Over half of adults in America aren’t investing their money. Why? Because they cannot find sufficient room in their budget to invest. As surprising as it may sound, that’s the reality.
And it’s understandable when you take into account the prices of some of the leading stocks, such as Amazon (AMZN) trading at $3,200 + per share.
But, what if you could add Amazon or Tesla to your portfolio with an investment of $1 or even less? Yes, it’s possible with Stash. We’re going to find out more about Stash, how it works, and its features. Let’s get started!
What is Stash?
Stash is a personal finance app that aims at managing every single aspect of your financial life. Its services include banking, investing, budgeting, and retirement savings accounts. However, the most remarkable feature of Stash is its ability to offer fractional investing to its customers.
As a Stash user, you can purchase fractional shares of your favorite companies. You can start with as low as $1. Stash allows you to set up automatic investments.
Another unique feature of Stash is its stock rewards for using its Stock-Back ® Card. Every time you shop with this card, you’re earning the stocks of your favorite shoppers as cash-back rewards.
You can sign-up through its app or website within a couple of minutes.
How to Get Started with Stash
- Visit the Stash website or download the app to register your account.
- Stash will seek some personal information to validate your account. You must be 18 years old and a U.S. citizen to open a Stash account.
- Next, Stash has created a simple questionnaire to identify your risk tolerance. Once Stash determines your risk appetite, it offers investment recommendations.
- The last step is to fund your Stash account by linking it with your bank account.
- You’re ready to buy shares of over 1,800 companies, ETFs, and even bonds.
App Features
Let’s dive deeper into the individual modules of Stash.
Banking
Stash offers online banking services to its users. Its debit account comes with no monthly maintenance charges, overdraft fees, minimum balance requirements, or other hidden charges.
Stash offers quicker transfers. As per the claims on its website, you can get your paycheck up to two days early with direct deposits.
Stash provides a Stock-Back ® reward card, which allows you to earn stocks of the companies you shop with as cashback.
Some of the features of Stash banking services include:
- Access to more than 19,000 fee-free ATMs
- Automatic bill payments
- Automatic budgeting features
- Mobile check deposits
- Spending insights
- E-wallet integration
Budgeting
The Stash app is loaded with powerful budgeting features. You can set up goals, target dates, and even reminders to contribute regularly towards your goals.
Stash budgeting module allows you to:
- Set up financial goals, add a target amount, and a timeline to achieve this goal.
- Achieve your financial goals through automatic round-ups every time you shop.
- Add categories and budget your paycheck to accelerate your savings.
- Track your spending through reports and a printable sheet.
Investing
Investing is where Stash takes it away. It allows users to invest in stocks, ETFs, and bonds using its platform.
- Fractional shares: You can purchase fractional shares of different publicly-trading companies for as low as 1¢. If a stock is worth over $1,000, you can start investing with 5¢. The same service is available for the shares of ETFs and bond investments.
- Auto-stash: Stash also has an automatic savings tool. You can set a schedule, and Stash will transfer that amount from your linked account. You can use these funds to invest or save. Similarly, the round-up feature takes your spare change and puts the difference in your investment account. Smart-Stash is another feature that studies your spending behavior and accordingly sets apart small portions of your account balance. These funds are then used for investments or to achieve your savings goals.
- Finance education: Stash also features an education module with learning guides, personalized guidance tools, and investment advice.
Retirement Savings
Stash comes with retirement savings capabilities. You can open a Roth IRA or traditional IRA with the Stash application. Your contributions start with as low as $1, and the minimum account balance is set at $0.01 only.
Stash: Pricing and service tiers
All the services and features of Stash app comes at a price. You can choose from different plans, including Beginner, Growth, and Stash Plus accounts.
Let’s look into these different user plans.
| Features | Beginner | Growth | Stash+ |
| Bank account + Stock-Back card | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Early payment (up to 2 days) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Personal investment account | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Financial education (free) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Retirement savings tax benefits | No | Yes | Yes |
| Money markets report | No | No | Yes |
| Investing account for 2 kids | No | No | Yes |
| 2X Stock-Back ® + Metal card | No | No | Yes |
| Pricing | $1/month | $3/month | $9/month |
Pros and Cons of Stash App
Pros of Stash App
- Invest with as little as $0.01.
- Get financial education and recommendations for your portfolio.
- You get automated savings and investment features.
- Stash offers the ability to earn stock rewards for your qualified purchases.
- Smart budgeting and savings features are useful for beginner investors.
Cons of Stash App
- You have to pay a monthly fee to open an account.
- You may find ETFs with lower expense ratios elsewhere.
Recommendations
Stash is a beginner-friendly personal finance app that allows you to take an integrated approach to your budgeting, saving, and investing needs. If you’re a new beginner and lack the motivation to invest manually, Stash sets you up for automatic savings. However, if you’re an experienced investor, the pricing could be a little high. Nonetheless, Stash is one of the best apps out there catering to all of your personal finance needs.
Want to learn more about investing?