Launched in 2011, Wealthfront is a robo-advisor with $75+ billion in belongings beneath administration as of January 2025. A robo-advisor is an funding advisory service that makes use of an algorithm as an alternative of individuals that can assist you make investments.
Wealthfront is a tax-efficient and low-cost method to make investments. Its providing is compelling. For simply 0.25%, they do all of the heavy lifting utilizing a pc algorithm.
I feel robo-advisors are nice as a result of they provide skilled advisory companies, at the very least a vanilla model (or cosmopolitan, to maintain the ice cream analogy as correct as potential), to the lots by counting on algorithms reasonably than an advisor-heavy method.
Many funding advisers gained’t meet somebody with out at the very least six figures to take a position since they receives a commission as a proportion of belongings beneath administration. Robo-advisors can do that as a result of robots don’t want something however hugs.
Their funding staff is spectacular, that includes names like their Chief Funding Officer, Dr. Burton Malkiel (A Random Stroll Down Wall Road), and Charles Ellis (Profitable the Loser’s Sport), founding father of Greenwich Associates.
At a Look
- $500 minimal beginning stability
- 0.25% annual payment
- Customizable premade portfolios
- Tax loss harvesting
- AI-powered monetary recommendation
Who Ought to Use Wealthfront
Wealthfront is sweet for many who need a robo-advisor with tax loss harvesting and don’t care about receiving customized monetary recommendation. It has three premade portfolios that may be custom-made with a wide range of different investments.
If you need to have the ability to communicate to a human advisor, Wealthfront will not be for you.
Wealthfront Options
Desk of Contents
- At a Look
- Who Ought to Use Wealthfront
- Wealthfront Options
- What Wealthfront Presents
- Concerning the “Robots”
- How Wealthfront Invests
- Threat Tolerance & Asset Allocation Software
- Wealthfront Money Account
- Wealthfront Free Monetary Planning
- Portfolio Line of Credit score
- How a lot does Wealthfront price?
- Wealthfront Options
- Wealthfront Assessment: Closing Ideas
What Wealthfront Presents
Simplicity and optimization.
All robo-advisors promise funding returns with out as a lot upkeep. With an account minimal of simply $500, Wealthfront gives an funding advisory service to the lots.
It took me a few years to amass $5,000 in investable belongings, and it sat in an index fund at Vanguard whereas it grew. I didn’t pay a lot in charges, however I additionally didn’t get tax loss harvest both (heck, I didn’t even find out about it till a few years later!).
I noticed my job as an investor as being two major duties:
- Decide and set up an asset allocation and,
- Rebalance their portfolio periodically.
Wealthfront does the primary activity by having you reply a questionnaire about your danger tolerance to determine your asset allocation. Then, its robots do their magic to build up the appropriate belongings to get the allocation that most closely fits your danger tolerance.
As an ongoing service, they deal with rebalancing, tax loss harvesting, dividend reinvestment, and all the opposite smaller duties that may add to your returns however that we regularly overlook to do. That’s the place the optimization is available in.
Concerning the “Robots”
Computer systems are solely nearly as good because the individuals who design and program them, so whereas I say “robots” quite a bit on this publish (it’s a “robo-advisor”), the parents who constructed the robots and provides them the perception to do their automated magic – they’re not robots.
They’re PhDs led by Dr. Burton Malkiel. They rent solely PhDs to work on the funding staff.
How Wealthfront Invests
Wealthfront has three premade portfolios to select from, however every may be simply custom-made. In whole, it gives 239 investments, 17 asset courses, and two cryptocurrency trusts.
The three premade portfolios are:
Traditional: It is a portfolio of index funds that’s globally diversified. Its predominant holdings as of January 2025 are 45% in US inventory by way of Vanguard’s Complete Inventory Market Fund, 18% overseas shares by way of Vanguard’s FTSE Developed Markets ETF, and 16% rising market shares by way of Vanguard’s FTSE Rising Markets ETF.
Socially Accountable: This portfolio focuses on sustainability, range, and fairness. Its predominant holdings as of January 2025 are 60% US shares by way of iShares ESG Conscious MSCI USA ETF, 12% overseas developed shares by way of iShares ESG Conscious MSCI EAFE ETF, and 11% company bonds by way of iShares ESG Conscious USD Company Bond ETF
Direct indexing: This portfolio invests in particular person shares and is designed for portfolios over $100K. Your portfolio allocation shall be decided by your danger tolerance.
Along with the premade portfolios, there are a number of funding classes you’ll be able to put money into. They’re:
- US inventory ETFs
- Bond ETFs
- International/ rising markets ETFs
- World inventory ETFs
- Socially accountable ETFs
- Tech/ innovation ETFs
- Cryptocurrency trusts
- Wealthfront unique choices
- Investing technique ETFs
- Sector ETFs Commodity ETFs
Tax Loss Harvesting
To save cash on taxes, Wealthfront makes use of tax loss harvesting. If an asset drops in worth, Wealthfront will promote it and purchase a distinct, but comparable, inventory. You’ll be able to then use that loss to offset any funding features you may have.
Your danger tolerance performs a big half in your asset allocation. Wealthfront helps you establish your danger tolerance via a quiz on the web site.
It’s fairly easy. It takes just a few seconds to via the questionnaire and get your really helpful funding plan: (you are able to do this your self with out placing any private info, they don’t ask for or require an electronic mail to play with this software)
Scroll right down to see the breakdown:
Beneath every class, they record the three main ETFs. In concept, you can go and purchase these allocations straight. In case you click on on every of the bars, you’ll see a breakdown.
You’ll be able to mess around with the Threat Tolerance slider to see how the allocations change (the portfolio is 7.5, the max is 10), plus see the distinction between a Taxable Funding Combine and a Retirement Funding Combine. I like that the Projected Efficiency is a variety versus a single line because it’s usually depicted as a result of it extra precisely displays the information.
As you’ll be able to see, the funding choices for the taxable account include the Vanguard Complete Inventory Market Fund and Schwab US Broad Market ETF. If you wish to put money into a socially accountable fund, it suggestsiShares ESG Conscious MSCI USA ETF.
Wealthfront Money Account
Lastly, generally you’ll have money not invested within the markets, and Wealthfront has a money account that presently pays 4.00% with FDIC insurance coverage as much as $8,000,000.
There are not any month-to-month charges and no minimal stability necessities.
Wealthfront Free Monetary Planning
Wealthfront gives a free automated monetary planning expertise that’s out there to everybody.
It’s an automatic monetary recommendation engine that takes your particular person information, like earnings, spending, and investing, to guard your monetary belongings and talent to satisfy future targets.
It considers life occasions, like shopping for a home and having kids, and adjusts your plan accordingly. And it does this commonly, reasonably than every year or as soon as 1 / 4, as you’d with a human advisor.
You’ll hyperlink all your accounts so the software program can see your present standings. It should calculate your networth and offer you a plan to satisfy your targets. You may get a snapshot of your funds, discover numerous situations, after which take a look at completely different tradeoffs. In case you’ve by no means constructed a plan, they’ve an interactive Monetary Well being Information that helps you get began.
Portfolio Line of Credit score
In case you have a person or joint account with a stability of at the very least $25,000, a Portfolio Line of Credit score enables you to request money as much as 30% of the present worth of your account, and so they’ll ship it over as shortly as one enterprise day.
Your portfolio turns into a line of credit score. (therefore the identify!)
The rate of interest is variable and relies on the efficient funds price, plus 1.08% (price schedule & definitions):
Their rate of interest may beat a house fairness line of credit score (because it’s technically a margin lending product and never a conventional mortgage), and since there are not any charges, it’s even cheaper. And in contrast to an everyday mortgage product, there isn’t any credit score verify, no minimal month-to-month funds, and the mortgage is secured by the belongings in your portfolio.
How a lot does Wealthfront price?
Wealthfront doesn’t cost a fee or account upkeep charges; as an alternative, it depends on an account administration payment. The account administration payment is 0.25% of belongings. That is on prime of the charges charged by the underlying ETFs, which common 0.12%.
Wealthfront Options
There’s quite a bit to love about Wealthfront, however it’s all the time a good suggestion to comparability store earlier than signing on to any funding account. It’s your hard-earned cash, in any case. Listed here are just a few Wealthfront alternate options to contemplate.
Betterment
Betterment is one other robo-advisor that gives tax loss harvesting. You may get began for $10, and it fees both $4 a month or 0.25%. You may be charged the 0.25% if you happen to arrange recurring month-to-month deposits of at the very least $250 or you may have a stability of at the very least $20,000.
It additionally has a money reserve account that earns 4.00% APY and has a $0 minimal stability requirement. FDIC insurance coverage goes as much as $2 million.
In case you have a stability of at the very least $100,000, you may get customized one-on-one recommendation from a CFP®. There’s an annual administration payment of 0.65% for this service.
Right here’s our full Betterment evaluate for extra info.
SoFi® Investing
Mortgage big SoFi additionally gives robo-advisor companies. You can begin with $50 and it fees 0.25%, the identical as Wealthfront. It doesn’t have a money reserve account precisely, however it does provide financial institution accounts, together with a high-yield financial savings account that earns as much as 3.80% APY (unlocked with direct deposit or by depositing $5,000+ each 30 days, in any other case 1.00% APY).
One massive advantage of SoFi Investing is that it gives human monetary advisors to all purchasers at no further prices. Nevertheless it doesn’t present tax loss harvesting.
Right here’s our full evaluate of SoFi Investing for extra info.
M1 Finance
With M1 Finance, your portfolio known as a “pie,” and inside this pie, you’ll be able to add as many “slices” as you want. These slices may be particular person shares, ETFs, or professional pies. It doesn’t present tax loss harvesting.
You may get began for $100 and the primary 90 days are free. After that, the payment is $3 a month, except you may have a stability of at the very least $10,000 or an lively private mortgage.
It has a high-yield financial savings account to function your money reserve account that earns 4.00% APY.
Right here’s our full evaluate of M1 Finance for extra info.
Wealthfront Assessment: Closing Ideas
Wealthfront has top-notch software program and automation, a surprising Ph.D. funding staff led by one of many greats, and is low-cost. You’ll pay 0.25% it doesn’t matter what your stability is, which is a deal when your stability is small however may get expensive as your stability grows.
In addition they provide tax loss harvesting, which not each robo-advisor does. So, if that’s one thing you might be searching for, Wealthfront is value contemplating.
Relating to recommendation, they solely provide automated recommendation, and there’s no choice to talk to a human advisor.
In case you’re utilizing Wealthfront, I’d love to listen to about your expertise!
