Ally Invest is a division of Ally Bank that offers commission-free stock and ETF trades, low options fees, free brokerage IRAs and an excellent mobile trading platform.
Low minimum investment requirements make this an excellent choice for beginner and intermediate investors alike, while its live web-based and mobile trading portal allow users to customize their dashboard.
Easy-to-use interface
Ally Invest provides numerous features that investors and traders will find beneficial, such as $0 commissions for online stock and ETF trades, no transaction fees on mutual funds and easy synchronization between Ally bank accounts to facilitate instant transfers. Furthermore, Ally offers helpful options analysis tools not commonly provided by other brokers.
The browser-based platform is user-friendly, while its main website hosts a streaming version. Its stock screener performs well with lots of technical data points available; however, without ETF or fixed income screeners to compete against larger names in the industry.
Brokerage provides competitive interest rates on uninvested cash balances transferred between investment and Ally bank accounts; this requires creating an Ally savings account separately. Furthermore, Ally Securities Lending allows investors to generate additional income by borrowing against some portion of their portfolio value to make additional loans against their assets.
Excellent customer support
Ally invest offers traders access to an impressive variety of tools and research for meeting their trading needs, and an assortment of investment options – including Robo Portfolios for those who want an easier investing experience with reduced risks of large losses. Customers may choose between four portfolio types – core, income, taxes optimized and socially responsible.
Ally Invest provides an intuitive trading platform designed for both beginning and experienced traders alike. Their platform enables users to customize their dashboards with various modules and get detailed market data and analysis. Although their website and mobile app appear outdated at first glance, Ally is making improvements that should make them more competitive over time. They pay interest on cash balances transferred to linked bank accounts as well as securities lending services; plus offer zero commission trades on stocks and ETFs!
Leverage up to 50:1
Ally Invest is the brokerage arm of Ally Bank and offers investors and traders competitive rates, a robust trading platform and comprehensive research tools. Additionally, commission-free trades on ETFs, stocks and bonds can also be made at this platform; while also offering low-cost tax-efficient mutual funds to help reach financial goals.
Ally Invest is subject to regulation from three regulatory authorities: Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and FINRA. As a registered broker/dealer, Ally Invest must submit reports regarding its activities to these regulators; additionally, Ally must abide by their rules to provide fair and accurate information to its customers.
Ally Invest stands out from other online brokers by not charging a base commission fee on stock and ETF trades; instead, options trading contracts incur a per contract fee. Furthermore, its website features tools designed to help investors analyze markets and make more informed decisions.
Trading platform
Ally Invest offers an easy, user-friendly trading platform that is customizable with user needs in mind, as well as offering seamless synchronization across Ally accounts – this makes moving cash between an interest-bearing checking account, high yield savings or investment account and the brokerage app more straightforward – an attractive feature for investors who already are customers of Ally bank.
Ally offers a selection of trading and research tools, such as 8 chart types with 117 indicators and 36 drawing tools, an ETF/mutual fund screener and options analysis tools like probability calculators and profitability graphing. However, these features do not appear on its mobile app or Ally Invest Live.
Ally Invest offers free stock and ETF trading, plus an attractive managed portfolio option that gives personalized recommendations without advisory fees. They also have an impressive selection of mutual funds, an online savings account, and margin accounts available.
