Before the rise of the robo-advisor, investing in the stock market was typically the purview of the well-heeled or the self-taught. You required not only a sizable amount of cash to invest but also the resources to consult with an expert in the field if you needed to gain experience in this area.

While working with a J.P. Morgan adviser, the firm requires clients to have at least $50,000 in investable assets. The website indicates that a minimum of $250,000 in qualified Fidelity account(s) and a minimum account investment of $50,000 are required for wealth management services. When you're just starting, that's a lot of money to lie about.

Betterment

The first step for investors is to determine their level of risk by answering questions about their investment goals, motivations, and desired exit dates. So, if you add money, take money out, or alter your target allocation, Betterment will automatically reallocate your money between stocks and bonds, depending on your goals.

Moreover, traders may make changes manually or construct individualized portfolios. Account holders get access to their investment strategies' historical performance and a user-friendly financial dashboard where they can follow their investments to ensure they are on pace to accomplish their goals and link other external bank accounts so they can see all of their money in one location.

Wealthfront

Wealthfront, like its competitor Betterment, was an early robo-advisor. It offers many of the same benefits, such as a low yearly advice charge of 0.25% and tax-loss harvesting to offset the advisory price partially.

Although Wealthfront is an excellent robo-advisor, we placed it second behind Betterment due to its lower investing account requirement of $500. Wealthfront's investing recommendations are driven by a user's risk appetite and projected retirement age. There are several ways in which Wealthfront stands out:

You can gain $50 more when you open your first taxable Investing Account. Wealthfront is unique among these robo-advisors since it provides a 529 college savings plan, a bank account with an APY of 4.05%, and debit card access in addition to its investment services.

Charles Schwab

Schwab Intelligent Portfolios and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium are two of Charles Schwab's robo-advisor offerings. Although opening an account with Schwab Intelligent Portfolios requires a minimum contribution of $5,000, we consider it the ideal solution for making a sizable investment.

Yet, neither a consulting fee nor any form of compensation is charged. Schwab develops a personalized portfolio based on more than 80 types of low-cost ETFs, investing methods, and risk profiles after new investors respond to a questionnaire about their financial goals, risk tolerance, and timetable.

The automated portfolio manager checks the holdings daily and makes necessary adjustments. If a client's invested assets fall below $50,000 and then fall again, Schwab's automated tax-loss harvesting will assist in reducing the client's taxable investment profits.

What Exactly Is a Robo-Advisor?

To design and maintain financial portfolios at little expense, many people are turning to online platforms known as robo-advisors. Robo-advisors use investment techniques developed by financial professionals, but computers perform day-to-day portfolio management automatically.

Many traditional financial planners and investment management firms demand their clients have sizable balances in their accounts and demand hefty annual maintenance fees. The yearly costs charged by most robo-advisors are far more manageable, and they often have no minimum investment requirement.

The services provided by robo-advisors typically consist of automated asset allocation, portfolio rebalancing, and tax optimization.

How Exactly Do Robo-Advisors Function?

A typical first step in working with a robo-advisor is filling out a short questionnaire. Upon creating a profile, users are asked about their age, income, investing goals, and comfort level with taking risks.

Investing for retirement or putting money down for education are just two examples of attainable goals. With this data, the robo-adviser constructs a diversified portfolio of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or index funds for the new customer. The fund selection is appropriate for the objectives and level of risk tolerance indicated in the questionnaire.

Where Do I Start Looking for a Robo-Advisor?

You're searching for a robo-advisor because you want a stress-free way to invest. That's why you need a simple platform: how hard is it to link a bank account and get started? But don't focus just on making something easy to use. Diversified, low-cost ETF portfolios are offered by virtually every robo-advisor.

Their offers are comparable. Thus their effectiveness is also comparable. For this reason, monitoring expenses, such as yearly advisory fees and ETF expense ratio fees, is crucial. It will help if you are looking for a robo-advisor that offers a reasonable price without sacrificing convenience.