It took me a while to start investing because it seemed so complex. Not only did you have to decide what stock to buy, but you also had to figure out how to buy it! Since you can't deal directly with companies, that means a "broker" — a middleman from whom you can buy any companies' stock or mutual funds that combine a lot of stocks into one basket.
Nowadays, there are a lot of brokers out there, ranging from old-school companies like Charles Schwab where you have a relationship with a local office and a person, to slightly newer behemoths like Vanguard and Fidelity, to upstarts like Betterment that aim to totally automate the process. Plus, there are all the free investing apps out there.
But how do you choose which broker to go with? Since many of these companies are well known and trustworthy (that is, they won't run off with your hard-earned money the way Bernie Madoff did), you need some way to distinguish them.
In my opinion, if you're trying to distinguish between trustworthy companies, there are three things to take into consideration:
- What kinds of fees do they charge? Can you invest for free?
- What kinds of services do they provide?
- What kinds of incentives do they offer to get you to choose their company rather than their competitor?
The Internet age is really making the third factor shine! Practically every month new offers come out as brokers try to entice people to move their investments, or to begin investing for the first time. This is a great time to be thinking about opening a new investment account. Because it's so easy to research fees and offers, many of the big brokerages are matching each other's prices and offers, making the environment better and better for customers.
I took a look around and here are some of the best stock brokers and investing offers out there right now:
Public - Up To $30,150
Public is offering one of the most generous transfer incentive offers we've ever seen. For a limited time, Public will provide a custom transfer offer for members who move their stocks, ETFs, and/or cash, from another brokerage to Public.
Public's transfer offers are 2x higher than other brokerages, on average, and most offers are at least 2% of total portfolio value. It's estimated that 85% of users will get an offer of at least $20.
This table to show the range of bonuses you can earn dependent on the transfer amount:
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
Under $5,000 | Up To $175 |
$5,000 - $24,999 | Up To $300 |
$25,000 - $99,999 | Up To $750 |
$100,000 - $249,999 | Up To $1,650 |
$250,000 - $499,999 | Up To $3,150 |
$500,000 - $999,999 | Up To $6,150 |
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999 | Up To $30,150 |
Read our full Public review here.
Get up to a $10,000 bonus!
tastytrade - Up To $5,000
tastytrade is an up and coming trading platform that was created by the team that created thinkorswim. They are developing a great set of trading tools that focuses on stocks, options, and more.
They are offering a promo where you can earn up to $5,000 when you transfer funds into your new tastytrade account. The amount you get depends on how much you transfer in.
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
$5,000 - $24,999 | $100 |
$25,000 - $99,999 | $500 |
$100,000 - $249,999 | $2,000 |
$250,000 - $499,999 | $3,000 |
$500,000 - $999,999 | $4,000 |
$1,000,000+ | $5,000 |
Read our full tastytrade review.
Get up to a $5,000 bonus!
TradeStation - Up To $3,500
TradeStation is one of the best platforms for active traders that are looking for research tools and easy trade execution. And right now that they are offering a great partnership with TradingView.
They are offering a promo where you can earn up to $3,500 when you transfer funds into your TradeStation account. The amount you get depends on how much you transfer in.
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
$5,000 | $150 |
$25,000 | $300 |
$100,000 | $500 |
$250,000 | $1,000 |
$500,000 | $2,000 |
$1,000,000 | $3,500 |
Read our full TradeStation review here.
Get up to a $3,500 bonus!
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing - Up To $700
J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is currently offering an intro offer of up to $700. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing allows for unlimited commission-free investing with stock, ETFs, and options trading when you open an account.
They also allow for a traditional brokerage, or Traditional or Roth IRA. This offer does not apply to J.P. Morgan Automated Investing or any account opened with a J.P. Morgan Advisor.
Right now, you can get up to $700 when you open and fund a J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing account with qualifying new money by July 19, 2024.
Here are the bonus tiers:
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
$5,000 to $24,999 | $50 |
$25,000 to $99,999 | $150 |
$100,000 to $249,999 | $325 |
$250,000+ | $700 |
Get up to a $700 bonus!
Merrill Edge - Up to $600 & Free Trades
Merrill Edge is Bank of America's brokerage firm (the result of Bank of America's acquisition of famed trading firm Merrill Lynch during the financial crisis of 2008). It's a fine overall choice for anyone, but if you already have a banking relationship with Bank of America, it might be especially tempting due to the "Preferred Rewards" status you can get.
Merrill is one of the last remaining brokerages that hasn't adopted commission-free trading for all. However, if you qualify for Bank of America Preferred Rewards, you can get $0 commissions.
Their current bonus offer includes up to $600 in cash. Here are the levels of upfront investment you need to qualify:
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
$20,000 to $49,999 | $100 |
$50,000 to $99,999 | $150 |
$100,000 to $199,999 | $250 |
$200,000+ | $600 |
As you can see, they have one of the lowest minimums to get started - and their top tier bonus of $600 is less of a requirement than most on this list. However, the product and costs don't really align with the rest of the industry anymore.
Read our full Merrill Edge review here.
Get up to a $600 bonus!
M1 Finance - Up To $500
M1 Finance is offering a "seed fund" bonus offer of up to $500 just for being a new M1 customer and funding your new account within 14 days.
This offer is open through December 31, 2024.
You can get the following bonus tiers:
Deposit Amount | Bonus Amount |
|---|---|
$10,000 to $29,999 | $75 |
$30,000 to $49,999 | $150 |
$50,000 to $99,999 | $250 |
$100,000+ | $500 |
Read our full M1 Finance review here.
Get up to a $500 bonus!
Wealthfront - $50
Wealthfront is a robo-advisor that is consistently on our list of the best ways to automatically manage your portfolio. With Wealthfront, you simply deposit your investment dollars, and their service takes care of the rest.
Right now, you can earn a $50 bonus when you open a new taxable investment account and deposit at least $500. You must keep the funds there at least 7 days, and you'll receive your bonus 30 days after that.
Read our full Wealthfront review here.
Get a $50 bonus!
Acorns - $20
Acorns is the popular "round-up" investing app that allows you to invest your spare change over time. They also offer banking options so that you can do everything within one super app.
Right now, Acorns is giving you a $20 bonus if you open an account and successfully deposit a minimum of $5 into your new account within 14 days of opening it.
Read our full Acorns review here.
Get a $20 bonus!
eToro - $10
eToro is the investing app making waves for offering a full range of products and services - including $0 commission stocks, and crypto trading. It's been known worldwide for years, and has recently been making headway into the United States.
Right now, eToro is giving you a $10 bonus if you open an account and successfully trade $100 in your new account.
Read our full eToro review here.
Get a $10 bonus!
Moomoo - Up To 15 Free Shares of Stock
Moomoo is a new investing app that is looking to make a splash for those interested in trading on their phones. They offer advanced trading features, and even the ability to invest in overseas markets.
To encourage users to sign up, they are offering the following bonus offers.
Deposit $100 and get 5 free shares, Deposit $1,000 and get an additional 10 free shares [totaling 15].
Read our full Moomoo review here.
Robinhood - Free Share Of Stock
Robinhood is the popular commission-free investing app that a lot of young traders have been making headlines in the news by using. We also rate it as one of our favorite free investing apps.
One of the cool things about Robinhood is that, when you open an account, you can get a free share of stock. This stock could have a value of anywhere from $5 to $200! You never know what you'll get.
Read our full Robinhood review here.
Get a free share of stock!
Webull - Free Share Of Stock
Webull is a direct competitor to Robinhood that also offers commission-free trading on an app. Were they differ slightly is that Webull offers a lot of more advanced features and analysis that you don't see on the Robinhood app.
Webull gears itself to more advanced traders. But they also offer a similar promotion - get a free share of stock when you open an account!
Read our full Webull review here.
Get a free share of stock!
Who Is This Guide For?
This guide is for anyone looking to open a new brokerage or investing account. If you're already shopping for a new investment account (whether a brokerage, trading tool, or investment app), many of these companies will offer you a bonus for doing so.
If you're already going to open a new account, why not get a promotion or reward for doing so? It so easy! But you just have to know about these offers. That's why our team focuses on curating these offers to make it easy for you.
Combined with our in-depth investing app and brokerage reviews, you can know that you're making a smart choice when opening a new investment account.
Why Trust Us?
I have been using and reviewing investment apps and brokerage accounts since I started The College Investor in 2009. We stared crafting our "best brokerage lists" in 2015, and have continued to review and follow the industry since then.
Our team also has extensive investment knowledge, and we follow the industry to find the latest promotions for you. Furthermore, our compliance team reviews these promotions regularly to ensure they are the latest offer and accurate as of our latest update.
Final Thoughts
There are a lot of brokers out there that didn't quite make the cut for this list. Either they aren't offering cash promotions right now, or they're offering much smaller promotions that didn't seem as worth it.
However, my research shows that right now, with the stock market fairly hot and several newer entrants into the stockbroker business (including Wealthfront, which is on this list, and others, like, say, Vanguard, which is not) stockbrokers are pretty keen to offer incentives.
My guess is that cash back, free trades, and other incentives to switch services are going to keep improving for a while. Just in the last month, M1 Finace, tastytrade, and others are starting to offer really significant cash back if you move a lot of money to their platform. I think others are going to be compelled to at least consider keeping up.
All in all, it's a pretty good time to be shopping for a new stock broker!
Disclosures
TastyTrade
tastytrade, Inc. (“tastytrade”) has entered into a Marketing Agreement with Marketing Agent (“Marketing Agent”) whereby tastytrade pays compensation to Marketing Agent to recommend tastytrade’s brokerage services. The existence of this Marketing Agreement should not be deemed as an endorsement or recommendation of Marketing Agent by tastytrade and/or any of its affiliated companies. Neither tastytrade nor any of its affiliated companies is responsible for the privacy practices of Marketing Agent or this website. tastytrade does not warrant the accuracy or content of the products or services offered by Marketing Agent or this website. Marketing Agent is independent and is not an affiliate of tastytrade.
tastytrade was previously known as tastyworks, Inc.
Wealthfront
The College Investor receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Advisers LLC (“Wealthfront Advisers”) for each new client that applies for a Wealthfront Automated Investing Account through our links. This may create an incentive that results in a material conflict of interest. The College Investor is not a Wealthfront Advisers client. More information is available via our links to Wealthfront Advisers.
Robert Farrington is America’s Millennial Money Expert® and America’s Student Loan Debt Expert™, and the founder of The College Investor, a personal finance site dedicated to helping millennials escape student loan debt to start investing and building wealth for the future. You can learn more about him on the About Page or on his personal site RobertFarrington.com.
He regularly writes about investing, student loan debt, and general personal finance topics geared toward anyone wanting to earn more, get out of debt, and start building wealth for the future.
He has been quoted in major publications, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, ABC, NBC, Today, and more. He is also a regular contributor to Forbes.
Editor: Clint Proctor Reviewed by: Richelle Hawley
