Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing review quick take: An online brokerage account to buy and sell stocks and ETFs with $0 commission fees.
What is Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing?
Ally Invest Self-Directed is for DIY investors looking to buy and sell stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and options. There are no account minimums and zero commissions for trades.
The self-directed trading accounts available are:
- Individual
- Joint
- Custodial
- Retirement accounts: Traditional, Roth, Rollover IRA
- Education: Coverdell Education Savings Account
Securities products and services are offered through Ally Invest Securities LLC, member FINRA and SIPC, which protects securities customers of its members up to $500,000 (including $250,000 for claims for cash).
How Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing Works
When you open an account, the do-it-yourself platform gives you professional insights, stock research tools, and more.
- No account minimum to get started
- Choose how much and what to invest in
- Build your own investment strategy
- Connect with the market 24/7
Key Features
- Commission-free trading: Pay zero commission fees when you buy and sell stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds, and options.
- Smart Score: Takes eight data points and interprets them into a single, easy-to-understand number ranging from 1 to 10.
- Screeners: Research, analyze, and compare performance and price data for thousands of ETFs.
- Research: Get market stats, news, and detailed metrics on companies. Find company quotes, charts, high/low prices, dividend dates, news, and peer performance comparisons.
- Analysis: Read Analyst Top Stocks for stock recommendations.
Pros and Cons
Pros
- User-friendly and intuitive platform
- No account minimums
- Zero-commission on trades
Cons
- No fractional shares
- Limited third-party tools for research
Fees
- Management fee: $0
- Trading fee: $0
Who is it best for?
Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing is a great option for beginner or active investors and those who want to trade options.
Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing Review
Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing is a legitimate service offered by Ally. Investors can benefit from the app’s simplicity, zero trading commissions, interactive tools, and no minimum deposit requirements. With the online brokerage, you can buy and sell equities with access to robust research tools and charts.
In researching Ally Self-Directed Investing reviews, we found that the online brokerage has a 4.7 out of 5-star rating in the App Store. However, it receives a poor rating of 1.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot, with most reviews sharing issues with other Ally financial products.
Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing Review Conclusion: Ally Invest offers competitive pricing, useful trading tools, and a user-friendly platform. With no account minimum, it’s ideal for beginners, while active investors will value Ally’s commission-free trades on eligible U.S. securities and low options contract fees. However, advanced investors interested in trading futures or cryptocurrency might find better options with another broker.
How to Start Using Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing
Minimum Requirements
- Must be at least 18 years old
- Verifiable personal information
- Social security number
Step-by-Step to Open an Ally Invest Self-Directed Trading Account
The time needed: 3 minutes.
- Getting started
- Download the app or visit the website.
- Select Self Directed Investing
- Submit your personal information, such as name, email, and password.
- Fund your account
- Add money to your new brokerage account.
- Choose your investments
- Start investing and build your portfolio.
Ally Invest Self-Directed Investing Alternatives
Ally Invest alternatives for active investors, such as Webull, Robinhood, SoFi Active Investing, and Public.com.
Find more investing apps in the marketplace.
by Chuck
Pretty good.