- 1. Zehnlabs: Best for Free, Easy-to-Use Services
- 2 . InvestEngine: Best for DIY EFT with Low Costs
- 3. M1 Finance: Best for a Balanced Workflow
- 4. Interactive Brokers Portfolio Builder: Best for Integration with Existing Services
- 5. Wealthsimple: Best for Offering Full Control
- 6. Syfe: Best for Starter Insentives
- 7. Stash: Best for Educational Tools
- 8. Morningstar’s Portfolio Manager: Best for Planning Long-Term Investments
- 9. Hargreaves Lansdown: Best for Their Range of Accounts
- 10. Webull: Best for Active Traders
Investing can be an intimidating subject to get into. While there are huge gains to be made, there’s also the potential to lose a lot of money, so it’s understandable to be worried in the beginning.
The market has vastly expanded compared to what it was ten years ago, and while more choice is great, it can also be a burden for newcomers. Thankfully, there are now a plethora of DIY tools available to help you learn the ropes and invest with confidence. Today, you’ll learn about 10 of the best options.
1. Zehnlabs: Best for Free, Easy-to-Use Services
Zehnlabs comes top of the list for just how great it is for giving beginners the push they need early on.
This DIY platform offers step-by-step instructions and carefully curated portfolio strategies as well as alerts when it’s time to rebalance. Best of all, the company provides a completely free service that’s available for everyone – no credit card needed, no strings attached.
This is the perfect tool if you’re totally new to the world of investing. Starting is the hardest part, and the institutional-grade strategies offered here get you on the right track.
2 . InvestEngine: Best for DIY EFT with Low Costs
InvestEngine is an extremely versatile platform. Users have the option of fully DIY or fully managed, and onboard automated scheduling means that you can invest within a schedule that works for you while utilizing a range of features usually off the table for beginners.
Their ‘portfolio look-through’ functionality, for example, is perfect for understanding which companies and industries are in your portfolio at a glance, and the fractional investing system means you’ve only got to put a tiny amount in to get started.
3. M1 Finance: Best for a Balanced Workflow
M1 Finance is all about balance. Their systems have been designed from the ground up to build wealth over the long haul, and their intuitive interface means that you don’t have to spend years learning the ropes first.
You can easily employ automated investment with the click of a few buttons, and you’ve got a 3.35% APY bonus on your uninvested cash to look forward to.
It’s a platform that puts you in control while taking the frustrating parts out of the process.
4. Interactive Brokers Portfolio Builder: Best for Integration with Existing Services
Interactive Brokers is a big name in the investment world, and they’ve got some great tools available for their customers beyond their usual services.
Their portfolio building tool is very easy to use and nicely laid out, and gives users the ability to create a customized investment strategy and then simulate its long-term performance. Handily, they’ve broken down how to use the tools within a single sheet, so you don’t have to spend hours poring over jargon to gain an understanding.
If you use other Interactive Brokers services, this will slot right into the ecosystem.
5. Wealthsimple: Best for Offering Full Control
Wealthsimple offers a great balance between giving you autonomy over your investments and providing expert guidance to help you through the process.
They combine DIY tools with fully customizable portfolios designed to thoroughly mitigate risk, and users love how their team is always on hand to help should they have questions or need some advice.
The service is already home to three million people, and given the tailored options available for optimized investment and saving, it’s no wonder it's so popular.
6. Syfe: Best for Starter Insentives
Syfe has made a name for itself as one of the most generous investment platforms in the world, and it’s easy to see why.
They do a lot to entice their potential customers, that’s for sure. For example, users have six months of portfolio fees waived on the first $25K invested.
One of the best things about them is that they have a wealth of information on the ‘Learning’ page of their website, helping users understand risk, assets, and reasons for investing in the first place, so they can be hands-off for those who want to take that route.
7. Stash: Best for Educational Tools
Stash offers a highly robust investment platform with over one million customers and $8M+ stock back rewards paid, so they certainly know a thing or two about how to increase a person’s investment prospects.
They’re all about putting the power in the hands of the user, and alongside providing easy-to-use, intuitive apps that offer maximum transparency, they also curate a detailed blog that teaches their customers how to become better investors.
8. Morningstar’s Portfolio Manager: Best for Planning Long-Term Investments
Morningstar is a very large company with a plethora of investment options for their customers, and the platform they’ve built over the years is highly rated.
Their portfolio manager features as part of the Morningstar Direct service, and helps users manage asset allocation with intelligent tools packaged within a thoughtful user interface.
9. Hargreaves Lansdown: Best for Their Range of Accounts
Hargreaves Lansdown: offers one of the most flexible and in-depth DIY investment options on the market.
They have a total of nine available accounts spanning stocks and shares ISAs to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), giving you the option to manage your investments in the way you want to.
Just because you don’t know all the details doesn’t mean you don’t have a solid understanding of where you want your money to go, and HL specialises in championing autonomy and offering concrete systems for controlling your finances without needing to be an expert.
10. Webull: Best for Active Traders
Webull offers a range of flexible DIY trading and investment software, from sophisticated charting tools to a detailed alerts system that notifies you of even the most minute changes at a moment’s notice.
Their systems provide full breakdowns so you can see all of your investments and trades at a glance, and there are both desktop and mobile options available so that you never miss a beat. Webull’s offerings are great for those who are relatively new but have a little bit of knowledge under their belt.
Wrapping Up
Above, you have a range of exciting tools, platforms, and services to explore to get your first investment strategy off the ground. It’ll be a little slow at first, but take things one step at a time and don’t be afraid to ask for help – you’ll have a solid system in place in no time. Good luck!
Editorial staff
Editorial staff