Ally Invest IRA Review
Founded in 2005 as TradeKing, Ally Invest is no longer a newcomer in the online brokerage business. They immediately staked their claim as one of the lowest-cost discount brokers.
TradeKing also pioneered connecting investors to social networking with a vibrant blog and discussion forums, and they've made investor education a priority since
releasing their Options Playbook, a primer for options trading strategies, in 2007. After acquiring discount broker Zecco in 2012, TradeKing became the sixth
largest brokerage firm in the U.S. with more than 500,000 accounts. Later TradeKing was acquired by Ally Financial and renamed to Ally Invest.
Ally Invest offers trading in stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, options, and foreign currencies. There is also Ally Managed Portfolios, a branch of the company that offers
a limited number of managed portfolios for clients who want to leave investing to the pros.
Ally Invest Basics
- $4.95 commissions on stock and ETF trades ($3.95 per trade if making 30+ trades per quarter or for $100,000 balances)
- $4.95 + $0.65/contract option trades ($0.50 per contract if making 30+ trades per quarter or for $100,000 balances)
- $9.95 mutual fund trades for no-load funds
- $1 for corporate bonds, with a $10 minimum; no commissions on Treasury securities
- No-annual-fee IRAs
- A robust Ally LIVE trading platform for more experienced traders
- AutoTrade service for implementing newsletter-recommended trades automatically
- A full array of research and educational tools and resources
Ally Invest Website/Trading Platform/Tools
The website is clean and easy to navigate. Opening an account is straightforward, starting with setting up a username and password, then proceeding
to pertinent account registration and financial data. No minimum deposit is required to open an account with Ally Invest Securities. However, Ally
Managed Portfolios requires a $500 minimum investment for Core Portfolios and a $5,000 minimum investment for Momentum Portfolios. All customers must
be living in the USA to maintain an Ally Invest account. Foreign citizens from approved countries who live in the USA may also open an account.
Trading is easy, with many tools such as screeners and options pricing calculators to help investors on a simple and intuitive trading platform called Ally Invest LIVE.
It is fully customizable and features streaming charts, news, flexible trading tickets, options chains, and real-time updates on all positions. Popular tools include
a Probability Calculator, Profit and Loss Calculator, and the Maxit Tax Manager, a cost basis and tax-reporting tool that helps traders identify "tax-smart" investment opportunities. For technical traders, Ally Invest offers a full suite of free technical analysis tools powered by Recognia.
With acquisition of MB Trading, a small brokerage known for its professional-grade trading platform, enabled Ally Invest customers to trade futures
contracts in addition to the usual equities, fixed income, and mutual fund investments.
Ally Invest also allows mobile trading with its award-winning apps for iPhone and Android as well as access through virtually any web-enabled mobile device.
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Ally Invest IRA Pros
- Low commissions
- No extra charge for broker-assisted trades
- No extra commissions for extended hours orders
- No minimum investments or account balances
- Free Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIP)
- Highly rated customer service
- Extensive educational and trading tools
- Low cost professional portfolio management through Ally Managed Portfolios
Ally Invest IRA Cons
- NTF funds are not offered
- Limited news and research sources compared with other leading brokers
- Additional $0.01/share charge for stocks priced less than $2.00
- Limited extended-market trading hours
Up to $3,500 cash bonus + commission free trades for new accounts.
Open Ally IRA Account
Awards
Ally Invest IRA Review Summary
Price-conscious investors will be attracted to Ally Invest's low commissions and no minimum investment requirements. With the addition of MB Trading
and their professional-grade trading platform, investors interested in trading futures should consider Ally Invest too.
Since Ally Invest doesn't offer one-on-one investment advice, investors on a budget who require more personalized guidance may want to look toward a
discount broker with a stronger personal advisor presence such as TD Ameritrade.
Overall, Ally Invest is a quality discount broker that has earned many accolades for price and customer service. It is a good choice for any
investment retirement account: Traditional IRA, ROTH IRA, SEP, Simple, and Rollover IRAs. With low commissions, no fees, and good trading tools,
Ally Invest will appeal to beginning investors as well as active, experienced traders.
Up to $3,500 cash bonus + commission free trades for new accounts.
Open Ally IRA Account
Ally IRA
Reviewed by Brokerage-Review.com.
Rating: 4.5
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