Is Acorns really worth it?

There are a lot of naysayers if Acorns is really worth it.

One argued that:

"High % of assets fee makes it not worth it. If you're disciplined just throw fifty bucks a month into an investment fund yourself...You subtract the annual fees from the annual returns. So with 1% monthly fees on 7% annual returns... Well, you are literally giving them money for their "fun" way to save. It's a great marketing plan and great deal...for them."

However, Acorns is very transparent about their fees. It is clearly listed on their website and mobile application.

Acorns simplifies investing for a lot of people. That's exactly what if offers.

Now, those seeking higher returns could move on to Fidelity or Scottrade.

Those starting to invest will learn a lot from Acorns and it makes it worth it.

Here's a testimony for Acorns:

"For me, I'm 18, American, and have limited knowledge of stocks. I've been saving $100 per week in my checking account since I got a job, and it just sort of sits there unless I buy something big. When I saw Acorns, I did a lot of research into it. I asked my friends and coworkers how they felt about the idea as well. I eventually decided to put in 200. After 4 trading days, I'm up over 3 dollars. If I continue at the current rate with just my 200 investment, I'll have made some decent money by the end of the year. In a worst case scenario, I'll start losing and eventually could drop down to 0 with terrible luck. For me, the reward outweighs the risk. I've (hopefully) got another 50 years til I retire and another 20-30 years of life after that. Being 18 I get a free account. Even if I wasn't 18, being a student with an .edu email would give a free account. Use Acorns for a bit to watch the market, then you can try to make some investments on your own. For me it's working well short term, but I don't know how long it'll last. Also, no withdrawal fees."

Sold Canadian Solar CSIQ for 10.25% Profit

I sold my Canadian Solar CSIQ positions on May 20, 2016 for a good profit of 10.25%.

Individual Stock Holdings Spotlight Green Plains Partners LP GPP

My third largest individual stock holding on Motif Investing brokerage is Green Plains Partners LP listed on NASDAQ.

I bought GPP when it was trading at $13.76/share in April 14, 2016 and I am up 0.15% or $1 so far.

Business

Green Plains Partners LP is a fee-based, limited partnership formed by our parent, Green Plains Inc., to provide ethanol and fuel storage, terminal and transportation services by owning, operating, developing and acquiring ethanol and fuel storage tanks, terminals, transportation assets and other related assets and businesses. We intend to seek opportunities to grow our business by pursuing organic projects and acquisitions of complementary assets from third parties in cooperation with our parent.

Long or short?
I am long GPP. I think the price right now is good entry point. The only reason why I bought in is because of the dividend yield of more than 10%.

If the oil price recovers, I believe GPP will skyrocket back to $16/share with more demand for ethanol blend.

Individual Stock Holdings Spotlight Starwood Property Trust Inc. STWD

Here is my second individual stock holdings spotlight, Starwood Property Trust Inc. STWD listed on NYSE. 

I bought 83 stocks of STWD at $19.05/share. I am currently up 6.56% or +$103.75. This is my largest individual stock holding valued currently at $1,684.90. 

Why invest in STWD?

I invested mostly because it was trading at a discount. A year ago STWD was at $24 and I know that it will go back up again.

Another reason why I invested is because of its dividend yield. Currently the dividend yield is $1.92/share. That is a rate of 10.08%.

I expect to get $159.36 of dividend income every year.

Long or Short?

I am long STWD because the dividend yield is great and this company is solid with P/E ratio of only 13. 66.

Individual Stock Holdings Spotlight Canadian Solar CSIQ

Besides using Acorns Invest and Stash Invest apps, I also have individual stock holdings using Motif Investing.

Today, I will tell you about my individual stock holding Canadian Solar Inc. CSIQ listed on Nasdaq.

I bought 61 shares of CSIQ at $16.29/share on May 4, 2016. Since then CSIQ has risen to $17.04/share. I am currently up 4.60%. It was up $18.08 on Wednesday, but since went down.

Why invest in Canadian Solar?

I invested in Canadian Solar mostly because it was down too much and I believe that it will trade above $19/share.

It recently released its earnings on Wednesday.

The solar company reported adjusted first-quarter earnings of 39 cents a share on revenue of $721 million, blowing past expectations for 14 cents a share on sales of $663 million, according to consensus estimates from Thomson Reuters.

Canadian Solar also raised its full-year sales guidance. The company said that it now expects $3 billion to $3.2 billion in revenue for 2016. It had previously forecast $2.9 billion to $3.1 billion in sales for the year. The stock was up more than 12 percent on Wednesday.

Long or Short?

I am not long on this stock. This stock range from $21-$15/share. I will sell when it hits $19/share.

Is Stash Invest legit?

Stash Invest app is owned and operated by Collective Returns, Inc.

Collective Returns, Inc., dba Stash Invest (""Stash""), is an SEC registered investment advisor.

I went to the Securities and Exchange Commission website to learn if Stash Invest is legit.

There I found that it is indeed registered and licensed with the file number:
COLLECTIVE RETURNS, INC. (CRD# 226550 / SEC# 801-96294)

The primary place of business is 27 WEST 24TH STREET STE 401 NEW YORK, NEW YORK 10016.

Investment Advisory Services offered through Collective Returns, Inc. dba StashInvest(""Stash""). Securities offered through Apex Clearing Corporation, Member FINRA, SIPC.

Is Stash Invest safe?

Stash invest app was conceived in early 2015. The company helps Americans start investing for the long term. A lot of people found investing intimidating, expensive, and unrelatable. That's how Stash invest came in.

It's been featured on CNN Money, Yahoo! Finance, BuzzFeed News, Fox5 New York and Associated Press AP to name a few.

Is Stash Invest safe?

StashInvest © Collective Returns Inc. - Collective Returns, Inc., dba Stash Invest (""Stash""), is an SEC registered investment advisor.

Encryption 

Stash employs 256-bit bank-grade encryption to secure all your information, from personal info to purchase history and more. Stash uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) to help ensure any information in the Stash app and Stash website is (instead of are) are protected. 

User ID, Password, and PIN 

To access your Stash account, you must supply your unique user ID, password, and PIN. Anytime you leave the app, you need to enter your PIN or use Touch ID to get back into your account. Your account is automatically locked after 3 invalid login attempts. 

Infrastructure 

Stash software, hardware, and IT infrastructure are kept secure with multiple levels of defense. We constantly monitor the latest technologies to keep our systems up to date and up to the industry’s highest standards. 

Session Timeout 

After 15 minutes of inactivity, Stash will automatically end your session and require you to sign back in; this protects your account and lowers the risk of unauthorized access on an unattended phone.

Stash invest is safe because it offers encryption, security features, and is a registered advisor under the Securities and Exchange Commission.