Whether you’re an amateur trader, a more experienced investor, or just someone who keeps track of financial news, you’ve probably heard of Robinhood. It is an online trading platform that is popular among novice investors and those with self-directed portfolios who want to take investing into their own hands.
What is Robinhood?
Founded by two Stanford graduates on a mission to provide greater access to investing and “democratize finance for everyone”, Robinhood offers a variety of financial features at your fingertips in one phone app.
You can trade stocks and options, invest in cryptocurrencies, and even fund an IRA retirement plan. Robinhood also offers a “Cash Card” debit card for personal purchases that offers a rewards program aimed at diverting your cash back into investments.
How does Robinhood work?
To use Robinhood, you create an account on the iOS or Android app. To start trading, you apply by entering all your information: email, name, address, phone number, date of birth, and social security number – all the usual information you will need to create an account with the brokerage. Once you create an account and it is approved, you fund your account and you can start investing. The signup process is similar to other online brokerages. There may be a waiting period of a few days between the time you sign up and when you can start trading.
On the Robinhood app, you can view data about different stocks like pricing information, news stories, and analysts’ ratings. You can use this information along with other published information and your own trading strategies to make investment decisions. You can also buy stock in shares or fractional shares (as small as (1/1,000,000 of a share). This allows you to invest in expensive companies without such a large investment. You buy dollar amounts instead of stocks. You can also buy stock by number of shares.
More advanced traders can also take advantage of other strategies such as options trading and margin.
Does Robinhood have any fees?
Robinhood offers “commission-free trading” like some other self-directed platforms, but that doesn’t mean you always pay nothing to trade. You may incur regulatory fees and other non-commission charges as part of trades.
If you trade on margin (effectively borrowing money to increase your purchasing power to trade), you have to pay interest on the money borrowed. The rate you pay is based on a floating rate that changes regularly, so check out Robinhood’s FAQ for the latest information, but at the time of writing it’s 12% – Federal Funds Target Rate Plus Base rate of 6.5%. This interest is paid daily on scheduled margin transactions.
If you have Robinhood Gold (its premium membership), you get a rebate on the interest paid on margin. At the time of writing, that discount brings your interest rate down to 8%, which is quite a savings.
Robinhood does not charge a fee for keeping an account open, deactivating an account, or closing an account. And unlike some banks, you don’t need to keep any minimum amount in your account.
The Robinhood Cash Card (formerly known as Cash Management) has no foreign transaction fees, transfer fees, or card replacement fees. There are also no overdraft fees – although it is technically a debit card – Robinhood will generally decline transactions that would overdraft your account.
Is Robinhood Gold Worth It?
It depends on your trading activity. Robinhood Gold is a $5 per month membership that gives you access to features like higher instant transfer limits (up to $50,0000) and professional market data. On the hard money side, you pay a lower interest rate on margin, earn interest on money not invested in your account, and get a 3% match on IRA contributions.
If you intend to use Robinhood regularly for trades and will keep large amounts of money in your account, the amount you will save on margin interest and earn interest on deposited funds will easily pay for the membership fee. .
How does Robinhood make money?
Robinhood makes money through rebates, margin interest, stock loans, uninvested cash, and cash management. Here’s a brief description of each revenue stream:
- Discounts: Market makers help make securities more liquid so that orders can be filled more quickly and easily. These companies (usually banks or financial institutions) may offer discounts to the brokerage, and Robinhood earns some revenue from these discounts.
- Margin Interest: Margin is money you borrow from a brokerage to buy more investments. Robinhood makes money from the interest it charges people to borrow this money. Robinhood can also lend margin securities to counterparties and make money from those transactions.
- Uninvested cash: Robinhood can keep uninvested cash in interest-bearing accounts and make money from it.
- Cash management: Products like the Robinhood Cash Card and other wealth management products can also generate revenue for the platform.
Is Robinhood safe?
On any trading platform, you risk financial loss if you make high-risk investments. It’s important to make sure you understand all the details of whatever investment or trade you’re going to make, whether it’s on Robinhood or another platform.
As a brokerage firm, Robinhood is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which is designed to ensure fair practices. This does not mean that Robinhood can never do anything wrong, but it should mean that inappropriate behavior should not be able to continue for any significant period of time. Robinhood has faced scrutiny for some of its practices, particularly delisting or halting trading on certain stocks.
Is Robinhood FDIC Insured?
Robinhood itself is not a bank, but if you sign up for the Cash Card, your uninvested money goes into its network of banks. The Cash Card is issued by Sutton Bank, which is insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). It’s important to keep track of where your funds are, between your investments and your cash card, to understand which portion is insured.
Is Robinhood Legit?
Yes, Robinhood is a legitimate trading platform.