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Stash Review

Our overview of Stash, the investing app.

Last Updated: December 2024

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Our Summary

The Stash team is dedicated to equalizing the financial playing field. Through educational widgets, helpful articles, easy-to-use trading tools, and low-cost fractional investing; anyone can grow their nest egg with an investment of just $5.

The Stash investment app is a zero-commission, pay-per-month mobile and desktop app starting at $1/month. Users can invest in stocks and ETFs, either on their own or automatically through Stash’s “Smart Portfolio” feature. Stash offers other financial products, such as retirement investing, investment portfolios for dependents, and a debit card[1] that earns stock on purchases.

The Stash team is dedicated to equalizing the financial playing field. Through educational widgets, helpful articles, easy-to-use trading tools, and low-cost fractional investing; anyone can grow their nest egg with an investment of just $5.

The Stash investment app is a zero-commission, pay-per-month mobile and desktop app starting at $1/month. Users can invest in stocks and ETFs, either on their own or automatically through Stash’s “Smart Portfolio” feature. Stash offers other financial products, such as retirement investing, investment portfolios for dependents, and a debit card[1] that earns stock on purchases.

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Unique Features

Although it’s a strong tool for any investor, these are the features that make Stash break away from the competition:

  • Automatic Investing:
  • Stash offers several auto-investing tools to make the investing experience as hands-off as you like. With the Set Schedule feature, customers can automatically transfer cash from a checking account to invest in assets on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. The Round Ups feature takes any charge on a connected debit card, rounds the change up to the nearest dollar, and once that rounded money reaches $5, it automatically transfers to your investment portfolio for you to invest it. Lastly, the Smart Portfolio option chooses your investments for you based on your desired level of risk.
  • Number of Plans:
  • Stash offers three pay-per-month plans. While other investment apps will lock users into a one-size-fits-all investment plan, Stash customers can choose the plan that fits both their budget and investing needs. For a detailed breakdown of all three plans, see the “Pricing” section below.
  • Banking Perks:
  • Stash users can access the Stock-Back® Card[1], a debit card designed to reward purchases with matching stock. In addition to earning stocks, the Stock-Back® card offers digital access, fee-free transfers at 19,000+ ATMs across the country[2], and the option to receive your paycheck up to two days early.[3]

Assets for Sale

Stash customers can manually invest in:

  • Stocks
  • ETFs

It’s important to note that customers who use Stash’s Smart Portfolio feature—in which Stash experts choose a customer’s assets for them—may automatically invest in alternative assets. These alternative assets may include funds, bonds, and cryptocurrencies.

Pricing

Stash does not charge commission fees. Instead, customers pay a monthly fee for access to the app.

Customers can choose one of three plans, each offered at a different price per month. See Stash’s three primary plans below, with prices and benefits included:

Stash Beginner ($1/mo.):

    • Beginner investing advice
    • Access to a Personal Investing Portfolio
    • Access to the Stock-Back® Card debit card[1]
    • Up to $1,000 life insurance by Avibra[4]

Stash Growth ($3/mo.):

    • Everything included in Stash Beginner
    • Advice for growing finances
    • Access to a Smart Portfolio
    • Access to a Retirement Portfolio

Stash + ($9/mo.):

    • Everything included in Stash Growth
    • Advice for family investing
    • Access to 2 Kids Portfolios (dependents)
    • 2X stock with the Stock-Back® Card debit card[5]
    • Up to $10,000 life insurance by Avibra[4]

Customers can cancel their Stash account at any time.

Other taxes and fees may apply. For additional pricing information, see the Stash website.

Crypto

Customers who invest with Smart Portfolio can automatically invest in cryptocurrencies.

Stash analysts have included cryptocurrency exposure in Smart Portfolios through trusts with exposure to Bitcoin and Ether. Analysts may include other promising coins to the Smart Portfolio strategy in the future.

How to Invest with Stash

Customers invest in two primary ways with Stash: manually and with Smart Portfolio.

Manual Investing

    • Fund your account
    • Select the stock or ETF you’d like to invest in
    • Choose the number of shares, or the number of fractional shares
    • Submit your order
    • Consider implementing automatic investing tools for future investing

Smart Portfolio Investing:

    • Simply fund your account: the rest is done by Stash analysts

Who It’s Best for

Stash can be a powerful investing tool for any customer. That being said, these types of customers might get the most out of the platform:

  • Hands-off Investors:
  • Some users want to spend less than five minutes a month managing their investment portfolio. Hands-off investors can use the Smart Portfolio feature to simply fund their account, set up an automatic payment schedule, and leave it be.
  • Money-savvy Shoppers:
  • Users that like to indulge in a daily coffee purchase, shop online, or grab the occasional fast food bag would make great use of Stash’s Stock-Back® Card[1]. Customers can get bonus stock, just for shopping at their favorite spots.
  • Short- and Long-term Investors:
  • Some investors want their investing app to be a one-stop hub for all their investing needs. With personal, retirement, Smart, and Kids Portfolio options, users can invest for any phase of life all within the same platform.

How to Sign Up

Signing up only takes a few minutes.

Simply follow our link to the Stash website and sign up. Our link automatically applies deals and promotions to your checkout cart, meaning you get even more out of your Stash account. When you sign up for Stash using our link, get a bonus $5 after depositing $5 to your Personal Portfolio.

The Bottom Line

The Stash team wants every American to take part in the stock market. Thanks to zero-commission trading, low monthly fees, and fractional sharing; every customer has an equal shot at growing their wealth. Customers can find a personal, retirement, Smart, or Kids portfolio, all within the same mobile or desktop platform. Lastly, Stash offers the Stock-Back® Card, a debit card that automatically matches your day-to-day purchases to stock investments.

No matter how much you have in your bank account, you can get your assets growing with Stash.


Paid non-client endorsement. See Apple App Store and Google Play reviews. View important disclosures. Offer is subject to Terms and Conditions.

Investment advisory services offered by Stash Investments LLC, an SEC registered investment adviser. Investing involves risk and investments may lose value.

A “Smart Portfolio” is a Discretionary Managed account whereby Stash has full authority to manage. Diversification and asset allocation do not guarantee a profit, nor do they eliminate the risk of loss of principal. Stash does not guarantee any level of performance or that any client will avoid losses in the client’s account. The Investment team built these portfolios with the goal of optimizing risk-adjusted returns achieving this through utilizing the diversification benefits highlighted by modern portfolio theory. Portfolios aim to optimize returns given client’s risk profile. Stash does not guarantee any level of performance or that any client will avoid losses in the client’s account.

Crypto is relatively new and can be volatile. Investments are Delaware Statutory Trusts and offer indirect exposure to Crypto.

“Kids Portfolio” is a custodial UGMA / UTMA account. Money in a custodial account is the property of the minor. This type of account is a Non-Discretionary Managed account.

“Retirement Portfolio” is an IRA (Traditional or Roth) and is a non-discretionary managed account. Stash does not monitor whether a customer is eligible for a particular type of IRA, or a tax deduction, or if a reduced contribution limit applies to a customer. These are based on a customer’s individual circumstances. You should consult with a tax advisor.

Clients may incur ancillary fees charged by Stash and/or it’s custodian that are not included in the monthly subscription fee.

Stash Subscription fee starts at $1/ month. You’ll also bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the ETFs in your account, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash and the Custodian. Please see the Advisory Agreement for details. Other fees apply to the bank account. Please see the Deposit Account Agreement.

1 All rewards earned through use of the Stash Visa Debit card (Stock-Back® Card) will be fulfilled by Stash Investments LLC. Rewards will go to your Stash personal investment account, which is not FDIC insured. You will bear the standard fees and expenses reflected in the pricing of the investments that you earn, plus fees for various ancillary services charged by Stash. Stash Stock-Back® Rewards is not sponsored or endorsed by Green Dot Bank, Green Dot Corporation, Visa U.S.A., or any of their respective affiliates. What doesn’t count: Cash withdrawals, money orders, prepaid cards, and P2P payment. If publicly-traded stock of the merchant (or a subsidiary thereof, if applicable) is not available or otherwise capable of being fulfilled for any reason, the stock reward arising from a qualifying transaction will be in an ETF or a publicly traded company available on the Stash Platform. A user will receive shares of the ETF or publicly traded company that is designated as their Default Investment at the time the qualifying purchase posts to the user’s Stash Banking account. See full terms and conditions.

2 Fee-free ATM access applied to in-network ATMs only. For out-of-network ATMs and bank tellers a $2.50 fee will apply, plus any additional fee that the ATM owner or bank may charge.

3 Early availability depends on timing of payor’s payment instructions and fraud prevention restrictions may apply. As such, the availability or timing of early direct deposit may vary from pay period to pay period.

4 Group life insurance coverage provided through Avibra, Inc. Stash is a paid partner of Avibra. Only individuals who opened Stash accounts after 11/6/20, aged 18-54 and who are residents of one of the 50 U.S. states or DC are eligible for group life insurance coverage, subject to availability. Individuals with certain pre-existing medical conditions may not be eligible for the full coverage above, but may instead receive less coverage. All insurance products are subject to state availability, issue limitations and contractual terms and conditions, any of which may change at any time and without notice. Please see Terms and Conditions for full details. Stash may receive compensation from business partners in connection with certain promotions in which Stash refers clients to such partners for the purchase of non-investment consumer products or services. This type of marketing partnership gives Stash an incentive to refer clients to business partners instead of to businesses that are not partners of Stash. This conflict of interest affects the ability of Stash to provide clients with unbiased, objective promotions concerning the products and services of its business partners. This could mean that the products and/or services of other businesses, that do not compensate Stash, may be more appropriate for a client than the products and/or services of Stash’s business partners. Clients are, however, not required to purchase the products and services Stash promotes.

5 Double Stock-Back® Rewards is subject to terms and conditions.