Acorns

Acorns is a U.S.-based automated investing and banking platform founded in 2012 by Walter and Jeff Cruttenden, headquartered in Irvine, California. It pioneered the "round-up" investing concept, which automatically rounds up a user's everyday debit and credit card purchases to the nearest dollar and invests the spare change into a diversified ETF portfolio. As of 2024, Acorns has over 5 million active subscribers and manages more than $7 billion in customer assets. The platform is SEC-registered as an investment advisor through Acorns Advisers, LLC, and brokerage services are provided by Acorns Securities, LLC, a FINRA/SIPC member.

The core portfolio is built from seven risk-based asset allocation models developed with Harry Markowitz's Modern Portfolio Theory, spanning conservative to aggressive portfolios of low-cost ETFs covering U.S. and international equities, bonds, and real estate. Acorns operates on a flat monthly subscription model rather than a percentage-of-assets fee, with three tiers: Personal ($3/month), Personal Plus ($5/month), and Premium ($9/month). The $3 Personal tier includes an investment account, checking account, and retirement account access. Higher tiers add features like a debit card, investments for family members (including a UTMA/UGMA for children), and a high-yield checking account.