SuperMoney
  Betterment
Betterment
in Investment Advisors from Betterment LLC
Claimed

Betterment

Claimed
in Investment Advisors from Betterment LLC
SuperMoney Net Recommendation Score +36  

SUPERMONEY NET RECOMMENDATION SCORE

This product is mostly recommended by SuperMoney users with a score of +36, equating to 3.7 on a 5 point rating scale.

+36

Recommendation score measures the loyalty between a provider and a consumer. It's at +100 if everybody recommends the provider, and at -100 when no one recommends.

Mostly recommended

Explore a similar product
Try this top product in Investment Advisors.
Acorns Invest
Acorns Invest 41 reviews
Highlights
Community Rating Mostly recommended
Minimum Initial Investment $0
Management Fee 0.25% - 0.4%
Number of Reviews 11

Betterment Review

Betterment investing was founded in 2008 and is based in New York, NY. It is a Registered Investment Adviser or RIA. RIAs have a fiduciary duty to work in your best interest. Betterment investing is not tied to a particular company or product and can therefore offer unbiased investment advice.

Betterment investing Pros & Cons

The Good The Bad
  • Trades in low-cost ETFs.
  • Access to human advisors.
  • Advanced indexing.
  • Direct indexing.
  • Tax-loss harvesting available.
  • Wide selection of investment options.
  • Broad selection of account types.
  • Competitive investment expense ratios.
  • No minimum amount to open an account.

Betterment investing FAQ

What fees does Betterment investing charge?

Betterment investing uses a fee-only model.

This means Betterment investing gets paid a flat fee regardless of what financial products or services you use. It also means they have a fiduciary responsibility to their clients. Instead of making money on trades commissions or selling products, they recommend an asset allocation and get paid a flat-fee or a percentage of the assets under administration. That requires that they act in their client’s financial best interest at all times.

Betterment Fees
Description
Monthly Fee $0
Annual Fee $0
Account Termination Fee $0
Account Transfer Fee $0
Fee Based?
Investment Expense Ratios 0.07% - 0.15%
Management Fee 0.25% - 0.4%

What management fees does Betterment investing charge?

Betterment investing charges an annual management fee that starts at 0.25% and ranges up to 0.4%.

Many financial advisors charge based on how much money they oversee by using a fee-structure called “assets under management,” or AUM. For instance, a 0.40% fee translates to $4 per year for every $1,000 an investment advisor manages. Management fees, also known as maintenance fees, cover the operating costs of investment advisors and are typically deducted from your account every month or quarter. The management fee does not cover the underlying expense ratios of the investment vehicles purchased by investment advisors.

What are the investment expense ratios of Betterment investing?

Hiring an investment advisor with competitive investment fees is one of the most important steps to maximizing your portfolio's performance. Investment expense ratios can vary drastically depending on the types of accounts and assets involved. A survey by the ICI puts the average expense ratio for actively managed funds at 0.76% and indexed funds at 0.08%. The investment expense ratios of an investment advisor will vary depending on the type of assets they invest in and whether they attach additional charges to fund fees.

Betterment investing charges an investment expense ratio that starts at 0.07% and ranges up to 0.15%.

What features does Betterment investing offer?

Access to human advisors: Robo-advisors are great at keeping costs down and helping investors with modest balances make good investment choices. However, it is also nice to have access to human financial advisors when you need them.

Automatic rebalancing: Having a good balance of investments is important. But a well-balanced portfolio is not something you can set up and forget. Markets are constantly changing and can easily throw your portfolio out of balance. Betterment investing allows you to rebalance your investments back to your target asset allocation at set intervals.

Full-service brokerage: Betterment investing provides access to a wide selection of financial advice and products, such as facilitating trades, managing portfolios, and wealth management services.

Betterment investing is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC. Registered investment advisors are required to provide detailed information on the financial and legal status of the company and its staff. This allows investors to examine closely any conflicts of interest and look into the background of the company and its advisory team.

Betterment investing offers the option of direct indexing. Direct indexing allows investors to buy individual stocks in all the companies included in an index without having to pay a trading fee for each one. Among other things, this allows investors to take advantage of tax-loss harvesting tools at a scale that is not possible with traditional index funds.

Betterment investing gives investors access to advanced indexing. This is an investment feature that uses multiple factors to determine the weighting of stocks in your portfolio when using indexed funds. While traditional indexed funds only consider market capitalization, advanced indexing also takes into account other factors, such as dividend yield and volatility.

What type of investment accounts and asset classes does Betterment investing support?

Betterment LLC offers the following types of assets and account types.

Accounts Supported
Supported Options Unsupported Options
  • Individual Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Joint Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Roth IRA
  • Traditional IRA
  • Rollover IRA
  • SEP IRA
  • Trusts
  • 529 College Savings Plans
  • Employer Sponsored Plans
  • Custodial Accounts

These are the investment options Betterment LLC offers its clients.

Investment Choices
Supported Options Unsupported Options
  • Stocks
  • Bonds
  • International Stocks
  • ETFs
  • Options
  • Mutual Funds
  • FOREX
  • Futures
  • Pink Sheets / OTCBB
  • Real Estate
  • Startups
  • Marketplace Loans
  • Cryptocurrencies
  • Treasury Bills

What is the minimum amount you have to invest to open an account with Betterment investing?

Betterment investing does not have a minimum amount to open an account.
Betterment Disclosure: Brokerage services provided to clients of Betterment LLC by Betterment Securities, an SEC registered broker-dealer and member FINRA/SIPC. Investments: Not FDIC Insured • No Bank Guarantee • May Lose Value. Investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money when you invest in securities. Before investing, consider your investment objectives and Betterment's charges and expenses. Betterment's internet-based services are designed to assist clients in achieving discrete financial goals. They are not intended to provide comprehensive tax advice or financial planning with respect to every aspect of a client's financial situation and do not incorporate specific investments that clients hold elsewhere. For more details, see our Form ADV Part 2 and other disclosures. Past performance does not guarantee future results, and the likelihood of investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature. Not an offer, solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell securities in jurisdictions where Betterment is not registered.
SuperMoney Disclosure: SuperMoney.com is an independent, advertising-supported service. The owner of this website may be compensated in exchange for featured placement of certain sponsored products and services, or your clicking on links posted on this website. Read more...
Editorial Disclaimer: Editorial and user-generated content on this page is not provided or commissioned by the issuer. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been approved or otherwise endorsed by any financial institution, including those that are advertising partners.

Message From Betterment investing

Our technology helps you get the returns you deserve, and our licensed experts are here to talk if you need them. We don't get paid to sell certain funds, and we don't have funds of our own. That means we'll do what we believe is right for you.

Contact

Hours of Operation

  • Sunday Closed
  • Monday 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Tuesday 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Wednesday 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Thursday 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Friday 9:00am - 6:00pm
  • Saturday Closed

Other Services by Betterment LLC

Feature Breakdown

Monthly Fee $0
Annual Fee $0
Account Termination Fee $0
Account Transfer Fee $0
Fee Based
Investment Expense Ratios 0.07% - 0.15%
Management Fee 0.25% - 0.4%
Minimum Initial Investment $0
Accounts Supported
  • Individual Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Joint Non-Retirement Accounts
  • Roth IRA
  • Traditional IRA
  • Rollover IRA
  • SEP IRA
  • Trusts
Investment Choices
  • Stocks
  • Bonds
  • International Stocks
  • ETFs
Investment Features
  • Daily Tax-loss Harvesting
  • Direct Indexing
  • Advanced Indexing
  • Automatic Rebalancing
  • Full-service Brokerage
  • SEC Registered
  • Registered Investment Advisor
  • Access to human advisors

Betterment Community Reviews

 

Would you recommend Betterment to your friends?

Before we publish your vote:

Please explain your vote by sharing your experience.

Writing a review increases the credibility of your vote and helps your fellow users make a better-informed decision.

Please write a review to submit your vote
(will require moderator approval)

SUPERMONEY NET RECOMMENDATION SCORE

This product is mostly recommended by SuperMoney users with a score of +36, equating to 3.7 on a 5 point rating scale.

+36

Recommendation score measures the loyalty between a provider and a consumer. It's at +100 if everybody recommends the provider, and at -100 when no one recommends.

sorted by

Other Investment Advisors