Reviewed by
Stang Gappa
Reviewed by
Stang Gappa
Updated on May 30, 2024
Learn about our Editorial Process
SoFi offers a self-directed IRA that lets you buy stocks and ETFs with no commissions and a free financial advisory service to help you meet financial goals.
Alto IRA offers a self-directed IRA with more than than 200 coins and other alternative investments including venture capital, fine art, regenerative agriculture, private equity, and more.
A SoFi Active Invest IRA is best for retirement savers who want an easy-to-use, low-cost platform that offers optional extras (like fractional shares and margin trading) that can help them go the extra mile once they get their feet wet.
The SoFi Invest platform offers a beginner-friendly interface for those just getting started on their journey, but it packs enough punch for more experienced investors to find what they’re looking for.
SoFi offers traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs and regular investment accounts, which offer not only stock trading but also access to ETFs, mutual funds, alternative funds, fractional shares, options and margin trading.
Crypto is also available, but not directly on the SoFi platform; the firm has partnered with partners like BitGo and Blockchain.com.
With its low costs, wide range of investment options, and free live advisory service, it’s a worthy match for plenty of investors. However, the SoFi platform doesn’t offer tax-loss harvesting, and uninvested cash sees no interest growth. Still, these are relatively minor drawbacks if you want to use SoFi as a one-stop shop for your financial needs.
Alto offers one of the most affordable ways to diversify your tax-advantaged retirement assets (like a Roth IRA account) into alternative investments, including crypto through the Alto Crypto IRA. In addition to more than 200 coins through CryptoIRA, you can also benefit from the Alto IRA which enables investments in alternatives ranging from private equity to venture capital and securities in fine art.
For those hoping to bring the strength and diversity of alternative investment classes to their retirement accounts while managing a risk tolerance, Alto offers an inventive, easy-to-use, low-cost way to do so. With over $1.4 billion in assets under management at the time of this writing and multiple well-known integrated alternative partners that are accessible right through the Alto platform, the Alto team has made a worthy name for itself in the market by creating a way for everyday investors to buy into these asset classes, which are often reserved for the wealthy. Alto members can invest their retirement funds in the platform’s available alternatives for costs as low as $37.50 per quarter.
Over time, SoFi has become something of a one-stop shop with its wide range of financial products ranging from student loans to mortgages to personal loans to a cash management account. These days, SoFi even offers a credit card as well as insurance products. The SoFi cash management savings account offers yields north of 4% APY, which is substantially higher than the national average, and members can access all of their accounts and products through the company’s easy-to-use mobile app or web interface.
Along with its array of retirement accounts that provide access to alternative asset classes, Alto also provides services for financial advisors looking to help their clients diversify their portfolios.
For those looking for low costs, SoFi’s IRA offers a wealth of opportunity. If you’re looking to fund your new SoFi IRA with a 401(k) rollover, Capitalize can help. We’ve made it our mission to make this process easier for everyone. We can handle the entire process for you. Most of the process can be done online and our rollover experts will guide you through any of the manual parts. Get started with your 401(k) to IRA rollover in just a few minutes.
Alto’s Alternative IRA offers a streamlined, online way for people to invest some of their retirement assets in private, alternative asset classes at low monthly account fees. This is especially powerful for those seeking to add diversification to their automated accounts (robo-advisor portfolios) or self-directed IRAs at a large brokerage – which is normally invested in stocks and ETFs. It’s also a way for people to invest in private opportunities that they source themselves – all from the comfort of their computers. Alto’s transparent and reasonable account fees make this an excellent option for those looking to broaden the range of investments in their retirement portfolios, even if they’re beginners.
