1/2/2024

With so many new apps... where on earth should you keep your money?

Below is a comprehensive review of major investing apps, covering crypto exchanges, commission‑free brokers, and robo‑advisors—based on recent expert and user analysis.

🔹 Gemini (Crypto Exchange)

Overview: Offers a “Basic” interface for casual crypto buying and the advanced ActiveTrader for seasoned users Barron's+12NerdWallet+12mycuriosity.blog+12.
Pros: Strong security (insured holdings), simple recurring buys, price alerts, and crypto rewards via its credit card Google Play.
Cons: Fees are higher than average; limited crypto selection (≈70 coins) YouTube+2Business Insider+2Milk Road+2.
Trust Issues: Settled a major lawsuit in 2024 over its Earn lending program, refunding $1.1 billion and paying fines Wikipedia.

🔹 Robinhood

Overview: User‑friendly, commission‑free stock/ETF trading; extended to options, crypto, and now robo‑advisory with Strategies at 0.25% fee mycuriosity.blog+6NerdWallet+6finder.com+6.
Pros: No commissions, intuitive UI, fractional shares, pattern‑day‑trade alerts, 24/5 trading, advanced charting via Gold tier Investors+2finder.com+2finder.com+2.
Cons: Criticized for limited research tools and prior trading outages; evolving toward a more mature financial platform .
AI/Wealth Expansion: Launched AI assistant "Cortex" and built savings/banking features with 4% APY .

🔹 Webull

Overview: Advanced, commission‑free trading across stocks, options, crypto, futures, margin, and IRAs Wikipedia.
Pros: Robust charts, technical analysis tools, paper trading, deep fundamental data, cash sweep FDIC of up to $2.5 M finder.com.
Cons: Privacy concerns due to Chinese ties; paid a FINRA fine in 2023 over options compliance Wikipedia.
Comparison: More suited for intermediate/advanced traders than Robinhood Investors+8finder.com+8Wikipedia+8.

🔹 Public

Overview: Commission‑free trading with a strong social/community overlay; supports fractional shares .
Pros: Social features (view others’ trades), transparency, fractional investing, and now AI tools like Public Alpha MarketWatch+1Finance Monthly+1.
Cons: Fewer advanced trading tools; performance depends on community engagement.

🔹 Stash

Overview: Micro‑investing and robo‑advisor for beginners, investing from as little as $0.01 in fractional shares and ETFs finder.com Wikipedia.
Pros: Beginner‑friendly, values‑based theme portfolios, integrates banking and retirement accounts, subscription‑based model .
Cons: Subscription fees may reduce returns for small balances; limited for active traders.

🔹 Wealthfront

Overview: Leading robo‑advisor offering automated ETF portfolios with tax‑loss harvesting finder.com+3The Motley Fool+3finder.com+3 Finance Monthly+2NerdWallet+2NerdWallet+2.
Pros: No‑effort hands‑off investing, low advisory fees (~0.25%), ideal for long‑term, passive investors.
Cons: Less control for investors wanting to pick individual stocks.

🔹 Fidelity

Overview: Full‑service brokerage with powerhouse mobile and desktop apps; offers stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, and crypto Wikipedia+2NerdWallet+2Finance Monthly+2.
Pros: Rich research tools, retirement planning, mutual funds, CDs; robust customer support; app use outpaces web .
Cons: Slightly more complex UI which may overwhelm absolute beginners.

🔹 Others to Note

Betterment / Vanguard Digital Advisor – Established robo‑advisors with low fees.
SoFi Invest – Combines banking, active and automated investing.
Interactive Brokers IBKR Lite – Geared toward advanced traders; zero commission.
Acorns – Automatic round‑ups for passive investing from spare change Investors NerdWallet Wikipedia+3Finance Monthly+3navid.me+3 NerdWallet.
TastyTrade / Ally / Schwab – Strong platforms for options, bonds, and comprehensive investing tools NerdWallet.

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🧠 Key Considerations

Fees vs Features: Commission-free apps are standard; look at data, charting, crypto access, and robo-features.
Security & Trust: Choose SIPC/FDIC insured apps with strong compliance track records.
Ease vs Control: Robo-advisors offer ease; active platforms give control—but higher responsibility.
Research Tools: Fidelity and Webull shine for in-depth analysis; Robinhood and Public provide community insights and AI.
Mobile-first vs Desktop-enabled: Robinhood and Public lead mobile; Fidelity excels across desktop

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