SoFi Active Investing packs in essential perks such as no trading commissions, no account minimums, and a high-quality mobile app experience. Learn more about this stock broker with our SoFi Active Investing review.
Open Account for SoFi Active Investing
OnSoFi Active Investing'sSecure Website.
Ratings Methodology
2024 Award Winner
Our Rating:
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars.
4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Bottom Line
A clear standout for a modern investing experience, particularly for beginner and long-term investors. The ability to buy fractional shares, as well as the ability for everyday investors to participate in IPOs, bolsters our overall opinion.
Fees:
$0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts
Account Minimum:
$0
Special OfferFor new accounts: Customer must fund their Active Invest account with at least $10 within 30 days of opening the account. Probability of customer receiving $1,000 is 0.028%.
Get up to $1,000 in stock when you fund a new Active Invest account.
Open Account for SoFi Active Investing
OnSoFi Active Investing'sSecure Website.
Alternatives to Consider
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2024.
| Account | Fees | Account Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; $5 monthly for Robinhood Gold | $0 | Open Account for Robinhood |
Rating image, 5.0 out of 5 stars. 5.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETF trades; trade fractional shares for as little as $1 | $0 | Open Account for Fidelity |
Rating image, 4.0 out of 5 stars. 4.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 per trade | $0 | Open Account for J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Commission-free; other fees apply | $0 | Open Account for E*TRADE |
Full SoFi Active Investing review
This stock broker is a good fit for: Beginner stock and ETF investors seeking a high-quality mobile experience and low commissions.
Pros
- $0 stock and options commissions
- Low account minimum
- High-quality mobile app
- IPO investing
- Fractional share investing
- Mutual funds
- Alternative funds
Cons
- Few account types
Top perks
No trading commissions
Most brokerages have scrapped trading commissions for online stock and ETF trades. SoFi Invest is no different. However, SoFi Invest also offers options trading with no per-contract fees, which is somewhat of a rarity in the brokerage industry.
No account minimums
You can open a SoFi Invest account with no minimum amount.
SoFi Invest lets investors buy fractional shares of stock. In a nutshell, investors can buy a portion of a share of stock for as little as $5. This means that not only can investors open an account with a tiny deposit, but they can actually invest that tiny amount of money -- even in stocks whose share prices are relatively high.
All-in-one app
SoFi has an easy-to-use app that serves as the functional home base for its investing platform and other financial products. It is highly rated, with 4.8 out of five stars on the App Store and 4.2 out of five stars on Google Play.
Retirement accounts
Unlike some of the other low-frills brokerages, SoFi Invest offers traditional, Roth, and SEP IRA accounts to its investors, both active and automated.
Lots of educational resources
SoFi Invest does a great job of educating its customers about all of its financial products and accounts, and its brokerage is no exception. The platform offers extensive educational resources for investors who are just getting started or who want to advance their investing knowledge.
IPO investing
Most brokers reserve IPO investing for investors who either have a high net worth or are very active. SoFi Invest allows all active investing members to participate in IPOs with no minimum account balance or investment amount.
Mutual funds
SoFi Invest now offers more than 6,000 commision-free mutual funds on its platform. Minimums are low, and folks can invest in mutual funds through their brokerage and retirement accounts.
Alternative funds
Alongside mutual funds, SoFi Invest offers alternative funds, including access to venture capital. In the discount brokerage universe, that's uncommon. Folks can invest in alternative funds through their SoFi Invest brokerage and retirement accounts.
Discounts on other SoFi products
If you use SoFi Active Investing, you'll become a SoFi member. This entitles you to discounts on other products offered by the company. For example, if you end up taking out a personal loan, you can get a discounted interest rate because of your relationship with the company.
Retirement matching
SoFi Invest is one of the few brokerage platforms that gives investors a bonus for retirement contributions. SoFi Invest's standard matching rate is 1% of eligible IRA contributions, and this includes both new contributions and transfers of assets or cash from outside accounts. So, if you roll an old 401(k) with $20,000 into a SoFi Invest IRA, you can get a $200 bonus for doing so. There are certain conditions to meet before you can keep the bonus, but this is a big differentiator.
For a limited time (until April 15, 2024), SoFi Invest is doubling its matching rate to 2%. This only applies to ACH transfers into the account -- not transferred accounts -- but it can still be a great incentive to get your retirement contributions in your account before tax day.
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What could be improved
Account types
SoFi Invest offers traditional brokerage accounts (both individual and joint), as well as traditional and Roth IRAs. It also offers SEP IRAs -- a favorite of self-employed individuals. However, it does not offer SIMPLE IRAs, solo 401(k) accounts, UGMA/UTMA accounts, trusts, and several other account types you might be interested in.
Trading platform
SoFi Invest's desktop and app-based trading platforms are easy to use. However, they don't have as many features as some of the other top brokerages. Active investors and those who want features like stock research, charting tools, and other advanced features may want to look elsewhere.
Commissions
Like most other brokerages, SoFi Active Investing doesn't charge commissions on stock trades. However, it does charge a 0.5% purchase fee for alternative funds.
| Stocks and ETFs | Options | Mutual Funds | Alternative Investments |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0 | $0 | $0 | 0.5% purchase fee |
Data source: SoFi.
Fees
On all stock and ETF trades, investors will pay $0 in transaction fees. Options trading is also available, and has no per-contract charges or commissions. SoFi Invest offers mutual funds and alternative investments; the platform charges $0 commision fees for mutual funds, but fund managers may charge fees independent of SoFi Invest. After the first 60 days (which started on Jan. 29), SoFi Invest will begin charging a competitive 0.5% purchase fee on alternative funds.
Trading platform
Investors can buy and sell stocks, ETFs, and other investment types through SoFi Invest's desktop platform. They can also use its highly rated app, which also serves as the home base for all of SoFi's financial products.
The SoFi app is known for its ease of use. It's currently rated at a 4.8 out of 5 in the Apple App Store, and a 4.2 out of 5 in the Google Play Store.
Margin rates
SoFi Active Investing does offer margin at a flat rate of 10% for members. In the current interest rate environment, this is in line with what most other brokers offer.
Research offerings
SoFi Active Investing is designed as a low-frills platform. It's primarily targeted at beginning investors, and does not offer access to third-party stock research at this time. Investors who like to analyze stocks might prefer a full-featured brokerage.
SoFi Active Investing is right for you if:
- You're a beginning investor. SoFi Invest is geared toward beginning investors. It isn't intended to be the best place for experienced investors who are analyzing stocks.
- You want to keep all of your finances in one place. SoFi is well known for its loan products, especially personal loans. It also offers the SoFi Money account, which combines the best features of checking and savings accounts. And SoFi Invest has one of our top-rated robo-advisors, SoFi Automated Investing. With an all-in-one app and a wide range of financial products, SoFi can be a great choice for people who want to keep their investments in the same place as their other financial accounts.
- You want to invest in mutual funds. Not many discount brokers offer mutual funds. SoFi Invest combines a clean, modern interface with a broad range of investment options.
RELATED: SoFi Active Investing Promotions
Our brokerage rating methodology
At The Motley Fool Ascent, brokerages are rated on a scale of one to five stars. We primarily focus on fees, available assets, and account types; however, we also take into account features like research, education, tax-loss harvesting, and highly rated mobile apps. Our highest-rated brokerages generally include low fees, a diverse range of assets and account types, and useful platform features.
See our full methodology here: Ratings Methodology
FAQs
SoFi Active Investing is the financial service company's brokerage offering. It allows SoFi Invest customers to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options through an easy-to-use platform, and can be used through the same mobile app and web platform as SoFi's bank accounts and loan products.
SoFi Active Investing is designed to be a user-friendly way to buy stocks and other investments for investors of all experience levels. It has an easy-to-use platform and a ton of educational resources to help newer investors learn.
Our Brokerages Experts
By:Matt Frankel, CFP®
Writer, Analyst
Matt is a Certified Financial Planner™ and investment advisor based in Columbia, South Carolina. He writes personal finance and investment advice for The Ascent and its parent company The Motley Fool, with more than 4,500 published articles and a 2017 SABEW Best in Business award. Matt writes a weekly investment column ("Ask a Fool") that is syndicated in USA Today, and his work has been regularly featured on CNBC, Fox Business, MSN Money, and many other major outlets. He’s a graduate of the University of South Carolina and Nova Southeastern University, and holds a graduate certificate in financial planning from Florida State University.
By:Cole Tretheway
Cole Tretheway is a full-time personal finance writer whose articles have been featured on The Ascent and The Motley Fool. He has a degree in English with a Certificate in Professional and Technical Communication from California Polytechnic University, SLO.
Fact CheckedEric McWhinnie
Eric McWhinnie has been writing and editing digital content since 2010. He specializes in personal finance and investing. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in Finance.
