So let’s see if Ally Invest is a winner and if the platform is easy-to-use for newcomers to trading. First, know that when you deal with them, you actually do business with a Detroit-based institution, Ally Bank, which was founded in 1919 by General Motors.

In 2017, Ally Bank acquired TradeKing, and Ally Invest was born.  Since then, they have improved upon the TradeKing platform and made a name for itself as a budget broker.

Accounts

Ally Invest offers individual, joint, and custodial accounts.  They also offer traditional, Roth, rollover, SEP (Simplified Employee Pension), and SIMPLE (Savings Incentive Match Plan for Employees) IRAs as well as Coverdell (Education Savings) accounts.

Traders/Investors can fund accounts via wire transfer, transferring their account from another broker, paying by check, or by a bank transfer (with funds arriving almost instantly if transferred from an Ally Bank account).

Ally Invest is great for beginners and budget traders, because they have no account minimum.  A trading account could be opened with just $1.  Securities that can be traded are stock, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs (exchange-traded funds), options, and Forex.Check out a list of the top trading companies.

What Are Ally Invest Fees and Commissions? (Pricing Review)

1. $0 for stocks ($3.95 at discounted select pricing rate)
2. $0.00 Commission-free ETFs
3. $0 Options – $0.50 per contract fee
4. $1 per bond (with a $10 minimum)
5. $9.95 per trade for no-load mutual funds (over 12,000 funds to choose from)
6. $4.95 +0.01 per shared of stocks less than $2

Get updated pricing here.

Ally Invest is among the leading trading companies in low-cost fees with very reasonable trading volume requirements to get discounted rates.

Unlike some brokerages that require intensely active trading to get discounted fees, Ally Invest only requires 30+ trades per quarter (or a $100,000 daily balance) to qualify for select pricing rates.

What Else Can You Expect?

Customer Service – Ally Invest has no physical branches, but it does have 24/7 customer support via chat, email or phone.

Managed Portfolios – For investors who don’t want to do their own trading, Ally Invest offers managed accounts.

Education – Ally Invest’s Do-It-Right website offers articles, webinars, and live events to help traders learn more about investing.

Research tools – Ally Invest offers an array of free research tools, including access to CFRA Research, Maxit Tax Manager, and News Feeds.

Ally Invest Self-Directed Trading

• Ally Invest gives you access to a great education that can turn you into a self-directed trader and/or investor. So that you don’t depend on others to manage your own money. Investment and trading gurus want your money. Plus, being self-directed goes beyond trading and investing. It’s about understanding and learning what’s best for you.

Summary

Ally Financial has a track record when it comes to banking, but investing and trading is somewhat new compared to its competitors such as TD Ameritrade, Charles Schwab, and Etrade.

Nonetheless, Ally Invest charges reasonable commissions and has a decent online trading platform. If you’re looking for advanced features, like Direct Access Trading (read our Das Trader Review), you may be best served by a more robust platform.

In conclusion, I would say that it is a good platform for someone starting on the path of becoming a short-term trader and/or long term investor.

Simplicity is always best when you start trading, and Ally Invest’s platform fits the bill.  It’s nice that you can use Ally as your bank too.