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Betterment IRA vs Schwab Intelligent Portfolios IRA

Updated on May 29, 2024

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Betterment offers an automated IRA as the largest independent online financial advisor, and pioneered "set-it-and-forget-it" portfolios for a low-fee.

Charles Schwab offers an automated IRA through Intelligent Portfolios with no management fee and a wide range of portfolio options.

Find & move your old 401(k)s into your new IRA
Provider
Betterment
Automated IRA
Charles Schwab
Automated IRA
Fees
Betterment
$4/month for balances under $20,000, and 0.25% annual fee for balances over $20,000. You can also choose to upgrade to Betterment's premium plan with a $100,000 minimum balance which adds 0.15% to the management fee.
Charles Schwab
0%
What they invest in
Betterment
Betterment creates a diversified portfolio of ETFs (Exchange-traded funds) based on your risk tolerance and investment goals.
Charles Schwab
Schwab offers an automated IRA with no management fee, a customizable portfolio, and 24/7 customer support.
Limitations
Betterment
Access to human financial advisors is only available through their Premium plan, or through purchase of an advice package for the Digital plan.
Charles Schwab
Schwab's automated IRA has a $5,000 account minimum which is higher than other providers, but comes with 24/7 human support.
Human advisor available?
Betterment
Yes - you can buy a consultation ($299) or pay a higher annual fee (0.40%) for unlimited access on an ongoing basis.
Charles Schwab
Only if you have more than $25,000 to invest, and for an extra fee of $30/month.
Account minimums
Betterment
$10 to get started investing, $0 minimum account balance
Charles Schwab
$5,000
Ease of use
Betterment
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5 stars
Charles Schwab
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4.5 stars
Rollover

Fund a Betterment IRA with a 401(k) rollover

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Fund a Charles Schwab IRA with a 401(k) rollover

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COMPARE

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Find & move your old 401(k)s into your new IRA