place on autopilot

A single, easy-to-use platform for banking, credit, and investing
$30 cash bonus for depositing $1,000 when you use our link
Easy to automate debt payments and recurring investments
Low credit rates make it easy to borrow from investment accounts
Good savings rates
Cash-back rewards credit card
Investing interface is great for beginners or experts
Removes the intimidating and annoying process of placing trades
Automated investing made very easy with auto-transfers, auto-invest, and auto-rebalancing, on fully customizable portfolios down to specific stocks
Build an investment portfolio of stocks & ETFs by choosing what percent you want in each investment, not by purchasing individual shares
Or choose any pre-designed portfolios
Helpful growth projections
No management or trading fees
Both regular & retirement accounts
Mobile account opening is simple
Responsive customer service over email, available for 1-on-1 tutorials

Only available for US-based investors
$100 minimum balance for investments
Unique interface takes a couple days to get used to
No live customer service chat
Relatively new institution with small asset size

Worthy alternatives

Webull

Trade and invest

Great for beginners or experts
Free stocks from Webull sometimes worth $1,000+ when you use our link
Fractional shares just launched, enabling investing for as little as $5
Traditional, basic investing functionality
Free trading & no minimum balance
Stocks, ETF's, & crypto trading
Both regular & retirement accounts
Customer service is solid
Mobile account opening & trading is simple
Interface is easy enough, but still serious (not gamified)
Extensive research tools for advanced investors

Only available in United States, India, Brazil, Turkey, the Philippines, Malaysia, Japan, China, and Korea for now
No cash checking
Extensive tools might be a little overwhelming at first
Relatively new institution

Worthy alternatives

Capitalize

Get free 401(k) rollover assistance

Personalized, free assistance rolling over old 401(k) and 403(b) accounts
Totally free and painless
Capitalize can find your old 401(k) for you if you don't know the provider
Relieves you of the stress, phone calls, hold times, paperwork, and follow-up of rolling over your old 401(k) into a new provider
A human representative schedules time with you, gets your old provider on the line, then calls you when they need your authorization
Helpful context and guidance for any questions through the process
Consolidate multiple old 401(k)s into a single IRA
Plenty of helpful educational resources

Not much guidance after the transfer is done on next-steps for investing
Scheduling availability for rollover execution call was backed up for a couple weeks
No investments or tax advice available
Rollover into a new 401(k) not available

Worthy alternatives

Beagle (401k Rollovers)

Pick the platform that makes things easier for you

At the end of the day, it's all about what's right for you. With something like budgeting, debt management, or investing, the most important criteria is that you feel comfortable using it. Otherwise, you're not going to build the confidence to take your future into your own hands. If you're buying basic stocks and funds to hold for the long term, you can do that almost anywhere. Just find a respectable institution that charges low or no fees and has an interface you don't hate using.