At Investor Junkie, we reviewed over one hundred investing and personal finance services. Our goal is to bring you the most honest, simple, and informative reviews. It turns out; users also want to compare specific services.
This review compares Betterment and M1 Finance. The better service depends on your needs. So let's dive in!
According to our readers (you!), when it comes to robo advisors, people care most about the
fees, minimum investment requirements, and whether or not the service supports for 401(k) plans.
Let's look at how Betterment and M1 Finance stack up against each
other on these features.
To start, we will compare the fees for trading with both robo
advisors. Betterment has
annual fees at 0.25% fee per year. In
contrast, M1 Finance has annual fees of 0%.
When it comes to fees, M1 Finance wins by not charging anything to use their service.
Let's consider the minimum investment that's required to use both Betterment and M1 Finance.
At $0, both services have the same minimum deposit.
Both Betterment and M1 Finance have the same $0 minimum deposit.
When it comes to supporting 401(k) plans, there is a clear line of division. Betterment does offer support for 401(k) plans, while M1 Finance does not. If you are someone who wants help on your employee-sponsored retirement account, Betterment will be your option.
Overall, Betterment rates 9 out of 10, while M1 Finance ranks 8.5 out of 10. For more information on either, you can read our full reviews on Betterment and M1 Finance.
Robo-Advisor | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Review | Betterment Review | M1 Finance Review |
| Overall rating as by Investor Junkie. Rating | 9/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Commissions & Fees | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Customer Service | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Ease of Use | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Tools & Resources | 9/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Investment Options | 9/10 | 9.5/10 |
| Asset Allocation | 8.5/10 | 9/10 |
| Promotions | Up To 1 Year Free | Invest for FREE |
| Minimum Investment | $0 | $0 |
| Account Fees | Digital – 0.25%/year; Premium – 0.40%/year | None |
| Accounts Available | Taxable, Joint, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA, Trusts, Non-Profit | Taxable, Joint, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA, Rollover IRA, SEP IRA, Trusts |
| Advice | Human Assisted | Automated |
Does the robo-advisor offer assistance with your employer sponsored retirement plan? 401(k) Guidance |  |  |
| Tax Loss Harvesting | — All Taxable Accounts | |
| Portfolio Rebalancing | | |
| Retirement Planning Tools | | |
| Automatic Deposits | Weekly, Biweekly and Monthly | Daily, Weekly, and Monthly |
| Clearing Agency | Apex Clearing | Apex Clearing |
| Self Clearing | | |
| Smart Beta | | |
| Socially Responsible Investing | | |
| Invests in Commodities | | |
| Invests in Real Estate | | |
| Fractional Shares | | |
How can you access the sevice? Website only? Via smartphone app? Access | Website, iOS App, Android App | Website, iOS App, Android App |
More security to prevent unauthorized access to your account. Two-Factor Authentication | | |
| Customer Service | Phone: M-Th 9A-8P, F 9A-6P ET; Live Chat: M-Th 9A-8P, F 9A-6P, Sat-Sun 11A-6P ET; Email | Phone: M-F 9A-5P CT; Email |
| Assets Under Management | $13B | $30M |
| Number of Accounts | 444K | N/A |
Sign Up | Sign Up | Sign Up |
About Betterment
Betterment is a good starting point for beginner investors. The robo advisor has no minimum deposit and costs 0.25% annually. If you need the assistance, it recently added human advisors, who can assist with your retirement account. Unfortunately, its asset allocation excludes REITs or commodities.
About M1 Finance
Combining the best of both traditional investment brokerage accounts and robo advisors, M1 Finance is dangerously close to being the perfect all-around investment platform. The only significant negatives are that it does not offer tax-loss harvesting or investment in mutual funds.
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