Ally Invest Review – Low-Cost Trades on Stocks & Other Investments

If you’re familiar with the world of online banking, you’ve likely heard of Philadelphia-based Ally Bank. A subsidiary of Ally Financial, Ally Bank is one of the oldest and best-regarded online-only banks. It’s renowned for above-average yields, low fees, virtually nonexistent bank account opening minimums, and a popular cash-back credit card with no annual fee.

You’re likely less familiar with Ally Invest, Ally Bank’s much newer online brokerage. It’s one of our top online stock broker picks along with competitors like Fidelity, Charles Schwab, and E*TRADE. Ally Invest is heir to TradeKing, an old-school discount brokerage purchased and rebranded by Ally Bank in 2016.

If you’re in the market for a new brokerage or less than thrilled with your current investing experience, Ally Invest is definitely worth a closer look.

Key Features

Let’s review Ally Invest’s most important features.

Investment Account Opening Bonuses

When you transfer at least $10,000 in qualifying deposits to any new Ally Invest account, you may qualify for an account opening bonus.

The exact size of your cash bonus depends on the total amount of the qualifying deposit:

• $10,000 to $24,900: $100
• $25,000 to $99,900: $250
• $100,000 to $249,900: $300
• $250,000 to $499,900: $600
• $500,000 to $999,900: $1,200
• $1M to $1.99M: $2,000
• $2M+: $3,000

Qualifying deposits must be made within 60 days of account opening. Following Ally Invest’s 60-day review, bonuses are deposited within 10 business days.

Once you’ve received your account opening bonus, the bonus and qualifying deposit (minus trading losses) can’t be withdrawn from the account for 300 days. Funds not included in the qualifying deposit may be withdrawn at any time.

Ally Invest reserves the right to revoke the bonus if you withdraw the bonus or qualifying deposit within the 300-day window.

Account Opening Transfer Credits

Separately from the account opening bonuses, new Ally Invest customers can qualify for up to $150 in transfer fee credits when they transfer existing accounts (including cash and securities) from another brokerage firm.

The minimum account size balance to qualify for a fee credit is $2,500.

Available Investment Products

Ally Invest’s self-directed trading platform has a pretty broad array of available investment products. Unless otherwise noted, all trade commission-free save for negligible regulatory fees and surcharges:

• Stocks. You can buy and sell exchange-listed stocks and certain over-the-counter stocks with Ally Invest. Stocks priced over $2 per share trade commission-free, while stocks priced under $2 per share may incur trading costs.
• Bonds. You can buy and sell dozens of corporate and government bonds with Ally Invest, with a minimum commission of $1 per bond and a minimum total cost of $10 per trade. Certain bonds have purchase minimums that may exceed this threshold, so be sure to read all pertinent fine print before placing a buy order.
• Mutual Funds. Mutual funds are baskets of securities built for specific ends. Every mutual fund has an expense ratio, but funds built for passive investors (including index funds) generally have low ratios. Ally Invest has more than 12,000 load and no-load mutual funds. The standard no-load fund commission is $9.95; note that load funds charge fees on the front or back end separately from platform commissions and ongoing expenses.
• ETFs. ETFs, or exchange-traded funds, look like mutual funds and trade like stocks. Like mutual funds, they’re strategically assembled baskets of equities and other financial instruments designed to achieve specific outcomes, such as mirroring the performance of an underlying index. Like mutual funds, ETFs have management fees and other expenses expressed cumulatively in each instrument’s expense ratio. Most index ETFs have low expense ratios, as little as 0.05% or 0.10% per year.
• Options. Options are derivative instruments that confer the right to buy or sell an underlying asset by a set future date (expiration). There are several different types of options, each with its own rules and advantages, so be sure to visit Ally Invest’s help resources if you’re not familiar with them. Although options trade commission-free at Ally Invest, there’s a $0.50 fee per contract.
• Forex. Advanced traders can trade more than 80 currency pairs using Ally Invest’s forex trading platform. Pricing is competitive and spreads are low (down to 1 to 2 pips).

Traditional Brokerage Accounts

You can buy and sell any of Ally Invest’s mainline products in a traditional self-directed taxable brokerage account. Eligible products include stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, and options.

There’s no minimum deposit to open a traditional brokerage account, and with very low fees, these accounts are ideal for active traders.

Ally Invest’s traditional brokerage accounts can be held by a single individual, jointly by a legal couple, or in a custodial arrangement between a parent or guardian and a minor child (custodial account). Unlike Ally’s IRAs, traditional brokerage accounts are not tax-advantaged.

Tax-Advantaged Accounts

You can buy and sell any mainline investment product — and, in some cases, make deposits in Ally-backed savings products with competitive interest rates — in a tax-advantaged account, such as a traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, or Coverdell Education Savings Account.

You can also roll over a qualifying corporate retirement plan, such as a 401(k), to a rollover IRA account. These accounts don’t have any ongoing fees charged by Ally Invest.

Before opening your account, read up on the differences between traditional and Roth IRAs and consult the IRS or your financial professional for important information about tax-advantaged account eligibility, suitability, and restrictions.

Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios

Ally Invest has a robo-advisor vertical known as Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios. Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios are ideal for hands-off investors who aren’t sold on the DIY approach and aren’t convinced that they need to pay premiums for help from human financial advisors.

Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios carry no advisory fees, unlike most competing platforms, and keep about 30% of invested assets in a cash buffer with a variable yield to insulate against market risk.

Ally Invest’s Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios are “professionally designed, personalized portfolios tailored to your financial needs, risk tolerance, goals and investment horizons.”

Following an onboarding consultation with a human financial professional who assesses your goals and risk tolerance, they’re built largely with low-cost index ETFs. They’re then automatically rebalanced on a flexible schedule that turns on the composition of your portfolio, risk tolerance, balance, and time horizon.

Trades made using the Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios automated investment advisor are always commission-free, and Ally Invest offers a socially responsible investing option for values-driven account holders.

Platform Tools and Resources

Ally Invest’s self-directed side has a nice lineup of tools and resources for enterprising traders and investors:

• Real-Time (Streaming) Charts. These customizable charts come in six different configurations, including the immediately recognizable candlestick and mountain varieties. You can plot the performance of indexes, stocks, and ETFs with more than 90 visualization and drawing tools.
• Profit-Loss Calculator. This tool does the hard work of calculating the potential profit or loss of an options trade before it’s made. Although it’s not predictive, you can use it to get a general sense of your likely exposure.
• Watchlist. This perennial brokerage tool lets you compile your favorite equities and funds in one place. Track their performance at your leisure, then pull the trigger when the timing is right.
• Snapshots and Market Data. Ally Invest’s market and company snapshots are information-rich (but not too dense) profiles built to increase your market IQ. The market data tool gives you a deeper, more granular look at companies, funds, and indexes, including historical performance and key financial data.
• Probability Calculator. Like the profit-loss calculator, Ally Invest’s probability calculator isn’t predictive. But it does take a scientific approach to risk assessment, using implied volatility to determine the relative likelihood that your strategy will pay off.

Customer Support

Ally Invest has a robust customer support apparatus that includes call-in phone support and live chat. The call center for Ally Invest customers is open 24/7. The system displays current wait times, so you can plan your calls accordingly.

Advantages

Ally Invest has some notable advantages, including nonexistent minimums and low or nonexistent fees.

1. No Minimum Deposit for Self-Directed Accounts. Like Ally Bank’s checking and savings accounts, Ally Invest’s self-directed accounts don’t have deposit minimums. That’s obviously great news for low-balance investors and a strong argument for Ally Invest’s inclusion on any first-time investor’s shortlist.
2. No Fees for Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios. Ally Invest’s Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios have no advisory fees and offer a variable yield on the cash buffer (about 30% of invested assets). This is a huge advantage over fellow automated portfolio management platforms and human advisors alike. Indeed, human financial advisors typically charge 0.75% to 1.50% of assets under management (AUM), while hybrid advisors that blend hands-on financial advice with automated investment management generally charge 0.50% to 1.00% AUM, depending on the platform and account balance.
3. Commission-Free Stock and ETF Trading. Ally Invest’s self-directed stock and ETF trades carry no commissions, which is a welcome relief for frugal traders.
4. Solid Account Opening Bonus Offers. Ally Invest’s account opening bonus offers hold their own against top bank and brokerage account opening offers. Depending on how much you deposit, you could earn a bonus of up to $3,000.
5. Wide Range of Available Account Types. Ally Invest has a comprehensive lineup of account types: traditional self-directed brokerage accounts, a slew of retirement accounts, and specialized account types, such as the Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios option. No matter your strategy or time horizon, you can probably find an account that suits your needs here.
6. Robust Customer Support. Ally Invest’s customer support team is available by phone and online chat around the clock. This is a distinguishing feature of Ally Bank too. Most competing financial institutions limit customer support hours to business days or close for 12 hours or longer overnight.
7. Full-Service Sister Bank Makes for Full-Spectrum Financial Management. Although functionally separate, Ally Bank and Ally Invest are clearly related. Ally Bank enthusiastically markets Ally Invest to its customers, for whom Ally Invest is an ideal first brokerage. Likewise, it’s not hard to see how high-yield Ally Bank deposit accounts might factor into Ally Invest customers’ diversification and liquidity plans. While many online brokerages have associated or adjacent banks, it’s rare to find one as comprehensive or well-run as Ally Bank.

Disadvantages

Ally Invest does have some downsides, including no commission-free mutual fund trades and no physical branches staffed with human advisors.

1. No Commission-Free Mutual Fund Trades. Ally Invest doesn’t offer commission-free mutual fund trades at present. This is a drawback for Ally Invest customers whose long-term investing strategies rely heavily on low-cost mutual funds, which are integral to passive and index investing. Competing full-service brokerages, such as TD Ameritrade and Schwab, have plenty of no-transaction-fee funds.
2. No Physical Infrastructure. Ally Invest doesn’t have physical branches or offices — you can’t meet Ally Invest staff in person, even if you’re a Cash-Enhanced Managed Portfolios client. If you prefer to have a hands-on, personal relationship with the folks responsible for managing your money, a traditional financial advisor might be a better fit.

Final Word

Ally Invest is an above-average online brokerage, but it’s not the only trading and investing platform worthy of your hard-earned dollars. There are plenty of other options out there, and only you — perhaps in consultation with a financial advisor — can decide which one best fits your needs.