WiseBanyan Review 2020

WiseBanyan is the world’s first free financial advisor and this firm is a very good choice for beginner investors. WiseBanyan does not charge investment management, trading, or rebalancing fees and there's no minimum to become a client.

WiseBanyan review
Overall
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Introduction

WiseBanyan is the first free financial advisor and this company offers comparable services as a traditional advisor and pass the savings on to you. WiseBanyan does not charge investment management, trading, or rebalancing fees and has a team with deep financial industry experience. WiseBanyan, Inc. is an SEC registered investment advisor and all cash and securities held in WiseBanyan client accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000. This WiseBanyan review will outline the pros and cons of this investment advisory firm and describe all aspects of how it operates.

WiseBanyan has well-diversified portfolios of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to capture market returns. WiseBanyan securely manages and monitors everything, what will you choose depends on your age and risk temperament. This company was built on two pillars: minimize fees as much as possible and help people start investing sooner. This is a very good choice for beginner investors and investors with low balances because there's no minimum to become a client.

Overall Rating

Products & Fees
5
Security
5
Tools
4.5
Desktop Experience
4.5
Mobile Experience
4.5
Investment Options
4.5
Portfolios
4.5
Customer Support
4.5

Pros

  • Free management

    WiseBanyan does not charge investment management, trading, or rebalancing fees.

  • No account minimum

    There's no minimum to become a client.

  • WiseBanyan is a very good choice for beginner investors and investors with low balances

    Investing should be a right – not a privilege.

  • Easy-to-Use Interface

    Better user interface when compared to its competitors.

Cons

  • Tax-loss harvesting is paid add-on

    Tax-loss harvesting helps you minimize what you have to pay in taxes.

  • You do have to be a U.S. resident to open a WiseBanyan account

    You cannot work with this firm if you are not US based.

WiseBanyan is a financial advisor that charges no account management fees; as with all robos, customers still pay management fees charged by the investments themselves. This company dedicates a huge amount of attention to the beginners, while at the same time providing for the highest level needs of the most sophisticated players in the market.

How Does WiseBanyan Work?

WiseBanyan is the first free financial advisor and this company offers comparable services as a traditional advisor and pass the savings on to you. WiseBanyan’s investment philosophy is based on modern portfolio theory and this advisor has well-diversified portfolios of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to capture market returns. The company automatically creates a portfolio for each client by asking a few questions and what will you choose depends on your age and risk temperament. WiseBanyan does not charge investment management, trading, or rebalancing fees and has a team with deep financial industry experience.

Commissions & Fees

WiseBanyan's core service is free to use, and this company makes money by offering optional, value-add, premium packages for when the mood is right. WiseBanyan is the first free financial advisor and this company offers comparable services as a traditional advisor and pass the savings on to you. WiseBanyan does not charge investment management, trading, or rebalancing fees and this advisor only charges for optional products and services. This allows clients to pay for what they need, rather than paying a "one-size-fits-all" fee for services they currently can't or don't want to use. Taxable Personal Investment Accounts do not have a closing fee but all IRA accounts (Traditional, Rollover, Roth, and SEP) have a $10 closing fee. This fee is charged directly from the WiseBanyan account upon closure. It is also important to say that if you want to transfer your current WiseBanyan securities directly over to another brokerage firm, their broker-dealer Apex Clearing charges a $75 transfer fee. The ETFs available in their Core Portfolios have an average fund fee of 0.12%.

Platform & Tools

wisebanyan platform

WiseBanyan has tools that analyze your funds, makes recommendations and offers tailored advice to better your portfolio and holdings. This advisor offers additional tools and services that are designed to add demonstrable value to your current financial situation rather than paying a "one-size-fits-all" asset-based (AUM) fee for services you probably won’t use. WiseBanyan is focused on each client’s financial future rather than the current size of their wallet. With tools that this financial advisor offers everybody can reach their financial goals, regardless of their starting financial situation. The company offers a web-based platform that is very easy to use but you can also download a mobile app for iOS and Android. WiseBanyan automatically creates a portfolio for each client by asking a few questions and what will you choose depends on your age and risk temperament.

Platform & Tools
Annual Fee
Minimum Investment
Assets Under Management
Human Advisors
Robo Advisor
Automatic Deposits
Online Platform
iOS App
Android App
Goal Tracker
Tax Loss Harvesting
401k Plans
IRA Accounts
Roth IRA Accounts
SEP IRA Accounts
Single Stock Diversification
Fractional Shares
Taxable Accounts
Trust Accounts
529 Plans
 
WiseBanyan
0%
$1
$170 million
FutureAdvisor
0.50%
$5000
$1 billion
Wealthfront
0.25%
$500
$12 Billion
Morgan Stanley
0.35%
$5,000
$463 Billion
SoFi
0%
$1
N/A
Nutmeg
0.25% to 0.75%
£500
£2 Billion

Mobile App

wisebanyan mobile app

WiseBanyan offers applications for both iOS and Android, the mobile applications are highly intuitive and individuals can monitor their net worth in real-time. This application allows you to build your financial plan for managing your investments. It is also important to mention that your personal information is fully encrypted, securely stored, and protected by our state-of-the-art technology. Using the application, it is possible to view updates on investment allocations, current expenditure, portfolio performance and current balance. This gives users a more in-depth understanding of their spending and investment psychology, making them more informed as a consequence. Through the use of technology, WiseBanyan can offer comparable services as a traditional advisor and pass the savings on to you.

Deposits & Withdrawals

The minimum deposit to start investing with WiseBanyan is $1 and by linking your bank account WiseBanyan can seamlessly deposit and withdraw funds to and from your WiseBanyan account. This advisor wants to make sure your money is 100% secure, and linking your bank account enables this advisor to do so. All client funds can be securely transferred through an ACH transfer by their clearing firm, Apex Clearing Corporation. ACH stands for "Automated Clearing House," which is an electronic network used for U.S. financial transactions. Anyone over the age of 18 with a U.S. permanent address and social security number is eligible (and encouraged) to become a WiseBanyan client. To become a WiseBanyan client, you need to first open a Personal Investment Account. Once that account is fully active you can activate Tax Protection and add any of the IRA account types to your profile. WiseBanyan has also "Quick deposit" option, this option allows for your deposits to be completed the same day. Withdrawal should process in 5-7 business days.

Customer Experience

The customer experience with WiseBanyan is reported as being relatively high. Customers are very satisfied with the fact that this firm manages investments for free and helps them to maximize their return based on certain levels of risk indicated by every investor profile. WiseBanyan dedicates a huge amount of attention to the beginners, while at the same time providing for the highest level needs of the most sophisticated players in the market.

Customer Support

WiseBanyan really excels in the customer service department, offering socially responsible investing which can boost their image even further. The company gives clients access to a team of financial advisors via email, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. If you have a question about services, deposit, withdrawal, fees - you can send a message anytime and get feedback extremely fast. You can view your progress online at any time, easily add or withdraw funds, and update your financial plan whenever you want.

Security & Reliability

WiseBanyan is secure, reliable, and regulated. This investment adviser firm takes security very seriously and has a thorough system of checks and balances in place. All cash and securities held in WiseBanyan client accounts are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, with a limit of $250,000 for cash. WiseBanyan, Inc. is an SEC registered investment advisor and it is important to mention that your personal information is fully encrypted, securely stored, and protected by their state-of-the-art technology. Anyone over the age of 18 with a U.S. permanent address and social security number is eligible (and encouraged) to become a WiseBanyan client.

Security & Reliability
Regulated By
Year Founded
Country of Origin
 
WiseBanyan
SEC
2014
United States
FutureAdvisor
SEC
2010
United States
Wealthfront
SEC
2011
USA
Morgan Stanley
SEC
1931
United States
SoFi
SEC, FINRA
2011
United States
Nutmeg
FCA
2012
London, UK

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InvestorGreg Editorial Team

InvestorGreg Editorial Team

The InvestorGreg Editorial Team is a group of financial writers and analysts who cover the worlds of finance and investment. Read more