Stock broker bonus

You may run into hiccups if some items can’t be transferred. One common example is vanguard admiral shares of their mutual funds.

Top-3 forex bonuses

The 14 Best Brokerage Account Promotions and Bonuses for 2021, stock broker bonus.

Some brokerages will take them, others won’t. In these cases, you may have to transfer them to another asset type (like the ETF version), which will accept them. Charles schwab will give stock plan services clients a bonus of up to $500 when you open a new account and transfer in new funds with 45 days. If you are not a stock plan service, they won’t give you this promotion (they will even let you apply and enter in a promotion code, but they won’t give you the bonus).

The 14 best brokerage account promotions and bonuses for 2021

Updated january 21, 2021

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Are you looking to open a new brokerage account to manage your portfolio of investments but aren’t sure which one?

Many online investment platforms compete for business by offering new account promotions based on the assets you can transfer to their platform. While promotions shouldn’t be the only consideration, these promotion/bonus amounts are too hard to look past.

There are a range of bonuses listed below, whether you have an established portfolio and looking to transfer stocks, or starting new.

Continue reading to review the best brokerage account promotions for new accounts.

Our top picks:

Webull – 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600

Webull is a free trading app from webull financial. They are a brokerage based out of new york city and regulated by FINRA, you can look them up on brokercheck. We have a full review of webull and their offer here.

For new signups, open and fund an account with $100 and they will give you 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600. They have no fees and no account minimums so it’s truly free stock.

Robinhood is a relatively new brokerage that will give you a free share of stock when you open an account. There are no other requirements of the offer, you just need to open an account. No deposit, no transfer, no nothing. You can read more about the free share of stock promotion here.

Ally invest – up to $3,500

Ally invest is the online brokerage account I use because they offer free trades (U.S. Stock, etfs, and options) with no minimums and monthly balance requirements. I have an ally bank account so managing it all with one login is convenient too. I wish I would’ve taken advantage of their new account bonuses for transfers because it’s one of the most generous, here is the schedule based on how much you deposit within 60 days of account opening:

Here is the ally invest bonus structure:

Deposit or transfer amount	your bonus
$10,000 – $24,999	$50
$25,000 – $99,999	$200
$100,000 – $249,999	$300
$250,000 – $499,999	$600
$500,000 – $999,999	$1,200
$1,000,000 – $1,999,999	$2,500
$2,000,000 or more	$3,500

They will also credit transfer fees if you move your account from another brokerage – up to $150 ACAT fee reimbursement.

NVSTR –

NVSTR has a referral program where you can get up to $1,000 (but at least $10) when you sign up. The referring customer gets $10 to $1,000 too – and it’s a limited time offer. If you’ve never heard of them before, our NVSTR review can get you up to speed.

The only requirement is that you make one trade within a year and you can keep the bonus. There are no other requirements for the new account bonus.

There is also a deposit bonus. For a limited time, after you open your account, you can get a bonus based on what you deposit. You need to maintain this amount for one year to keep the deposit bonus.

Tastyworks

Tastyworks will give you 100 shares of a “highly liquid stock” when you open and fund a new cash or margin account with $2,000. The shares will be selected at random from a list of eleven stocks priced between $1 and $6, so you can get anywhere from $100 to $600 in this promotion with a stated average bonus of $200 – $220. There is a 70% chance of getting a stock priced under $2 and a 30% chance of getting a stock priced over $2.

You must keep the initial value of the stock, less any loss in value, in the account for a minimum of three months.

The referral/promotion code for this offer is “STOCK_AWARD_20” and you must put it in the referral code field when applying.

Sofi invest – $50

Sofi invest is the brokerage arm of sofi, the student loan refinancing company. They’ve recently branched out into other areas, including sofi money (banking), and they are now offering a $50 bonus if you sign up and deposit at least $25.

With sofi invest, you can manage your portfolio (active investing) or go with a roboadvisor approach (auto investing). With active investing, you can invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and etfs without paying a trading commission.

For a limited time, get $50 in stock from sofi invest if you sign up with a referral link and deposit at least $1,000. There’s no trading requirement.

Betterment

Betterment is one of the largest and most respected robo-advisors, you can see our review of betterment for a closer look at their service.

For new accounts, they will waive the management fee of 0.25% depending on how much you transfer:

Deposit $15,000 – $99,999, get 1 month managed free

Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get 6 months managed free

Deposit $250,000+, get 12 months managed free

Citi personal wealth management

Citi personal wealth management has a juicy bonus offer when you transfer new-to-citibank funds within 2 months of opening an account. You also will need to enroll in e-delivery of statements and then keep those funds in the account through the end of the next month (or three months after the month of account enrollment). Bonus will be credited three months after you meet the maintenance requirement.

Here’s the citi bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $50,000 – $199,999 – $500

Fund with $200,000 – $499,999 – $1,000

Fund with $500,000 – $999,999 – $1,500

Fund with $1,000,000 – $1,999,999 – $2,500

Fund with $2,000,000 or more – $3,500

Merrill edge – up to $600

Merrill edge, a bank of america company, will give you up to $1,000 if you open a new merrill edge account using the offer code 600ME. You just need to transfer your funds within 45 days, maintain that balance for 90 days, and you will get the cash bonus in 2 weeks. This bonus applies to individual merrill edge iras or cash management accounts, which is what they call their taxable brokerage accounts.

Here’s the merrill edge bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $20,000 – $49,999: $100

Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $150

Fund with $100,000 – $199,999: $250

Fund with $200,000+ $600

If you are a preferred reward client, you may get up to $900 with this alternative offer.

Charles schwab – up to $500

Charles schwab will give stock plan services clients a bonus of up to $500 when you open a new account and transfer in new funds with 45 days. If you are not a stock plan service, they won’t give you this promotion (they will even let you apply and enter in a promotion code, but they won’t give you the bonus).

Here’s charles schwab’s bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $10,000 – $24,999: $100

Fund with $25,000 – $45,999: $200

Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $300

Fund with $100,000+ $500

Update: I have received reports from readers that you don’t get cash but instead get “trade credits” which can be used to pay the commission for trades. If you are considering this offer, call to confirm the details.

E*TRADE – up to $2,500

When I think of new account promotions, I think of E*TRADE. For years, they had an offer where you could get up to $3,000 (if you had over a million dollars in assets to transfer!) and 60 days of free trades if you open a non-retirement brokerage account.

With the recent rush of brokerages offering free trades, the promotion is now just cash.

You can find the full details here but this is the offer:

Deposit $5,000 – $9,999, get $50 cash

Deposit $10,000 – $19,999, get $100 cash

Deposit $20,000 – $24,999, get $150 cash

Deposit $25,000 – $99,999, get $200 cash

Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get $300 cash

Deposit $250,000 – $499,999, get $600 cash

Deposit $500,000 – $999,999, get $1,200 cash

Deposit $1,000,000 or more, get $2,500 cash

Fidelity – promotion [expired]

Fidelity doesn’t offer any cash bonus right now and their last promotion, for free trades, no longer applies as they’ve made many trades commission free.

This offer has expired. We will update it when fidelity issues a new promotion.

Tradestation – $100 [expired]

Tradestation has a “cash madness” promotion where you can get $100 when you open and fund a tradestation securities account with $500 or more. All you have to do is open a new tradestation securities account using the offer code ZINGAFOG, deposit at least $500 within thirty days of opening your account, and then maintain the balance for one month after the funding date.

The promotion expired on july 1st, 2020. We will update this section when a new promotion arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about bonuses and the brokerage transfer process.

Almost every brokerage firm supports ACATS, which stands for automated customer account transfer service, which lets you transfer your assets “in-kind.” this means that your holdings are transferred without you having to sell them (and create a taxable event). If you have big unrealized gains in a stock, the shares just get moved over without you having to sell them and you keep the same cost basis.

You may run into hiccups if some items can’t be transferred. One common example is vanguard admiral shares of their mutual funds. Some brokerages will take them, others won’t. In these cases, you may have to transfer them to another asset type (like the ETF version), which will accept them.

ACATS does take a week or two to complete the transfer.

I don’t think it’s worth switching from broker to broker, grabbing up the bonuses, but the process isn’t difficult.

If you’re looking to make a move anyway, getting paid a little for the effort is better than not being paid.

Some brokers may charge you to leave, which is something you’d be paying anyway, so hopping around may reduce your returns from the bonus perspective.

If you are creating new taxable brokerage accounts, the bonuses will be reported as income and you will have to claim them on your taxes as income.

If you are creating retirement accounts, like an IRA, the bonuses are going into those accounts so you won’t owe taxes on them immediately. For traditional iras, you’ll just be taxed when you start taking distributions. Roth iras will never be taxed. For each account, review the terms and conditions to see how the brokerage is treating it and you’ll know for certain.

Best brokerage account deals and bonuses right now: earn up to $3,500 with a new account

Get more cash to build wealth with these top brokerage deals and promotions.

Brokerage	brokerage bonus offer	bonus trigger
TD ameritrade	$350-$2,500	account opening and deposit minimum
M1 finance	$250-$2,500	account opening and transfer minimum
stash	$5	account opening and deposit minimum
betterment	1-12 months of free portfolio management	account opening and deposit minimum
blockfi	$15-$250 free bitcoin	account opening and deposit minimum
ally invest	$50-$3,500	account opening and deposit minimum
robinhood	$2.50-$200 worth of free stock	account opening
webull	$8-$1,600 of free stock	deposit minimum
charles schwab	$100-$500	account opening and deposit minimum
merrill edge self-directed	$100-$600	account opening and deposit minimum
E-trade	$25-$2,500	account opening and deposit minimum

If you’re unsure how to choose between this list of brokerage bonuses, these deciding factors on an investment brokerage will show you what to look for in a new account.

Best brokerage account bonuses right now

Building an investment portfolio can take time, but some top brokerage firms can help you with promotions, deals, referral bonuses and sign-up bonuses. Depending on how much money you have to invest, these brokers may offer to deposit a cash bonus into your account, give you free stock or provide fee-free investing for a set period.

If you’re looking for a new brokerage to help manage your portfolio, or if you’re a beginner investor who is excited to get started, check out these brokerage bonus offers to see how you can maximize your return.

1. TD ameritrade bonus: $350-$2,500

One of the largest brokers in the U.S., TD ameritrade provides a platform for all kinds of investors. It offers a robust set of resources and tools and doesn’t charge commissions on online trades of stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (etfs).

TD ameritrade’s requirements to earn a sign-up bonus are a bit steep, so less experienced investors may not qualify. But the broker’s platform is among the best. With commission-free on stocks, mutual funds and other securities, TD ameritrade is still worth considering for long-term investing needs.

Read our full review of the TD ameritrade bonus.

2. M1 finance bonus: $250-$2,500

If you’re looking for an online stock broker that provides both investing and banking services, M1 finance may be ideal. With just $100, you can open an account and start trading various securities — that includes fractional shares, which allow you to purchase portions of shares in publicly-traded companies and benefit from gains without needing a lot of money. Plus, as an added benefit, the platform offers free trades.

M1 finance’s transfer bonus requires new money to be deposited into your account by october 31, 2020.

While this robo-advisor doesn’t offer a cash bonus, the features alone make this online broker worth considering. In addition to DIY-investing and checking, M1 finance offers the chance to borrow on margin at a low interest rate, especially if you register for an M1 plus account. It even offers commission-free trading for both trade windows and cash-back rewards for everyday spending.

Read our full review of the M1 finance bonus.

3. Stash bonus: $5 slickdeals bonus

slick tip: use this slickdeals affiliate link to automatically receive your $5 bonus offer to invest.

If you’re relatively new to investing, meeting high deposit minimums may not be an option. With stash invest, though, you can get a bonus of $5 after you open a stash investment account and deposit $5 or more in new funds. While it may be a small incentive, it is a dollar for dollar match on your first $5 deposit.

That $5 sign-up bonus can be among your first dollars to invest with stash, and you can use it to trade stocks — including fractional shares — and etfs. Stash also offers a stock-back rewards program with its checking account, which means that you can earn rewards in the form of stocks when you make qualifying purchases with your stash debit card.

Just keep in mind that there’s a monthly fee that ranges from $1 to $9, depending on which features you want and how much you want to earn in stock-back rewards. However, like many online stock brokers, stash offers free trades which can help you to recover the cost of monthly fees.

Read our in-depth stash bonus review.

4. Betterment bonus: 1-12 months free portfolio management

One of the pioneers of robo-advising, betterment offers the chance to invest and bank all under one roof. On the investing side of things, the brokerage firm uses algorithms to manage your portfolio for you in exchange for a 0.25% annual fee. You can also upgrade to a premium plan with access to certified financial planners and advice for investments outside of betterment for a 0.40% annual fee.

For smaller investments, getting just one month for free may not amount to much. But it can give you some time to test-drive the platform and decide whether a robo-advisor is right for you.

5. Blockfi bonus: $15 – $250 in free bitcoin

slick tip: use this link and automatically earn your bonus after direct depositing the eligible bonus amount (see below).

Cryptocurrency is a relatively new investment option, and blockfi is taking innovative steps to allow investors to take advantage of it. You can use the broker’s platform to buy and sell various cryptocurrencies, interest on your investment and even use your cryptocurrency as collateral to borrow money.

Blockfi is currently running a new block interest account (BIA) promotion. Fund your new block interest account with $25 or more on or before november to earn a one-time bitcoin bonus of $15 to $250. You must be a new blockfi customer to qualify for this bonus.

Tier	deposit amount (new money)	BTC payout
tier 1	$25 – $249	$15
tier 2	$250 – $999	$20
tier 3	$1,000 — $4,999	$40
tier 4	$5,000 – $9,999	$75
tier 5	$10,000 – $19,999	$150
tier 6	$20,000+	$250

The blockfi interest account lets you put your crypto to work and earn monthly interest payments in the asset-type that you deposit with blockfi.

Blockfi bonus fine print

New clients who sign up through this referral link and fund their account during the current promotional period are eligible to receive $15 – $250 bitcoin bonus (in USDC) depending on their investment tier. The current promotional period is defined as the current calendar month ending at 23:59:59 UTC on the last day of the month.

Please note, this must be your first deposit, and you must maintain a minimum $25 crypto balance through the 14th of the month for two and a half months from the month of eligibility in order to remain eligible. Eligible payouts occur on the 15th of every month on a rolling basis. If the 15th falls on a weekend, then the bonus payout will occur by the end of the next business day. There is a maximum of one bonus per client. This offer cannot be combined with other trading offers. Trading qualifications are dependent upon geographical or regulatory restrictions. Terms subject to change.

Blockfi referral bonuses

Once you’ve become a blockfi customer, you are eligible for their referral program which provides referral links for you to share. For every person that signs up using your blockfi referral code and deposits $100 or more into their blockfi interest account, you and that friend will each earn $10 in BTC.

You can obtain a blockfi referral links by visiting the refer-a-friend landing page. Similarly, new promotions and past promotions are listed here on the blockfi promotions page.

6. Ally invest bonus: $50 – $3,500

Ally invest is an online-only bank that offers a variety of banking, lending and wealth management services. It also offers one of the biggest bonuses for new investing customers that we’ve seen. If you open an ally self-invest account by december 31, 2020 and fund it with a certain amount within the first 60 days of account opening, you can receive up to $3,500.

Ally invest features commission-free trades on eligible U.S exchange-listed stock, ETF, and option trades. In fact, at $0.50 per contract, ally invest offers low-cost fees for option trades and a wide selection of etfs from vanguard, globalx, ishares and more.

Ally invest offers high-yield etfs from market leaders that may complement your portfolio and help diversify your investing strategy

7. Robinhood bonus: $2.50 – $200 worth of free stock

Robinhood helped pioneer the mobile investing movement, as well as commission-free trades. The commission-free platform allows you to trade stocks (fractional shares included), options, cryptocurrencies and etfs, and there’s no minimum to get started.

What’s more, the broker’s bonus is easy to earn: simply open a new account, and you’ll receive a free stock worth between $2.50 and $200. With no barrier to entry, this one may be the best online stock option for inexperienced investors.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that robinhood doesn’t offer retirement accounts. So you may want to consider another option if you’re hoping to open one of those.

8. Webull bonus: $8 – $1,600 of free stock

Another great mobile-first trading platform, webull offers the chance to invest in stocks, etfs and options (though you can’t trade fractional shares). Also, like robinhood, webull doesn’t require massive deposits to earn its welcome offer of free stocks. You can receive up to two free stocks each valued between $8 to $1,600 when you open an account with the broker and fund it with $100 or more.

The broker also offers several ways to earn more free stock, including through referral links and other ongoing promotions. If you’re just starting out or you’re not sure you want to move a lot of money, webull can get a great place to start.

In addition to offering free trades, another one of webull’s strengths is its investment in technical research, which can be a huge plus for experienced investors and others who want to learn.

9. Charles schwab: $100-$500

Like TD ameritrade, charles schwab is one of the largest brokers in the U.S., and offers a much wider range of investment options, resources, tools and other features than many of the smaller brokers on our list.

While the sign-up deposit requirements are a bit steeper than some other brokers, the lowest tier is still relatively accessible to investors with lower net worths.

10. Merrill edge self-directed account bonus: $100 – $600

To earn the cash bonus, you’ll need to make your qualifying deposit of new funds within 45 days of opening your account, then keep it in the account for 90 days after that.

And remember, the sign-up bonus only works for merrill edge self-directed accounts, which is where you manage your own portfolio. If you open a guided investing account with a professional manager, you’ll be ineligible for the promotion. Merrill edge’s bonus is more accessible than many other broker bonuses, but still requires a good amount of cash to get the minimum amount.

11. E-trade brokerage and retirement accounts: $25 – $2,500

Once you meet the requirements, you’ll receive your cash bonus within seven business days. The offer is valid on new accounts opened by dec. 31, 2020, but you’ll have 60 days after that deadline to meet your deposit requirement. You also need to maintain the funds in the account (minus any trading losses you incur) for 12 months.

Bonus

Day trading with bonus funds can give your account a boost. From no deposit bonus schemes to explaining why free bonuses are usually not free at all, we explore the bonus and promotion offers at a range of brokers. We detail the types of bonus available, why forex trading bonuses might differ and which strategy can maximise bonus returns. We also reveal why the key to bonuses is always to read the terms and conditions…

This page also lists all bonus offers and similar promotions available to traders 2021.

Bonus offers january 23 2021

What is a bonus?

A bonus provides you with free money for trading and is normally offered by a broker as an incentive to attract new clients who can then try trading with little or no risk.

There are different types of bonus offers and requirements for getting the bonus paid out to your account. We detail these below.

No deposit bonus

The “no deposit bonus” is the most lenient of bonuses, as it does not require you to deposit any funds at all before you get the bonus. Normally a broker wants you to at least deposit some funds with them before you can get your bonus, but with a “no deposit” bonus they allow anyone to get the bonus after creating a new account.

Note that there might still be requirements to fulfil before you can get your trading profits paid out, and those requirements might be stricter for this kind of bonus than for others. Normally you have to trade a certain total volume before you can withdraw the profits derived from the bonus money.

Considering how generous it is to hand out free money to new traders, that makes a lot of sense. Make sure you are ok with those requirements before you sign up.

Welcome bonus

A “welcome bonus” is a way to reward new traders who sign up for an account, to make them feel welcome and to make it easier for new clients to start trading right away. A welcome bonus might require you to make a deposit, so make sure you agree with the bonus requirements before you sign up.

Deposit match bonus

The “deposit match bonus” will match a percentage of your deposit, up to a certain maximum amount.

For example, if the bonus is a 30% match up to $5,000, and you deposit $1,000, you will get an additional $300 from the broker ($1,000 * 30%). With this example offer the most you can get is $5000, which you would get when depositing at least $16,667 ($16,667 * 30% = $5,000). Even if you deposit more than that, you will still only get the maximum $5,000.

Note – we have seen alternate definitions of the maximum amount, where 30% match up to $5,000 would rather mean that even if you deposit more that $5,000, you will only get the 30% paid out on $5,000. In other words, the maximum amount pertains to the maximum deposit on which you will get the 30% bonus, and NOT how much bonus you can maximally get.

OBS! For a serious trader the distinction between the two maximum amount definitions can make a big difference, so make sure you understand the requirements before signing up and depositing.

Considerations

Most bonus types have requirements regarding how much you have to trade before you can withdraw profits. For some traders this is ok, while to others it becomes a source of frustration.

Due to bonus abuse by many unscrupulous traders, the requirements have by necessity become so strict that you might be better off without one. However, it’s impossible to give individual advice, as it comes down to how much money you want to trade with and how long you can wait before you make a withdrawal.

In the long run a bonus will not make a huge difference to many traders, and might make things feel more complicated and thus spoil the joy of trading. Only use a bonus if you feel it makes sense to you personally.

Do I have to accept a broker's trading bonus?

Normally you don’t have to accept a bonus deal just because a broker is offering one. You might have to explicitly opt out of a bonus however, so make sure to check the terms and conditions when signing up.

Is a bonus basically free money?

While a bonus offer can sometimes sound like free cash with no requirements involved, there are always terms and conditions attached. If this wasn’t the case, what would stop dishonest traders from just withdrawing the funds without trading?

Best brokerage promotions & bonuses – january 2021

If you’re looking for the latest brokerage promotions & bonuses, you’re at the right place! Our list will include options from sharebuilder, TD ameritrade, E*trade, optionshouse, schwab, merrill edge, fidelity, motif, optionsxpress, and much more.

With these brokerage bonuses, you’ll be able to take advantage of sign-up cash bonuses, points & miles promotions, free commission trade deals, and other nice perks. Best brokerage deals

Best brokerage promotions
*find all brokerage promotions here*
PROMOTIONAL LINK	OFFER	REVIEW
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3,500 cash & free trades	review
webull	4 free stocks & free trades	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	review

broker	bonus	terms	expiration	review
acorns	free $5 bonus	none	none	review
ally invest managed portfolios	low advisory fee	$100 minimum deposit	none	review
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3500 cash bonus	$0 minimum deposit	12/31/2020	review
betterment	up to 12 months managed free	$500K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	up to $500	$100K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	500 free trades	$100K+ deposit	none	review
choicetrade	$5 base rate plus $0.15 per contact	no minimum initial deposit	none	review
citi	earn up to $3,500	no minimum initial deposit	12/31/2020	review
cobra trading	free platform demo	request a free platform demo	none	review
dough	up to $200	N/A	12/31/2020	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
firstrade	free stock referral	N/A	none	review
firstrade	up to $600	use promo code "FTCASH"	04/15/2020	review
firstrade	$200 transfer fee rebates	account transfer of $2,500 or more	none	review
future advisor	free service sign up	many services are free to use. Premium service management fee is 0.50%	none	review
just2trade	$2.50 per trade	N/A	none	review
lightspeed	up to $10K cash back in rebates	use promo code: 10K2019	none	review
M1 finance	$20 bonus & $20 referral	$100 minimum deposit for taxable accounts. $500 minimum deposit for iras.V	none	review
merrill edge	up to $1000	$200K+ deposit	07/15/2020	review
merrill edge	up to $600	$200K+ deposit	none	review
motif investing	3 months free	no minimum	none	review
personal capital	free financial software	none	none	review
robinhood	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
robinhood	1.80% APY cash management	no minimum	none	review
sigfig	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
sofi invest	$75 bonus	$1,000 deposit	none	review
sogotrade	100 free trades	$500+ deposit for free trades. Transfer $10K+ for $100 reimbursement.	None	review
speed trader	$100 in free trades	N/A	none	review
tastyworks	100 shares worth $1-$6	open new account with $2k	12/31/2020	review
TD ameritrade IRA	$0 commissions	none	none	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	none	none	review
tradestation	$50	N/A	none	review
tradestation	$5,000	complete qualifying account transfers	none	review
wealthfront	up to $5,000	N/A	none	review
webull	free share of stock + free trades	N/A	none	review

About danny nguyen

Danny nguyen is born and raised in dallas/fort worth, texas. He has a keen sense in how to save and make money while being as frugal as possible. With this, he is committed to passing on this knowledge and skills to our readers. Outside of work, danny enjoys helping and giving back to the community, reading, working out, and spending time with what matters most - family!

5 broker deals that'll pay you to open an account

If you're looking for a new brokerage, consider opening your account with one of these institutions. They’ll pay you a new account bonus on certain account types if you meet minimum deposit requirements and keep your account open for a specified length of time. (all promotional data presented is accurate as of may 2020.)

Key takeaways

With discount brokers cutting client fees and offering $0 trading commissions, the competitive landscape has never been better for individual investors and savers.

In order to lure in new clients (or steal them from the competition), many financial firms offer financial incentives to those who qualify.

Here, we present just five such offers that include cash bonuses, free trading, and higher-than-market incentive rates on savings products.

Charles schwab: $100 bonus or 500 commission-free trades

Charles schwab is offering a $100 referral bonus with a $1,000 deposit into a new schwab brokerage account. You can also get 500 commission-free trades with a $100,000 deposit; this deal is good for two years following the opening of the new account.

Schwab also offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

Motif investing: 3 free months

On offer now at motif investing is 3 free months of their motif BLUE unlimited automated investment service. The offer is good only for first-time customers and is available when the new brokerage account application is approved.

For subscriptions starting at $4.95 per month, motif BLUE provides automated investing and rebalancing, real-time quotes, unlimited trading, and more.

$100 bonus + 3.75% 40-month IRA CD at navy FCU

Navy federal credit union is offering a $100 bonus, and it's available nationwide. Investors taking advantage of this deal will also have access to an attractive CD rate of 3.75 percent APY when you open a new IRA CD.

To qualify for the bonus, the new account must be funded with an opening balance of at least $100 within 45 days of account opening. The bonus will be deposited into the account within 30 days of the qualifying opening deposit.

Ally invest $3,500 cash bonus + 90 days of commission-free trades

Available at ally is an ally invest $3,500 cash bonus offer, which offers a $3,500 cash bonus and commission-free trades for 90 days when you open a new ally invest account. To qualify, you must do the following:

1. Open a new self-directed trading account by january 31, 2019.

2. Fund your account within 60 days of account opening to earn a bonus based on your deposit amount:

$3,500 bonus + free trades for $2,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$2,500 bonus + free trades for $1,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$1,200 bonus + free trades for $500,000+ deposit or transfer

$600 bonus + free trades for $250,000+ deposit or transfer

$300 bonus + free trades for $100,000+ deposit or transfer

$200 bonus + free trades for $25,000+ deposit or transfer

$50 bonus + free trades for $10,000+ deposit or transfer

3. Receive the bonus cash credit to your account within 10 business days of meeting the promotional requirements.

4. Once the account is credited, the bonus and initial qualifying deposit are not available for withdrawal for 300 days after the requirements have been met.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades at E*TRADE, plus up to a $600 cash credit

If you decide to go with an E*TRADE account, there are a few things you'll need to know. First, you must fund your account within 60 days by transferring funds from an external source. Here's how it works:

Deposit at least $10,000 into your new account.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades for stocks or options within 60 days of funding your new trading account. This excludes options contract fees.

Your first 29 stock or options trades are charged $6.95 (plus $0.75 cents for each options contract), while trades after that are charged $4.95 (plus $0.50 per options contract) up to 500 trades.

Commissions are credited back to your account within a week of the settled trade.

E*TRADE does not compensate for any unused commission-free trades.

There is a separate commission schedule for stock plan account transactions.

E*TRADE makes credits for cash or securities within 60 days of the account open, depending on deposits to the account from external sources. Credits are made within a week after the 60-period. Here's how the credit is broken down:

Deposit $1,000,000+, receive $2,500 + commission-free trades

Deposit $500,000–$999,999, receive $1,200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $250,000–$499,999, receive $600 + commission-free trades

Deposit $100,000–$249,999, receive $300 + commission-free trades

Deposit $25,000–$99,999, receive $200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $10,000–$24,999, receive only commission-free trades

E*trade offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

The bottom line

These promotions aren’t a good way to make a quick buck, and the bonuses are relatively small, often 1 percent or less of the amount you’re required to deposit. What's more, in many cases, taxes or commissions will erode the value of your bonus.

An account-opening bonus is, however, a good incentive to give a brokerage, bank or credit union a closer look if you were thinking about opening a new account anyway. Just make sure the account type you’re opening is the best option for your long-term needs, that you’ll still come out ahead after any fees and that you aren’t depositing money you might need in the near term.

5 trading apps with free bonuses

Who doesn’t love a great bonus? We do. We’ve complied the best trading apps with free bonuses so that you can start your trading off with a bang.

Let’s have a look at the best free bonus trading apps.

1. Moomoo

Best for: US stock traders & investors

Bonus: 3 free stocks (up to $1,250)

Moomoo offers a great free bonus offer for new registrations. You can grab 3 free stocks valued up to $1,250.

2. Currency.Com

Best for: crypto traders

Bonus: up to $100

Currency.Com is a free, regulated trading app which gives you a random bonus of up to $100 USD value when you sign up, complete verification and make a deposit.

3. Coinbase

Best for: cryptocurrency enthusiasts

Bonus: $10 free bitcoin

Free bitcoin? Why not! Coinbase offers a $10 free bitcoin bonus offer to new registrations who use an invite link to sign up. The bonus is deposited into your coinbase account.

You have to trade at least $100 of cryptocurrency to get the $10 bonus. After you get the bonus, you can trade it or withdraw it to your bank account or paypal.

4. Webull

Best for: US traders

Bonus: 2 free stocks (up to $1,400)

Webull is a popular alternative commission trading app. When you deposit any amount, you will get 2 free stocks worth up to $1,400 – cool right? The difference between this bonus is the value – it’s up to a huge $1,400. Will you be lucky? Find out by grabbing your free stocks today.

You can sell the free stocks and withdraw them directly to your bank account.

Best for: anyone

Bonus: free VPN

XM is one of the world’s leading CFD trading apps. They’re currently running a neat promotion which gives you a free trading VPN – don’t miss out on it! Sign up for a free XM account today.

Summary

There are a ton of awesome free bonuses on trading apps, it’s hard to choose the best ones, but these are our personal favourites.

There’s no limit to how many bonuses you can redeem you can get, so why not try them all?

Here’s our final roundup of the best free bonus trading apps.

Currency.Com: best overall

Moomoo: best for advanced traders

Coinbase: best for cryptocurrency traders

Webull: best for US traders

XM: best for everyone

Have you seen any other awesome free trading bonuses? Let us know in the comments!

About us

Trading apps is your trusted guide to the world of trading on mobile applications. We test and review hundreds of trading apps to bring you the best. Learn more about us on our ‘about‘ page.

Best broker promotions, deals, and bonuses of 2021

Modified date: january 20, 2021

Below is a list of 8 brokerage firms and their promotions, deals and bonuses. It’s up to you to decide which is the best offer for your particular situation, so we’ve listed them in alphabetical order for you to peruse. Enjoy!

Compare best brokerage promotions

Ally invest

Ally invest is currently offering a terrific cash promotion where new account holders can earn up to $3,500 when signing up. Details are as follows.

Up to $3,500 cash bonus – depending on how much money you have available to deposit, ally invest is prepared to give you a cash bonus of up to $3,500 on top of your deposit.

To qualify, accounts must be funded within 60 days of account opening. The qualifying deposit to open the new account must be made from outside ally invest. To receive the minimum cash bonus, you must invest a minimum of $10,000. This minimum must remain in the account (minus any trading losses) for a minimum of 90 days from the date of funding.

Robinhood

Robinhood is an excellent platform for both new and experienced traders. Their app is easy to use, offers quick navigation to current news, and makes trading super simple. And right now, when you sign up for a new robinhood account, you’ll get one free stock added to your account.

Once you sign up and open the app, you’ll click the link to get a free stock. From there, robinhood will add one share of free stock to your account at random. The value of the share you receive may be anywhere between $2.50 and $200, and fluctuates based on market movements. You’ll be able to keep the stock or sell it after 2 trading days. Check out our full robinhood review to learn more.

Betterment

Betterment is one of our favorite robo-advisors right now. And if you sign up, you can receive up to 12 months of free service from betterment. As long as you have an initial deposit of $15,000 or more.

There are tiered levels for free bonus management, which as a reminder, will wipe away the 0.25% management fee that betterment normally charges. And you have to deposit this money within 45 days after you sign up for an account. The offer is only available to U.S. Residents.

The current tiers are as follows:

$15,000 to $99,999, one month free

$100,000 to $249,999, six months free

$250,000 or more, one year free

So in order to get the full year free, you have to deposit at least $250,000 to your account. However, that’s a substantial savings when you consider even the 0.25% management fee. Make sure to check out our full betterment review for more information.

Charles schwab

In addition to regular low stock trading fees of $8.95 per trade, charles schwab is currently offering 500 commission-free online trades for an entire year. The offer includes quarterly one-on-one check-in sessions with a trading coach over the course of the year.

In order to qualify, you need to open a new account and make a net deposit of $50,000 or more. The deposit must be made within 45 days of opening the new account.

Fidelity investments

Fidelity investments already offers an attractive investment platform with regular stock trades at $7.95 per trade. But they are also offering a free trades bonus with both regular accounts and iras. The offer is open to both new accounts and new deposits into existing accounts.

Fidelity investments also uses a sliding scale but only two tiers for free trades

$50,000 – $99,999 deposit – 100 free trades

$100,000+ deposit – 200 free trades

The offer is open to both new and existing account holders. You must designate an existing eligible fidelity brokerage IRA or brokerage account or open and fund a new eligible fidelity brokerage IRA or brokerage account. The bonus will be calculated on net deposits into the qualifying account over a 60-day period from the time of registration.

Firsttrade

Firsttrade is offering up to 500 commission-free trades for 30 days. Eligibility rules require you to open a new account and deposit at least $2,000 into it within 30 days of opening. That’s on top of their already low stock trading fee of $6.95 per trade.

They are also offering cash bonuses for larger deposits, in addition to 500 commission-free trades for 30 days:

500 free trades on $2,000 minimum deposit

$100 bonus + free trades on deposits between $25,000 and $49,999

$200 bonus + free trades on deposits between $50,000 and $99,999

$300 bonus + free trades on deposits over $100,000

The account must remain open for 12 months with the minimum funding or assets required for participating in the offer. If not, firsttrade may charge the account for the cash and commission credits awarded to the account. Qualified IRA account holders must also have a brokerage account with firsttrade to receive cash rewards.

Firsttrade does disclose that they will issue a form 1099 on bonuses paid of $600 or more during the calendar year.

Firsttrade is also offering to rebate up to $200 in transfer fees if you transfer at least $10,000 from another brokerage firm.

Merrill edge

Merrill edge is offering 300 no-fee online trades when you open up a new account with them (the normal trading fee is $6.95 per trade). The free trade offer applies to trades on both stocks and etfs.

Along with the free trades, they are also offering the following bonus schedule:

$20,000 or more, $100 bonus

$50,000 or more, $150 bonus

$100,000 or more, $250 bonus

$200,000 or more, $600 bonus

On the surface, this doesn’t look as generous as the previous broker bonuses, but on closer inspection, you’ll see that the $600 kicks in at $200,000, while the others all require $250,000 to get the same bonus money.

The offer applies to new accounts only. You must make a qualifying deposit to your new account within 45 days and maintain the deposit for a minimum of 90 days. Like firsttrade, merrill edge confirms that they may issue a 1099 on the cash bonus.

USAA is offering 50 free trades.

To be eligible the trade must be an equity security, 1,000 shares or less, priced greater than $1, and placed through a self-service channel. Options are not subject to the free trades. After 50 free trades or 90 days (whichever comes first) the account will revert to your gold or platinum fee schedule, depending on asset and activity levels. The offer is good through december 31, 2015.

Best broker promotions, deals, and bonuses of 2021

Modified date: january 20, 2021

Compare best brokerage promotions

Ally invest

Ally invest is currently offering a terrific cash promotion where new account holders can earn up to $3,500 when signing up. Details are as follows.

Up to $3,500 cash bonus – depending on how much money you have available to deposit, ally invest is prepared to give you a cash bonus of up to $3,500 on top of your deposit.

To qualify, accounts must be funded within 60 days of account opening. The qualifying deposit to open the new account must be made from outside ally invest. To receive the minimum cash bonus, you must invest a minimum of $10,000. This minimum must remain in the account (minus any trading losses) for a minimum of 90 days from the date of funding.

Robinhood

Betterment

The current tiers are as follows:

$15,000 to $99,999, one month free

$100,000 to $249,999, six months free

$250,000 or more, one year free

Charles schwab

In order to qualify, you need to open a new account and make a net deposit of $50,000 or more. The deposit must be made within 45 days of opening the new account.

Fidelity investments

Fidelity investments also uses a sliding scale but only two tiers for free trades

$50,000 – $99,999 deposit – 100 free trades

$100,000+ deposit – 200 free trades

Firsttrade

They are also offering cash bonuses for larger deposits, in addition to 500 commission-free trades for 30 days:

500 free trades on $2,000 minimum deposit

$100 bonus + free trades on deposits between $25,000 and $49,999

$200 bonus + free trades on deposits between $50,000 and $99,999

$300 bonus + free trades on deposits over $100,000

Firsttrade does disclose that they will issue a form 1099 on bonuses paid of $600 or more during the calendar year.

Firsttrade is also offering to rebate up to $200 in transfer fees if you transfer at least $10,000 from another brokerage firm.

Merrill edge

Merrill edge is offering 300 no-fee online trades when you open up a new account with them (the normal trading fee is $6.95 per trade). The free trade offer applies to trades on both stocks and etfs.

Along with the free trades, they are also offering the following bonus schedule:

$20,000 or more, $100 bonus

$50,000 or more, $150 bonus

$100,000 or more, $250 bonus

$200,000 or more, $600 bonus

USAA is offering 50 free trades.

E*trade brokerage promotions: up to $2,500 in cash offer

By: tony P. | last updated: january 13, 2021 | this content is not provided or commissioned by the bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. This site may be compensated through the issuer’s/entity's affiliate program. Please visit our advertiser disclosure for additional details.

E*trade has always been one of the most popular stock brokers online, and we vote it as one of the best for trading all markets/instruments (stocks, options, forex, futures, and mutual funds).

Most consumers like the ease of website navigation, features of their industry leading mobile app, and the vast educational material that E*trade offers.

In this article, I’ll keep with all the promotional offers and bonus cash opportunities with E*trade. You can always see all the new offers from all brokers here.

*if you’d rather have professionals handle your investments, take a look at the very popular services from robo-advisors like betterment and wealthfront.

Trade commission
- $0

Account minimum

Read our review

Annual fee (digital plan)
- 0.25% per year

Account minimum

Read our review

Trade commission
- $0

Account minimum

Read our review

chase business complete banking℠ $300 bonus	chase total checking ® $200 bonus
bank of america checking $100 offer	TD beyond checking $300 bonus
HSBC advance checking $200 bonus	HSBC premier checking $450 bonus
aspiration checking $100 bonus	ally invest up to $3,500 bonus
betterment 1 year free	blockfi up to $250 BTC bonus
tradestation $100 bonus	wise business banking $100 bonus

E*trade: get up to $2,500 in bonus cash

This promotion does have an expiration date, but it just about always renews so just check the link below.

Offer valid for one new eligible E*TRADE securities retirement or brokerage account.

Use promo code: WINTER21

Earn a cash credit based on your deposit or transfer amount.

Credits for cash will be made based on deposits or transfers of new funds or securities from external accounts made within 60 days of account open.

Your account will be credited within one week of the close of the 60-day window, as follows:

bonus	deposit or transfer amount
$2,500	$1,000,000+
$1,200	$500,000 – $999,999
$600	$250,000–$499,999
$300	$100,000–$249,999
$200	$25,000-$99,999
$150	$20,000 – $24,999
$100	$10,000–$19,999
$50	$5,000–$9,999

Terms

Offer valid for new E*TRADE securities customers opening one new eligible retirement or brokerage account and funded within 60 days of account opening with $5,000 or more.

New funds or securities must: be deposited or transferred within 60 days of enrollment in offer, be from accounts outside of E*TRADE, and remain in the account (minus any trading losses) for a minimum of twelve months or the cash credit may be surrendered.

Removing any deposit or cash during the promotion period (60 days) may result in lower reward amount or loss of reward.

Excludes current ETRADE financial corporation associates, non-U.S. Residents, and any jurisdiction where this offer is not valid.

You must be the original recipient of this offer to enroll.

This offer is not valid for ETRADE securities retirement, ETRADE futures, ETRADE bank, or ETRADE savings bank accounts. One promotion per customer.

ETRADE securities reserves the right to terminate this offer at any time.

*my investments disclosure

I’m constantly tweaking my investment strategies as I gain more insight and as investment options evolve. Below is my current lineup.

Thinkorswim platform from TD ameritrade. This is the desktop platform I currently use to trade ~~forex, futures and equities~~ options. My strategies are always evolving but my main focus currently is on selling put options.

Vanguard funds. As the great warren buffett recommends, I invest a good portion into an S&P 500 index fund directly with vanguard. Most of my investments here are in the VOO vanguard S&P 500 ETF. With an expense ratio of just 0.04%, this is a great way to diversify and save a great deal on fees. I’ve also decided to diversify further with the total stock market, investing in the VTI ETF with vanguard.

Wealthfront. If you’re a good number of years before reaching retirement, many finance experts suggest going with a robo-advisor. With so many good reputable robo-advisors on the market, I decided on wealthfront based on their track record, client reviews, and because I’ve been able to waive all management fees through their referral program.

Fundrise. I wanted to have an alternative to stocks and bonds, and decided to dip my toes in the private real estate arena with fundrise. I’m not all-in on this strategy just yet, and only have a small account open.

Online savings. This is how I store my emergency funds. The best online savings accounts will provide much better rates than your traditional big banks will. Rates aren’t quite as good during this current macroeconomic environment. Click the link to compare the nation’s best rates.

Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. This is simply for fun and I can’t recommend this option to anyone with all the unknowns. I’m currently not so optimistic on cryptocurrencies.

OFFER LINK	OFFER	OUR REVIEW
chase business complete banking℠	$300 cash	review
chase total checking ®	$200 cash	review
bank of america checking	$100 offer	review
TD bank beyond checking	$300 cash	review
TD bank convenience checking℠	$150 cash	review
HSBC premier checking	$450 cash	review
HSBC premier checking	up to $600	review
HSBC advance checking	$200 cash	review
HSBC advance checking	up to $240	review
aspiration checking	$100 cash	review
wise business banking	$100 cash	review
ally invest	up to $3,500	review
tradestation	$100 cash	review
blockfi	up to $250 BTC	review

About tony P.

I'm all about finding new finance-related promotions and bonuses here at moneysmylife. Contact me here or find me on facebook or twitter.

Editorial disclaimer: opinions expressed here are author's alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
Disclaimer: these responses are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser, credit card issuer, hotel, airline or other entity. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post. It is not the bank advertiser's or any other entity's responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.

So, let's see, what we have: looking to open up a new brokerage account? I've researched countless offerings and put together this list of best brokerage account promotions. At stock broker bonus