FutureAdvisor Review 2020: Pros, Cons and How It Compares

FutureAdvisor is worth a test drive for its free retirement tool, and is best for DIY investors or existing Fidelity and TD Ameritrade clients.
Arielle O'Shea
By Arielle O'Shea 

Many or all of the products featured here are from our partners who compensate us. This influences which products we write about and where and how the product appears on a page. However, this does not influence our evaluations. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here's how we make money.


The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

Our Take

3.0

NerdWallet rating 

Reviewed in: Oct. 2022

Period considered: Aug. - Oct. 2022

The bottom line:

FutureAdvisor has great free tools, but higher fees than some competitors.

FutureAdvisor
FutureAdvisor
Fees
0.50%
management fee
Account minimum
$5,000
Promotion
None
no promotion available at this time

Unpaid non-client promotion

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Offers free tools and advice.

  • Uses popular online brokers.

  • Provides robust human-advisor support.

Cons

  • High account minimum.

  • High management fee.

Compare to Other Advisors

Advertisement

Fees 

Varies by Advisor (free initial consultation)

Fees 

0.25%

management fee

Fees 

0.25%

with a balance over $20K or qualifying recurring deposit. Otherwise, $4/month.

Fees 

0.49%-0.89%

management fee

Account minimum 

$150,000

Account minimum 

$500

Account minimum 

$0

$10 to start

Account minimum 

$100,000

Promotion 

3-Month Satisfaction Guarantee

Promotion 

Get a $50 customer bonus

when you fund your first taxable investment account

Promotion 

None

no promotion available at this time

Promotion 

None

no promotion available at this time

Learn more

on Zoe Financial's website

Learn more

on Wealthfront's website

Learn more

on Betterment's website

Learn more

on Empower's website

AD

Paid non-client promotion

AD

Paid non-client promotion

AD

Paid non-client promotion

AD

Paid non-client promotion

NerdWallet doesn’t invest its money with this provider, but they are our referral partner – so we get paid only if you click through and take a qualifying action (such as open an account with or provide your contact information to the provider). Most importantly, our reviews and ratings are objective and are never impacted by our partnerships. Our opinions are our own. Here is a list of our partners and here’s how we make money.

Get more smart money moves — straight to your inbox

Become a NerdWallet member, and we’ll send you tailored articles we think you’ll love.

Full Review

FutureAdvisor is a robo-advisor with a bit of a twist: Several of the company’s services are free, including a comprehensive retirement analysis. The tool allows users to link their accounts and get specific recommendations tailored to their portfolio and goals. (Here's more on what a robo-advisor is.)

The company’s paid offering, which charges 0.50% as a management fee and requires a balance of $5,000 or more, is comprehensive investment management with automatic rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting and access to a team of financial advisors. Accounts are held with two well-established brokers, Fidelity or TD Ameritrade.

FutureAdvisor is best for:

  • Current Fidelity or TD Ameritrade account holders.

  • DIY investors.

  • Hands-off investors who want access to a financial advisor.

FutureAdvisor at a glance

Account minimum

$5,000

Account management fee

FutureAdvisor Premium costs 0.50%; free portfolio analysis.

Investment expense ratios

ETF expense ratios average 0.14% to 0.18%, according to data from 2019. (FutureAdvisor declined to provide updated 2020 information.)

Account fees (annual, transfer, closing)

No account fees, but customers may incur fees when moving accounts from other brokers to Fidelity or TD Ameritrade, including transaction fees on initial rebalance.

Portfolio mix

ETFs from up to 12 asset classes, according to data from 2019. (FutureAdvisor declined to provide updated 2020 information. Their website currently lists 14 ETFs, which it describes as a sample set from which they create portfolios.)

Accounts supported

Accounts must be held at Fidelity or TD Ameritrade. Direct management of: • Individual and joint non-retirement accounts; • Roth, traditional, rollover and SEP IRAs.

Tax strategy

Tax-loss harvesting on all taxable managed accounts; tax-efficient asset location among accounts.

Automatic rebalancing

Free on managed accounts.

Human advisor option

Clients have access to advisors via email and phone, Monday through Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, according to data from 2019. (FutureAdvisor declined to provide updated 2020 information.)

Tools

Robust retirement planning tools, plus free service that offers detailed investment recommendations on linked accounts.

Bank account/savings account option

None.

Customer support options (includes website transparency)

Email and phone, 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, according to data from 2019. (FutureAdvisor declined to provide updated 2020 information.)

Promotion

None.

Where FutureAdvisor shines

Free tools and advice: FutureAdvisor has two main offerings: a free portfolio analysis service, and FutureAdvisor Premium, which is direct management of investments and carries a 0.50% management fee.

The DIY investor who wants a second opinion will love FutureAdvisor for the company’s free, personalized recommendations, which can be used on any account held at any broker. This platform analyzes your portfolio and gives you free trade recommendations based on modern portfolio theory, the same investing methodology used by the bulk of robo-advisors. You can then initiate trades through your online broker.

FutureAdvisor’s free service will also alert you of the need to rebalance. It doesn’t provide tax-loss harvesting opportunities to free customers, as they can be complicated to execute. However, tax-loss harvesting is included on all FutureAdvisor Premium accounts.

Use of popular online brokers: For FutureAdvisor Premium, accounts must be held at TD Ameritrade or Fidelity. If your accounts are already at one of those brokers, there is no need to move them; you’ll simply give FutureAdvisor management rights and the company will be able to trade on your behalf. That means you get all the perks of a robo-advisor at a trusted online broker, and giving the service a try is virtually risk-free, without the need to transfer funds.

If your accounts are elsewhere, this is potentially a disadvantage, as you’ll need to move them to one of those brokers and there may be costs related to closing out your other account. However, the company will help you do it (and the need to move accounts is typical of robo-advisors), and assets can be transferred in kind.

Where FutureAdvisor falls short

Management fee: The cost here is high when compared with other robo-advisors: FutureAdvisor Premium carries an annual fee of 0.50%, which is in addition to investment expenses. The company notes that customers may also occasionally incur transaction fees, though it prioritizes the use of commission-free funds.

Is FutureAdvisor right for you?

FutureAdvisor is worth a test drive for its free offerings alone: The account analysis with rebalance reminders can give you valuable insight into how to manage your own portfolio.

It’s also a good fit for clients who have accounts at Fidelity or TD Ameritrade and who don’t want to transfer funds in order to take advantage of a robo-advisor. Outside of that, other advisors may provide a similar level of service and account management for a lower management fee and a lower account minimum.