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Last July, I decided to try the micro-investment app Stash. As someone who spends a lot of time writing about personal finance, and a hustler to the core, I wanted to give it a go.
I’d written about plenty of DIY investment apps. I knew that plenty of people used them to earn decent returns on their money—in the 5-9% range, certainly much better than any savings account—and wanted to give it a go myself.
Stash is an investment app that lets regular people, not licensed investors, invest in the stock market. You don’t need thousands, or even hundreds, of dollars to get started. The idea is to educate everyday people on the ropes of investments as they navigate the app.
TL;DR: I signed up for Stash App last July. As a normal user (not an investor) I’ve made $244 or an +8% return. I like most things about the platform but there are many considerations.
Real user review of Stash
Here’s my Stash review 2024 where I outline what it’s like to sign up for the app, how much money I’ve made (and how much I’ve lost), and the benefits and drawbacks to other would-be investors who are considering.
I’ll start by giving a quick overview of Stash and the basics of micro-investing apps. You can scroll ahead to my experience with the app and user review.
>>> Related: I also tried Jeff Bezos’ real estate investment app Arrived. I signed up for Arrived the same day I signed up for Stash! Read my review of the Arrived app.
What Is Stash?
Stash Investments, LLC is a financial technology company founded in 2015 with the mission to make investing accessible for everyone – not just the wealthy or financially savvy.
Funded by investors like Union Square Ventures and Goodwater Capital, Stash now has over a million active users and has become one of the most well-known investing apps on the market.
It’s been featured in the likes of Forbes, CNBC, FinanceBuzz, Wall Street Journal, and TechCrunch for its user-friendly approach to building wealth.
Through the Stash app, users can invest in stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, and other assets, building their own investment portfolio and following its performance.
Is Stash a micro-investment app?
For the most part yes, but first let’s define micro-investment app. According to FINRA, micro-investing lets you start with just pocket change. Instead of needing to buy whole shares in companies, you can buy fractional shares.
It’s not just fractional stocks. You can purchase whole shares too, as well as bonds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs)—which are a grouping of different funds, such as stocks or bonds. The assets in an ETF are often theme together around a specific industry or goal, such as clean energy or dividend-paying stocks.
Similar micro-investment apps include Acorns and Robinhood, although Stash positions itself a bit differently. Acorns is focused on investing your spare change (through purchase round-ups with a linked debit card) and Robinhood—who has made controversial headlines—caters more to active traders.
Stash, by contrast, leans into the educational side of investing. It’s designed to feel approachable and safe, offering an intuitive approach—like digital hand-holding as you build a portfolio. Features like auto-investing and curated themes can simplify the process.
First impressions on getting started with Stash
When I signed up, Stash’s layout immediately put me at ease. Everything was laid out in a simple, intuitive design from the dashboard to the user settings. It was easy to find out about different investments, set my risk tolerance (I chose “moderate”), and invest my first few dollars.
Stash uses Plaid to link bank accounts, and for me, the process took about 60 seconds. After I was able to easily fund $5 in a low-risk smart portfolio with more conservative (low-risk, low-yield) assets.
Pick a Stash monthly subscription option
When joining Stash, there are two monthly subscription offers to choose from.:
- Stash Growth: Entry-level plan includes a personal brokerage account and access to educational resources, auto-invest, retirement savings, and stock rewards with every purchase. Monthly subscription fee: $3.
- Stash+ (Stash Plus): Contains all Beginner features, along with options for a Kids Portfolio. Monthly subscription fee: $9.
I chose the Beginner plan to minimize any Stash fees, and I haven’t felt the need to upgrade. At some point, I may want to test out more advanced money management account features. If I do, I’ll provide an updated review.
Different investment portfolio options
Stash offers several portfolio options:
- Personal: Standard, flexible investment account with high flexibility. Choose from a wide selection of stocks, ETFs, and bonds approved by the Stash team. You can custom-build a portfolio with just a few dollars.
- Smart: What Stash refers to as a ‘set-it-and-forget-it’ investing experience, you set how much you want to invest and how often (i.e., $5 a month), and Stash will manage the portfolio based on your investor profile and risk tolerance level. (While I have a “moderate” risk level, my Smart Portfolio is set to “conservative.”)
- Retire: Stash users can invest in both Roth (after-tax) or traditional (pre-tax) individual retirement accounts (IRAs).
- Kids: Invest in your children by opening a Custodial Portfolio. This option is available only with Stash+, however. A “Kids Portfolio” is a custodial UGMA
Additionally, the platform offers banking services through Stash Banking.
As you see in that screengrab image, I have funds in two of the available options. Since I have a Stash Growth account, I don’t have access to Kids Portfolios.
I opted not to set up a retirement account as I have retirement plans with a separate brokerage advisory firm.
Setting up my Stash investment portfolios
With a Stash Beginner account, I set up two portfolios: Smart Portfolio and Personal Portfolio.
Smart Portfolio
The Smart Portfolio is a managed account option. Stash rebalances the asset mix based on my risk tolerance, so it’s been completely hands-off for me.
Personal Portfolio
Here’s a snapshot of my Personal Portfolio dashboard, showing my current balance, returns, and how Stash tracks portfolio diversification. For this portfolio, I went with a mix of stocks and ETFs that I was interested in.
Happily, my Personal Portfolio is outperforming my Smart Portfolio!
I initially invested in a dozen different options, but that figure has since grown to 24 different stocks and ETFs.
Among my top portfolio holdings (for total percent of funds invested) are:
- NVIDIA
- Apple (AAPL)
- Rivian Automotive, Inc.
- Bank of America
- SPDR SSGA US Small Cap Low Volatility Index ETF
- Eli Lily and Co
- Ui Path Inc
These seven holdings make up 56% of my total portfolio.
Funding both of these portfolio accounts has been quite simple. After making initial deposits, I set up weekly recurring contributions for my Smart Portfolio. Within my Personal Portfolio, I set up recurring contributions for select stocks.
About a month ago, I scaled back some of my Personal Portfolio contributions from weekly to monthly. But when I want to ramp up contributions again, I can readjust them easily with just a few taps.
Returns that justify the effort
While I wasn’t expecting huge returns right away, I’m happy with what I’ve seen so far in my Stash account. I’ve made returns just shy of $245 for an investment of $2,825, realizing an 8.67% return.
- Smart Portfolio: $260 investment with a $10.01 gain, yielding a +3.85% return.
- Personal Portfolio: $3,065 investment with a $234.66 gain, yielding a +7.66% return. My Personal Portfolio returns are actually 9.16%. I invested $500 the other day and those funds have not had time to generate a return, so I’ve yielded a $234.66 gain off a $2,565 investment.
My returns have far exceeded what I’d get in a high-yield savings account, so I consider it a win. Not all of the Personal Portfolio picks have made money though.
Picks that made money
By category, here are all my Personal Portfolio picks that made money:
Technology
- NVIDIA: +22.33% – Benefiting from growth in AI and gaming.
- Internet Titans ETF: +17.14% – Broad exposure to major tech players.
- UiPath Inc: +9.76% – Automation and robotics.
Consumer Goods & Retail
- Walmart: +19.65% – Stability in retail.
- Costco: +9.48% – Strong loyalty, bulk sales.
- Apple: +6.24% – Product ecosystem leader.
Themed ETFs
- BLOK (Blockchain ETF): +28.14% – High-risk, high-reward blockchain tech.
- Video Game All-Stars: +17.96% – Growing gaming industry.
- Copy the Experts: +16.72% – Follows top investor strategies.
- Data Defenders: +13.99% – Cybersecurity focus.
Financials
- Bank of America: +12.66% – Leading U.S. bank.
International & Emerging Markets
- Colossal China: +15.94% – Exposure to Chinese companies.
- SPDR Small Cap ETF: +13.94% – U.S. small-cap, low-volatility.
Automotive
- Rivian: +4.34% – Electric vehicle growth.
Entertainment
- Disney: +3.10% – Diversified media and entertainment.
Picks that lost money
By category, here are all my Personal Portfolio picks that have lost money:
Bonds & ETFs
- Bonds Nationwide: Variety Pack – Small bond mix, minimal loss (-0.14%).
- ALPS Clean Energy ETF – Focused on clean energy companies, modest dip (-1.08%).
- Clean & Green – Green energy investment, slight decline (-1.98%).
Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
- Sana Biotechnology Inc – Biotech stock with higher volatility, down (-5.32%).
- Eli Lilly and Co – Pharma giant, currently facing a small loss (-5.94%).
- Novo Nordisk A/S – Pharmaceutical stock, larger dip (-21.84%).
Energy
- Occidental Petroleum Corp – Oil and gas sector, notable decline (-18.55%).
Pros and cons of Stash
Pros
- Low barrier to entry: Stash lets you start investing with just a few dollars, making it accessible for beginners.
- Educational focus: The app provides resources and an intuitive setup that guides new investors, helping you learn as you go.
- Diverse investment options: With choices ranging from stocks and ETFs to bonds, Stash allows you to create a varied portfolio suited to your interests and risk tolerance.
- Automated features: Tools like auto-investing and portfolio rebalancing (in the Smart Portfolio) make it easy to invest without constant management.
- Dividend reinvestment (DRIP): Stash supports DRIP, so any dividends from stocks (cash earnings paid out quarterly or other intervals) can be automatically reinvested.
- Deterrent for impulse spending: Since funds aren’t immediately accessible, it discourages quick cash-outs, potentially helping with savings discipline.
The deterrent feature is perhaps my favorite thing about Stash. Experts say to get a rainy day fund that is not linked to your checking account so it’s harder to spend the money.
I’ve considered withdrawing funds (cashing out) a few times, but the steps involved have dissuaded me. For me, my Stash is a small nest egg that’s seeing returns north of 9%.
Cons
- Limited stock-specific news: The “News” section in Stash is general, so you might have to leave the app to find updates about specific stocks.
- Subscription fees: While Stash is affordable, the monthly fees can add up, especially if you’re investing small amounts.
- Lower return on Smart Portfolio: The managed Smart Portfolio might not perform as strongly as a custom-built portfolio, especially for investors with higher risk tolerance.
- Delayed access to funds: This could be a con just as easily as a pro. Withdrawing money requires selling assets and waiting a few days for funds to clear, which could be inconvenient in an emergency.
- Fractional share investing doesn’t build wealth: It’s easy enough to squirrel away a dollar, but you’ll be seeing very modest returns.
Stash, like other micro-investing apps, relies on anchoring bias to draw users in—promoting the idea that you can build wealth by rounding up spare change or investing just a couple of dollars at a time.
This ‘anchor’ of small amounts can give a false sense of progress, leading users to stick with minimal investments, which could ultimately limit their potential for real wealth growth.
Stash review final thoughts
I started using Stash last July, and what surprised me most was how invested I actually became in my investments. Even with tiny contributions, I found myself tracking my portfolio’s performance and genuinely caring about the companies I chose. As a full-time freelance writer, I’m used to hustling for income, but Stash has added a new layer to my money game. It feels like a small but powerful safety net, quietly growing in the background.
Would I recommend it? Absolutely, especially if you’re looking for an easy, approachable way to start investing. Stash isn’t a get-rich-quick solution, but it’s given me a $3K nest egg I wouldn’t have saved otherwise. It’s satisfying in a way I didn’t expect, making me feel more “in the game” when it comes to building wealth.
For anyone considering Stash, my advice is to have realistic expectations about potential returns. While people can make millions through investing, most of us don’t have the capital to see those kinds of gains on Stash—and if you do, it’s worth consulting a financial advisor. You can also lose money on Stash; I’ve had some picks that didn’t perform, though overall, my gains outweighed my losses.
So, don’t invest what you can’t afford to lose. But if you have a little extra cash—$100 you could take a chance on—Stash could be a low-stakes way to dip your toes into investing and see what it’s all about.
FAQs
Here are some common FAQs that people have, and a few more I’ve thrown in for good measure to clarify what Stash is and is not. I researched this information on Stash’s website and it’s accurate as of the date of this article’s publication.
How much money do you need to invest in Stash?
You can start investing with as little as $1 on Stash, thanks to its fractional share model. This feature allows you to buy portions of stocks and ETFs, making investing accessible even if you’re working with a small budget.
In my opinion, the $1 figure is a little bit misleading as Stash monthly fees start at $3. And even without fees, for the minimal returns on $1, the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
If you want to try Stash for education purposes, just to see changes in the market, I think you’d need to put down at least $50 and not touch it for several months.
Are Stash Investments FDIC insured?
Investments made through Stash are not FDIC insured, as FDIC insurance applies only to deposits in banks. However, Stash offers cash balance accounts that are FDIC-insured up to the legal limits through their partner banks. For investments, it’s important to understand market risk and invest accordingly.
Is Stash a robo-advisor?
While Stash offers a managed “Smart Portfolio” feature, it is not a robo-advisor in the traditional sense. Stash combines automated portfolio management with human-guided education and control, making it a hybrid of robo-advisor and DIY investing.
Is a Stash investment account the same thing as a personal brokerage account
Yes, a Stash investment account is essentially a personal brokerage account that allows you to buy stocks, ETFs, and other assets. Unlike a full-service brokerage, Stash emphasizes fractional shares and automated tools, focusing on accessibility and education for beginner investors.
Do you need to be a registered investment advisor to use Stash?
No, you do not need to be a registered investment advisor to use Stash. Stash is designed to simplify investing for everyday people, making it accessible for non-professional investors through its user-friendly app and educational tools.
How do you earn stock rewards through Stash?
If you use Stash banking services, then the Stock-Back® Card lets you earn “stock-back” rewards.
Use it for the usual everyday purchases—groceries, gas, coffee—and you’ll earn fractional shares in the companies where you shop. If the store isn’t publicly traded, you can set a default company to stash those rewards.
Depending on your plan, you can earn up to 1% back in stock on the first $1,000 you spend monthly, or even up to 3% at select merchants.
Stash Banking services are offered through their banking partner, Stride Bank, N.A. Your online Stash Banking account is FDIC-insured up to $250,000.
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, app, credit card issuer, or any other third-party entity. Article content has not been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any such third party. Additionally, FreshBuck strives to provide current, accurate information but makes no warranties regarding the accuracy. Ultimately the reader is responsible for conducting their own research. Additionally, nothing in the article should be construed as financial advice or a solicitation to make a purchase or investment. We strongly advise all readers to solicit their own professional financial advice.
