9 Excellent
- Better for families saving for their children's education than Acorns.
Similar to Acorns, Wealthfront is a popular robo-advisor. Its 0.25% annual management fee may be lower than Acorns' fees if you carry a small balance. But its $500 minimum investment may be a bit steep for some.
However, Wealthfront stands out for its automated 529 plan. A 529 plan is a tax-advantaged account meant to help you invest in your child's college education. Unlike a traditional brokerage account, money in a 529 plan grows tax free. You can also withdraw money from a 529 plan tax free if you use it on qualified educational expenses.
But Wealthfront offers plenty of tools to help you make the most out of your 529 plan. Using the Wealthfront app, you select the school you want your child to go to. Using data from the Department of Education, Wealthfront estimates how much it would cost by the time your kid reaches college age. These estimates account for tuition, expenses, projected inflation and how much financial aid you can expect. Wealthfront then recommends a monthly savings amount to meet these expenses.
The Wealthfront 529 plan portfolio invests in a mix of municipal securities and ETFs based on your risk level and other factors. It's automatically managed and functions similarly to a target-date fund (TDF). This means its investment mix is rebalanced to become more conservative as your child gets closer to college age.
The Wealthfront 529 plan incurs an all-in fee of no more than 0.49%. But you may find other 529 plans with smaller fees. Almost every state administers 529 plans. You can invest in any plan, regardless of the state you live in. Still, you can link external 529 plan accounts to the Wealthfront app and take advantage of its tools.
Stock trade fee | $0 |
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Minimum deposit | $500 |
Signup bonus | Get $50 |
Stock trade fee | $0 |
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Minimum deposit | $500 |
Signup bonus | Get $50 |