What Investment Options Does Ally Invest Offer?

Updated

Ally Invest offers four main ways to invest: Self-Directed Trading, Robo Portfolios, Personal Advice, and a self-directed trading experience that includes access to TipRanks' expert data. According to Ally's site, Self-Directed Trading comes with $0 commission on eligible stocks and ETFs. If you want to trade on your own, choose Self-Directed Trading. If you'd rather have automated portfolio management, choose Robo Portfolios. If you want guidance from a person, Personal Advice is the relevant option.

Self-Directed Trading

This is the option for investors who want to pick their own stocks and ETFs and place their own trades.

  • $0 commission on eligible stocks and ETFs, as stated on Ally's site. Check the eligibility terms before you assume a particular security qualifies.
  • Access to TipRanks' expert data through the Self-Directed Trading account, per Ally's description. This is research and analyst-style data to inform your own decisions, not a managed service.
  • You open the account yourself and control what you buy and sell.

This fits you if you're comfortable making your own investment decisions and want low stated trading costs on eligible securities.

Robo Portfolios

Robo Portfolios are Ally's automated investing option. You don't pick individual securities; the portfolio is managed for you. This fits you if you want a hands-off approach and don't want to research and trade individual holdings.

Ally's site lists Robo Portfolios as a distinct product from Self-Directed Trading, but it doesn't publish the underlying portfolio details, fees, or minimums in the material available here. Confirm those directly with Ally before opening an account.

Personal Advice

Personal Advice is listed as a separate service alongside Self-Directed Trading and Robo Portfolios. It's the option to consider if you want human guidance rather than a purely self-directed or automated approach. The site doesn't specify what the advice covers, how it's delivered, or what it costs, so verify the scope and any fees with Ally.

How to Choose

Your situation Option to look at
You want to pick stocks/ETFs yourself and value low stated commissions on eligible trades Self-Directed Trading
You want research data (TipRanks) to inform your own trades Self-Directed Trading
You want automated, managed portfolios without picking securities Robo Portfolios
You want guidance from a person Personal Advice

What to Verify Before Opening an Account

Ally's page confirms the product names and the $0 commission on eligible stocks and ETFs, but it doesn't publish account minimums, Robo Portfolio fees, or the specifics of Personal Advice. Before you commit:

  1. Check the eligibility rules behind the $0 commission so you know which stocks and ETFs qualify.
  2. Ask about minimum opening balances for each account type.
  3. Confirm what Personal Advice includes and whether it carries a fee.
  4. Review the Robo Portfolio management fee and the investment mix.

Ally also offers banking products (Spending, Savings, Money Market, CDs) and insurance through Ally + Ladder, so you can hold cash and investments in one place—but the investment options above are the ones relevant to building a portfolio.