Stash: Platform Profile

Overview

Stash is not a conventional commission-first brokerage.

Its current business model is a subscription.

The Stash Plan currently combines:

• a personal investment account;
• stocks and ETFs;
• fractional investing;
• Smart Portfolio automated management;
• Roth and Traditional IRAs;
• managed retirement portfolios;
• custodial/kids investing;
• financial guidance;
• Stock-Back Card features;
• integrated crypto through Bakkt.

The main economic question is therefore not:

"Does Stash charge a stock commission?"

It is:

"Is the recurring subscription worth the bundle of investing, advice, retirement, family, and card features the customer actually uses?"

May fit better for

• beginner investors who value guidance;
• investors who want automated and self-directed investing in one app;
• users who want IRAs and kids accounts;
• investors who value a 3% qualifying retirement contribution match;
• users who prefer a predictable subscription;
• investors comfortable with limited daily trading windows.

May fit less well for

• investors who only need a free stock-trading account;
• active traders;
• investors who need immediate intraday execution control;
• users with small balances who are sensitive to a fixed monthly fee;
• crypto traders who want a dedicated exchange and transparent universal maker/taker schedule;
• investors who assume Stash's subscription includes every ancillary account fee.

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Current Stash Plan price

The current marketed plan is:

• Stash Plan:
• Monthly: $12
• Annual: $108
• Annual savings: 25%

Stash currently markets one plan rather than the older multi-tier Beginner/Growth/Stash+ structure found in legacy documents.

This is a mandatory stale-data guard.

Some older disclosure language still references legacy wrap-fee structures.

Use the current pricing page for the current marketed subscription.

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Subscription cost at different balances

The fixed subscription affects small balances more heavily.

$1,000 invested

Annual plan price:

$108 ÷ $1,000 = 10.8%

of the starting balance.

$10,000 invested

$108 ÷ $10,000 = 1.08%

$100,000 invested

$108 ÷ $100,000 = 0.108%

These are simple subscription-to-balance illustrations.

They are not total investment expense ratios.

Fund expenses and applicable advisory/ancillary fees remain separate.

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Legal roles

Current Stash disclosures identify:

• Parent company: Stash Financial, Inc.
• Investment adviser:
• Entity: Stash Investments LLC
• SEC registered investment adviser: Yes
• Broker dealer:
• Entity: Stash Capital LLC
• FINRA CRD: 287728
• SEC number: 8-69908
• FINRA member: Yes
• SIPC member: Yes
• Clearing and custody:
• Entity: Apex Clearing Corporation

Stash Capital acts as introducing broker for Stash advisory accounts.

Apex provides clearing/execution and serves as qualified custodian for advisory assets.

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Self-directed stocks and ETFs

Current Stash pages state that users can choose from thousands of stocks and ETFs and buy fractional interests.

Stash currently markets:

• Stocks and ETFs: thousands
• Fractional investing: Yes
• Unlimited trading under plan: Yes
• Add on stock commission: $0 stated

The platform is built for long-term investing rather than rapid trading.

That design appears directly in the execution schedule.

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Four trading windows

Current Stash support states:

• Trading windows:
• Count per weekday: 4
• Morning windows: 2
• Afternoon windows: 2
• Day trading focus: No

Orders are queued and processed in one of the trading windows.

The price visible when a user taps sell or buy is not guaranteed to be the final execution price.

This matters during volatile markets.

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Smart Portfolio

Smart Portfolio is the automated managed-account product.

Current pricing:

• Smart Portfolio:
• Starting: $5
• AUM fee below 1000: 0%
• AUM fee at or above 1000: 0.25% annually
• Billing: charged every three months
• Discretionary management: Yes

The fixed Stash subscription still applies.

The 0.25% AUM fee is an additional advisory fee once the Smart Portfolio reaches the current threshold.

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Smart Portfolio fee example

Assume:

• $20,000 Smart Portfolio;
• full year at unchanged balance for illustration.

AUM fee:

$20,000 × 0.25% = $50

Annual Stash subscription:

$108

Combined simple reference before ETF expenses and other fees:

$158

The actual account balance changes over time and billing follows the advisory agreement.

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Retirement accounts

Current retirement product includes:

• Traditional IRA: Yes
• Roth IRA: Yes
• Self directed retirement portfolio: Yes
• Managed retirement portfolio: Yes

Stash's self-directed retirement account is a conventional securities IRA, not an alternative-asset SDIRA custodian.

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Managed retirement fee

Current Managed Retirement terms:

• Managed Retirement:
• AUM fee: 0.25% annually
• Billing: charged twice per year when portfolio is rebalanced

The retirement match does not erase this fee.

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Retirement match

Current pricing states:

• Retirement match:
• Rate: 3%
• Applies to: eligible net monthly IRA contributions
• Annual value marketing: up to $225
• Terms and early removal rules apply: Yes

It is a promotional/account benefit governed by eligibility and match terms.

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Kids and custodial accounts

The current Stash Plan includes investment accounts for children.

The assets in a custodial account belong to the minor under the applicable custodial-account framework.

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Crypto is held at Bakkt

Current Stash investing pages state:

• Crypto provider: Bakkt
• Crypto separate from Apex securities: Yes
• Crypto transaction fee: based on Stash subscription plan / Bakkt terms
• Numeric universal crypto fee verified for this review: No

Bakkt charges the customer a transaction fee and a portion can be paid to Stash as revenue.

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Crypto vs securities protection

Current structure:

• Cash and securities custodian: Apex Clearing Corporation
• Crypto custodian provider: Bakkt
• Stash Capital SIPC: Yes
• Bakkt crypto SIPC market loss protection: No
• Investment products FDIC: No

Stash also provides access to banking products through Stride Bank, N.A.

That bank relationship does not make Stash securities or crypto FDIC insured.

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Ancillary fees

Current ancillary fee list includes:

• Outgoing ACAT: $100 per account
• Incoming ACAT: $0
• Paper check: $2
• Instant external bank transfer: 1%

These charges sit outside the subscription.

"$12 per month is the only fee a Stash customer can ever pay."

It is the current fixed plan fee, not the complete fee universe.

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AI and financial guidance

Stash markets a digital financial-advisor experience and AI Money Coach.

Current disclosures say the AI guidance:

• uses available customer information;
• may be incomplete or inaccurate;
• does not reflect the customer's complete financial situation;
• should not be the sole source of financial guidance.

Assessment

Stash is not compelling because it offers commission-free stock trades.

Many brokers do that without a subscription.

The case for Stash depends on the bundle:

• advice;
• automated investing;
• retirement;
• family accounts;
• rewards;
• integrated financial tools.

For a very small portfolio, $108 per year can be economically large relative to account value.

For a larger household that uses several included features, the fixed subscription becomes less significant as a percentage of assets.

The most important execution limitation is the four-window trading model.

The most important protection distinction is:

Apex holds cash and securities. Bakkt holds the integrated crypto account. Stride Bank provides separate banking access.