First trade recommendations | Robinhood

First trade recommendations

To start your investing journey and make that first move with confidence, you can get a recommendation for your first investment. Just answer a few questions to help us learn about your investing needs and we can recommend a portfolio—a group of investments that’s tailored to your needs.

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Note
  • Only customers who haven’t placed a securities trade on Robinhood can access first trade recommendations.
  • Residents of the state of Massachusetts aren’t eligible.

FAQ

Where can I access first trade recommendations?

Right after you join Robinhood, you should be able to access first trade recommendations on the Investing or Browse tabs.

Note

These recommendations are only available on our mobile app.

Why don’t I have access to first trade recommendations?

If you already placed a trade in your Robinhood investing account, you won’t be able to receive a recommended portfolio. Massachusetts residents also don't have access at this time.

If these exclusions don't apply to you, make sure your app is updated to the latest version.

What’s in a recommended portfolio?

A portfolio is a group of investments, and each recommended portfolio is made up of 4 exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that we choose for you by using an algorithm we built. Our algorithm is basically an automated system that uses your answers to our questions to match you with a portfolio that makes sense for you.

What are exchange-traded funds (ETFs)?

In investing, a fund tracks the performance of a bundle of investments, and exchange-traded means it’s bought and sold on a stock exchange. An ETF is a security that trades just like a stock, but performs like a larger bundle of investments.

ETFs allow you to invest in multiple things at once, meaning that you’re able to put your eggs in many baskets. If you just own a stock, you’re invested in a single company—but if you own an ETF with 50 stocks in it, that’s like owning a small slice of each of those 50 stocks. Having your money spread across lots of investments may help reduce risk, so you might have some cushion if one company or industry doesn’t perform well.

Check out What is an Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF) to learn more about ETFs and how they work.

How does Robinhood choose the ETFs in a recommended portfolio?

To make sure your recommended portfolio is diversified, our algorithm selects index-based ETFs across 4 asset classes. An asset class is basically just a group of investments that tend to behave similarly, and the asset classes we chose represent a significant portion of the overall universe of investments. It’s generally considered good practice to have a mix of different asset classes in your portfolio so that asset classes that are performing well can help balance out those that are not. Keep in mind, this doesn’t guarantee that your investments will perform well or that you won’t lose money—it’s just a strategy for diversifying your portfolio and potentially reducing risk.

Our algorithm picks 4 ETFs—one in each of the following asset classes:

  • US equities: Stocks from American companies
  • Developed markets equities: Stocks from companies in developed international (outside of the US) markets, which are more established countries that are more advanced economically
  • Emerging markets equities: Stocks from companies in emerging markets, which are fast-growing countries that are developing economically
  • US bonds: Government and corporate bonds from American companies. Bonds are essentially units of debt that you can buy, and that the borrower has to pay back with interest. Investing in bonds can help to balance out the risk of investing in stocks.

Among other factors, the following are some of the main criteria that our algorithm uses to choose an ETF.

  • High assets under management (AUM): AUM refers to the total amount of money managed by the ETF—in other words, how much money has been invested in that ETF. If an ETF has a high AUM, it likely means that the ETF is a popular choice for investors.
  • High trading volume: Trading volume refers to the total value of the shares that are traded on a given day.
  • Low expense ratios: The expense ratio is a small fee that helps cover managerial and administrative costs for the fund. They’re typically expressed as a percentage. For example: if you invested $100 in an ETF with a 0.1% expense ratio, $0.10 of your investment would go toward the expense ratio. Our algorithm favors low expense ratios because this means less of your investment is going towards this fee.
  • Low tracking error: The 4 ETFs we recommend are index ETFs, which means that they aim to track a certain benchmark index. Tracking error is the difference in actual performance between an ETF and the index the ETF is tracking. Our algorithm looks for ETFs with a lower tracking error because they have historically tracked the underlying index more closely than ETFs with a higher tracking error.
Why can’t I change the way my money is split across my portfolio?

We recommend splitting your money across your portfolio a certain way so you take on an amount of risk that makes sense for you. This is called asset allocation, and the general idea behind it is that some asset classes are more risky than others, which determines how you may need to split your money across them.

Example

If we learn from your answers that you are risk-averse, we may recommend investing in a lower-risk portfolio with a greater weight in bond ETFs because bonds tend to be less risky than stocks and generally seek to produce income.

Why are all of the ETFs in my recommended portfolio from Vanguard?

Vanguard is an investment firm that manages ETFs, and their ETFs tend to score well when it comes to the criteria our algorithm uses because they are large, traded frequently, and have low fees, among other factors.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that our algorithm will always recommend Vanguard ETFs. Each quarter, the algorithm may consider alternatives and may choose different ETFs that are a better fit.

Why is there a $20 minimum to invest in my recommended portfolio?

It has to do with the math our algorithm does to determine your recommended portfolio. It requires the $20 minimum in order to correctly calculate and divide your money across the 4 ETFs to meet your investing needs.

Why don’t I get the same recommended portfolio every time I fill out the questionnaire?

If you answer the questions differently each time, you may receive a different portfolio based on how your answers change.

If you answer the questions exactly the same each time, you’ll receive a portfolio with the same risk level each time. However, if you repeatedly fill out the questionnaire using the same answers across several days, you may notice that the way we split up your recommended portfolio across the 4 ETFs may be slightly different day to day. This is because our algorithm updates the data it uses to recommend portfolios each day to reflect changes in the market.

How do I know I can trust this recommendation?

The following is some additional context behind how we come up with recommended portfolios:

  • Robinhood data scientists designed the algorithm that generates your recommendation and it’s been carefully reviewed by investment professionals and third-party experts to validate that the algorithm is working as intended based on our investment methodology. Our algorithm’s main goal is to recommend a portfolio that seeks to optimize your expected returns while taking on an amount of risk that makes sense for you.
  • When we make any recommendation to you, we’re required to learn about your investing needs and prioritize your best interest above all else. You can read more about this in our Regulation Best Interest disclosure.

If you’ve already invested in your recommended portfolio

Can I get another recommended portfolio?

This experience is designed to help new investors who may want help making their first investment, so it’s only available for customers who haven’t placed a trade on Robinhood yet. If you’ve already invested in your recommended portfolio, you can’t access the experience again.

How can I put more money into my recommended portfolio?

Right now, if you want to invest more money in your recommended portfolio you’ll need to place a buy order for each individual ETF.

The recommended portfolio was provided to you at the point in time you made the investment. However, you’re responsible, as a self-directed investor, for all investment decisions you make with those 4 ETFs going forward including when to make additional purchases for an ETF, considerations for rebalancing the portfolio, and when you would like to sell those investments. Robinhood won’t monitor your portfolio or perform ongoing recommendations for it.

Can I get more recommendations on how to invest after I’ve invested in my recommended portfolio?

We don’t offer any other recommendations for investments at this time. If you’d like to learn more about starting to invest and setting goals, you can explore Learn the basics.

Disclosures

All investments involve risk and loss of principal is possible. Investors should consider their investment objectives and risks carefully before investing.

Our algorithm chooses ETFs based on Assets Under Management (AUM) and Average Trading Volume whereby the ETF has among the greatest assets under management and trading volume, while maintaining a low tracking error, within the respective asset class.

Investors should consider the investment objectives, risks, and charges and expenses of any ETF carefully before investing. The prospectus and, if available, the summary prospectus contain this and other information about the ETF that should be read carefully before investing. Customers should visit the relevant ETF’s investing detail page to access a link to the prospectus.

Securities trading offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, a registered broker-dealer (member SIPC), and a subsidiary of Robinhood Markets, Inc. (“Robinhood”).

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All Investing involves risk.

Brokerage services are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, (“RHF”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC), and clearing services through Robinhood Securities, LLC, (“RHS”) a registered broker dealer (member SIPC).

Cryptocurrency services are offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (“RHC”) (NMLS ID: 1702840).Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Please review a list of RHC's licenses for more information. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected.

The Robinhood spending account is offered through Robinhood Money, LLC (“RHY”) (NMLS ID: 1990968), a licensed money transmitter. Please review a list of our licenses for more information.

The Robinhood Cash Card is a prepaid card issued by Sutton Bank, Member FDIC, pursuant to a license from Mastercard® International Incorporated. Mastercard and the circles design are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Incorporated.

Robinhood Gold Card is subject to credit approval and underwriting. Robinhood Gold Card is offered by Robinhood Credit, Inc., and is issued by Coastal Community Bank, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. Robinhood Credit, Inc. (“RCT”), is a financial technology company, not a bank.

Robinhood Gold is a subscription-based membership program of premium services offered through Robinhood Gold, LLC (“RHG”).

RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are affiliated entities and wholly owned subsidiaries of Robinhood Markets, Inc. RHF, RHY, RHC, RCT, RHG, and RHS are not banks. Investing products offered by RHF are not FDIC insured and involve risk, including possible loss of principal.

RHY is not a member of FINRA, and products are not subject to SIPC protection, but funds held in the Robinhood spending account and Robinhood Cash Card account may be eligible for FDIC pass-through insurance (review the Robinhood Cash Card Agreement and the Robinhood Spending Account Agreement).

Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all customers. Customers must read and understand the Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options before engaging in any options trading strategies. Options transactions are often complex and may involve the potential of losing the entire investment in a relatively short period of time. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk, including the potential for losses that may exceed the original investment amount.

The risk of loss in trading futures can be substantial. Carefully consider if it’s appropriate for you in light of your financial circumstances. Please read the Futures Risk Disclosure Statement prior to trading futures products. Futures accounts are not protected by the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) and are not Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) insured. Prior to trading virtual currency Futures products, please review the NFA Investor Advisory & CFTC Advisory providing more information on these potentially significant risks. Futures trading and options on futures trading are offered by Robinhood Derivatives, LLC (“RHD”), a registered futures commission merchant with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and Member of National Futures Association (NFA) (NFA ID 0424278).

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Robinhood, 85 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025.© 2024 Robinhood. All rights reserved.