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

        • 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
        • 9 Convincing Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Fund
      • 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

        • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
        • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
        • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
        • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
      • Categories

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

Wealthfront Now Has A Low $500 Account Minimum. Time To Start Investing?

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 June 26, 2019.

Share20
Pin9
Tweet27
Share5
61 Shares

A few years ago I first heard of a new breed of automated investing services, what those in the financial media like to call robo-advisors.

Automated investing services have made investing more accessible to the average investor.  It allows a regular Joe like myself to invest in a way that’s based on sound investing theory, that is typically lower cost than a traditional financial advisor, and that is highly diversified and suited to my level of risk tolerance.  It’s a set-it and forget it investing program for the rest of us.

wealthfront reviewI’ve reviewed quite a few robo-advisors on this site, and one of the absolute best automated investing services in my opinion is Wealthfront. Not only are they one of the fastest growing and most respected automated investing services, but they also were among the most affordable. You can find my full Wealthfront review here.

The only sticking point I’ve had in recommending them to newer investors was the fact that you had to have a relatively high initial deposit and minimum account balance of $5000 when opening a new account. While that isn’t going to be a deal breaker for many, for those just getting started out who don’t have a lot to invest, it might be.

This month Wealthfront wiped out those concerns by getting rid of their $5000 minimum account balance, and instituting a new low $500 minimum account balance!

Sign up for Wealthfront via this exclusive Bible Money Matters link to get $5,000 managed for free:

Sign up for Wealthfront and get $5,000 managed for free

Quick Navigation

  • Wealthfront’s New $500 Account Minimum
  • Wealthfront Fees (And 2 Ways To Save Even More)
  • The Nuts & Bolts Of Using Wealthfront
  • What Kind Of Accounts Can You Open?
  • Free Automated Financial Planner
  • Wealthfront – Lower Minimums Should Bring More Beginning Investors

Wealthfront’s New $500 Account Minimum

The account minimums are changing for Wealthfront.

Account Minimums

An account with Wealthfront until recently came with a minimum balance of $5000. This past month they dropped it to be only $500, which is much more feasible for beginning investors.

Our account minimum is $500, which entitles you to a periodically rebalanced, diversified portfolio of low cost index funds enhanced with our daily tax-loss harvesting service (for taxable accounts).

So to open an account, you’ll need a minimum of $500. Why not open a new account with $500, and then setup automatic deposits to fully fund your Roth IRA by the end of the year ($6000 for 2019)?

There is also a minimum withdrawal of $250, and you can’t withdraw below the new account minimum of $500. If you withdraw all of your funds it will transfer your money and close your account for you, with no exit fees.

wealthfront home

Wealthfront Fees (And 2 Ways To Save Even More)

It’s great news that the account minimum has dropped, but what are the fees that you’ll pay to use the Wealthfront investment service? If your assets in the account are less than $5,000 there are no fees at all if you sign up through our link. Above $5,000, there is a 0.25% annual fee on the assets above that amount.

Wealthfront does not charge an advisory fee on the first $5,000 of assets under management. On amounts over $5,000, we charge a monthly advisory fee based on an annual fee rate of 0.25%. The only other fee you incur is the very low fee embedded in the cost of the ETFs you will own that averages 0.15%.

Fees & Extra Savings

So the fees boil down to this at Wealthfront:

  • Balance of $500-$5,000: The service is FREE via BMM link – No annual fees. Sign up via this exclusive Bible Money Matters link
  • Balances over $5,000: You’ll pay a 0.25% annual fee on every dollar over $5,000.

HOW TO SAVE MORE TIP 1: Sign up via this exclusive Bible Money Matters link, and you’ll receive $5,000 dollars managed for free! So if you have $10,000 in your account and you signed up via our link, you’ll have no annual fees for the first $5,000, and a flat 0.25% annual fee on the remaining $5,000.

HOW TO SAVE MORE TIP 2: Wealthfront also has a nice referral program when you sign up that allows you to refer other users to the service to earn an additional $5,000 managed free, per user referred.  So you get the $5,000 managed for free to start (through our link), and then as many additional $5,000 chunks in assets managed free as you can rack up.

The Nuts & Bolts Of Using Wealthfront

Wealthfront was founded in 2008, and launched it’s online investment advisory service in December of 2011.  Since then they’ve grown rapidly to the point where they now have in excess of $12 billion under management.

So how do they determine what you’ll be invested in when you sign up? First, you’ll have to answer some questions on a brief questionnaire that will tell them the basics like your income, investing horizon and level of risk you’re comfortable with. Then they’ll assign a portfolio based on your answers (that you can modify if you want).

wealthfront-investmentsWealthfront portfolios are based on a mix of 11 asset classes that includes both U.S. and international stocks and bonds. They invest mainly via the following ETFs, although that is subject to change.

  • U.S. Stocks (VTI)
  • Foreign Stocks (VEA)
  • Emerging Markets (VWO)
  • Real Estate (VNQ)
  • Dividend Stocks (VIG)
  • US Government Bonds
  • Corporate Bonds (LQD)
  • Emerging Market Bonds (EMB)
  • Municipal Bonds (MUB)
  • Corporate Bonds (LQD)
  • US TIPS (SCHP)
  • Natural Resources (XLE)

Your Wealthfront account holdings will vary depending on whether you have a taxable or tax advantaged account. Wealthfront will give you the most tax efficient holdings for your situation.

Here’s an introduction video from Wealthfront that talks about what they do.

What Kind Of Accounts Can You Open?

Available account options with Wealthfront include:

  • Standard taxable account
  • Joint investment account
  • Trust account
  • Traditional IRA
  • Roth IRA
  • SEP-IRA
  • 529 College Savings Program

Free Automated Financial Planner

In December of 2018 Wealthfront launched a new free automated financial planning experience for their clients, to help them better plan for their financial future.

The financial planning tools connect to your existing financial accounts in a few minutes, and then by tracking your actual spending and saving patterns to help you figure out how your financial future may look.

It helps you to figure out how much you need to save now to reach your future goals, and helps you to determine if you’ll be able to live the same lifestyle you live now, in retirement.

Wealthfront Review - Dashbaord

Their tools helps take the guesswork out of figuring out if your hoped for future is even attainable based on your current spending and saving patterns.  It helps you take a look at “what-if” scenarios, and help you figure out what the impact of a raise at work, or saving more every month might be.

This automated advisor is your personal financial planner, but without the need for a bi-annual meeting at an expensive office with a planner that hardly pays attention to your needs.

Wealthfront – Lower Minimums Should Bring More Beginning Investors

When I first reviewed Wealthfront a few months ago, I talked about how I thought they were a great service. They have an easy to use site, a proven investment strategy, low costs and a strong set of investing tools.

The only people I couldn’t truly recommend them to were beginning investors, because they had a $5000 minimum to open an account.

Now that they’ve dropped the account minimum to only $500, I can safely recommend them to everyone as an easy place to start investing. Not only will you get a highly diversified portfolio, but you’ll also likely get the returns you’re hoping for over the long term – minus the high costs you might find elsewhere. Not only that but you can now get the fully automated free financial planning service.

Sign up for Wealthfront and get $5,000 managed for FREE

Robo-AdvisorAssets Under Management (AUM)Annual FeeAccount MinimumBonusesReview
Betterment$15 billion0.25% of account balance. 0.40-0.50% w/ human advisorsNoneUp to one year managed FREE Review
Wealthfront$12 billion0.25% of account balance$500$5k managed FREE (Bible Money Matters readers) Review
M1 Finance$1 billionFREE (fees for add-on services)None Review
Blooom$3 billion$10/month any account sizeNoneFREE 401(k) Checkup Review
Axos Invest$153 million0.24% of account balance.$500 Review
Acorns$1 billion$1/month under $5k. 0.25% of account balance above $5k. Free for college students.None Review
PublicFREENoneFree stock up to $15 Review
Stash Invest$600 million$1/month under $5k. 0.25% of account balance above $5k.$5$5 New Account Bonus (Bible Money Matters readers) Review
SigFig$120 millionUnder $10k FREE; 0.25% of account balance above $10k$2,000
Personal Capital$8.5 billion0.49% to 0.89% of account balance$25,000Review
Wealthsimple$5 billion$0-$99,999 0.50%/yr; $100k+ 0.40%/yrNoneUp to $10k managed free (Bible Money Matters readers)Review
Charles Schwab$15.9 billionFREE (They require you to hold 6-30% of portfolio in cash)$5,000
Fidelity GoN/A0.35% of account balance;$5,000
Vanguard$101 billion0.30% of account balance$50,000

Related Posts

  • Motif Investing Review: Theme Based Investing With $150 New Account Bonus

    Motif Investing is a brokerage that allows you to invest in stocks, with a twist. Instead of buying individual stocks, you buy theme based bundles…

  • Motif Investing Review: Theme Based Investing With $150 New Account Bonus

    Motif Investing is a brokerage that allows you to invest in stocks, with a twist. Instead of buying individual stocks, you buy theme based bundles…

  • betterment review
    Betterment.com Review: Easy Investing For Busy People

    Betterment is a low cost, set it and forget it investing service. Transfer funds, choose your asset allocation and invest! Betterment will do the rest!

Share20
Pin9
Tweet27
Share5
61 Shares
Last Edited: 26th June 2019 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. Fred Swartley says

    Hi Peter,

    Would you recommend Wealthfront over Betterment? I have a Betterment account, so I was just wondering how the two compare? Also, I have lost some money since I started investing in a roth IRA at Betterment. Is it more common to lose money during the first year of investing? Do you expect that I will gain more interest over time? I joined Betterment because you said that it has a good proven track record over time. I guess I just need to be patient and wait to start earning interest? thanks, Fred

    Reply
    • Peter Anderson says

      I think Wealthfront and Betterment are both great, they’re very similar services. They have some small differences in what they invest in, and what their fee structures are. For example, with Wealthfront you can have an account with a minimum of $500 and pay no fees up until $10,000 balance – or $15,000 balance if you use our link. Over $10-15,000 it will be a flat .25% annual fee. With Betterment they have no minimum balance, but have an annual fee of .35% for the first $10,000. Over $10,000 it goes down to .25% annual fee, and .15% over $100,000. So depending on your retirement account balance either one could be the best bet.

      With Wealthfront or Betterment they’ll both see ups and downs depending on where the market goes. So this past week or so most of us have seen some downsides to the market. They’re best viewed as long term investing strategies, however, and I think over the long term you’ll be happier with the results.

      Reply
Previous Post: Should You Learn The DIY Skills Previous Generations Learned?
Next Post: The Repercussions Of A Temporary Income Drop And Ways To Minimize The Damage
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

  • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
  • How to Save Money When Remodeling A Home
  • How To Hire A Contractor For Your Remodeling Project
  • Remembering 9/11 Years Later: Where Were You On That Fateful Day?
  • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
  • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
  • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
  • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
  • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
  • 30 Quotes About Easter And Resurrection: He Is Risen!

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 © 2023 · Bible Money Matters | Sitemap | Advertise | Privacy Policy