Sharebuilder Review: Learn the Pros and Cons

Written By Jeff Hindenach
Last updated May 21, 2021

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December 10, 2020

Simple. Thrifty. Living.

For those considering entering the world of online investing, ShareBuilder by Capital One is an easy and inexpensive gateway option to one of the best investment companies. This full-service investment method allows you to take the process into your own hands. Or, if you’re less experienced, it gives you access to financial advisers who are ready to walk you through the steps. As with any financial undertaking, this method has upsides and downsides to consider before jumping in. Keep reading for a full Capital One ShareBuilder review so you can decide if this investment tool is right for you.

Best Investment Companies

One of ShareBuilder’s greatest advantages is its convenience — the services are available entirely online, so you can open your account and maintain it from the comfort of your own home — without ever setting foot in a bank. Additionally, you’ll find a number of different account types to suit your needs, including:

  • Traditional and Roth IRAs
  • Individual and joint accounts
  • Custodial accounts
  • Education savings accounts

Like many of the best online loans, there’s no fee and no minimum amount needed to open your brokerage account, and the cost to trade is much lower than that of your average brokerage firm. With Sharebuilder, you will also have several investment options at your disposal, including stocks, mutual funds and EFTs, so you can diversify your investment and get the most out of your money. You will also be able to purchase partial shares, which is an unusual and inexpensive perk of this platform.

Another big boost ShareBuilder provides is its Service Team, which consists of real people who are ready to answer any questions about your investments and guide you through the proceedings. There are also automated tools to help you track your accounts, such as a portfolio analysis tool, an investment screener, and stock and fund ratings to aid you in making informed choices. The ShareBuilder app even allows you to conveniently trade on the go.




Though the fees are low, there are quite a few associated with ShareBuilder investing. You will pay a fee for each trade, investment or transfer you make, and the amount of the fees involved can occasionally make this a more expensive route to take.

Another downside to ShareBuilder is that you won’t have access to all the benefits of the platform unless you sign up for an advanced plan — you will have to pay a higher fee every month to receive the exclusive perks. This platform also does not offer extended-hours trading, and some of its assistance and research are not as thorough as those provided by other full-service brokerages. This makes it necessary for you, the investor, to put in your own time and research to avoid making a poor investment.

Also, ShareBuilder does not offer cryptocurrency trading, which is becoming more and more popular among investors. If you want to start cryptocurrency trading, look into one of the best cryptocurrency apps to help you get started.

ShareBuilder is geared toward beginner traders who want investments made automatically and to have a somewhat hands-off approach to trading. People who are active traders may have difficulty with the less intuitive trading tools and abilities, and this can be a big turnoff for serious investors who trade on a regular basis. ShareBuilder also doesn’t include fractional shares investing options, which is a downside for some who don’t want to spend a lot on investing.

Keep in mind that investing also does not help raise your credit score.  If you are having issues with your credit score, you can reach out to one of the best credit repair services.




We looked up top investing sites to see how ShareBuilder stacks up in comparison. We reviewed everything from cost to customer service.

ShareBuilder Review

ShareBuilder website

ShareBuilder Review image
  • Price: ShareBuilder costs about average for investing, with trades at $6.95, and the options base fee is also $6.95. Options per contract are $0.75 and broker-assisted orders are $19.95.
  • Features: ShareBuilder offers some of the usual investing options, including stocks, options, ETFs, IRAs, mutual funds and bonds, although it doesn’t offer as many as its competitors.
  • Customer service: Since ShareBuilder is owned by Capital One, it does provide a high level of customer service, although it is not as personal as some of the smaller investing sites.
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Betterment Review

Betterment website

Betterment Review image
  • Best For: Automated Investing. Betterment is the lazy man’s best friend and is also great for anyone just starting out since it automates trading for you. All you do is fund your account and answer questions about the types of investments you want, and Betterment will do all the heavy lifting for you. You can sign up for Betterment here.
  • Price: The benefit of Betterment is there are no complicated fees, just a percentage charged depending on how much you’ve invested. It’s 0.25 percent annually, no minimum required. For the premium service you must invest at least $100,000, the fee for this is 0.40 percent annually.
  • Features: Since Betterment is an automated service, it doesn’t offer a lot of options when it comes to investing. Its main platform invests in both stock and bond ETFs to create your portfolio. You can also set up various forms of IRAs through Betterment, which will then tailor your investments based on your goals.
  • Other highlights: You can currently get a year of free management, all dependent on the amount you invest. If you invest between $15,000-$999,999 you’ll receive one month for free, If you invest, $100,000-$249,000 you’ll receive 6 months of free management, and if you invest anything over $250,000 you will get an entire year of free management. 
  • Customer Service: Since Betterment does all the heavy lifting for you, of course there are going to be questions, which Betterment is more than capable of answering. You can also get financial planning advice via Betterment.
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Acorns Review

Acorns website

Acorns Review image
  • Best For: Automatic investing, people new to investing and those looking to increase their savings but not necessarily make a great deal of money. You can sign up for Acorns here.
  • Price: Depending on the services, Acorns costs $1, $2 or $3 monthly.
  • Features: You link credit cards and bank accounts to the Acorns app, and it automatically invests small sums of money on occasion. You can choose from among five portfolios, each with a different risk-reward ratio.
  • Other Highlights: The platform will rebalance your portfolio as needed and reinvest your dividends. Plus, Acorns lets you turn off the automatic investing function and make manual investments if you prefer.
  • Customer Service: Acorns doesn’t employ financial advisers, but its staff will answer your questions via phone, email or live chat.
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Personal Capital Review

Personal Capital website

Personal Capital Review image
  • Best For: Wealthy investors. High-value investors get the comprehensive services available through Personal Capital at a reasonable price. You can sign up for Personal Capital here.
  • Price: Annual advisory fees range from 0.49 percent to 0.89 percent, depending on the account balance.
  • Features: Accounts with a minimum of $200,000 enjoy the hands-on service of two account managers, while all account holders can use the available personal finance tools and account teams to manage their accounts.
  • Customer Service: Available through email or via phone. Personal Capital also has members-only contact methods, avoiding the clutter of a public line.
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To start trading on ShareBuilder, you’ll need to choose which type of account you want to open. You can select an individual or joint account, or set aside for your retirement with a traditional or Roth IRA (both of which are nontaxable).  You also have the option of investing for a child by using a custodial account or education savings account.

At this point, you will also need to select the number of automatic investments you want to make per month, along with the amount that each investment should be. Then, depending on how many trades you plan to make each month, choose your plan (Basic, Standard or Advantage). If you plan to make a high number of trades per month, you will benefit from one of the upper-tier plans, as the per-trade fee lowers as you make more trades. You can learn more about Sharebuilder’s different plans below.

Once you’ve opened your account, you can start building your investment portfolio by trading or purchasing stocks, mutual funds or ETFs. You also have the option of purchasing partial stocks. You can keep track of your investments by logging into the ShareBuilder website or using the mobile app, and you may have tracking alerts set up to let you know when market changes occur.




ShareBuilder does not require any fees to open an account, and there is no minimum initial investment. There are also no fees for inactivity or annual maintenance. However, a number of fees do apply to trading and investing:

  • Online trades: $6.95 per trade
  • Investments: $3.95 per investment
  • Portfolio purchase: $18.95 per portfolio
  • Options trading: $6.95 + $0.75 per contract
  • Mutual fund trade fee: $19.95 per trade
  • Broker-assisted trade fee: $19.95 per trade

Additionally, ShareBuilder’s plans, each with a different monthly fee, can reduce the amount of fees per investment. The fee schedule for each plan is as follows:

  • Basic: The Basic plan has no monthly fee, but you will be charged $3.95 per investment. This is an ideal plan for those who are making only one or a limited number of investments per month.
  • Standard: This step up from the Basic plan costs $12 a month, but you receive six free monthly investments (and pay only $2 apiece for those after the six).
  • Advantage: For those who intend to make numerous investments each month, this plan is the most cost-effective. It costs $20 a month but allows you to make 20 fee-free investments, and you’ll only pay $1 for each investment over the initial 20.

The main takeaway from most ShareBuilder reviews is that this investment firm is for beginning investors — or for those who prefer the autopilot approach to investing. The site tools and associated trading fees are not meant to accommodate someone who is actively trading on a regular basis.

However, for someone who is just starting the investment process, it is a simple way to jump on board. The fact that you can set your account to invest automatically ensures no need for persistent oversight or maintenance.

Additionally, most Sharebuilder reviews say the customer service department is both friendly and helpful, but its knowledge is pretty much limited to the use of the platform. The customer service reps are not necessarily financial experts, so traders need to come to ShareBuilder with some level of knowledge or have access to help from another source.

Lastly, one commonly noted advantage that most Sharebuilder reviews agree on is that the site is easy to use. The platform offers your account info at a glance, allows you to navigate with ease, and makes basic automated investing as simple as it can possibly be.




About the Author

Jeff Hindenach

Jeff Hindenach is the co-founder of Simple. Thrifty. Living. He graduated from Bowling Green State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Journalism. He has a long history of financial journalism, with a background writing for newspapers such as the San Jose Mercury News and San Francisco Examiner, as well as writing on personal finance for The Huffington Post, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, Newsday and The Street. He believes in giving readers the tools they need to get out of debt.

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