• Home
  • |
  • Blog
  • |
  • Betterment Promotions – Up to 1 Year Free Management

Betterment Promotions – Up to 1 Year Free Management

Last Updated on September 9, 2020 by Barbara A. Friedberg, MBA, MS

Disclosure: Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you sign up or buy through the affiliate link. That said, I never recommend anything I don’t  believe is valuable

Betterment is one of our favorite robo-advisors. These Betterment promotions add to the the appeal of the Betterment robo-advisor.

Unlike traditional financial advisors who tend to require a six-figure minimum investment and charge more than 1.0% AUM fee, Betterment helps beginner-to-advanced investors automate and manage their investing for a low fee.

[toc]

*Disclosure: Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you sign up or buy through the affiliate link.

Betterment top features include:

  • Access to live financial advisors – for an additional fee.
  • No investment minimum – $10 to start investing
  • Diverse investments including smart beta, socially responsible funds and crypto.
  • Fee-free high yield cash management
  • Low management fees

Best Betterment Promotions

1. Get up to 1 Year of Free Portfolio Management

The more you invest, the greater the Betterment promotion.

Requirements for promotion

  • Must invest at least $15,000 within 45 days of sign up to be eligible for this Betterment promo.
  • Offer available to U.S. Residents only.
  • The Betterment promotion isn’t valid with other offers and is non-transferable.
Invest within 45 DaysReward-
Free management
$15,000-$99,0001 month
$100,000-$249,9996 months
$250,0001 year
Betterment Promotion

2. Betterment Referral Bonus

The Betterment Refer a Friend promotion is available for existing Betterment customers and their friends, after funding a new account with a special referral link sent by the customer.

How the Betterment Refer a Friend Works:

The Betterment account owner visits the referral section of the website and gets a designated sign up link. This link is equivalent to a Betterment promo code that you give to your friends.

The Betterment account owner sends the Betterment sign up link to a friend to use when the he or she signs up for Betterment.

For every friend that funds an account – the Betterment account owner get 30 days free management and each referral gets 3 months free.

Once 5 friend are referred, the original account holder is no longer eligible for the bonus, but the friends still receive the free account management.

For the third friend referred, the original Betterment user receives an additional one-year fee waiver.

The offer is available to U.S. residents only.

Betterment Checking and Cash Reserve Promos

Betterment’s fee-free, high yield cash management options are on going promotions. These options are perfect for money that you’ll need for emergencies, bill pay, and short-term goals.

Checking

  • Debit card
  • ATM fees reimbursed – worldwide
  • No minimum balance required
  • No maintenance fees
  • FDIC insurance up to $250,000 account balance
  • Awesome mobile app with check deposit

Cash Reserve

  • High yield (interest rate) cash account (adjusts depending upon market interest rates)
  • Access to cash within 1-2 business days
  • No limit on withdrawals
  • No minimum balance required
  • No fees
  • FDIC insurance covering up to $1 million through the Betterment’s program banks.

The current Betterment cash reserve interest rate is 4.0% APY.** The rate will vary, based upon market interest rates.

Betterment Fees

Digital:

  • $4.00 per month for accounts worth less than $20,000
  • 0.25% AUM for accounts worth more than $20,000 or with $250 per month auto deposit.

Premium: 0.40% AUM

Crypto:

  • 1.0% AUM per month – plus trading fees for Digital clients
  • 1.15% AUM – plus trading for Premium clients

Financial Advice Packages

Prices range from $299 to $399 per financial advice package

Cash accounts (through partner banks) do not charge management fees.

Betterment FAQ

Is Betterment a Good Investment?

Betterment is a good investment company. When you transfer money into Betterment, you can invest for the long term in stock and bond investments.
Or, you can use the high yield Betterment Cash Reserve savings account or fee-free checking account.

Is Betterment worth the fee?

Yes. The Betterment investment management fee is low in contrast with a typical financial advisors fees.
The Betterment cash accounts are fee-free.

Can I lose money with Betterment?

Whenever you invest in the financial markets, there is a possibility of loss. This reality pertains to all investment companies.
Although over the long-term, stock and bond market returns have been positive and typically higher than savings account returns.
It’s unlikely that you’ll lose money when investing with Betterment’s high yield cash accounts.

What is the average return for Betterment investments?

Your investment returns will correspond with the returns of the funds owned within your account. For example if you have a 60% stock and 40% bond investment portfolio and the funds within that investment portfolio earn 7% in one year, then your Betterment account will earn 7%, less the 0.25% management fee.

Is Betterment better than Vanguard?

The best robo-advisor is the one that meets your specific needs. If you’re already a Vanguard customer, you might prefer Vanguard. Although, we like the diverse investment options in the Betterment Digital plan over the 4 funds available in the Vanguard Digital plan. Read more in Betterment vs Vanguard.

Compare Betterment and Vanguard Robo-Investing

FeaturesBettermentVanguard
Overview
Goals-based digital investment manager with access to financial advisors, for low fees.
All digital and human advisor-led investment management robo-advisor
Minimum Investment AmountDigital - $0.00 - $10 to begin investing
Premium - $100,000
Digital-$3,000
Personal Advisor Services-$50,000
Fee StructureDigital:
$4.00 per month for accounts worth less than $20,000
0.25% AUM for accounts worth more than $20,000 or with $250 per month auto deposit.
Premium: 0.40% AUM
Crypto:
1% aum (crypto) 
Fees decline for accounts over $2 million AUM
Digital-0.20% AUM for all index funds - 0.25% AUM for index + active portfolio
Personal Advisor Services-0.30%
Top FeaturesDigital and hybrid investment management with financial advisors, for additional fee. Socially-responsible, core, income, smart beta and crypto portfolios. Tax loss harvesting. Cash management.Digital-Basic four Vanguard fund robo-advisor or active + index fund portfolio.
Personal Advisor Services- Includes financial advisor access. Personalized investment guidance drives the portfolio construction. Variety of investment funds.
Investment FundsLow fee exchange traded funds from diverse asset classes including inflation protected bond and value stock ETFs. Crypto portfolios.Digital-4 low fee Vanguard ETFs and actively managed funds. 
Personal Advisor Services-Various stock and bond mutual funds and ETFs selected from scores of Vanguard offerings.
Accounts AvailableSingle and joint taxable brokerage. Roth, traditional, rollover and SEP IRA. Trust.Digital: Individual taxable accounts, traditional and Roth IRA
Personal Advisor Services: Individual and joint taxable investment. Roth, traditional, SEP, simple and rollover IRAs. Trusts. 
Contact & Investing AdvicePhone support M-F. Email and text support 7 days per week. Financial advisor access available at various levels.Phone support M-F from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm EST
Financial advisors available for Advisor Services only.
Promotions and WebsiteFree Betterment investment management promotionVanguard Website

Betterment Promotions Wrap Up

Betterment is one of favorite robo-advisors, with excellent diversification and portfolio management. The lack of investment minimums – although you’ll need $10 to sign up – make it easy for the new investor to get started investing. All investors can access financial advisors – for an additional fee.

These Betterment promo’s cut management fees and add allure to an already popular robo-advisor with live advice and cash management.

Read the full Betterment Review.

Comparisons

Disclosure: Please note that this article may contain affiliate links which means that – at zero cost to you – I might earn a commission if you sign up or buy through the affiliate link. That said, I never recommend anything I don’t  believe is valuable

*Betterment is not a licensed tax advisor. Tax Loss Harvesting+ (TLH+) is not suitable for all investors. Read more at https://www.betterment.com/legal/tax-loss-harvesting and consider your personal circumstances before deciding whether to utilize Betterment’s TLH+ feature. Investing involves risk. Performance not guaranteed.

**Cash Reserve is only available to clients of Betterment LLC, which is not a bank, and cash transfers to program banks are conducted through the clients’ brokerage accounts at Betterment Securities. For Cash Reserve (“CR”), Betterment LLC only receives compensation from our program banks; Betterment LLC and Betterment Securities do not charge fees on your CR balance. Checking accounts and the Betterment Visa Debit Card provided and issued by nbkc bank, Member FDIC. Checking made available through Betterment Financial LLC. Neither Betterment Financial LLC, nor any of their affiliates, is a bank. Betterment Financial LLC reimburses ATM fees and the Visa® 1% foreign transaction fee worldwide, everywhere Visa is accepted.

Related Posts

Robo-advisors With The Most Assets Under Management -2023

Robo-advisors With The Most Assets Under Management -2023

M1 Finance Promo Codes* | High Yield Cash, Huge Cash Back Credit Card

M1 Finance Promo Codes* | High Yield Cash, Huge Cash Back Credit Card

Robo Advisor News – Wealthfront, M1 Finance, Vanguard And Betterment

Robo Advisor News – Wealthfront, M1 Finance, Vanguard And Betterment

Wealthfront Cash Account Review – Free, High-Yield Account 

Wealthfront Cash Account Review – Free, High-Yield Account 

Barbara A. Friedberg, MBA, MS


Barbara Friedberg, MBA, MS brings decades of finance and investing experience to Robo-advisor Pros. She is a former investment portfolio manager and taught Finance and Investments at several universities. Barbara Friedberg's published work includes Personal Finance; An Encyclopedia of Modern Money Management (Greenwood Press), Invest and Beat the Pros-Create and Manage a Successful Investment Portfolio and How to Get Rich; Without Winning the Lottery. Follow her on twitter