If you go online and search for ‘best investment apps for beginners 2020’, you will get a ton of different options. We have hand picked some of the best investment apps for beginners 2020 and reviewed them in this article. There is no such thing as the perfect stock market app or cryptocurrency app, but with so many options out there, you can easily end up making a bad choice while trying to select a good one.
The best investment apps for beginners 2020 is one of the most important financial decisions you will make. There are so many different investment apps it can be difficult to choose which ones are right for you.
Invstr – Best investment app for learning about investing
Invstr is what you get when you mix learning, real-life investing and community into an app that’s designed to give beginning investors a way to get into stocks, especially if you like games. The app combines a fantasy stock game, where you can assist in managing a $200 billion virtual portfolio, with access to investors’ thoughts on stocks and other investments.
The fantasy game gives you $1 million in virtual money, and you can use the app’s social network and news feed to source ideas. The month’s top performers win real cash, too. And if you want to turn some of those fantasy picks into real-life stakes, you can buy fractional shares and whole shares commission-free in the app. The app will even give new users $5 when they open and fund an account. Invstr has also started offering commission-free trading in cryptocurrencies.
Reasons to get this app: You want to learn from an investing community, hear why they like certain stocks and play a fun fantasy game.
Wealthbase – Best investment app for beginners
Wealthbase is a newer entrant into the world of stock market games, and it may be the most user-friendly investing app out there for having fun and picking stocks. You can set up games with friends to last however long you want — a few weeks, days, even just until the end of the day.
Two things set Wealthbase apart in the stock simulator world: first, the app marries social media with stock picking. You’ll see a feed of stocks your friends are picking, with daily updates of who’s winning, and you can engage in a little friendly “trash talk.” Second, the app runs very smoothly — no delays to load, no hiccups. Even if you’re not a huge stock-picker, you’ll have fun here. And you can trade crypto in the simulation as well.
You can access Wealthbase on the web or via mobile app.
Reasons to get this app: You like picking stocks and playing games in a social environment with friends and colleagues.
Wealthfront – Best investment app for sophisticated portfolio management
Wealthfront is one of the largest independent robo-advisors, and for a small fee it can manage your money, whether that’s in a taxable account or an IRA. Wealthfront uses low-cost ETFs to construct your portfolio and takes into account how much risk you want to take as well as when you’ll need the money. As you deposit money, Wealthfront will add it to your portfolio and keep your account balanced and on target toward your goal.
Wealthfront’s management fee runs 0.25 percent annually, which is the industry standard. It’s an eminently reasonable price for the features on offer, including automated tax-loss harvesting, which effectively covers the annual fee for many clients, says the company. Wealthfront also brings an attractive cash management account (even if you don’t sign up for the investment account), and you’ll receive a competitive interest rate, early access to direct-deposited paychecks and a debit card – all without a monthly fee.
Reasons to get this app: All you’ll need to do is add money to the account and Wealthfront manages your portfolio to reach your goal. The cash management account is cool, too. As a Bankrate user, get $5,000 managed for free when you open a Wealthfront investment account.
Minimum balance required: $500
Fees: Management fee of 0.25 percent of assets annually
Acorns – Best investment app for savers
Acorns is one of the older of the new breed of finance apps, but it remains one of the most popular, because of how easy it is to use. You really don’t have to pay much attention once you’ve set up the app. Link a debit or credit card to your account, and Acorns will round up the total on purchases to the next dollar and invest that difference into one of a few ETF portfolios.
The cost is a modest $1 per month for Acorns Lite, though the company offers other features. If you want to take a step up, you can move to Acorns Personal, which is bundled with Lite, for $3 per month. This tier offers an individual retirement account (IRA), and you’ll be able to open one of three versions: the traditional, Roth or an SEP. You can even roll over an existing 401(k) or IRA.
Acorns chooses your portfolio based on the targeted time until your retirement (calculated as age 59 ½), becoming more conservative as you near that age, a timing that may not be appropriate for all investors. This tier offers an FDIC-protected checking account, too, with no additional fees and fee-free access to thousands of ATMs.
And for a total of $5 per month, you can add Acorns Family, which includes the features of the first two tiers as well as investment accounts for children.
Reasons to get this app: You like getting automatic investments while you’re spending without worrying about it. You like retirement investing without the hassle.
Minimum balance required: $0 for savings account
Fees: $1, $3, or $5 per month depending on the service tier
Betterment – Best investment app for socially responsible investing
Betterment is one of the (relatively) new wave of robo-advisors, and it’s one of the largest and most popular. The app provides professionally managed portfolios using a selection of ETFs and is calibrated against your own risk tolerance. Betterment can create socially responsible portfolios, including those that focus on climate change or social impact. If you’re willing to stomach a little more risk, the app can find you investments with a potentially higher return over the long run. If you need a safer portfolio, Betterment can do that, too. You can set up Betterment and then kick back while the pros do the rest of the work.
Betterment charges a much smaller price than you’d pay for a traditional financial advisor. The management fee for the basic account amounts to 0.25 percent — a competitive rate in the robo-advisor world, or $25 annually for every $10,000 you have invested. But you’ll have to pay extra for the ETFs that Betterment invests in, as you would at any robo-advisor. The app lets you set goals to invest for, such as a safety net or retirement, and there’s no account minimum.
Reasons to get this app: You like having a professionally managed portfolio for a low cost.
Minimum balance required: $0 for digital service
Fees: Management fee of 0.25 percent of assets annually for digital service
Robinhood – Best investment app for smooth trading
Robinhood is the app to have if you like a smooth interface and avoiding trading commissions.
The app allows you to trade stocks, ETFs, options and cryptocurrency all for free, and you’ll be able to do it in a slick mobile interface that makes smooth work of it all. The stripped-down app is simple to navigate, and after a while you’ll move from screen to screen intuitively as you trade the market. But you’ll have to know what you want to invest in, since there’s no advising here.
You can access a stock’s page from a search bar at the top of the screen, and pull up charts and vital statistics. Also useful is a feed that aggregates stories from news and investing sites, so that you keep on top of what’s going on. After you’ve decided what you want to trade and enter the number of shares to buy or sell, swipe up and the order is on its way.
Another great feature of the app is instant delivery of the first $1,000 of any funds you deposit to the account, so you can start trading immediately. If you’re a member of Robinhood Gold, a premium tier, you’ll have instant deposits on higher amounts, up to $50,000. (Here’s Bankrate’s full review.)
Reasons to get this app: You like trading stocks (and options and cryptocurrency) for free and having a simple way to follow the market.
Minimum balance required: $0
Fees: No commissions for stock, ETF, options or crypto trades
SoFi
| Editor’s rating | 4.8 out of 5 |
| Fees | None |
| Account minimum | $0 |
| Consider it if… | You want an easy-to-use platform paired with rock-bottom pricing |
Why SoFi made our list:
SoFi is a top pick for beginners thanks to an easy-to-use platform paired with rock-bottom pricing. You can get started at SoFi Invest with just $1, and there are no commissions for trades and no recurring account fees. Even the managed portfolio product, where your investments are all picked and managed for you, is free to use.
The app includes stocks and ETFs listed by category, making it easy to browse potential investment opportunities. The app doesn’t have the most in-depth investment research, but there is enough to get you started and guide your research off the app. In addition to cryptocurrency trading, you can also access investment education articles from inside the app.
As an added bonus outside of the app, SoFi offers complimentary financial planning sessions for all members, among other benefits. If you are a beginner and want help putting an investment strategy together, SoFi is an ideal place to start.
Conclusion
Being a beginner, you must be careful while choosing the best investment apps for beginners for your financial security. A badly chosen app can ruin your life and it is better to be safe than risk the entire capital of the family on some scam app.