Open brokerage account bonus
You’ll receive your cash reward two weeks after the initial 90-day period, assuming you meet eligibility requirements.
Actual forex bonuses
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Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021
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Brokerages are aggressively competing for your money. One way they do so is by offering competitive bonuses that you can add right to your brokerage account. It’s important to know the best offers so that you can decide whether it’s a good time to open a brokerage account and take advantage of what is often risk-free cash.
Here bankrate tracks the best brokerage account bonuses to help you compare active offers.
Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021
- Ally invest: $50 to $3,500
- Merrill edge: $150 to $900
- Charles schwab: $100 to $500 (personally referred friend offer)
- E-trade: $50 to $2,500
Ally invest: $50, $200, $300, $600, $1,200, $2,500 or $3,500 bonus
New ally invest clients can earn up to a $3,500 cash bonus if they open a new account by march 31, 2021. The qualifying deposit must contain funds from outside of ally financial, and a person can only get the offer on one new ally invest securities LLC account. As an extra incentive, ally will credit your transfer fees from another brokerage, up to $150 as long as you bring at least $2,500 over to the new account.
Ally invest checks your deposit 60 days after your account is opened to determine the total qualifying deposit. You’ll receive your cash bonus within 10 business days after this review.
To receive a cash bonus, you must:
- Deposit at least $10,000 in a new ally invest account.
- Be a U.S. Resident.
- Not be an existing ally invest account holder or a former ally invest account holder (which includes former tradeking securities LLC account holders). You’re not eligible to receive the cash bonus if you closed one of these ally invest accounts within the past 90 days.
You must use the “open account” button associated with this offer on ally invest’s site for opening your account to be eligible for this offer.
Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive the $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$24,999.
- To receive the $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.
- To receive the $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249.999.
- To receive the $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.
- To receive the $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.
- To receive the $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million -$1,999,999.
- To receive the $3,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $2 million or more.
Once you receive your bonus, both the cash bonus and your qualifying deposit (minus any trading losses that are incurred) can’t be withdrawn for 300 days. A withdrawal may cause ally invest to revoke your bonus.
Read bankrate’s ally invest review to learn more.
Merrill edge: $150, $225, $375 or $900 bonus
When you open a merrill edge IRA or cash management account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days of opening you can earn up to a $900 bonus. You need to use offer code 900ME during the account opening. This can be done while applying online or using it when speaking to a merrill edge financial adviser on the phone or at select bank of america branches. This offer expires april 15, 2021.
To receive a cash reward, you must:
- Enroll for the offer at the time of account opening.
- Deposit net new assets of at least $20,000 into your merrill edge account within 45 days of opening the account.
- You must be enrolled in the preferred rewards program within 90 days of making the deposit.
- Maintain that balance for at least 90 days.
The offer limits you to one IRA — rollover, traditional, roth and sole-proprietor SEP only — and one cash management account. Each account holder can’t have more than two enrolled accounts.
Assets from bank of america, merrill lynch, pierce, fenner & smith incorporated (MLPF&S), U.S. Trust, or 401(k) accounts administered by MLPF&S aren’t qualifying net new assets.
You’ll receive your cash reward two weeks after the initial 90-day period, assuming you meet eligibility requirements.
Business/corporate accounts, investment club accounts, partnership accounts and certain types of fiduciary accounts held at merrill edge aren’t eligible for this offer. The offer also doesn’t apply to accounts, which include iras or cmas, held with other business units of MLPF&S.
Here are the bonus tiers:
- To receive the $150 cash reward, deposit $20,000 to $49,999.99.
- To receive the $225 cash reward, deposit $50,000 to $99,999.99.
- To receive the $375 cash reward, deposit $100,000 to $199,999.99.
- To receive the $900 cash reward, deposit $200,000 or more.
Read bankrate’s merrill edge review to learn more.
Charles schwab: $100, $200, $300 or $500 (if you’re referred by a friend)
Schwab is offering personally referred friends the opportunity to earn up to $500 when they use a referral code, given to you by a current schwab customer, and open an eligible account at schwab.
To receive the bonus award, you must:
- Receive a referral code from a friend or family member.
- Be a new schwab client and make a qualifying net deposit within 45 days of both becoming a schwab customer and opening an eligible retail brokerage account.
You’re limited to one per account and only one account per client when you receive a referral.
Schwab retail brokerage accounts and iras are eligible for this offer. This includes accounts that are enrolled in schwab-sponsored investment advisery programs, such as schwab intelligent portfolios, schwab managed portfolios, schwab managed account select and connection and schwab private client.
You’ll receive your bonus approximately a week or two after the 45-day period ends if you made a qualifying deposit when becoming a new schwab customer and enrolling in the referral offer.
Schwab may charge back its bonus award if taxable accounts aren’t kept at schwab for at least one year.
Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive a $100 bonus, deposit $1,000-$24,999.
- To receive a $200 bonus, deposit $25,000-$49,999.
- To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $50,000-$99,999.
- To receive a $500 bonus, deposit $100,000 or more.
Read bankrate’s charles schwab review to learn more.
E-trade: $50, $100, $150, $200, $300, $600, $1,200 or $2,500 bonus
You can earn a cash bonus if you open a retirement or brokerage account and fund it with $5,000 or more within 60 days of account opening. Your account must be opened by jan. 31, 2021.
To receive a cash bonus, you must:
- Use promo code WINTER21 when opening the account.
- Open your new account with funds or securities from accounts outside of E-trade. You need to also keep the new account (minus any trading losses) for at least 12 months to keep the cash bonus.
Here are the cash bonus tiers for this offer:
- To receive a $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $5,000-$9,999.
- To receive a $100 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$19,999.
- To receive a $150 bonus, deposit or transfer $20,000-$24,999.
- To receive a $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.
- To receive a $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249,999.
- To receive a $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.
- To receive a $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.
- To receive a $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million or more.
Read bankrate’s E-trade review to learn more.
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.
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.
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 – $3,500Ally 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 stockRobinhood 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 stockAnother 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-$500Like 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 – $600Credit: merril 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 – $2,500Credit: etrade 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. Money crashersWhat do you want to |
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