by Hope
I am enjoying all the end of year recaps the various platforms do. From social media to financial, they seem to have a spin on it. I thought I’d share with you the numbers from my weekly investment platform: Stash.
I’ve now had an active investment account here for just over two and a half years. I received $75 as an incentive to set up the account and get started. And I started really, really small…investing $5 per week.
And then I needed the money so I took most of it out. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve dipped into this account twice over the 2 1/2 years that I’ve had it. But never completely emptied the account. And as work came in, I began investing again. Staying small at $5 per week.
Then I had some time on my hands and I begin looking around the app. I diversified my investments based on category. I played all their “games” to earn investments. And I started learning more and more. As I did that, I began investing more and in a couple of different accounts.
Now I have a ROTH account, a personal account where I manage where my money is invested, and a smart portfolio where they manage my investments. You can see the breakdown in the first screenshot above.
Now I invest $100 a week with Stash. And I’ve been really consistent with that over the last 11 months. I know it’s not a lot. But it’s no longer my only investment platform. I continue to study and learn. And I’m proud of that.
I really like this platform. And the links in the post are referral links, like THIS ONE. If you open an account and invest just $5, we will both receive a $30 deposit to our accounts. I am definitely not an expert. But I am learning, and this platform has been great for that.
If you are like me, and want to dip your toes in the “investment” waters, I highly recommend STASH. It’s been easy, educational, and thus far, I’m still ahead. And from this, I’ve gotten bolder and now have two other investment accounts that are a bit more advanced…but I am definitely still a beginner.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
$100 a week is nothing to be ashamed of, especially if you’re consistent with it!
I’m glad that this is encouraging you to save consistently. Keep it up after you pay off your debt. But I really think instead of investing in a brokerage, you should be focusing on retirement funds for two reasons. (1) tax efficiency (2) it is relatively inaccessible
Another thing that has bothered me forever… There is no such account as a “ROTH”. But there are Roth IRA’s and Roth 401k’s. Roth refers to contributing to an IRA or 401k with money that has already been taxed.
What is your rate of return using this app?
Your EF needs to be fully funded in cash before any money is invested in stock ETFs.
You should contribute to your Roth IRA first until you hit the contribution limit, so you are maximizing the tax advantaged space.
Taxable holdings: be careful of wash sales when you are trading. I understand Stash is ETF focused, which is generally good from a tax efficiency standpoint, but be mindful of capital gains and taxable dividends your holdings throw off. If you are receiving ACA subsidies this is another source of income.
The portfolio looks rather complex. Are you sure you are in an appropriate asset allocation for you, and do you understand your strategy with these ETFs? I’m concerned the app is making suggestions and you’re maybe not thinking enough about risk concentration with some of those sector ETFs. This is your retirement, so I feel like something simpler might be more prudent, like a 3 fund portfolio. (book rec: The Boglehead’s Guide to Retirement)
How much are you paying in fees to Stash?
Stash fees are $12/month for an account that includes retirement, so Hope is paying 4.5% per year to the app and that doesn’t even include the expense ratio fees.
Whoa, I’m not sure where you got that. But my plan is $3 per month or $32 annually. I pay it annually.
My EF ($10K+) since last fall is in a high yield savings account.
This account is not counted as part of my EF.
any explanation why you are investing in taxable before you max your Roth? You can withdraw Roth contributions tax and penalty free, so you could even situate EF in Roth given your relatively lean finances.
Can you describe your investment strategy and risk tolerance?
I’m glad you’re doing this, it’s another step in the right direction. But, if you have needed this for an emergency fund, and looking at the balance, I’m baffled by your recent post on tithing. You just don’t have the security yet.
Exactly this.
This is not my EF. My EF+ (over $10K since last fall) is in a high yield savings account.
If you have an EF, then why have you dipped into this retirement savings?
That’s my question. Dipping in to retirement would need to be severe emergency. Since you have no housing costs, what on earth would have required this to happen?
The whole point of an EF is so you don’t mess with a retirement fund, so you seem to have this all backwards.
This wasn’t a recent thing. It was over a year ago when I didn’t have anything.
I didn’t have an EF back then. This was over a year ago.
So you took it out a year ago, then sold the house and instead of returning the money to your retirement fund, you spent the proceeds on who knows what. And paid the ten percent penalty for retirement withdrawal prior to age 59 1/2?
To be clear, my Stash account has 3 different “accounts”…the “retirement” was the latest added.
There is no penalty for removing money from a investment account. That is what I did. And yes, when I removed it, I was treading water and trying to keep my 4 walls. So it paid day to day bills.
Hope, is this ~$1,000 your only retirements savings?