Alinea Invest might be for you if: You're new to investing and want a simple trading platform to get started. Not only will the app help automate your wealth building, but it also puts a big emphasis on impact investing. If you want to build a portfolio that matches your beliefs, read our Alinea Invest review to find out whether it's the right brokerage for you.
Ratings Methodology
Alinea Invest
Our Rating:
Rating image, 3.0 out of 5 stars.
3.0/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. = Best = Excellent = Good = Fair = Poor
Bottom Line
Alinea Invest's biggest perk is its ease of use. You can set up an automated plan, pick your own investments, or opt for a mixture of the two. The theme-based automated investing plans include Recession Proof, Alinea All Stars, and Climate Change. Most beginning investors won't have any trouble getting started. But this simplicity comes at a steep price -- $120 a year.
Fees:
$120 annual membership. $0 commissions for stock and ETF trades
Account Minimum:
$1
Alternatives to Consider
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2024.
| Account | Fees | Account Minimum | |
|---|---|---|---|
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts | $0 | Open Account for SoFi Active Investing |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options; up to $6.99 monthly for Robinhood Gold | $0 | Open Account for Robinhood |
Rating image, 4.5 out of 5 stars. 4.5/5Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.5 stars equals Best.4 stars equals Excellent.3 stars equals Good.2 stars equals Fair.1 star equals Poor.We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs. | Commission-free; other fees apply | $0 | Open Account for E*TRADE |
Alinea Invest aims to help new investors get started. It also makes it easy to invest in companies you know and support. However, the app is currently only available on iPhone -- it does not have a desktop version or an Android app.
It also has a limited range of investment options and won't be ideal if you want to invest in mutual funds or trade on a margin. Finally, it's expensive, even when compared with other beginner-friendly investment platforms.
How tempted am I to switch brokers to Alinea Invest?
"Not very. Alinea Invest is a vibe, don't get me wrong. It's sleek, and I liked how it's catered to Generation Z investors (read: my generation). But for all its cool, the app lacks features. I'd rather pay zero dollars on Robinhood than pay an annual membership fee for a similar platform with zero IRA match, among other things."
- Cole Tretheway, Ascent writer with financial expertise in brokerages
Playlists give you investing ideas
One super unique feature in Alinea Invest is its playlists. In a nutshell, these playlists are stock portfolios that users can create and share. You can use these playlists as inspiration for your own portfolio, or you can invest in them directly.
Many are value-driven, like climate change and Black empowerment, while others are based on location, like California and New York companies. You can also find more traditional themed portfolios, like green tech or metaverse, as well as some unusual ones, such as "The Magician."
Alinea Invest charges a nonrefundable $120 annual membership fee -- that's on the pricier side for an investing platform. Indeed, many of the best brokers let you open accounts for free. Some even offer perks that are comparable to the impact-investing portfolios of Alinea Invest, such as ways to screen for companies that align with your values.
If you decide to cancel midway through an annual membership, you won't be entitled to a refund for the remaining time on your plan. Be aware that your account will automatically renew if you don't cancel it.
Alinea Invest offers investors articles that have been curated from around the web, as well as educational content in its library. I found the articles written by the Alinea Invest staff to be substantive, even while breaking complicated financial concepts into simple terms.
In keeping with its accessible ethos, users can also view SHARE Series videos. Access fireside chats and Q&A sessions with company leadership, or learn about industry trends that might impact your investing. The Alinea Invest TikTok channel aims for an inspirational and empowering tone about money management.
If you're looking for the types of research notes you might find at a more traditional brokerage, you may be disappointed. Instead, you can expect daily portfolio-based updates, simplified expert opinions, and fun tools such as the "Time Machine" feature. This tells you how much an investment would have grown had you invested money at a previous time. Better yet, this tool even sports a DeLorean from Back to the Future -- one of several fun designs that give the app its own identity.
The Alinea Invest trading platform does not have a desktop platform and is only available through your Apple device. Use the search bar at the top of your app to find stocks or ETFs. Once you find an investment, you just hit the big green button "Invest" at the bottom and enter a dollar amount.
As a platform for beginning investors, Alinea Invest does not have advanced charting capabilities, like the ability to overlay technical indicators to help you analyze market volatility. This isn't surprising (after all, this was built to be simple). But if you want to analyze potential opportunities and invest more actively, the platform will leave you wanting more.
App
The platform is simple to use. Once you're in the app, you can easily set up an automated plan, trade stocks and ETFs, monitor your portfolio, and read educational material.
Sometimes, the app feels like a social media platform. You can "heart" stocks and ETFs, which become visible to other users, as well as leave comments on them. You can create and share playlists and discover those created by others. You can follow and be followed and choose to display the companies you're investing in. All in all, the app turns what's usually a solitary activity into a community practice.
Right now, Alinea Invest is only available on the Apple App Store, though it has a waitlist for Google Play. Its ratings on the Apple App Store are good, boasting 4.5 stars out of 5, with more than 5,700 reviews (as of July 2024). If you're not an Apple user or want to find out about other options, check out our list of top free stock trading apps.
Alinea Invest's security is in line with other brokerages, though it would be nice to see more information about the company's security measures. Its partner, Drivewealth, is a member of FINRA and the SIPC. This means your account is protected up to $500,000 in the event of company failure.
It says sensitive information is encrypted via SSL and 256-bit encryption, and that it takes technical, administrative, and physical steps to protect your data. However, it is worth reading the privacy policy because the company says it may share your information with affiliates and third parties. If you're not comfortable with this, email it to opt out.
Alinea Invest was co-founded by Anam Lakhani and Eve Halimi. The pair came up with the idea while studying at Columbia University, after realizing how many classmates shied away from investing. The app is aimed at Gen Z investors and aims to build a community around finance and wealth building.
Our brokerage rating methodology
At The Motley Fool Ascent, brokerages are rated on a scale of one to five stars. We primarily focus on fees, available assets, and user experience; however, we also take into account features like research, education, tax-loss harvesting, and customer service. Our highest-rated brokerages generally include low fees, a diverse range of assets and account types, and useful platform features.
See our full methodology here: Ratings Methodology
My investing experience
I started my retail investing journey about five years ago when I discovered the power of index funds and ETFs. I realized I didn't have to be an expert stock picker to take control of my investments and use compound interest to help me build a nest egg. That hasn't stopped me from learning how to research stocks. With time, I added some individual investments to my portfolio alongside those trusty ETFs. I value transparency, strong educational resources, and low fees in a brokerage.
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FAQs
Currently, Alinea Invest only offers a yearly subscription plan ($120).
Yes, it's legit. The company is a member of SIPC, which means your account is protected up to $500,000 (this includes $250,000 for uninvested cash in your account). It's also a registered investment advisor with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), so it has a fiduciary duty to act in its clients' best interests.
