Stash Invest
Get $5 for opening a Stash Invest account
Automatically applied once you open a qualified new Stash Invest account.
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Stash Invest review
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Take the intimidation out of investing and start planning for your future with as little as $5.
For many young adults, getting started with investing can sound like it’s too expensive, full of too many bad options and too much of a pain to reasonably get into.
Stash can help ease the upfront cost and simplify what you can choose from. With low minimums for both individual and retirement accounts, Stash can be just what a beginner investor needs to break into the market.
$5
Minimum deposit to open
$1 per month
Fee
Details
| Annual fee | $1 per month 0.25% on balances of $5,001+ |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit to open | $5 |
| Available asset types | Stocks |
| Intro or bonus offer | 1 month equals 30 days from the date of account sign-up. |
Stash Invest
Who is Stash for?
Designed to make investing simple, Stash is best for those who need guidance from building a profile to managing your investments.
- Beginners. Choose from easy-to-understand investments.
- Investors with a mission. Find funds that are themed and easy to sort based on your risk profile.
Products and features
Stash offers investing tools and resources that allow you to fully discover what you want to invest in.
- Easily get started. Open a Stash account from your desktop or though the Stash app for iPhone and Android. Stash’s app store ratings sit at a hearty 4.7 out of 5 stars for iPhone and 4.2 out of 5 stars for Android.
- Learn through an education library. Even if you don’t have an account, you can access Stash’s money news, articles about personalized savings, investment profiles and more for free.
- Sock away more with Smart-Save. Take advantage of this feature that allows Stash to monitor your spending and income patterns to determine when you have extra cash to automatically store away.
- Select from a variety of products. Stash currently offers individual investment accounts, Roth and Traditional IRAs and custodial accounts. Set to open in the first quarter of 2018, Stash Banking plans to provide customers with a fully online banking experience.
- Get help if you need it. Search Stash’s online database to get information quickly. Or contact Stash by email or through a secure online form.
How much does it cost to use Stash?
Stash offers individual and retirement accounts, each with their own fee structure. You must have an individual investment account to start a Stash retirement account.
- Individual investment accounts. Open an account with as little as $5. Accounts of $5,000 or less require a subscription fee of $1 per month. Accounts over the $5K mark come with an annual fee of 0.25% of your balance.
- Retirement accounts. In addition to the cost of your individual investment account, retirement accounts of under $5,000 accrue a fee of $2 per month, while those over $5K accrue 0.25% of your balance annually. The minimum required to open a retirement account with Stash is $15.
On the surface, Stash’s transparent fees look pretty good. But for accounts of $5,000 or higher, that 0.25% annual fee could get pricey. On a balance of $30,000, you’d pay $75 a year — not so bad at around $6 a month, but still higher than other microinvesting apps. But say you’re lucky enough to accumulate $50,000 — that’s $125 a year, or a little more than $10 monthly.
Still, you’ll pay no fee to transfer money into or out of your individual Stash investment accounts or to close your account. When it comes to your Stash retirement accounts, you could pay fees and taxes if you try to withdraw your funds before age 59½.
Go over your individual circumstances with a tax advisor before withdrawing from your Stash retirement accounts.
Pros and cons of Stash
Pros
- Get $5 free for opening a qualified account.
- Simple to get started and keep track of your earnings.
- Low starting costs for individual and retirement investment accounts.
- Easily navigate and choose investments based on your social preferences and risk profile.
Cons
- No tax-deferred retirement options, which means it might not be best for long-term goals.
- For larger balances, fees may not be as competitive as other apps or tools.
- You must queue up your trades within two daily market windows — no instantaneous trades.
Compare to other trading platforms
What do others say about it?
The Better Business Bureau (BBB) gives Stash Investments an A- rating and a composite score of 3.23 out of 5. The two negative reviews posted on the BBB website indicate a lack of understanding about Stash’s fee structure, which may come from hearing about Stash secondhand. Of the 11 complaints, four were resolved to the customer’s satisfaction, and only one was marked with a failure to make a good faith effort to resolve it.
You can read more about issues and promotions on the Stash subreddit at /r/stashinvest.
How do I sign up?
To sign up with Stash, you must be a US resident who’s at least 18 years old and own a valid bank account.
- Click Go to Site.
- Click Sign up.
- Enter your email address and create a password to register for an account.
- Complete your investor profile.
- Fill out your personal information.
- Set up your bank account for electronic transfers.
The whole process takes around two minutes to complete. Your first transfer of funds may take time due to the confirmation process for your bank account. Stash will deposit a few cents to your account to verify that it’s yours, which can take from three to five business days.
What kind of support can I expect?
You can access your account through Stash’s app to keep an eye on your total returns, account value, portfolio balances and awaiting cash. If you sign up for a retirement or individual investment account, you’ll need to log in to your Stash Retire account online.
For customer support with questions or issues, use Stash’s online form for quick turnaround weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. ET or weekends from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET.
What is Stash?
Stash is an investing and money management company that grew out of a desire for a financial system designed for those just starting out. Established in 2015 by three former investment bankers, it’s had time to grow and expand its product offerings with no hidden fees or commission.
In early 2018, Stash made the headlines for raising $37.5 million to launch an innovative banking service focused on underserved Americans. Expect to see the new service roll out shortly.
Bottom line
Stash is a relatively friendly choice for those just starting out in the sprawling land of investing. While it can be costly if you’re not ready to regularly invest, solutions such as its Smart-Save feature can help you regularly build a nest egg.
Microinvesting options aren’t limited to Stash, however. So it’s a good practice to compare investment services to see what’s out there before you settle on one.