Nvstr review: Investment app with social media-style features and input from experts
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- Nvstr offers trading, automated tools, and a community-like interface that connects you with experts.
- The app has a $0 minimum and a $4.99 monthly subscription fee that includes up to 25 free trades.
- Its portfolio optimizer creates investment allocations that match your goals and risk tolerance.
- Click here to set up an account with Nvstr.
Is Nvstr right for you?
Nvstr is a hybrid online brokerage/automated investing app that prides itself on the idea that “none of us is smarter than all of us.” The app combines a social media-like interface with its offering of individual brokerage accounts, margin accounts, and simulated trading accounts that allow new investors to try out the app without taking on any real risk.
Nvstr also offers an automated, one-click portfolio allocation tool and investment data from S&P Capital IQ. Its thought leader and community leader tools also allow you to ask former Wall Street professionals and other Nvstr community members about certain investments. Nvstr is available on iOS or Android devices.
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Though there’s no account minimum, you’ll be responsible for a monthly subscription fee of $4.99 that includes up to 25 free trades per month. You’ll have to pay a $4.50 commission on all other trades.
One of the downsides about Nvstr is that its investment selection is limited to stocks, ETFs, and American depositary receipts (ADRs). Though the stock-and-ETF offering is common amongst other apps like M1 Finance and Public, you won’t be able to trade other investments like options or mutual funds. Also, keep in mind that you’ll need at least $3,000 in your account to utilize Nvstr’s portfolio optimization tool.
Bottom line: Nvstr is best for active traders, beginner investors, or passive investors who want to ease into active trading with a bit of guidance. While you can trade stocks and ETFs on your own at any time, you can also utilize one-click portfolio optimization or talk to others to weigh different investment ideas.
| Nvstr | |
| Editor’s rating | 4.45 out of 5 |
| Fees | $4.99/month (includes up to 25 free trades per month; all other trades are $4.50) |
| Account minimum | $0 |
| Promotion | Get up to $1,000 cash to invest when you join |
| Open account |
Nvstr pros and cons
Pros
- Nvstr offers a pros and cons feature that makes it easy to compare stocks
- You can use its one-click portfolio optimization to inform your investment picks
- No account minimum to get started
- Social media-like interface that allows you to connect with other experienced investors
Cons
- You need at least $3,000 to use the portfolio optimizer tool; no retirement accounts
- Investment selection is limited to stocks, ETFs, and ADRs
- If you exhaust your monthly trade limit, you’ll have to pay $4.50 for other trades
- Limited customer service support (only available via email)
How does Nvstr compare?
| Nvstr | M1 Finance | Public |
Min. Investment $0 | Min. Investment $100 ($500 for IRAs) | Min. Investment $0 |
Fees $4.99/month (includes up to 25 free trades; all other trades are $4.50) | Fees 0% | Fees 0% |
Investment choices Stocks, ETFs, American depositary receipts (ADRs) | Investment choices Stocks and ETFs | Investment choices Stocks and ETFs |
| Open an account | Open an account | Open an account |
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Ways to invest with Nvstr
Brokerage accounts
Nvstr primarily supports individual brokerage accounts and stock, ETF, and ADR (shares of foreign companies) investments. The app also offers margin accounts that let you borrow money for investments, but you’ll need at least $3,000 to use these accounts.
This app could be great for active traders looking for a DIY experience, but keep in mind that the $4.99 monthly fee only gets you up to 25 free trades. Any trades you make outside of that limit will cost you $4.50 apiece.
Nvstr also significantly streamlines the investment research process by allowing community members to compare notes and share pros and cons lists for different stocks and ETFs.
From the outside looking in, it might seem like Nvstr is only best for experienced, active traders, but that’s not the case at all. The investment app offers multiple account features that could be more suitable for hands-off, or passive, investors.
Automated tools for hands-off investors
Both Nvstr’s one-click portfolio optimization tool and simulated trading accounts make it easier to avoid the complexities of DIY trading. And you can generally use both at no additional cost, though you’ll need at least $3,000 in your account for expert portfolio optimization.
According to Nvstr’s website, the one-click portfolio optimization tool relies on Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT) and aims to build a portfolio from your investment ideas that maximizes your returns and stays within an acceptable level of risk. For instance, if you’re eyeing a few stocks and ETFs, you can use the optimizer tool to figure out how much to invest in each security.
Nvstr’s simulated trading accounts could be great for beginner investors as they allow you to ease into the world of stock trading. The difference between these accounts and the standard brokerage accounts is that the simulated accounts give you access to portfolio optimization and investment idea discovery without presenting any risk whatsoever for your money (since it’s a simulation).
Social tools for intelligent investing
Nvstr offers four other unique account features: community thought leaders, thought leaders, viewpoint contributors, and investment ideas.
Its community thought leader feature allows Nvstr community members and Wall Street professionals to share their investing insights with other users (Nvstr has to approve them first) and receive compensation in return.
The thought leader feature lets you browse the portfolios of famous investors to inform your own decisions or generate ideas. Nvstr says it gets this data from US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, news reports, and other financial data sources.
Like the community thought leader option, the viewpoint contributor feature allows financial content creators to share their insights with the Nvstr community. The “investment ideas” option adds to the app’s social media-like feel. It simply lets you share ideas with friends you’re connected with on Nvstr or tell the optimizer what you think of certain investments.
Is Nvstr trustworthy?
Personal Finance Insider assesses trustworthiness by considering each investment app’s Better Business Bureau profile, but Nvstr currently doesn’t have a BBB profile.
Though the app doesn’t have a BBB profile, its record appears to be clear of any lawsuits or scandals.
What is Nvstr?
Nvstr is a hybrid investment app offering self-directed investment accounts, automated accounts, and a social network-like investment experience to US investors who are at least 18 years old.
The investment app is perhaps most well known for its one-click portfolio optimization feature that utilizes Nobel Prize-winning research and guides you through the investment process.
Headquartered in New York City, Nvstr was established in 2015 by co-founders Bernard George and Patrick Aber. Both George and Aber are two former hedge fund professionals who banded together to empower retail investors to invest more intelligently.
Nvstr Financial LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nvstr Technologies Inc.
Rickie Houston is a wealth-building reporter at Personal Finance Insider who covers investing, brokerage, and wealth-building products.
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