Best Investment Apps

Acorns

Acorns is a fin-tech and financial services company based in Irvine, California that specializes in micro-investing. The company was founded in 2012 by father and son duo Walter Wemple Cruttenden III and Jeffrey James Cruttenden to promote incremental and passive investing. According to Fortune magazines Impact 20 list for the year 2020 Acorns had 8.2 million customers and $3 billion in assets under management.

Acorns is designed to help you easily invest and makes it simple and cheap to start investing in your future. The flat and transparent pricing model of just $3 or $5 a month helps make planning and budgeting even easier as it gives you greater control over your account expenses.

What I like about Acorns

The Acorns app has succeeded in making investing as easy as grabbing a coffee thanks to the Round-Ups® feature. Any purchases you make on your linked card get rounded up and is automatically invested into one of their tailored ETF portfolios. Sign-up is quick and easy and the user experience is great thanks to a simple and intuitive interface.

M1 Finance

Thanks to its ease of use and features such as automated investing and in-depth portfolio customization the M1 Finance app is a great fit for more seasoned investors. Signing up is straightforward and once you are logged in the first port of call is M1’s onboarding flow where the ins and outs of the platform are explained, and you are asked questions regarding your investment experience.

With its emphasis on automated portfolio management the app may be a bit daunting for newer investors but seasoned investors are sure to enjoy the fully customizable streamlined investing experience that is focused on increasing your returns.

What I like about M1 Finance

The M1 platform is best suited to those who have a bit of experience and know what they are doing, with its emphasis on choice and ability to custom build portfolios the app lets you build from the ground up your own perfect portfolio. Combining elements of self-directed investing with the best features of the more recent robo-advisor services. Freeing investors from chores and mundane tasks such as rebalancing and giving you the time and freedom to focus on strategy and long-term planning.

TradeStation

TradeStation is the go to choice for those that want a robust desktop platform and intuitive mobile experience. Whether you are trading on your browser, desktop or phone the experience is smooth and problem free. One of the things to be aware of with this platform is its relatively low scores when it comes to customer service, with the Stockbrokers.com 2022 Broker Review placing them last out of 13 brokers reviewed.

TradeStation offers customers a wide range of products to choose from including ETFs, futures, and options trading, including comprehensive direct-market routing, numerous advanced order types, IPO access, and more.

Why I like the app

The TradeStation app won “Best Online Broker for Stock Trading Platform and Research” at NerdWallet’s Best-Of 2022 Awards and was ranked one of America’s “Top 5” Online Brokers Overall in Investopedia’s 2019 Best Online Brokers Awards. With its wealth of tools and a clean and easy user experience the app impresses and is a pleasure to use, especially if you are an active or professional trader. And that robustness coupled to $0 trading through TS Select and TS Go accounts, means that there is a lot to like.

Fidelity Investments

If you are a beginner and new to investing in the stock market, but would like to learn as you go, and gain an understanding of the terminology and strategies behind successful investment, then Fidelity Investments is a great option. They provide investors with a wealth of high-quality research tools, including trading ideas, detailed fundamental data and charting. The ability to set alerts and receive push notifications on your phone make this a great choice for those looking to proactively manage their assets.

Why I like the Fidelity Investments app

Boston based Fidelity was founded back in 1946 and as such the Fidelity Investments app provides investors with the peace of mind that comes from over 80 years of experience in the financial and investment sector. This has been widely recognized with the company now managing assets in excess of a record $3.2 trillion. The app has plenty of functionality as well as great educational tools and articles on the stock market. Coupled to its ease of use and emphasis on providing quality customer care the Fidelity Investments app has scored a very respectable 4.2 out of 5 on the App Store.

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is one the world’s leading online brokerage providers and with over 33.8 million user accounts the company is a global market leader. The $0 fees on stock and ETF trades, and options trades at just $0.65 per contract, certainly make for an enticing prospect. This transparent and low-cost pricing model coupled to its excellent stock research, diverse selection of trading tools, and an industry-leading financial planning services offering help Charles Schwab stand out from the herd.

The company clearly understands what new investors require to gain confidence and make informed decisions. As such the app offers insightful and jargon free webinars and tutorials as well as providing users with the insight and wisdom of its staff of experts, including Liz Ann Sonders, Jeffrey Kleintop and Kathy Jones, among others.

Why I like the Charles Schwab app

The mobile trading platform at Charles Schwab provides an easy-to-use vehicle with a modern design. The app requires two-factor authentication, and for added peace of mind the mobile app employs fingerprint or facial biometric entry. The sheer scale and wealth of experience that Charles Schwab offers in its app are hard to beat.

Robinhood

Chances are that even if you have only a passing interest in investment you will have heard of the Robinhood app. Robinhood hit the market as a big bold brash disruptor and was the first to offer no commission fees for stocks, options, and cryptocurrency trading. Thanks to its focus on innovation and on providing a smooth user experience the company has developed a strong brand and niche market with young, tech savvy investors.

Why I like Robinhood

Robinhood was founded in 2013 and quickly established a name for itself as one of the best choices for new investors. Since it hit the scene a decade ago many others have followed the $0 pricing model on commission that it innovated with. However, its sleek user experience, ETF, options and cryptocurrency trades make this a mobile trading app well worth checking out. The platform is well designed and with its focus on investment basics will soon have novices trading like seasoned pros.

Wealthfront

Wealthfront is one of the top-rated choices for those wanting to make use of robo-advisors, and is also one of the best rated apps for those with long-term goal focused strategies in mind. Thanks to its sophisticated digital financial planning tool and use of artificial intelligence, using complex algorithms to calculate small increments, this app helps put users in control.

Wealthfront is a great pick for investors that are looking for a solution that offers automated financial guidance, and is Forbes Advisor’s pick as the best robo-advisor for financial planning. The free planning tool really is excellent and on par with the services offered by financial planners. Some would argue that as its an AI, unclouded by hunches and emotions, its even better.

What I like about the Wealthfront app

The mobile app is well rated with both Android and Apple users raving about its ease of use and features. The app makes tracking assets across accounts a breeze thanks to the ability to integrate accounts, even non-Wealthfront accounts, truly puts users in control of their finances.

Ellevest

Ellevest is a company that is proud to be different, focusing on ethical, values-based investment and designed specifically to help meet the financial needs of women. This company’s planning model and product portfolios factor in the generally lower incomes of women, as well as the different lifetime earnings curve and longer lifespans.

The app demystifies the world of investment and is a great asset for those looking to gain control of their finances. Best of all with its emphasis on values-based investment you can rest easy knowing that not only is your money working for you but also is working on making the world a better place.

Why I like the Ellevesst app

The Ellevest investment app is extremely popular with users and is one of the best rated finance apps on the Apple App Store with a score of 4.8 out of 5. We especially liked the fact that it offers FDIC insured accounts up to $250,000, and 256-bit encryption provides further peace of mind. Trading is effortless within the app and the emphasis on ethical and values-based investing helps making well informed decisions that bit easier.

Passfolio

Passfolio is a great new investment app that is easy for beginners to get to grips with and robust enough for the more seasoned trader. An ambitious gamechanger the company was founded in 2018 and is regulated by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). On top of this users have the benefit of investor protection under the SIPC policy of Passfolio’s clearing firm for up to an additional $30 million (with a cash sub-limit of $900,000 per account). This peace of mind makes them one of the best options for those concerned about the safety of online and mobile trading.

With its low fees and no account opening and maintenance fees it certainly is worth trying out the Passfolio platform.

Why I like the Passfolio app

The Passfolio app is well rated on the app store with users praising its clean interface and the way that stocks can be easily reviewed, helping you make informed decisions quickly. It provides full functionality for managing your investment portfolio on the go and opening an account is super-fast and hassle free.

On a negative note, it would have been nice if this mobile only was also available on web and desktop platforms.