How Acorns Makes Money (2024)

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

  • Acorns' Industry

  • Financials

  • History and Leadership

  • Recent Developments

  • FAQs

  • The Bottom Line

  • Company Profiles
  • Financial Companies

The Acorns micro-investing platform makes money through membership fees

By

Nathan Reiff

How Acorns Makes Money (1)

Full Bio

Nathan Reiff has been writing expert articles and news about financial topics such as investing and trading, cryptocurrency, ETFs, and alternative investments on Investopedia since 2016.

Learn about our editorial policies

Updated June 11, 2024

12:11 PM EDT

Reviewed byEric Estevez

12:11 PM EDT

Part of the Series

How Companies Make Money

Technology

  1. How Companies Make Money
  2. IBM
  3. Micron
  4. Snapchat
  5. Spotify
  6. Twitter
  7. Uber

Retail and Manufacturing

  1. Alibaba
  2. Amazon
  3. Lockheed Martin
  4. Nike
  5. Starbucks

Financial

  1. Bank of America
  2. Berkshire
  3. Blackrock
  4. JPMorgan
  5. Square
  6. Visa
  7. Robinhood

Private Companies

  1. Acorns

    CURRENT ARTICLE

  2. Chime
  3. Credit Karma
  4. Reddit

Acorns is a fintech company best known as a micro-investing platform that allows users to set up automated investments into a portfolio through Round-Ups: Acorns rounds up a debit or credit card purchase made on a linked card to the nearest dollar and invests the change on behalf of the member. Investments are made into one of five portfolios carrying different levels of risk. The website also offers basic banking services at low fees.

Key Takeaways

  • Acorns provides a platform for members to micro-invest spare change in a diversified portfolio.
  • The fintech company offers retirement savings accounts, a debit card, and other basic banking services.
  • Acorns generates revenue through member subscription fees.

Acorns' Industry

The company divides its services into three primary categories. The first enables members to invest spare change in exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The second allows users to create and fund an IRA through the platform, and the third provides members with a debit card provided through companies such as Visa, Inc. (V).

Acorns offers subscriptions for $3, $5, and $9 per month for packages of different services. The average Acorns member invests $627 through Round-Ups, the company's signature program. The company's competitors include Robinhood Markets, Inc. and Stash Financial, Inc.

Acorns' Financials

As of 2024, Acorns has over 9 million users who have invested $15 billion through its platform. Acorns Invest, Later & Early accounts are SIPC-insured up to $500,000. The company has raised funding from backers including NBCUniversal Media LLC, Paypal Holdings Inc. (PYPL), and Black Rock Inc. (BLK).

History and Leadership

Acorns was founded by the father-and-son entrepreneurial team Walter and Jeff Cruttenden and launched in 2014. Walter Cruttenden also founded Roth Capital and was the founder and CEO of the investment banking unit of E*Trade. In 2024, Noah Kerner is the company's CEO. Kerner has attracted investors including high-profile celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez.

Recent Developments

In 2023, Acorns partnered with GoHenry, a global leader in money management and financial education for kids. The company introduced the Mighty Oak debit card for saving and spending in 2024.

Where Does Acorns Invest?

Acorns invests an individual's savings in five Acorns Core portfolios and four Acorns ESG Portfolios composed of exchange-traded funds ETFs.

What Banking Features Does Acorns Offer?

Acorns banking features include 3.00% APY on Checking Accounts, early payday options, and paycheck split options to encourage saving.

How Do Round Ups Work?

Individuals can link their credit and debit cards to Acorns. The company will round up purchases on these cards to the nearest dollar and save that amount to the Acorns account.

The Bottom Line

Acorns is a platform that allows individuals to participate through micro-investing using spare change. The company offers retirement savings accounts, a debit card, and banking services.

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Article Sources

Investopedia requires writers to use primary sources to support their work. These include white papers, government data, original reporting, and interviews with industry experts. We also reference original research from other reputable publishers where appropriate. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in oureditorial policy.

  1. Acorns. "What are Round-Ups?"

  2. Acorns. "What Is Acorns & How Does It Work?"

  3. Acorns. "Invest."

  4. Acorns. "Later."

  5. Acorns. "Spend."

  6. Acorns. "Pricing."

  7. Acorns. "About."

  8. Cruttenden Partners. "Team."

  9. Wall Street Journal. "Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez Are Investing in Fintech Firm Acorns."

  10. Acorns. "What is GoHenry and What Do They Do?"

  11. Acorns. "Mighty Oak Card."

Part of the Series

How Companies Make Money

Technology

  1. How Companies Make Money
  2. IBM
  3. Micron
  4. Snapchat
  5. Spotify
  6. Twitter
  7. Uber

Retail and Manufacturing

  1. Alibaba
  2. Amazon
  3. Lockheed Martin
  4. Nike
  5. Starbucks

Financial

  1. Bank of America
  2. Berkshire
  3. Blackrock
  4. JPMorgan
  5. Square
  6. Visa
  7. Robinhood

Private Companies

  1. Acorns

    CURRENT ARTICLE

  2. Chime
  3. Credit Karma
  4. Reddit
How Acorns Makes Money (2024)

FAQs

How does the acorn make money? ›

Acorns provides a platform for members to micro-invest spare change in a diversified portfolio. The fintech company offers retirement savings accounts, a debit card, and other basic banking services. Acorns generates revenue through member subscription fees.

Is Acorns worth putting money into? ›

Is Acorns Worth it? Acorns charges monthly membership fees, starting at $3 per month. Even though it is a very easy way to get started investing, if you don't make enough purchases each month to round up and set aside enough money, the monthly fee could outweigh the benefit.

Is it safe to give Acorns my SSN? ›

We go the extra mile when it comes to safe-keeping your personal information. We use 256-bit or higher encryption at all times to protect your data. Our Security Operations team monitors for suspicious activity 24/7.

How to get free money from Acorns? ›

For every friend you invite to Acorns, you can earn a $5 referral bonus that gets invested in your Acorns Invest portfolio. There's no limit to how many friends you can invite, and best of all, your friends also get a $5 bonus investment, too! (Terms and conditions apply.)

Can I withdraw my money from Acorns? ›

Important information about withdrawals

If you want to take money out of your Acorns Checking account, you can do it whenever you like, and you won't pay any penalties.

Does Acorn charge a fee? ›

Acorns combines a spending, savings and investing app into one, making it easy to round your change into a higher-returning investment. Three different subscription tiers ranging in price from $3 to $12 a month. The most basic tier comes with an investing account, an IRA and a checking account.

What are the downsides of Acorns? ›

Acorns Advantages and Disadvantages
Acorns AdvantagesAcorns Disadvantages
No account minimumFee to access checking account
Recurring contributionsNo access to real-life financial advisors
Easy-to-use interfaceNo 529 accounts
Core account—no ESG funds—has very low feesNo tax-loss harvesting
1 more row

Can you lose money investing with Acorn? ›

Yes. The securities you own are always subject to market fluctuations. Market volatility can be unnerving, but it can also be an opportunity for investors. The big lesson we want all investors to remember is to keep going — over time, the market has bounced back from tough times.

Is there anything better than Acorns? ›

Why we chose Chime: If you want an Acorns alternative that has numerous bank-like features to help you spend and save your money, Chime is for you. And our favorite part is that its high-yield savings account currently pays 0.50% APY. Like Acorns, you can also enable spare change round-ups to automatically save money.

What happens if Acorns go out of business? ›

If you have investments in an account with a member company of SIPC, like Acorns, and that company has financial difficulties, SIPC will restore your funds up to the limit.

What's better, Robinhood or Acorns? ›

Robinhood is the best choice for DIY investors who prefer to approach investing hands-on. Acorns is the better bet for investors who are hands-off and who prefer to do their checking in the same app where they do their investing.

Does Acorns need to be reported to IRS? ›

The quick answer is, it depends on your portfolio. If you sold a portion of your investment and made a profit, then you will have to pay either the short-term or long-term capital gains tax on this amount. If you made more than $10 in dividend income from your portfolio, then you will have to report that.

How do I get $600 from Acorns? ›

You are eligible to receive this reward each time a new Acorns customer, meaning a natural person who has never begun signing up for Acorns before, (1) uses your personal invitation code or referral link that you shared with them during the promotional period (September 1, 2024 - September 7, 2024) when they sign up ...

Does Acorns grow your money? ›

Money doesn't grow on trees, but with compound interest or compound returns, money can grow itself. The longer you invest with Acorns, the more you're giving your money a chance to work for you.

How do you make money fast on Acorns? ›

How to make money on Acorns
  1. Get started while you're in school. “The best time to start investing was ten years ago. ...
  2. Automate – add small and consistent amounts of money monthly. ...
  3. Boost your round-ups. ...
  4. Use Acorns Earn. ...
  5. Download the Acorns extension. ...
  6. Use Acorns Spend Smart Deposit. ...
  7. Use credit cards with rewards points.

How much money does Acorns take from you? ›

Account management fee: 5 out of 5 stars
Account balanceBronze: $3/month ($36/year)Gold: $12/month ($144/year)
$10036%144%
$5007.2%28.8%
$5,0000.72%2.88%
$10,0000.36%1.44%
Jul 1, 2024

Is Acorns company profitable? ›

Is Acorns profitable? Acorns is not profitable at present and falls into the category of a fast-growing but loss-making business. Revenue rose 61% in 2020 and that is expected to accelerate this year, with Acorns forecasting over 77% annual growth.

Can you sell Acorns for money? ›

There is actually a market out there for buying and selling acorns. Hunters use them as deer bait, so they will often buy them and spread them during hunting season. Creative people use acorns in crafts, especially during the holiday season.

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