Bible Money Matters

Christian personal finance

Menu
    • About
    • Archives
    • Contact
    • Close
  • Making Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Ways To Make Money: Maximizing, Creating And Increasing Your Income
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Make Money
        • Making Money With A Blog (e-Book)
        • 10 Places To Sell Or Trade Your Unused (Or Broken) Electronics
        • Ways To Make Extra Money Series: 20 More Income Generating Ideas From Our Readers
        • Making Side Income Can Help Blunt The Impact Of Becoming A One Income Family
        • Earn Cash Back With Discover it® Credit Card
      • Recent Articles – Making Money

        • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
        • 13 Of The Best Independent Contractor Jobs
        • 25 Of The Best Gig Economy Jobs
        • How To Make Money Blogging: Turn A Blog Into A Business
      • Categories

        • Making Money
        • Investing
        • Retirement
        • Jobs & Work LIfe
        • Money
        • Income
    • Close
  • Saving Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Easy Ways To Save Money Every Month
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Save Money
        • 10 Practical Ways To Save Money And Increase Your Net Worth
        • How To Save Money On Just About All Of Your Regular Monthly Bills
        • Ways To Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable TV
        • Save Money On Your Hospital Bill - Just By Asking
      • Recent Articles – Saving Money

        • Living Stingy: 13 Tips For Spending Less
        • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
        • Stairs App Review: Save And Invest To Earn 4-6% Interest
        • Honey Review: Save Money Automatically When You Shop Online
      • Categories

        • Saving Money
        • Frugality
        • Planning
        • Finance
        • Saving For Retirement
        • Savings Accounts
    • Close
  • Banking
      • Best Rates For 2019

        • Best Credit Cards
        • Best Savings Accounts
        • Best Mortgage Rates
        • Best CD Rates
        • Best Brokerages
        • Free Credit Scores
      • Recent Reviews

        • M1 Finance Review: Free Trading App And Automated Investing
        • Tablo 4th Gen Over-The-Air DVR Review: The Best Device For Cord Cutters
        • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
        • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
      • Categories

        • Bank & Software Reviews
        • Investing
        • Credit
        • Banking
        • Mortgage
        • Insurance
        • Family Budget
    • Close
  • Recommended
  • Video
    • Close

Betterment Updates Their Site To Give Better Advice, Enhanced Reporting And Better Site Performance

By Peter Anderson 2 Comments - The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited November 18, 2021.

Share
Pin
Tweet19
Share1
20 Shares

About a year and a half ago I wrote a review of Betterment,  a new investing startup company I had encountered through their personal finance community outreach (Disclosure: As a customer and blogger, I have written several articles for the Betterment blog).

Betterment, which bills itself as “The simple way to invest” was a refreshing new take on low cost investing.   Basically you just open an account, fund it and then choose how you’re going to invest within the account.

Unlike accounts with traditional online brokerages or mutual fund companies, you don’t have a lot of decisions to make about what you’re going to invest in.  You just decide what percentage you want to have in stocks and how much in bonds, and then Betterment will do all the behind the scenes work for you.

When they first launched I thought Betterment was a good idea, but I thought the fees they charged may have been on the high end for many people.

A short time later they announced that they were lowering their fees across the board, to the point where they are now a good option for most investors.  Can you find a more affordable way to invest with index funds/etc?  Sure.  But if you want a company to do all the dirty work for you, and regularly re-allocate your funds, Betterment is a great option to consider.

Betterment Updates

This week Betterment announced that they were making some changes to their site.  Among the changes were improvements to site performance and improved,  personalized advice to help you stay on track for your investing goals. Here’s what they had to say on the Betterment blog:

Today we’re excited to announce enhanced advice to better help our customers reach their life goals.  The feature lets users know if they are on or off track to achieving their goals and makes a number of recommendations to improve the likelihood of success. The advice can be customized and executed with the click of a mouse.

When we think of our investments, what we really want to know is “am I on track for the life I lead and the future?”. We shouldn’t be concerned with market movements or the minutiae of our portfolio. With Betterment’s enhanced advice you will know the answer to this question, fix any issues in two clicks, and get back to living life. We hope you like it!

Let’s take a look.

Summary And Advice Page Update

When you first login to your Betterment account, the first thing you’re going to see is a summary of your accounts.  In my account, for example, I have two accounts setup. I have a regular taxable investment account, and then I have a tax advantaged Roth IRA account. Each account summary line item will show how much you have in the account, what your allocation is (stocks vs. bonds), and what your returns are over time.

After the update this week we now have a new piece of information on the summary. Next to each account for which you have an investing goal setup, it will now tell you whether you are on track to meet that goal or not.  If you mouse over the information icon it will pop open a window to tell you just how off track of your goal you are.

betterment advice

To get more details about how far off you are of your goal you can just click on “off track” or “on track” links and it will take you to the advice page.

On the advice page you’ll get more details about just how far off of your goal you are. It will give you projections of how much you will have in your account given the time horizon you’ve set up in your goal, the investments you have chosen, historical performance, as well as the amount you were hoping to have saved.

Betterment Updates

Once you see just how far off your are of your goal, Betterment will give you advice on how to get back on track.  In most cases that’s going to mean adjusting how much your monthly deposits are, changing your stock/bond allocations, increasing retirement age or making a big one time deposit to increase your savings and give you a better chance of seeing long term gains.

When you’re viewing your personalized advice you can actually take action on the spot to get back on track.  You can increase your monthly auto deposits, make a one time deposit, or even adjust your time horizon or allocation to be  more aggressive.

Like with everything Betterment does they’ve done their best to keep it simple, easy to understand and effective.

Updated Allocation Page

The allocation page on Betterment has also seen some updates. Previously the page didn’t have a lot on it besides a graph showing potential earnings, and a slider allowing you to change the percentage that you put in stocks vs. bonds, and another one changing your time horizon.

Those things are still there, but you’ll now have a bit more transparency into what investments are in your account.  There is now a pie chart on the left hand side showing total investments, along with what those investments are held in.  If you want, you can get even more detailed information by clicking on the “details” button, and then get a look at your holdings by dollar amount, percentage of your total portfolio or by number of shares you hold.  You can also view details for each holding in the account by clicking on links to external websites for each investment.

If you change anything as far as your stocks vs. bonds allocation,  retirement age or how much you contribute, you’ll get real time feedback on how those changes could affect your future earnings.  It’ll also show  you what your holdings will look like if you change your allocations. Very cool stuff.

betterment allocations

Other Site Updates

There are other less visible updates to Betterment that they pushed this week as well.  Among the changes:

  • Faster loading site and UI, better site performance.
  • Better access to betterment from mobile devices.
  • Additional performance history available to help you analyze how you’re doing.

So there you have it.  More data, better reporting and advice and a faster loading site. Nothing to be unhappy about there!

Get A Signup Bonus When You Open A Betterment Account. Click Here.

What do you think about the changes to Betterment.com?  Tell us your thoughts on the changes, and anything else about Betterment in the comments!

Related Posts

  • Betterment.com Now Offers Mint.com Integration

    Betterment offers a simple way for regular folks to invest, and they're now offering a $25 account bonus when you sign up!

  • Betterment Launches New Mobile Apps For iOS And Android

    Betterment has just released a new set of apps for iOS 7 and Android platforms. Here's a quick walkthrough and review, and why they make…

  • betterment review
    Betterment.com Gets A New More Streamlined Look

    Earlier this year I happened upon a new online brokerage called Betterment.com that was advertised as an easier way to invest for people who are…

Share
Pin
Tweet19
Share1
20 Shares
Last Edited: 18th November 2021 The content of biblemoneymatters.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to biblemoneymatters.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

This article is about: Investing, Review

About Peter Anderson

Peter Anderson is a Christian, husband to his beautiful wife Maria, and father to his 2 children. He loves reading and writing about personal finance, and also enjoys a good board game every now and again. You can find out more about him on the about page. Don't forget to say hi on Pinterest, Twitter or Facebook!

Comments

    Share Your Thoughts: Cancel reply

  1. DC @ Young Adult Money says

    Betterment is on my list of “things to check out.” Looks like the update is a good one!

    Reply
  2. John S @ Frugal Rules says

    I am with DC, it’s something I need to check out. I’ve read a few things about it, so I think I just may take a look.

    Reply
Previous Post: Take Care Of Your Health Now To Grow And Preserve Your Wealth
Next Post: 45 Timeless Quotes From Zig Ziglar After A Life Full Of Gratitude And Positivity
Discover Investment Platforms

Popular Posts

  • 21 Easy Ways To Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
  • 10 Best Free Tax Filing Services And Software Online
  • 21 Apps That Pay You Real Money Fast
  • 17 TV Apps And Live TV Streaming Services To Watch TV Free
  • 30 Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well
  • 37 Easy Ways To Get Free Gift Cards
  • How To Get Free Stock
  • 40 Easy Ways To Get Free Money Fast
  • 21 Places To Read Free Books Online
  • 24 Legit Online Jobs
  • 17 Best Work From Home Jobs: A List Of Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well

Recent Posts

  • A Eulogy And A Remembrance Of My Dad, Mark Lloyd Anderson
  • Why Do We Celebrate Our Independence On The Fourth Of July?
  • Enjoy Your Memorial Day But Let’s Remember Those Who Gave The Ultimate Sacrifice
  • 25 Bible Verses For A Happy New Year!
  • Merry Christmas To One And All: The Original Christmas Story
  • 401k Contribution Limits And Rules
  • Traditional And Roth IRA Contribution Limits Announced
  • M1 Finance Review: Free Trading App And Automated Investing
  • Tablo 4th Gen Over-The-Air DVR Review: The Best Device For Cord Cutters
  • Living Stingy: 13 Tips For Spending Less

Disclaimer

The information contained in BibleMoneyMatters.com is for general information or entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice. Please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your specific situation.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that we have a financial relationship with some of the companies mentioned in this website. This may include receiving access to free products and services for product and service reviews and giveaways.

Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. We do our best to maintain current information, but due to the rapidly changing environment, some information may have changed since it was published. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

We respect your privacy: Privacy Policy.

Thanks for visiting!

Bible Money Matters - Seen On These Sites and more..
Bible Money Matters is a personal finance, entrepreneurship and investing community. Give more, save more and live more.

Copyright © 2025 · Bible Money Matters | Sitemap | Advertise | Privacy Policy