Last updated Feb. 27, 2024 | By FinanceBuzz Editors
As technology advances, so do day-to-day processes. If you’re new to investing or have been with the same brokerage for years, you probably missed a huge jump forward in online investing.
We’ve put together a list of platforms that are completely changing the way we think about investing. These user-friendly platforms can guide you through purchasing whole or fractional shares, and grant you access to assets that were previously out of reach for everyday investors.
Weigh your options, then choose the one that’s right for you.
Get $20 to invest in top companies when you deposit $5
Once you’ve paid all your essential monthly bills, take a look at what’s left in your bank account and come up with an investing strategy. Even if it’s not a lot of money, don’t let that stop you — you can start investing with just $5.
Stash is a great place for beginning investors to get started. You can invest in fractional shares (partial shares) in companies that are household names like Apple, Tesla, and Amazon. A single share of some companies could cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars, but with fractional shares, you can invest with as little as $5.
BONUS: Stash will give you $20 towards your first investment after you sign up and deposit $5 or more.1 Here’s how to get started today:
Sign up and open an account.
Set up your first $5 deposit.
Collect your $20 and invest!
It’s that simple to start investing in fractional shares and start saving for your future.
Sign up and deposit $5 to start investing
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FinanceBuzz doesn’t invest its money with this provider, but they are our referral partner. We get paid by them only if you click to them from our website and take a qualifying action (for example, opening an account.)
Robinhood is a great option for both new traders and seasoned investors.
With Robinhood it’s completely free to buy and trade stocks, options, and more. All trading is commission-free with no account minimums or maintenance fees. They’ll even give you a free stock in a company like Apple, Sprint, or Ford.
Sign up using the link below and Robinhood will add 1 free share of stock (valued between $5 to $200) to your account when your brokerage application is approved.
Sign up for Robinhood now
Build passive income with shares of rental homes
Secret: You don’t have to be an Airbnb host to build passive income with rental properties.
Ark7 is a new way of building wealth by investing in high-quality, professionally managed rental properties … without having to buy the whole property yourself.
Sign up for free here and make sure you confirm your email so you get access to the properties. Then, simply choose properties you like and invest in shares of them. The investment minimum is $20. Of course, the more you invest, the more earning potential you have.
Ark7 investors have earned 5%+ annualized distributions from monthly income alone2. If applicable, you’ll receive monthly distributions straight to your account.
Invest in “cash flow” properties for as little as $500
Rental properties can be a powerful source of cash flow. But what if you don’t want to buy (or manage) entire rental properties?
Thanks to recent advances in investment tech and legal, it’s now possible.
CalTier gives you access to cash-flowing commercial real estate starting with as little as $500.3 These “cash flow” properties are alternative investments that fall outside of the stock market and are not always available to retail investors.
Where your money goes: Your investment is spread across a portfolio of cash-flowing apartment buildings, either directly or as fractional investments with CalTier’s real estate partners.
How you get paid: CalTier with their partners manages the buildings for you. When applicable, you’re paid directly to your bank account from the potential income generated by the portfolio in proportion to your share ownership in the fund.
Ultimately, CalTier is a powerful tool that can help you get started in the world of cash flow real estate … all for a fraction of what it would cost to buy an entire property yourself.
Get started with as little as $500
Paid Non-Client Promotion
FinanceBuzz doesn’t invest its money with this provider, but they are our referral partner. We get paid by them only if you click to them from our website and take a qualifying action (for example, opening an account.)
Get $20 to Start Investing
Stash Benefits
Get $20 to make your first investment4
Invest in stocks, bonds, and ETFs
Fractional shares available
Start investing with just $5
Visit Stash
Paid Non-Client Promotion
FinanceBuzz doesn’t invest its money with this provider, but they are our referral partner. We get paid by them only if you click to them from our website and take a qualifying action (for example, opening an account.)
How we chose these products
FinanceBuzz evaluated a selection of investment products offered by our partners, looking at various criteria including product features, fees, and more. We did not review all products in the category and compensation was considered when evaluating and ordering the products.
FinanceBuzz is not an investment advisor. This content is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.
Autopilot is an investment app that enables investors to trade the portfolios of famous politicians like Nancy Pelosi and investment managers like Warren Buffett.
Bottom Line. Webull may be the better choice for nearly any investor who wants an online trading platform. Sophisticated investors are unlikely to find any significant benefit in Robinhood's ease of use. However, both platforms make trading easy and quick, whether from a desktop or a smartphone screen.
Mobile investing platforms are popular because they make the investing process easier and less expensive. But gamification and other features can also result in more emotional decisions and day-trading-like behavior.
Leader in low-cost funds: The company has a solid reputation for the well-below-average expense ratios on its index funds and exchange-traded funds. For long-term investors looking to pair a buy-and-hold strategy with the lowest-cost offerings, it's hard to beat the service and selection found with Vanguard.
A 5-star rating means the stock is trading meaningfully below fair value. 3. Morningstar's rating system also factors in an uncertainty adjustment (known as the Fair Value Uncertainty rating).
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The U.S. stock market is considered to offer the highest investment returns over time. Higher returns, however, come with higher risk. Stock prices typically are more volatile than bond prices.
Starting yields, potential rate cuts and a return to contrasting performance for stocks and bonds could mean an attractive environment for fixed income in 2024.
Introduction: My name is Francesca Jacobs Ret, I am a innocent, super, beautiful, charming, lucky, gentle, clever person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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