As I travel around the country speaking about stewardship and financial literacy the reoccurring questions are: where to invest, or how should I invest my money? Should I purchase stocks? How about bonds? What about Bitcoin and the blockchain?
As the list of questions grows, I’m thinking, perhaps you need an investment adviser. Often, however, people think they don’t have enough money to invest, much less hire and investment advisor. If that sounds like you, have you heard of a Robo Adviser?
Robo-Advisor
A Robo-advisor is an automated algorithm digital platform that provides investment services with little or no human management. If you are still unclear, I am saying that you provide a Robo-adviser or computer with your investment goals, financial information and through the use of artificial intelligence, you are provided with investment advice. Before I go on, let me underscore one point. Nothing can replace the human relationship with a traditional investment adviser. That said, a Robo-investment adviser is an inexpensive option to that. It also adds value if you are new at investing. A downside of a Robo-adviser is that it lacks empathy and sophistication. It is probably most instructive if you do not have complex issues. Now that you have been introduced to a new and cheaper investment adviser which one should you choose?
Advisor Choices
Now that you have been introduced to a new and cheaper investment adviser which one should you choose?
Several Robo-advisers now provide different levels of services to their customers. They include a limited amount of human services. They can also offer different tiers for regular investors with complicated or complex assets, and certified financial planning if needed. Companies identified here are provided for informational purposes only and are not an endorsement of them as Robo-advisers.
That said, Acorns Group Incorporated provides Robo-advisory services. The services are provided on a tiered level, there is no minimum investment amount required, and annual fees may range from $12.00 to $60.00 based upon the percentage of assets invested. The mission of Acorn is to assist new investors in beginning to save and invest for the future. Basically, you can begin obtaining investment advice on low level.
Another Robo-adviser is Ally Invest. Their managed portfolios require a minimum investment of $100, and the annual fee may range from zero to 30% of assets. Some other examples of Robo-investment advisor companies are Axos Invest, Blooom, Fidelity Go, Personal Capital and Vanguard Personal Advisors Services, to name a few.
With plenty of options that provide these services at low cost, conduct your own additional research to find the best fit for yourself. With these options being available, you no longer have an excuse as to why you refuse to participate when it relates to making investments. You cannot grow your finances by simply working hard and saving money. You must also invest!
What’s Up!
I have decided to add a new section to Money Monday’s called “what’s up!” Basically, it is something very important I think you should know and may be unrelated to the main article. Today’s what’s up is about proposed tax legislation. The United States Department of Treasury is proposing that banks report all cryptocurrency transactions exceeding $10,000 to the IRS.
The biggest change will be for those who run their own business, since banks will be required to report the amount of deposits and withdrawals executed throughout the year by those businesses and self employed individuals. So if you have a side hustle, your paper work and record keeping needs to be much improved. You could find yourself in IRS trouble, otherwise.
That’s what’s up!
