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Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021

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Brokerages are aggressively competing for your money. One way they do so is by offering competitive bonuses that you can add right to your brokerage account. It’s important to know the best offers so that you can decide whether it’s a good time to open a brokerage account and take advantage of what is often risk-free cash.

Here bankrate tracks the best brokerage account bonuses to help you compare active offers.

Best brokerage account bonuses in january 2021

Ally invest: $50 to $3,500

Merrill edge: $150 to $900

Charles schwab: $100 to $500 (personally referred friend offer)

E-trade: $50 to $2,500

Ally invest: $50, $200, $300, $600, $1,200, $2,500 or $3,500 bonus

New ally invest clients can earn up to a $3,500 cash bonus if they open a new account by march 31, 2021. The qualifying deposit must contain funds from outside of ally financial, and a person can only get the offer on one new ally invest securities LLC account. As an extra incentive, ally will credit your transfer fees from another brokerage, up to $150 as long as you bring at least $2,500 over to the new account.

Ally invest checks your deposit 60 days after your account is opened to determine the total qualifying deposit. You’ll receive your cash bonus within 10 business days after this review.

To receive a cash bonus, you must:

Deposit at least $10,000 in a new ally invest account.

Be a U.S. Resident.

Not be an existing ally invest account holder or a former ally invest account holder (which includes former tradeking securities LLC account holders). You’re not eligible to receive the cash bonus if you closed one of these ally invest accounts within the past 90 days.

You must use the “open account” button associated with this offer on ally invest’s site for opening your account to be eligible for this offer.

Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive the $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$24,999.

To receive the $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.

To receive the $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249.999.

To receive the $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.

To receive the $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.

To receive the $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million -$1,999,999.

To receive the $3,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $2 million or more.

Once you receive your bonus, both the cash bonus and your qualifying deposit (minus any trading losses that are incurred) can’t be withdrawn for 300 days. A withdrawal may cause ally invest to revoke your bonus.

Read bankrate’s ally invest review to learn more.

Merrill edge: $150, $225, $375 or $900 bonus

When you open a merrill edge IRA or cash management account and make a qualifying deposit within 45 days of opening you can earn up to a $900 bonus. You need to use offer code 900ME during the account opening. This can be done while applying online or using it when speaking to a merrill edge financial adviser on the phone or at select bank of america branches. This offer expires april 15, 2021.

To receive a cash reward, you must:

Enroll for the offer at the time of account opening.

Deposit net new assets of at least $20,000 into your merrill edge account within 45 days of opening the account.

You must be enrolled in the preferred rewards program within 90 days of making the deposit.

Maintain that balance for at least 90 days.

The offer limits you to one IRA — rollover, traditional, roth and sole-proprietor SEP only — and one cash management account. Each account holder can’t have more than two enrolled accounts.

Assets from bank of america, merrill lynch, pierce, fenner & smith incorporated (MLPF&S), U.S. Trust, or 401(k) accounts administered by MLPF&S aren’t qualifying net new assets.

You’ll receive your cash reward two weeks after the initial 90-day period, assuming you meet eligibility requirements.

Business/corporate accounts, investment club accounts, partnership accounts and certain types of fiduciary accounts held at merrill edge aren’t eligible for this offer. The offer also doesn’t apply to accounts, which include iras or cmas, held with other business units of MLPF&S.

Here are the bonus tiers:

To receive the $150 cash reward, deposit $20,000 to $49,999.99.

To receive the $225 cash reward, deposit $50,000 to $99,999.99.

To receive the $375 cash reward, deposit $100,000 to $199,999.99.

To receive the $900 cash reward, deposit $200,000 or more.

Read bankrate’s merrill edge review to learn more.

Charles schwab: $100, $200, $300 or $500 (if you’re referred by a friend)

Schwab is offering personally referred friends the opportunity to earn up to $500 when they use a referral code, given to you by a current schwab customer, and open an eligible account at schwab.

To receive the bonus award, you must:

Receive a referral code from a friend or family member.

Be a new schwab client and make a qualifying net deposit within 45 days of both becoming a schwab customer and opening an eligible retail brokerage account.

You’re limited to one per account and only one account per client when you receive a referral.

Schwab retail brokerage accounts and iras are eligible for this offer. This includes accounts that are enrolled in schwab-sponsored investment advisery programs, such as schwab intelligent portfolios, schwab managed portfolios, schwab managed account select and connection and schwab private client.

You’ll receive your bonus approximately a week or two after the 45-day period ends if you made a qualifying deposit when becoming a new schwab customer and enrolling in the referral offer.

Schwab may charge back its bonus award if taxable accounts aren’t kept at schwab for at least one year.

Here are the bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive a $100 bonus, deposit $1,000-$24,999.

To receive a $200 bonus, deposit $25,000-$49,999.

To receive a $300 bonus, deposit $50,000-$99,999.

To receive a $500 bonus, deposit $100,000 or more.

Read bankrate’s charles schwab review to learn more.

E-trade: $50, $100, $150, $200, $300, $600, $1,200 or $2,500 bonus

You can earn a cash bonus if you open a retirement or brokerage account and fund it with $5,000 or more within 60 days of account opening. Your account must be opened by jan. 31, 2021.

To receive a cash bonus, you must:

Use promo code WINTER21 when opening the account.

Open your new account with funds or securities from accounts outside of E-trade. You need to also keep the new account (minus any trading losses) for at least 12 months to keep the cash bonus.

Here are the cash bonus tiers for this offer:

To receive a $50 bonus, deposit or transfer $5,000-$9,999.

To receive a $100 bonus, deposit or transfer $10,000-$19,999.

To receive a $150 bonus, deposit or transfer $20,000-$24,999.

To receive a $200 bonus, deposit or transfer $25,000-$99,999.

To receive a $300 bonus, deposit or transfer $100,000-$249,999.

To receive a $600 bonus, deposit or transfer $250,000-$499,999.

To receive a $1,200 bonus, deposit or transfer $500,000-$999,999.

To receive a $2,500 bonus, deposit or transfer $1 million or more.

Read bankrate’s E-trade review to learn more.

Best brokerage account deals and bonuses right now: earn up to $3,500 with a new account

Get more cash to build wealth with these top brokerage deals and promotions.

Brokerage	brokerage bonus offer	bonus trigger
TD ameritrade	$350-$2,500	account opening and deposit minimum
M1 finance	$250-$2,500	account opening and transfer minimum
stash	$5	account opening and deposit minimum
betterment	1-12 months of free portfolio management	account opening and deposit minimum
blockfi	$15-$250 free bitcoin	account opening and deposit minimum
ally invest	$50-$3,500	account opening and deposit minimum
robinhood	$2.50-$200 worth of free stock	account opening
webull	$8-$1,600 of free stock	deposit minimum
charles schwab	$100-$500	account opening and deposit minimum
merrill edge self-directed	$100-$600	account opening and deposit minimum
E-trade	$25-$2,500	account opening and deposit minimum

If you’re unsure how to choose between this list of brokerage bonuses, these deciding factors on an investment brokerage will show you what to look for in a new account.

Best brokerage account bonuses right now

Building an investment portfolio can take time, but some top brokerage firms can help you with promotions, deals, referral bonuses and sign-up bonuses. Depending on how much money you have to invest, these brokers may offer to deposit a cash bonus into your account, give you free stock or provide fee-free investing for a set period.

If you’re looking for a new brokerage to help manage your portfolio, or if you’re a beginner investor who is excited to get started, check out these brokerage bonus offers to see how you can maximize your return.

1. TD ameritrade bonus: $350-$2,500

One of the largest brokers in the U.S., TD ameritrade provides a platform for all kinds of investors. It offers a robust set of resources and tools and doesn’t charge commissions on online trades of stocks, mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (etfs).

TD ameritrade’s requirements to earn a sign-up bonus are a bit steep, so less experienced investors may not qualify. But the broker’s platform is among the best. With commission-free on stocks, mutual funds and other securities, TD ameritrade is still worth considering for long-term investing needs.

Read our full review of the TD ameritrade bonus.

2. M1 finance bonus: $250-$2,500

If you’re looking for an online stock broker that provides both investing and banking services, M1 finance may be ideal. With just $100, you can open an account and start trading various securities — that includes fractional shares, which allow you to purchase portions of shares in publicly-traded companies and benefit from gains without needing a lot of money. Plus, as an added benefit, the platform offers free trades.

M1 finance’s transfer bonus requires new money to be deposited into your account by october 31, 2020.

While this robo-advisor doesn’t offer a cash bonus, the features alone make this online broker worth considering. In addition to DIY-investing and checking, M1 finance offers the chance to borrow on margin at a low interest rate, especially if you register for an M1 plus account. It even offers commission-free trading for both trade windows and cash-back rewards for everyday spending.

Read our full review of the M1 finance bonus.

3. Stash bonus: $5 slickdeals bonus

slick tip: use this slickdeals affiliate link to automatically receive your $5 bonus offer to invest.

If you’re relatively new to investing, meeting high deposit minimums may not be an option. With stash invest, though, you can get a bonus of $5 after you open a stash investment account and deposit $5 or more in new funds. While it may be a small incentive, it is a dollar for dollar match on your first $5 deposit.

That $5 sign-up bonus can be among your first dollars to invest with stash, and you can use it to trade stocks — including fractional shares — and etfs. Stash also offers a stock-back rewards program with its checking account, which means that you can earn rewards in the form of stocks when you make qualifying purchases with your stash debit card.

Just keep in mind that there’s a monthly fee that ranges from $1 to $9, depending on which features you want and how much you want to earn in stock-back rewards. However, like many online stock brokers, stash offers free trades which can help you to recover the cost of monthly fees.

Read our in-depth stash bonus review.

4. Betterment bonus: 1-12 months free portfolio management

One of the pioneers of robo-advising, betterment offers the chance to invest and bank all under one roof. On the investing side of things, the brokerage firm uses algorithms to manage your portfolio for you in exchange for a 0.25% annual fee. You can also upgrade to a premium plan with access to certified financial planners and advice for investments outside of betterment for a 0.40% annual fee.

For smaller investments, getting just one month for free may not amount to much. But it can give you some time to test-drive the platform and decide whether a robo-advisor is right for you.

5. Blockfi bonus: $15 – $250 in free bitcoin

slick tip: use this link and automatically earn your bonus after direct depositing the eligible bonus amount (see below).

Cryptocurrency is a relatively new investment option, and blockfi is taking innovative steps to allow investors to take advantage of it. You can use the broker’s platform to buy and sell various cryptocurrencies, interest on your investment and even use your cryptocurrency as collateral to borrow money.

Blockfi is currently running a new block interest account (BIA) promotion. Fund your new block interest account with $25 or more on or before november to earn a one-time bitcoin bonus of $15 to $250. You must be a new blockfi customer to qualify for this bonus.

Tier	deposit amount (new money)	BTC payout
tier 1	$25 – $249	$15
tier 2	$250 – $999	$20
tier 3	$1,000 — $4,999	$40
tier 4	$5,000 – $9,999	$75
tier 5	$10,000 – $19,999	$150
tier 6	$20,000+	$250

The blockfi interest account lets you put your crypto to work and earn monthly interest payments in the asset-type that you deposit with blockfi.

Blockfi bonus fine print

New clients who sign up through this referral link and fund their account during the current promotional period are eligible to receive $15 – $250 bitcoin bonus (in USDC) depending on their investment tier. The current promotional period is defined as the current calendar month ending at 23:59:59 UTC on the last day of the month.

Please note, this must be your first deposit, and you must maintain a minimum $25 crypto balance through the 14th of the month for two and a half months from the month of eligibility in order to remain eligible. Eligible payouts occur on the 15th of every month on a rolling basis. If the 15th falls on a weekend, then the bonus payout will occur by the end of the next business day. There is a maximum of one bonus per client. This offer cannot be combined with other trading offers. Trading qualifications are dependent upon geographical or regulatory restrictions. Terms subject to change.

Blockfi referral bonuses

Once you’ve become a blockfi customer, you are eligible for their referral program which provides referral links for you to share. For every person that signs up using your blockfi referral code and deposits $100 or more into their blockfi interest account, you and that friend will each earn $10 in BTC.

You can obtain a blockfi referral links by visiting the refer-a-friend landing page. Similarly, new promotions and past promotions are listed here on the blockfi promotions page.

6. Ally invest bonus: $50 – $3,500

Ally invest is an online-only bank that offers a variety of banking, lending and wealth management services. It also offers one of the biggest bonuses for new investing customers that we’ve seen. If you open an ally self-invest account by december 31, 2020 and fund it with a certain amount within the first 60 days of account opening, you can receive up to $3,500.

Ally invest features commission-free trades on eligible U.S exchange-listed stock, ETF, and option trades. In fact, at $0.50 per contract, ally invest offers low-cost fees for option trades and a wide selection of etfs from vanguard, globalx, ishares and more.

Ally invest offers high-yield etfs from market leaders that may complement your portfolio and help diversify your investing strategy

7. Robinhood bonus: $2.50 – $200 worth of free stock

Robinhood helped pioneer the mobile investing movement, as well as commission-free trades. The commission-free platform allows you to trade stocks (fractional shares included), options, cryptocurrencies and etfs, and there’s no minimum to get started.

What’s more, the broker’s bonus is easy to earn: simply open a new account, and you’ll receive a free stock worth between $2.50 and $200. With no barrier to entry, this one may be the best online stock option for inexperienced investors.

One thing to keep in mind, though, is that robinhood doesn’t offer retirement accounts. So you may want to consider another option if you’re hoping to open one of those.

8. Webull bonus: $8 – $1,600 of free stock

Another great mobile-first trading platform, webull offers the chance to invest in stocks, etfs and options (though you can’t trade fractional shares). Also, like robinhood, webull doesn’t require massive deposits to earn its welcome offer of free stocks. You can receive up to two free stocks each valued between $8 to $1,600 when you open an account with the broker and fund it with $100 or more.

The broker also offers several ways to earn more free stock, including through referral links and other ongoing promotions. If you’re just starting out or you’re not sure you want to move a lot of money, webull can get a great place to start.

In addition to offering free trades, another one of webull’s strengths is its investment in technical research, which can be a huge plus for experienced investors and others who want to learn.

9. Charles schwab: $100-$500

Like TD ameritrade, charles schwab is one of the largest brokers in the U.S., and offers a much wider range of investment options, resources, tools and other features than many of the smaller brokers on our list.

While the sign-up deposit requirements are a bit steeper than some other brokers, the lowest tier is still relatively accessible to investors with lower net worths.

10. Merrill edge self-directed account bonus: $100 – $600

To earn the cash bonus, you’ll need to make your qualifying deposit of new funds within 45 days of opening your account, then keep it in the account for 90 days after that.

And remember, the sign-up bonus only works for merrill edge self-directed accounts, which is where you manage your own portfolio. If you open a guided investing account with a professional manager, you’ll be ineligible for the promotion. Merrill edge’s bonus is more accessible than many other broker bonuses, but still requires a good amount of cash to get the minimum amount.

11. E-trade brokerage and retirement accounts: $25 – $2,500

Once you meet the requirements, you’ll receive your cash bonus within seven business days. The offer is valid on new accounts opened by dec. 31, 2020, but you’ll have 60 days after that deadline to meet your deposit requirement. You also need to maintain the funds in the account (minus any trading losses you incur) for 12 months.

5 broker deals that'll pay you to open an account

If you're looking for a new brokerage, consider opening your account with one of these institutions. They’ll pay you a new account bonus on certain account types if you meet minimum deposit requirements and keep your account open for a specified length of time. (all promotional data presented is accurate as of may 2020.)

Key takeaways

With discount brokers cutting client fees and offering $0 trading commissions, the competitive landscape has never been better for individual investors and savers.

In order to lure in new clients (or steal them from the competition), many financial firms offer financial incentives to those who qualify.

Here, we present just five such offers that include cash bonuses, free trading, and higher-than-market incentive rates on savings products.

Charles schwab: $100 bonus or 500 commission-free trades

Charles schwab is offering a $100 referral bonus with a $1,000 deposit into a new schwab brokerage account. You can also get 500 commission-free trades with a $100,000 deposit; this deal is good for two years following the opening of the new account.

Schwab also offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

Motif investing: 3 free months

On offer now at motif investing is 3 free months of their motif BLUE unlimited automated investment service. The offer is good only for first-time customers and is available when the new brokerage account application is approved.

For subscriptions starting at $4.95 per month, motif BLUE provides automated investing and rebalancing, real-time quotes, unlimited trading, and more.

$100 bonus + 3.75% 40-month IRA CD at navy FCU

Navy federal credit union is offering a $100 bonus, and it's available nationwide. Investors taking advantage of this deal will also have access to an attractive CD rate of 3.75 percent APY when you open a new IRA CD.

To qualify for the bonus, the new account must be funded with an opening balance of at least $100 within 45 days of account opening. The bonus will be deposited into the account within 30 days of the qualifying opening deposit.

Ally invest $3,500 cash bonus + 90 days of commission-free trades

Available at ally is an ally invest $3,500 cash bonus offer, which offers a $3,500 cash bonus and commission-free trades for 90 days when you open a new ally invest account. To qualify, you must do the following:

1. Open a new self-directed trading account by january 31, 2019.

2. Fund your account within 60 days of account opening to earn a bonus based on your deposit amount:

$3,500 bonus + free trades for $2,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$2,500 bonus + free trades for $1,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$1,200 bonus + free trades for $500,000+ deposit or transfer

$600 bonus + free trades for $250,000+ deposit or transfer

$300 bonus + free trades for $100,000+ deposit or transfer

$200 bonus + free trades for $25,000+ deposit or transfer

$50 bonus + free trades for $10,000+ deposit or transfer

3. Receive the bonus cash credit to your account within 10 business days of meeting the promotional requirements.

4. Once the account is credited, the bonus and initial qualifying deposit are not available for withdrawal for 300 days after the requirements have been met.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades at E*TRADE, plus up to a $600 cash credit

If you decide to go with an E*TRADE account, there are a few things you'll need to know. First, you must fund your account within 60 days by transferring funds from an external source. Here's how it works:

Deposit at least $10,000 into your new account.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades for stocks or options within 60 days of funding your new trading account. This excludes options contract fees.

Your first 29 stock or options trades are charged $6.95 (plus $0.75 cents for each options contract), while trades after that are charged $4.95 (plus $0.50 per options contract) up to 500 trades.

Commissions are credited back to your account within a week of the settled trade.

E*TRADE does not compensate for any unused commission-free trades.

There is a separate commission schedule for stock plan account transactions.

E*TRADE makes credits for cash or securities within 60 days of the account open, depending on deposits to the account from external sources. Credits are made within a week after the 60-period. Here's how the credit is broken down:

Deposit $1,000,000+, receive $2,500 + commission-free trades

Deposit $500,000–$999,999, receive $1,200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $250,000–$499,999, receive $600 + commission-free trades

Deposit $100,000–$249,999, receive $300 + commission-free trades

Deposit $25,000–$99,999, receive $200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $10,000–$24,999, receive only commission-free trades

E*trade offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

The bottom line

These promotions aren’t a good way to make a quick buck, and the bonuses are relatively small, often 1 percent or less of the amount you’re required to deposit. What's more, in many cases, taxes or commissions will erode the value of your bonus.

An account-opening bonus is, however, a good incentive to give a brokerage, bank or credit union a closer look if you were thinking about opening a new account anyway. Just make sure the account type you’re opening is the best option for your long-term needs, that you’ll still come out ahead after any fees and that you aren’t depositing money you might need in the near term.

The 14 best brokerage account promotions and bonuses for 2021

Updated january 21, 2021

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Are you looking to open a new brokerage account to manage your portfolio of investments but aren’t sure which one?

Many online investment platforms compete for business by offering new account promotions based on the assets you can transfer to their platform. While promotions shouldn’t be the only consideration, these promotion/bonus amounts are too hard to look past.

There are a range of bonuses listed below, whether you have an established portfolio and looking to transfer stocks, or starting new.

Continue reading to review the best brokerage account promotions for new accounts.

Our top picks:

Webull – 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600

Webull is a free trading app from webull financial. They are a brokerage based out of new york city and regulated by FINRA, you can look them up on brokercheck. We have a full review of webull and their offer here.

For new signups, open and fund an account with $100 and they will give you 4 free stocks worth up to $1,600. They have no fees and no account minimums so it’s truly free stock.

Robinhood is a relatively new brokerage that will give you a free share of stock when you open an account. There are no other requirements of the offer, you just need to open an account. No deposit, no transfer, no nothing. You can read more about the free share of stock promotion here.

Ally invest – up to $3,500

Ally invest is the online brokerage account I use because they offer free trades (U.S. Stock, etfs, and options) with no minimums and monthly balance requirements. I have an ally bank account so managing it all with one login is convenient too. I wish I would’ve taken advantage of their new account bonuses for transfers because it’s one of the most generous, here is the schedule based on how much you deposit within 60 days of account opening:

Here is the ally invest bonus structure:

Deposit or transfer amount	your bonus
$10,000 – $24,999	$50
$25,000 – $99,999	$200
$100,000 – $249,999	$300
$250,000 – $499,999	$600
$500,000 – $999,999	$1,200
$1,000,000 – $1,999,999	$2,500
$2,000,000 or more	$3,500

They will also credit transfer fees if you move your account from another brokerage – up to $150 ACAT fee reimbursement.

NVSTR –

NVSTR has a referral program where you can get up to $1,000 (but at least $10) when you sign up. The referring customer gets $10 to $1,000 too – and it’s a limited time offer. If you’ve never heard of them before, our NVSTR review can get you up to speed.

The only requirement is that you make one trade within a year and you can keep the bonus. There are no other requirements for the new account bonus.

There is also a deposit bonus. For a limited time, after you open your account, you can get a bonus based on what you deposit. You need to maintain this amount for one year to keep the deposit bonus.

Tastyworks

Tastyworks will give you 100 shares of a “highly liquid stock” when you open and fund a new cash or margin account with $2,000. The shares will be selected at random from a list of eleven stocks priced between $1 and $6, so you can get anywhere from $100 to $600 in this promotion with a stated average bonus of $200 – $220. There is a 70% chance of getting a stock priced under $2 and a 30% chance of getting a stock priced over $2.

You must keep the initial value of the stock, less any loss in value, in the account for a minimum of three months.

The referral/promotion code for this offer is “STOCK_AWARD_20” and you must put it in the referral code field when applying.

Sofi invest – $50

Sofi invest is the brokerage arm of sofi, the student loan refinancing company. They’ve recently branched out into other areas, including sofi money (banking), and they are now offering a $50 bonus if you sign up and deposit at least $25.

With sofi invest, you can manage your portfolio (active investing) or go with a roboadvisor approach (auto investing). With active investing, you can invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies, and etfs without paying a trading commission.

For a limited time, get $50 in stock from sofi invest if you sign up with a referral link and deposit at least $1,000. There’s no trading requirement.

Betterment

Betterment is one of the largest and most respected robo-advisors, you can see our review of betterment for a closer look at their service.

For new accounts, they will waive the management fee of 0.25% depending on how much you transfer:

Deposit $15,000 – $99,999, get 1 month managed free

Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get 6 months managed free

Deposit $250,000+, get 12 months managed free

Citi personal wealth management

Citi personal wealth management has a juicy bonus offer when you transfer new-to-citibank funds within 2 months of opening an account. You also will need to enroll in e-delivery of statements and then keep those funds in the account through the end of the next month (or three months after the month of account enrollment). Bonus will be credited three months after you meet the maintenance requirement.

Here’s the citi bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $50,000 – $199,999 – $500

Fund with $200,000 – $499,999 – $1,000

Fund with $500,000 – $999,999 – $1,500

Fund with $1,000,000 – $1,999,999 – $2,500

Fund with $2,000,000 or more – $3,500

Merrill edge – up to $600

Merrill edge, a bank of america company, will give you up to $1,000 if you open a new merrill edge account using the offer code 600ME. You just need to transfer your funds within 45 days, maintain that balance for 90 days, and you will get the cash bonus in 2 weeks. This bonus applies to individual merrill edge iras or cash management accounts, which is what they call their taxable brokerage accounts.

Here’s the merrill edge bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $20,000 – $49,999: $100

Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $150

Fund with $100,000 – $199,999: $250

Fund with $200,000+ $600

If you are a preferred reward client, you may get up to $900 with this alternative offer.

Charles schwab – up to $500

Charles schwab will give stock plan services clients a bonus of up to $500 when you open a new account and transfer in new funds with 45 days. If you are not a stock plan service, they won’t give you this promotion (they will even let you apply and enter in a promotion code, but they won’t give you the bonus).

Here’s charles schwab’s bonus transfer schedule:

Fund with $10,000 – $24,999: $100

Fund with $25,000 – $45,999: $200

Fund with $50,000 – $99,999: $300

Fund with $100,000+ $500

Update: I have received reports from readers that you don’t get cash but instead get “trade credits” which can be used to pay the commission for trades. If you are considering this offer, call to confirm the details.

E*TRADE – up to $2,500

When I think of new account promotions, I think of E*TRADE. For years, they had an offer where you could get up to $3,000 (if you had over a million dollars in assets to transfer!) and 60 days of free trades if you open a non-retirement brokerage account.

With the recent rush of brokerages offering free trades, the promotion is now just cash.

You can find the full details here but this is the offer:

Deposit $5,000 – $9,999, get $50 cash

Deposit $10,000 – $19,999, get $100 cash

Deposit $20,000 – $24,999, get $150 cash

Deposit $25,000 – $99,999, get $200 cash

Deposit $100,000 – $249,999, get $300 cash

Deposit $250,000 – $499,999, get $600 cash

Deposit $500,000 – $999,999, get $1,200 cash

Deposit $1,000,000 or more, get $2,500 cash

Fidelity – promotion [expired]

Fidelity doesn’t offer any cash bonus right now and their last promotion, for free trades, no longer applies as they’ve made many trades commission free.

This offer has expired. We will update it when fidelity issues a new promotion.

Tradestation – $100 [expired]

Tradestation has a “cash madness” promotion where you can get $100 when you open and fund a tradestation securities account with $500 or more. All you have to do is open a new tradestation securities account using the offer code ZINGAFOG, deposit at least $500 within thirty days of opening your account, and then maintain the balance for one month after the funding date.

The promotion expired on july 1st, 2020. We will update this section when a new promotion arrives.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some frequently asked questions about bonuses and the brokerage transfer process.

Almost every brokerage firm supports ACATS, which stands for automated customer account transfer service, which lets you transfer your assets “in-kind.” this means that your holdings are transferred without you having to sell them (and create a taxable event). If you have big unrealized gains in a stock, the shares just get moved over without you having to sell them and you keep the same cost basis.

You may run into hiccups if some items can’t be transferred. One common example is vanguard admiral shares of their mutual funds. Some brokerages will take them, others won’t. In these cases, you may have to transfer them to another asset type (like the ETF version), which will accept them.

ACATS does take a week or two to complete the transfer.

I don’t think it’s worth switching from broker to broker, grabbing up the bonuses, but the process isn’t difficult.

If you’re looking to make a move anyway, getting paid a little for the effort is better than not being paid.

Some brokers may charge you to leave, which is something you’d be paying anyway, so hopping around may reduce your returns from the bonus perspective.

If you are creating new taxable brokerage accounts, the bonuses will be reported as income and you will have to claim them on your taxes as income.

If you are creating retirement accounts, like an IRA, the bonuses are going into those accounts so you won’t owe taxes on them immediately. For traditional iras, you’ll just be taxed when you start taking distributions. Roth iras will never be taxed. For each account, review the terms and conditions to see how the brokerage is treating it and you’ll know for certain.

Best brokerage promotions & bonuses – january 2021

If you’re looking for the latest brokerage promotions & bonuses, you’re at the right place! Our list will include options from sharebuilder, TD ameritrade, E*trade, optionshouse, schwab, merrill edge, fidelity, motif, optionsxpress, and much more.

With these brokerage bonuses, you’ll be able to take advantage of sign-up cash bonuses, points & miles promotions, free commission trade deals, and other nice perks. Best brokerage deals

Best brokerage promotions
*find all brokerage promotions here*
PROMOTIONAL LINK	OFFER	REVIEW
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3,500 cash & free trades	review
webull	4 free stocks & free trades	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	review

broker	bonus	terms	expiration	review
acorns	free $5 bonus	none	none	review
ally invest managed portfolios	low advisory fee	$100 minimum deposit	none	review
ally invest's self-directed trading	up to $3500 cash bonus	$0 minimum deposit	12/31/2020	review
betterment	up to 12 months managed free	$500K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	up to $500	$100K+ deposit	none	review
charles schwab	500 free trades	$100K+ deposit	none	review
choicetrade	$5 base rate plus $0.15 per contact	no minimum initial deposit	none	review
citi	earn up to $3,500	no minimum initial deposit	12/31/2020	review
cobra trading	free platform demo	request a free platform demo	none	review
dough	up to $200	N/A	12/31/2020	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
E*trade	$0 commissions for online stock, ETF, & options trades	N/A	none	review
firstrade	free stock referral	N/A	none	review
firstrade	up to $600	use promo code "FTCASH"	04/15/2020	review
firstrade	$200 transfer fee rebates	account transfer of $2,500 or more	none	review
future advisor	free service sign up	many services are free to use. Premium service management fee is 0.50%	none	review
just2trade	$2.50 per trade	N/A	none	review
lightspeed	up to $10K cash back in rebates	use promo code: 10K2019	none	review
M1 finance	$20 bonus & $20 referral	$100 minimum deposit for taxable accounts. $500 minimum deposit for iras.V	none	review
merrill edge	up to $1000	$200K+ deposit	07/15/2020	review
merrill edge	up to $600	$200K+ deposit	none	review
motif investing	3 months free	no minimum	none	review
personal capital	free financial software	none	none	review
robinhood	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
robinhood	1.80% APY cash management	no minimum	none	review
sigfig	unlimited free trades + free share ($170+)	no minimum	none	review
sofi invest	$75 bonus	$1,000 deposit	none	review
sogotrade	100 free trades	$500+ deposit for free trades. Transfer $10K+ for $100 reimbursement.	None	review
speed trader	$100 in free trades	N/A	none	review
tastyworks	100 shares worth $1-$6	open new account with $2k	12/31/2020	review
TD ameritrade IRA	$0 commissions	none	none	review
TD ameritrade	$0 commissions	none	none	review
tradestation	$50	N/A	none	review
tradestation	$5,000	complete qualifying account transfers	none	review
wealthfront	up to $5,000	N/A	none	review
webull	free share of stock + free trades	N/A	none	review

About danny nguyen

Danny nguyen is born and raised in dallas/fort worth, texas. He has a keen sense in how to save and make money while being as frugal as possible. With this, he is committed to passing on this knowledge and skills to our readers. Outside of work, danny enjoys helping and giving back to the community, reading, working out, and spending time with what matters most - family!

Best brokerage bonuses – earn up to $3,500

Our posts on the best bank account bonuses and best credit card bonuses are some of the most popular on the site, recently I’ve been trying to post more brokerage bonuses as I know some people use these to make some extra money and it helps them grow their investments. This post will be for the best brokerage bonuses, I’m relatively new to these so I’d welcome your input on bonuses we might have missed and any relevant important information you think should be included. Unlike other sites we don’t use affiliate links for brokerage bonuses so you can ensure you’re getting the best possible deal, rather than the one that pays us the most.

Tastyworks – 100 shares (worth average of $220 total)

Requires a deposit of $2,000+

Citi wealth management – up to $3,500

Huge bonus and it works for self directed accounts, main issue is that account set up is all manual and extremely slow.

Read our full post

Deposits must be maintained for three months after account opening (but you can fund within two months of account opening meaning funds can be in there for roughly

Schwab – up to $500

This offer is for new schwab members who get referred from a friend; ask a friend who is an existing schwab member. Largest bonus of $500 requires an investment of $100,000+.

Read our full post

Deposit must be maintained for one year

E*trade – up to $3,500

Largest bonus requires an investment of $1,000,000+, so might be worth focusing on this for higher rollers who have already done the bonuses where funds need to be maintained for a shorter period of time.

Read our full post

Deposit must be maintained for six months

Interactive brokers – up to $1,000

Promotion is a bit confusing as it’s not that clear when/how long the funds need to be in your account for. You also get the bonus in the form of interactive brokers shares and these can’t be sold for one year.

Ally invest – up to $3,500

$3,500 level needs $2MM+ invested

Read our full post

Funds need to remain in account for 300 days after the bonus posts (and that’s 60 days after account opening so roughly one year in total)

Transfer out fee of $50 applies to both partial and full transfers

Merrill edge – up to $1,000

Tradestation – up to $2,500

Maximum bonus requires a transfer of $1,000,000+ but the smallest bonus requires $25,000+

M1 finance – up to $2,500

Maximum bonus requires a transfer of $1,000,000+, but the smallest bonus of $100 just requires $20,000.

Sofi invest – invest $1,000+, get $50 bonus

$100 bonus is in the form of a fractional share of a company. Only available via referral. Not as good as when it was $75.

Tradestation – deposit $500, get $100

Small deposit requirement, although some people have had issues with tradesation so remember to read the comments.

Tradeup – $50 + free stocks

Requires a deposit or transfer of $3,000+

Smaller bonuses – no requirement

There are a number of smaller brokerages that offer sign up bonuses with no deposit requirement. The bonuses are much smaller, but might still be worth picking up for some people.

Stash invest – $50

Requires a direct deposit of $300+

Acorns – $23

$13.50 is from swagbucks, other $10 is from acorns.

Read our full review

No deposit requirement

Robinhood – free stock

You only get a free stock worth $3-$150, but better than nothing and robinhood offers commission free trading.

Read our full post

No deposit requirement

Webull – free stock

Basically the same as robinhood, you get a stock valued between $3 and $1,000.

Read our full post

No deposit required

Firstrade – free stock

Same as the above offers.

Read our full post

No deposit required

Dough – free stock

Free stock valued at $5-$10.

Read our full review

Deposit of $100 required to withdraw

Bonuses not listed

Below are some brokerage bonuses we don’t want listed under the ‘best brokerage bonuses’, we are including them here so that readers know they have been intentionally left out and why.

Betterment 30,000 american airlines bonus. Bonus is relatively small and you need betterment to manage your funds, not worth doing with the fees involved.

Personal capital. Current referral bonus is $20-$50 amazon gift card, but we’ve seen bonuses as high as $100 in the past.

TD ameritrade. Seen higher bonuses in the past.

5 broker deals that'll pay you to open an account

Key takeaways

With discount brokers cutting client fees and offering $0 trading commissions, the competitive landscape has never been better for individual investors and savers.

In order to lure in new clients (or steal them from the competition), many financial firms offer financial incentives to those who qualify.

Here, we present just five such offers that include cash bonuses, free trading, and higher-than-market incentive rates on savings products.

Charles schwab: $100 bonus or 500 commission-free trades

Schwab also offers unlimited commission-free online trading on most stocks and etfs for all clients.

Motif investing: 3 free months

For subscriptions starting at $4.95 per month, motif BLUE provides automated investing and rebalancing, real-time quotes, unlimited trading, and more.

$100 bonus + 3.75% 40-month IRA CD at navy FCU

Ally invest $3,500 cash bonus + 90 days of commission-free trades

1. Open a new self-directed trading account by january 31, 2019.

2. Fund your account within 60 days of account opening to earn a bonus based on your deposit amount:

$3,500 bonus + free trades for $2,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$2,500 bonus + free trades for $1,000,000+ deposit or transfer

$1,200 bonus + free trades for $500,000+ deposit or transfer

$600 bonus + free trades for $250,000+ deposit or transfer

$300 bonus + free trades for $100,000+ deposit or transfer

$200 bonus + free trades for $25,000+ deposit or transfer

$50 bonus + free trades for $10,000+ deposit or transfer

3. Receive the bonus cash credit to your account within 10 business days of meeting the promotional requirements.

4. Once the account is credited, the bonus and initial qualifying deposit are not available for withdrawal for 300 days after the requirements have been met.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades at E*TRADE, plus up to a $600 cash credit

Deposit at least $10,000 into your new account.

Get up to 500 commission-free trades for stocks or options within 60 days of funding your new trading account. This excludes options contract fees.

Your first 29 stock or options trades are charged $6.95 (plus $0.75 cents for each options contract), while trades after that are charged $4.95 (plus $0.50 per options contract) up to 500 trades.

Commissions are credited back to your account within a week of the settled trade.

E*TRADE does not compensate for any unused commission-free trades.

There is a separate commission schedule for stock plan account transactions.

Deposit $1,000,000+, receive $2,500 + commission-free trades

Deposit $500,000–$999,999, receive $1,200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $250,000–$499,999, receive $600 + commission-free trades

Deposit $100,000–$249,999, receive $300 + commission-free trades

Deposit $25,000–$99,999, receive $200 + commission-free trades

Deposit $10,000–$24,999, receive only commission-free trades

Bonus: excluded

Platform: MT4

Leverage: 1:500

Spread types: variable

Spreads: from 1 pip

Bonus: excluded

Platform: MT4

Weekend trader

Leverage: 1:500

Spread types: variable

Spreads: from 1 pips

Bonus: excluded

Platform: MT5

Bonus rescue tiers

5% for R1 - R4,999
10% for R5,000 - R9,999
15% for R10,000 - R14,999
20% for R15,000 - R19,999
25% for R20,000 - R29,999
30% for R30,000 +

* up to R180,000
** OR equivalent rand value in other currencies

Useful links

Trade245 is a product of red pine capital (PTY) LTD, johannesburg, south africa, with company number 2014/220311/07 an authorized financial services provider, licensed and regulated by the financial sector conduct authority (FSCA) in south africa, with FSP no. 46044.

Trading on margin involves a high level of risk, including full loss of your trading funds. Before proceeding to trade, you must understand all risks involved and acknowledge your trading limits, bearing in mind the level of awareness in the financial markets, trading experience, economic capabilities and other aspects.

Please note that trade245 does not provide services to US residents.

The registered address is located at st andrews office park block A, 39 wordsworth avenue, senderwood, gauteng, 2007, south africa.

Trade245 (red pine capital (pty)ltd) acts as intermediary between the investor and marketfinancials limited, the counterparty to the contract for difference purchased by the investor via trade245, authorised and regulated by the financial services authority of seychelles with security dealer license no. SD006.

All payments via skrill and neteller are processed for red pine capital (pty) ltd

Bonus trading account

Welcome bonus

Your perfect start with tickcopy

No risk

No risk of losing your money

Profitable

Profits earned can be withdrawn

Jump-start an exciting trading journey with tickcopy and explore our world-class services with the $30 welcome account.

New clients have the opportunity to trade with free trading funds. The welcome account is very easy to open and the profit earned is yours to keep.

Enjoy a seamless trading experience with lightning-fast execution, while getting access to award-winning trading tools and resources.

Thank you for your support. Because of the enthusiastic response to the welcome offer, the first phase of the $30 increase has been successfully concluded. See the second phase of the plan.

Withdrawal requirements

Deposit USD 200

Start trading of accumulated 1 lot

Completed verification level 1 (national ID and updated address proof within 3 months, such as bank statement, unities bills)

How to get:

If you would like to entitle the welcome bonus, you should follow the below steps

Open real trading account

Deposit min USD200

Start trading

Send an email to [email protected] which show your register email and trading account number

Welcome bonus will deposit into your trading account within 1-3 working days

(you cannot withdrawal your welcome bonus on the first 60 days)

Notes:

The offer is not available to clients from algeria, armenia, australia, azerbaijan, belarus, bulgaria, columbia, georgia, iceland, israel, kazakhstan, liechtenstein, macau, moldova, morocco, norway, state of palestine, switzerland, taiwan, tunisia, yemen, north korea, iran, USA, indonesia, venezuela, vietnam, lesotho, pakistan, bangladesh, ghana, egypt, russia, ukraine, uzbekistan, kyrgyzstan, tajikistan, turkmenistan, kenya and european union.

Welcome bonus is available in the USD currency.

Existing clients cannot apply for a welcome account.

A minimum of 30 USD and a maximum of 100 USD of profit

Terms and conditions

The welcome account is not available in algeria, armenia, australia, azerbaijan, belarus, bulgaria, columbia, georgia, iceland, israel, kazakhstan, liechtenstein, macau, moldova, morocco, norway, state of palestine, switzerland, taiwan, tunisia, yemen, north korea, iran, USA, canada, indonesia, venezuela, vietnam, lesotho, pakistan, bangladesh, ghana, egypt, russia, ukraine, uzbekistan, kyrgyzstan, tajikistan, turkmenistan and kenya.

Welcome bonus is a no deposit bonus. Every new client of the company has the right to get this bonus. Each client can open only one welcome account.

European union citizens cannot apply for a welcome account.

The welcome account has identical trading conditions to the live ECN account type.

The client has the option to either raise or lower the leverage on the welcome account.

The welcome account is available for trading for 60 days from the day of opening. Once 60 days have passed, trading will be disabled but the welcome account will still be accessible for an additional 14 days to claim the earned profit.

After a deposit is made to a live MT4 account, the client should send an email from his registered email address to [email protected] and request a transfer of profit from the welcome account to the live MT4 account. Transfer of profits should be requested to the same trading account where an initial deposit was made.

The welcome account is available in the USD currency.

The welcome account is created and sent to clients within one days after the client completes the registration form on the web page and the application has been approved. Login details will be sent automatically to the email address provided in the registration form. Please note that these credentials may only be used to create a welcome account, not to access the client area.

A 30 USD initial complimentary deposit is added automatically to the welcome account.

Tickcopy reserves the right to reject a bonus request or block the welcome account, if there is a partial or complete match of IP address or other signs of welcome accounts belonging to the same person.

The initial deposit cannot be withdrawn or transferred from the welcome account.

A minimum of 30 USD and a maximum of 100 USD of profit can be transferred from the welcome account to a live ECN MT4 trading account with tickcopy.

Each client can make only one request to transfer profit from the welcome account to a live MT4 trading account.

In order to make a transfer of profit from the welcome account to a live MT4 account, the client must:
- Register a client area account, using the same information provided during the welcome account registration (name, surname, email, date of birth, etc.);
- Provide the necessary identification documents required to validate the client area account;
- Open a live MT4 trading account inside the client area and deposit a minimum of $100 (or equivalent in other currencies);
- After a deposit is made to a live MT4 account, the client should contact tickcopy support via email or claim bonus form and request a transfer of profit from the welcome account to the live MT4 account.
- New live MT4 trading account should not be connected to any other promotions (e.G. PAMM deposit campaign).

Once the profit transfer is completed, the welcome account will be disabled and no further trading will be possible.

The profit of the welcome account will be added to the balance of the live trading account with tickcopy and can be withdrawn immediately by using any of the available withdrawal options available in the client area.

All profits earned and transferred from the welcome account campaign are deemed to be null and void, if the welcome account or live MT4 tickcopy account holder has provided incorrect, false or misleading information during the registration process.

No deposits can be made to the welcome account.

Tickcopy reserves the right to disqualify any user, if there is a suspicion of misuse or abuse of fair rules.

Hedging trading positions internally (using other trading accounts held with tickcopy) or externally (using other trading accounts held with other brokers) and thus avoiding market risk, is considered to be an abuse.

Using the failures in the quote flow for getting guaranteed profit or any other form of fraudulent activities are considered to be an abuse.

Tickcopy reserves the right to change the terms of the campaign or cancel it at any time.

Any disputes or likely misunderstandings that may occur as a result of the campaign terms will be resolved by the tickcopy management in a way that presents the fairest solution to all parties involved. Once such a decision has been made, it shall be regarded as final and/or binding for all parties.

Clients agree that information provided during the registration process may be used by the company both within the context of the welcome account campaign and for any other marketing purposes.

TRADING

ACCOUNTS

ABOUT TICKCOPY

Risk warning: trading forex and leveraged financial instruments involves significant risk and can result in the loss of your invested capital. You should not invest more than you can afford to lose and should ensure that you fully understand the risks involved. Trading leveraged products may not be suitable for all investors. Before trading, please take into consideration your level of experience, investment objectives and seek independent financial advice if necessary. It is the responsibility of the client to ascertain whether he/she is permitted to use the services of the tickcopy limited based on the legal requirements in his/her country of residence.

So, let's see, what we have: if you have extra cash that you’re looking to invest, brokerages are looking to reward new clients with attractive bonuses. Are you happy with your current broker or is it time for a change? Here are some of the best brokerage account bonuses. At bonus trading account