Think Investing Isn’t possible? Think again: Simplify Micro-Investing With 3 Easy Apps
The idea of investing can be intimidating and complicated, especially when it is not a tool they teach you in grade school growing up. Many millennials are actively seeking ways to maximize their resources and plan for future wealth. It’s not a long shot to want to have money stashed away for an emergency, new car or engagement ring you’ve been looking to purchase. Through the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic, planning for future economic down turn is imperative for any individual/ family as we have learned. With more than 43million unemployed Americans, many families are finding their emergency funds are being drained at record speed just to stay financially afloat.
Micro investing apps, Stash and Acorns provide a comprehensive and user friendly interface that allows the investor of any skill level to learn as you earn. As a high school student we seldom would question where our next purchase would go to, we lived as if money fell from trees , never rationalizing the source on our in, it was the good life for many. College can be described as the snooze button you hit time and time again before it’s time to take on your responsibility. We get a glimpse of freedom and possible refund check ( which you ultimately has to be paid back , with interest ) and believe we can reinvent ourselves at a new school. Though not popularized, investing in yourself pays huge dividends in the latter years of life. This article highlights the Pros and Cons of both Stash and Acorns for any beginner investor, and at best, gives the window of opportunity to start small as you learn along the way. We also highlight micro investing apps like Coinbase that allows you to invest into crypto currency, at a fraction of the price.
How it works:
Stash allows individuals to choose from up to 30 different flavors of Exchange Traded Funds or ETFs. It is a micro investing app that sells fractional shares of a company. Simply put, Stash splits a single share or stock across several companies, giving you a split share ownership across several platforms. The app is designed to be personable and inline with what your hobbies and interest are as both an investor but as a consumer.
User friendly interface offers distinguished names for their funds such as “Clean and Green”, “Do the Right Thing” and “Slow and Steady”, just to name a few. These unique fund titles gives the investor a glimpse of the objective that fund aims to meet. For example: Clean and Green is apart of iShare Global Clean Energy ETF dedicated to renewable energy companies. While a fund such as American Innovator Fund is held by Vanguard Information Tech Fund has holdings in over 300 tech companies including Microsoft, Apple and Facebook. Fees: Stash is similar to Acorns when it comes to fees. It charges $1 month for accounts under $5,000 and $0.25% for balances $5,000 and more. (Stash promotes 3 months free)
Stash Stock Back Plan
Earn stock when you spend with your Stash debit card! May bonuses include 2% Stock-Back® on purchases from Netflix and Hulu. And bonuses for Stash+ users include 3% on orders from Seamless and Grubhub.
Withdrawals: Withdrawing your money with Stash is pretty simple. With your connect checking or savings account, you are able to withdraw your money after you sell your shares. The deposit should take 3-5 business days. I recommend using the Stash Debit card to avoid waiting and have access to your money within minutes
Pros:
1. Education- Stash provides in app support & email to help novelist investors uncover terms and tips
2.Auto-Stash - A friendly tool to link your bank account to invest automatically. You can choose how you invest; weekly, bi-weekly or monthly
3.Security - SSL and SEC protection to protect your investments on the Stash and its server
4. Stash Retire and Custodial Accounts- Great long term investment option with minimal investment of $5
Cons:
1.Delayed Traded Execution (may be an issue for active traders, better for long term investment
3. $1 / month ( could be costly for smaller accounts)
Summary:
I believe believes in Stash's function and user friendly app. Being a novelist invest allows use to learn as you go and with minimal risk. The minimum investment of $5 is fit for any budget and with the Auto Stash feature, it relieves the headache of having to remembering to add funds. The diversity of your holdings in personalized ETFs offers the opportunity I would encourage readers to take advantage of. Be advised, Stash will not get you rich quick, and should be use as a stepping stone for building knowledge and literacy. I've user Stash faithfully over the last 2 or so years and have had successful returns by staying consistent with my monthly investments.
Sign up today!
Start investing with @Stash today! We’ll each get $5 when you use my link: https://get.stashinvest.com/tavon0pyll
Acorns
How it works:
Acorns is redefining how millennial invest with everyday use. Acorns links to your card and rounds up your loose change from purchase. The change is then stored in an investment portfolio in the app. To create a portfolio, tell Acorns your financial situation and goals. Connect debit cards to Acorns and choose how you would like to round up your purchase. Either to the nearest whole dollar or half dollar. With those answers, Acorns will recommend you a mix of ETFs that will become your portfolio.
Audience: Acorns is ideal for college students on a budget and anyone who is looking for a self managing savings & stock portfolio. With the minimum of $5 investment, this also makes it realistic for any age person looking to save.
Found Money: Allows investors to build your portfolio with deals on everyday purchases made with your any card linked on Acorns. Found Money offer deals such as 10% cash back on Air B n B rentals. Blue Apron, Footlocker and more. The money lands in your Acorns account in 30-60 days
6 ETFs that make up Acorns are:
Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) - Large company stocks. Examples of the large companies this ETF invests in are Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOGL), and Microsoft (MSFT). The Acorns portfolios all invest between 14% (Aggressive) and 16% (Moderate) in this ETF.
Vanguard Small-Cap ETF (VB) - Small company stocks. You’ll see a significant difference in the portfolios here, with the Conservative portfolio consisting of 9% in this ETF, and the Aggressive made up of 25%.
Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets (VWO) - Emerging market stocks. This is a riskier ETF, with high growth prospects. Again there’s a significant difference between the portfolios with the Conservative investing only 5% in this ETF, whereas the Aggressive invests 20%.
Vanguard REIT (VNQ) - Real estate stocks. It’s no secret that real estate markets can really take off, and this is reflected in the way the portfolios invest in this ETF. At the Conservative end, we see 11%invested here, whereas at the Aggressive end we see 30%.
PIMCO Investment Grade Corporate Bond (CORP) - Corporate bonds. Generally seen as a reliable, safe bet, again we see a fair difference in how the portfolios invest in this ETF. The Conservative portfolio is 20% Corporate bonds, whereas the Aggressive is only 6%.
iShares 1-3 year treasury bonds (SHY) - Government bonds. Probably the safest investment on the planet, government bonds make up 40% of the Conservative portfolio and only 5% of the Aggressive one.
Pros:
1.Low Commission for Accounts Under $5,000- Acorns investment fee is $1
2.Can Invest Small Dollar Amount Easily- Since Acorns round up each purchase, smaller amounts can invested quickly.
3. User Friendly App- The design is crisp and very user friendly. The app offers a
Cons:
1. Lack of Investment Account Options- The simplicity of Acorns may also be a turn off for other investors. Acorns only offers only taxable accounts to investors. There are no Roth IRA or other tax deferred account options for users.
2. Lack Investment Options- This app have pre-made portfolios. But there is no option to buy individual stocks. What if you want to pick individual stocks? The app may not be the best fit for you.
3. No Sole Savings - Acorns only offers individual taxable accounts, and therefore is not suitable as a sole saving solution. Low, Slow Returns - To see a decent return on Acorns you will need to use it for a long time.
Summary:
I really believe Acorns is an essential app to have, especially for college students looking for a no-hassle way to save their extra funds. No Minimums, is a huge factor. You don’t have to invest a minimum amount to open an account, and neither do you have to maintain one to keep it open. You will, however, need at least $5 before the app automatically starts investing. eep in mind that Acorns will not invest any funds until it has rounded up $5, and it is at this point you will see the funds removed from your checking account.There are no limits as to when you can make a withdrawal, but keep in mind that any funds will take an average of 5-7 business days to reach your account. If you are making a withdrawal, plan accordingly.This automated feature is extremely handy for people who lack the discipline to save themselves, however, do be aware that if you’re a student who barely scraped by every month, those little pennies could soon add up and leave you short. The whole point of Acorns is that the small amounts DO add up over time, but there could be a negative flip-side to this if you are on a tight financial budget.
Start investing with Acorns today!
Get $5 when you use my invite code: https://acorns.com/invite/DVXFTJ
Interested in investing into Crypto?
Cryptocurrency erupted into the scene in 2009 with The first decentralized cryptocurrency, Bitcoin, was created in by pseudonymous developer Satoshi Nakamoto
What is crypto currency?
A cryptocurrency is a digital or virtual currency designed to work as a medium of exchange. It uses cryptography to secure and verify transactions as well as to control the creation of new units of a particular cryptocurrency.
Coinbase:
Is a secure online platform for buying, selling, transferring, and storing digital currency. Coinbase is the world’s largest Bitcoin broker around. It is available to users in over 30 countries especially in the United States, the UK, and Brazil, which represent their largest customer base – and has more than 4 million customers around the world. It was founded in 2012 as part of Ycombinator, which means that Coinbase is also one of the oldest exchanges around. (source )
How it Works:
Customers can purchase and sell Bitcoin with a connected bank account, debit card, Paypal account and many more payment methods. You are allowed to purchase and sell three of the most popular cryptocurrencies- Bitcoin, Litecoin, Ethereum and Bitcoin Cash. Coinbase allows customers to buy fractional shares of each crypto which makes it easier to invest on a budget.
Is Coinbase safe ?
Being a US based company, Coinbase is compliant in state/federal laws. With the interest and investment in cryptocurrencies having surged this year, the requirement for safe and secure exchanges to facilitate the purchase of crypto has become increasingly important. One of the most popular exchanges that is currently available in Coinbase. Coinbase offers customers a 2-factor authentication method, which can be through SMS to your phone, or through third party apps such as Google Authenticator or Duo.
It complies with state money transmission laws and regulations.
It complies with the USA Patriot Act.
It complies with the Bank Secrecy Act.
It is registered with FinCEN as a Money Services Business.
Coinbase Shift Card
The Shift Card is a VISA debit card that is available to Coinbase users. Shift Cards allow Coinbase users in certain US States and Territories to spend the Bitcoin in their account in any place where VISA is accepted. Shift Cards cost an initial $10 but there are no transaction fees on domestic transaction nor any fees associated with the exchange of Bitcoin to USD.
Summary:
Although its not perfect, Coinbase offers customers a practical and user friendly service for buying and selling cryptocurrency. Though proper security measures have been set in place by Coinbase, it is in your best interest, to transfer earnings to a personal wallet which still allows full access and more unique security features. I have been personally using Coinbase for buying and selling cryptocurrency and I would definitely recommend this app for anyone looking to buy cryptocurrency at a fraction of the price.
If you’ve found this article to be helpful, please share and leave a comment. Need help getting started? Book a free mentoring session with me via our Services: https://www.theemphatictruth.com/book-online or email : theemphatictruth@gmail.com
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