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. 

Market Update Today! May 5, 2016

Market is flat along with Acorns portfolio.

Aggressive is flat no, change.
Moderately Aggressive is flat, no change.
Moderate is up by +0.10%.
Moderately Conservative is up by +0.10%.
Conservative is up by +0.10%.

Stash investment app provides diversification and low flat fee, great for millennials and new investors

I recently joined Stash investment and downloaded their app.

I'm not calling myself an expert in investing, but I've been doing it for about 5 years now.

Stash probably solves one of my complains about full brokerage companies, the fees.

Stash only charges $1 a month and charges nothing if the balance is zero. Now, with other brokerage out there like Charles Schwab they charge $9.95 per trade. If I buy stocks or other securities multiply times in a month, it's a lot of money.

With Stash app I only pay a flat fee of $1 a month. I can invest $5 on Monday, $10 on Wednesday, and $50 on Friday. Instead of paying $29, I only get charged $1. That's a big savings.

The other benefits of using Stash investment app is the wide variety of investment choices. There are 28 portfolios to choose from ranging from the home construction industry, technology, social media enterprises, and green technology.

My Holdings
Delicious Dividends 41%
Enjoy Yourself 21%
Blue Chips 20%
Clean & Green 18%

I love how Stash app makes investing in the stock market easy and affordable.

Market Update Today! May 4, 2016

The market is down along with Acorns Portfolios.

Aggressive is down by -0.10%.
Moderately Aggressive is down by -0.10%.
Moderate is down by -0.10%.
Moderately Conservative is down by -0.10%.
Conservative is down by -0.10%. 

The S&P 500 Index is down by -0.60%.

Market Update Today! May 3, 2016

Happy Tuesday!

The market is down along with Acorns Portfolios.

Aggressive is down by -1.00%.
Moderately Aggressive is down by -0.80%.
Moderate is down by -0.60%.
Moderately Conservative is down by -0.50%.
Conservative is down by -0.30%. 

I joined Stash Investment app. I believe it offers more diversified portfolios.

Stash Investing App a good alternative to Acorns Investment App

I've been with Acorns investing app for about a week now and I'm pretty satisfied with the services that it offers.

The only bad thing about Acorns investment app is the fact the there are only five portfolios. It's not very flexible in my opinion. However, I am keeping the Acorns investment app for savings and will keep adding $20 a month. Set and forget.

Stash investing app runs like the Acorns investment app. It offers more portfolios than Acorns and it proves advantageous for Stash and investors.

The portfolios on Stash ranges from what we believe in, wants, and likes. These portfolios are also formed by exchange traded funds (ETF) but instead of multiple ETF, there's only one ETF on each Stash portfolio.

For example, I am invested on the Blue Chips stock and my corresponding ETF is Vanguard Mega Cap ETF Ticker MGC. Just one ETF.

Now, here's comes another advantage of Stash investing app.

You can buy more than one ETF from the 23 offerings on Stash.

Stash offers more flexibility and diversification than Acorns investing app.

Market Update today! May 3, 2016

Happy Monday!

The market is up along with Acorns Portfolios.

Aggressive is up by +0.70%.
Moderately Aggressive is up by +0.50%.
Moderate is up by +0.40%.
Moderately Conservative is up by +0.30%.
Conservative is up by +0.20%.

I joined Stash Investment app. I believe it offers more diversified portfolios.

Market Update Today! April 29, 2016

Happy Friday everyone!

The market is down along with Acorns Portfolios. 

Aggressive is down by -0.60%.

Moderately Aggressive is down by -0.50%.

Moderate is down by -0.40%. 

Moderately Conservative is down by -0.30%.

Conservative is down by -0.20%. 

I added $200 more because the market is down. 

Have a good day!

Acorns Trade and Confirmation Statements

I got my first Acorns trade and confirmation statement today.

I finally can see the purchase price of each ETF. 

My portfolio is setup to aggressive. 

Daily Market Update! April 28, 2016

All Acorns Portfolio down..

Aggressive down by -0.70%
Moderately Aggressive down by -0.60% 
Moderate down by -0.50%
Moderately Conservative down by -0.40%
Conservative down by -0.30%

 We had better days :D

Market Update today! April 27, 2016

Happy Wednesday everyone!

The market continues to go up from Monday!

All the portfolios gained the same amount at an impressive +0.30%!

Conservative Acorns is up +0.30%
Moderately Conservative Acorns is up +0.30%
Moderate Acorns is up +0.30%
Moderately Aggressive Acorns is up +0.30%
Aggressive Acorns is up +0.30%


Note: We started tracking the funds on 04/25/2016.

Join Acorns and get $5 free to start investing!

Market Update today! April 26, 2016

Happy Tuesday everyone!

The market continues to go up from Monday!

I have changed my portfolio to aggressive.

Conservative Acorns is up +0.20%
Moderately Conservative Acorns is up +0.30%
Moderate Acorns is up +0.40%
Moderately Aggressive Acorns is up +0.50%
Aggressive Acorns is up +0.60%


Note: We started tracking the funds on 04/25/2016.

Join Acorns and get $5 free to start investing!

Getting started with Acorns investment app

It is surprisingly easy to get started with Acorns investment app.

If you haven't joined already, you can get $5 free from Acorns here. You can only get the $5 free using the promotional invitation code above.

What to expect during the registration process
During the registration process, you will need to submit your legal name, email address (use your .edu email and get free access til you reach 24), primary phone number, home address, and social security number (Patriot Act). In addition, you will also need to add PIN as an added protection.

The registration process is less than five minutes.

After registration, you will then add your checking account and round up account. The checking account funds your investments. All withdrawals are sent to this account as well. Note that changing the funding source may delay a withdrawal as the new funding source must be verified. The round up accounts track your spending for Round-Ups. The funds for Round-Ups come from the bank account connected on the Checking tab.

Acorns app approval

Acorns does reserve the right to approve or deny account accounts. After submitting my application, I was approved for an account in 17 minutes.

You then fund your account for less than $5. It takes 1-3 business days for the funds to clear and be ready for investment.

Before you get a full access, they will need to verify your account. They will use the information provided on the application and checking account to verify the account. This is in line with the Patriot Act. Verification should take less than 3 business days.

Diversified Portfolios
The fun part of Acorns investment app is choosing among the 5 portfolios.

Aggressive offers the most capital appreciation with major risk.

Moderately Aggressive offers capital growth with risk.

Moderate offers capital growth with safety cushion.

Moderately Conservative offers safe investment with steady income coming in.

Conservative offers safe and sound investment.

Acorns investment app excels in ease of registration process, diversified portfolios, and low cost. New investors are provided with great platform to start.

Always remember, always do your own due diligence.

Market Update today! April 25, 2016

Happy Monday everyone!

This starts our daily Acorns market update!

Conservative Acorns is up +0.10%
Moderately Conservative Acorns is up +0.10%
Moderate Acorns is up +0.10%
Moderately Aggressive Acorns is up +0.20%
Aggressive Acorns is up +0.20%

Acorns Portfolio Current Dividend Yield

Portfolios on Acorns comes with dividends and they get reinvested automatically.

Aggressive 3 %

Moderately Aggressive 2.7 %

Moderate 2.5 %

Moderately Conservative 2.4 %

Conservative 2 %

Looking at the list, the Acorns Aggressive Portfolio offers the most dividend yield at 3%. The dividend yield mostly comes from real estate investment trusts (REITs). REITs make up 30 % of the Aggressive Acorns portfolio.

The Best Portfolio on Acorns App Investment

I think the hardest part of investing with the Acorns app is choosing which portfolio is the best suited to our investment needs.
Time Horizon
A time horizon or planning horizon is a fixed point of time in the future at which point certain processes will be evaluated or assumed to end. Wikipedia.org

If you have about 20-30 years before you retire, an aggressive portfolio is ideal. It provides the maximum capital appreciation, however it assumes that you wont need the money invested for 20-30 years. Aggressive portfolios requires a long time horizon and market is always going up and down. Patience is a virtue in investing. There will be ups and downs.


Diversification
Spread the Wealth. Equities are wonderful, but don't put all of your investment in one stock or one sector. Investopedia.com

The good thing about Acorns is that they use 6 exchange trade funds (ETF) focusing in different sectors. They have Large Company, Small Company, Emerging Market, Real Estate, Government Bonds, and Corporate Bonds. Acorns invests on each ETF depending on your investing style.

What's Best for you
This is hard to answer.

For example, I am 22 years old and my investing style right now on Acorns is Moderate. Now, those with investment experience will realize that I have a very long time horizon. One would expect for me to put my money to a more aggressive portfolio.

But why did I choose to invest my money on the Moderate portfolio?

It's more to do with risk-tolerance. The Moderate portfolio is a safe investment with 39% invested in bonds with very little risk on volatile markets like 10% Emerging Markets and 19% Small Cap Stocks. However, it still provides growth with 16% invested in Large company stocks and 16% Real Estate Stocks.

Emerging markets and small cap stocks are just too risky for my liking. A lot of them are one time hit wonders or momentum stocks.

Check your investment horizon, diversify, and do your own due diligence.

Acorns Investment Composition Demystified NYSEARCA:VWO

One of the investment composition in Acorns diversified portfolio is NYSE ARCA: VWO by Vanguard.

Invests in stocks of companies located in emerging markets around the world, such as China, Brazil, Taiwan, and South Africa. Goal is to closely track the return of the FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Transition Index. Has high potential for growth, but also high risk; share value may swing up and down more than that of stock funds that invest in developed countries, including the United States. Only appropriate for long-term goals.

This is very aggressive.

Average annual performance

 

Quarter-end

  | 

Month-end

 As of03/31/2016

View as chart   

	1 Year	3 Year	5 Year	10 Year	Since Inception 03/04/2005
FTSE Emerging Markets ETF**	–12.63%	–4.35%	–4.15%	2.83%	5.38%
Spliced Emerging Markets Index†	–12.45%	–4.16%	–3.96%	3.01%	5.58%

Characteristics as of 03/31/2016

Fund total net assets	$51.5 billion
Number of stocks	3944
Net assets of ten largest holdings	17.0%

Month-end ten largest holdings
(17.0% of total net assets) as of 03/31/2016 

1		Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd.
2		Tencent Holdings Ltd.
3		China Mobile Ltd.
4		China Construction Bank Corp.
5		Naspers Ltd.
6		Industrial & Commercial Bank of China Ltd.
7		Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. Ltd.
8		Infosys Ltd.
9		Bank of China Ltd.
10		Housing Development Finance Corp. Ltd.

Source: http://www.vanguard.com

Acorns Investment Composition Demystified NYSEARCA:VOO

One of the investment composition in Acorns diversified portfolio is NYSE ARCA: VOO by VanGuard.


Invests in stocks in the S&P 500 Index, representing 500 of the largest U.S. companies. Goal is to closely track the index’s return, which is considered a gauge of overall U.S. stock returns. Offers high potential for investment growth; share value rises and falls more sharply than that of funds holding bonds. More appropriate for long-term goals where your money’s growth is essential.

This investment is moderately aggressive.

Average annual performance

Quarter-end

  |  

Month-end

 As of03/31/2016

View as chart   

	1 Year	3 Year	5 Year	10 Year	Since Inception 09/07/2010
S&P 500 ETF	1.75%	11.78%	11.54%	—	14.45%
S&P 500 Index**	1.78%	11.82%	11.58%	7.01%	14.49%

Portfolio composition

Equity sector diversification S&P 500 ETF as of 03/31/2016 S&P 500 Index as of 03/31/2016 Consumer Discretionary 12.90% 12.90% Consumer Staples 10.40% 10.40% Energy 6.80% 6.80% Financials 15.60% 15.60% Health Care 14.30% 14.30% Industrials 10.10% 10.10% Information Technology 20.80% 20.80% Materials 2.80% 2.80% Other 0.00% — Telecommunication Services 2.80% 2.80% Utilities 3.50% 3.50% Sector categories are based on the Global Industry Classification Standard system.

Characteristics as of 03/31/2016 Number of stocks 506 Fund total net assets $227.5 billion Net assets of ten largest holdings 19.0% Foreign holdings — Month-end ten largest holdings (19.0% of total net assets) as of 03/31/2016  1 Apple Inc. 2 Alphabet Inc. 3 Microsoft Corp. 4 Exxon Mobil Corp. 5 Johnson & Johnson 6 General Electric Co. 7 Berkshire Hathaway Inc. 8 Facebook Inc. 9 AT&T Inc. 10 Amazon.com Inc.

Source: http://www.vanguard.com