If you’re looking for a simple yet powerful way to invest, both M1 Finance and Stash can be viable options. Both brokerages offer a variety of features, benefits, and some drawbacks.
You might be wondering which one is better, easier to use, has lower fees, or other aspects about them.
In this post, I’ll explore both M1 Finance and Stash to help you decide which platform is right for you. Let’s get started.
M1 Finance Overview
M1 Finance has been around since 2015 with the mission to “empower you to improve your financial well-being”. They help with this through an assortment of methods.
Not only is M1 Finance an investing platform, but you can also borrowing money via a margin account or open a debit card that earns rewards.
M1 Finance is trusted by over 500,000 users with $2 billion+ in assets under management as a strong testament to the platform.
M1 Finance is a visually attractive platform that focuses on a pie visualization to display your holdings and performance.
Sign up for an M1 Finance account today!
Stash Overview
Stash was also founded in 2015 debuting on the Apple App Store for users to register with one philosophy, everyone should have access to investing.
Similar to M1 Finance, Stash also has over 500,000 users and close to $2 billion in assets under management.
Get $5 free when registering for a Stash account today!
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M1 Finance vs Stash – New Account Bonuses
Both M1 Finance and Stash offer bonuses for new customers that are slightly different.
- Stash: Earn $5 when you deposit $5
- M1 Finance: Earn $10 when you deposit $100
As you can see, Stash offers a better bonus considering the qualifications.
Winner: Stash
M1 Finance vs Stash – Fees
M1 Finance wins this category as there is no fee to use M1 Finance. Stash charges anywhere from $1 to $9 per month for their services.
Stash Beginner is their basic plan that includes investing capabilities, banking, personalized advice, savings tools, and $1,000 of life insurance. This service will cost $1 per month or $12 annually.
The Stash Growth service offers the above plus retirement accounts including Roth or Traditional IRAs, tax benefits for retirement investing, and personalized retirement advice. This service is priced at $3 per month or $36 annually.
The Stash+ service offers everything within Stash Growth plus investing for children (custodial accounts), premium research and advice, and $10,000 of life insurance. Stash+ is priced at $9 per month or $108 annually.
Winner: M1 Finance
M1 Finance vs Stash – Features
Below are some features that you might be interested in when choosing a brokerage account.
Related: M1 Finance vs Robinhood
Account Types
Both brokerages offer several investing account types.
M1 Finance offers many accounts including a simple brokerage account, joint accounts, a Traditional IRA, a Rollover IRA, a Roth IRA, SEP IRA, Trust, and most notable, free Custodial accounts.
Stash offers similar account types, however, access to some of them will require an upgraded plan. For example, access to custodial accounts will require the Stash+ platform, costing you $9 per month.
Winner: M1 Finance
Ease of Use
Both M1 Finance and Stash make investing easy. They both have user-friendly, clean, simple designs making it easy to analyze and choose investments.
Stash includes a “Stocks by industry” layout that makes picking stocks based on your interest a breeze.
I would give Stash a slight advantage in this category because the lack of offerings makes it simple to maneuver the app.
Winner: Stash
Auto Investing
Both M1 Finance and Stash offer auto investing features to help you stay on track with your investing goals.
You can set up automatic transfers from a checking account into your investment accounts and have your investments made automatically based on your portfolio’s construct.
Winner: Tie
Investing Offerings
Both M1 Finance and Stash offer a wide variety of stocks, ETFs, and curated funds.
M1 Finance grants you access to over 5,000 investment opportunities through stocks, ETFs, and curated funds. Stash offers access to just over 1,500 stocks and ETFs.
M1 Finance offers many more investment opportunities giving it the edge in this category.
Winner: M1 Finance
Overall Features Winner: M1 Finance
Final Verdict: M1 Finance vs Stash
Overall, you can’t go wrong with either brokerage. Both offer a variety of features to suit many types of investors and individuals.
If you’re looking for an investment platform with no fees, M1 Finance is the better selection. If you’re looking for a somewhat easier interface, Stash is a slightly better option, but not by much.
Between the two, M1 Finance is my overall winner because of zero fees and a variety of investment options.
If you’re unsure of which brokerage to use, give each of them a try and find which one suits your needs.
Related: Fundrise vs CrowdStreet
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