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How a robo-advisor works

Though robo-advisors are popular with people who are newer to investing, they can provide an easy way to invest for anyone at any point in their investing journey. Generally, you start by answering a few simple questions about:

  • How much you want to invest

  • Your financial goals, such as investing for retirement, growing your wealth, preparing for a big life event, investing to buy a home or other goals

  • The time frame in which you wish to achieve those goals

  • How comfortable you are with financial risk

The robo-advisor analyzes your answers and uses this data to select an investment portfolio that aligns with your goals.

The advantage of a robo-advisor is that you get an expertly built portfolio that suits your life and goals, allowing you more time to pursue your passions.

Getting started with our robo-advisor

We make it easy to get started. Based on your answers to a few questions, you’ll be matched with an Automated Investor portfolio that's been created by our investment experts with your goals in mind.

Your portfolio is then put to work, automatically adjusting for market conditions, with the objective to maximize returns, minimize risk and help you save on taxes with tax-loss harvesting. At any time, you can adjust your goal if plans change.

Automated Investor is currently only available to existing clients of U.S. Bancorp Investments and its affiliate U.S. Bank. Not a customer yet? We can help get you started. Just call 866-758-8655.

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The benefits of Automated Investor

Low fees and a low investment minimum

With a minimum investment of just $1,000, you can get started working toward your financial goals. Annual fees are 0.24%, billed quarterly.1 That means that for every $1,000 invested you will pay $0.60 every three months (based on rate of $0.20 per month).

Automatic rebalancing and monitoring

Automated Investor's always-on rebalancing feature keeps your portfolio diversified and balanced automatically. This saves you time and the hassle of having to constantly review your account and research when and what adjustments are needed.

Easy, straightforward investing

In just a few minutes, you can open an Automated Investor account. Your money is invested in a mix of funds that have been selected by our investment experts and tailored to your goals and preferences. If your plans change, you can adjust your goals at any time and Automated Investor will do the rest.

Human support on your side

Though Automated Investor’s smart technology manages your investment portfolio for you, a live investment professional is just a phone call away to answer all of your questions and provide you the human guidance you need.

Open an IRA with Automated Investor

In addition to individual and joint accounts, you can use Automated Investor to open a traditional, Roth or SEP IRA. Investing for your retirement with an individual retirement account (IRA) means more of your money is working harder for you with either tax-free or tax-deferred growth.

Learn more

Frequently asked questions

Get answers to your robo-advisor and Automated Investor questions. Start here or view our other FAQs.

Automated investing is a type of investing that is handled by a robo-advisor based on the information provided by an investor. Automated Investor is U.S. Bancorp Investments’ robo-advisor. Like many other robo-advisors, it uses a set of investing rules run by advanced computer software to manage your investments automatically in an investment advisory account.

You provide the robo-advisor information about your investment goals, your comfort with financial risk and when you would like to reach your goal. The robo-advisor monitors your investment mix, making trades that help keep your goals on track.

Our robo-advisor, Automated Investor, may be a smart choice if you:

  • Have at least $1,000 available to invest, in addition to an emergency fund
  • Are seeking a way to get started growing your potential wealth, investing for retirement or reaching other goals
  • Want an investment strategy created by experts
  • Are comfortable investing online, with automated investments and the robo-advisor approach
  • Can accept market risk
  • Prefer to have your accounts automatically monitored and rebalanced
  • Would like a low-cost investment approach

Automated Investor manages your investments using these criteria:

  • Asset allocation – Based on your goal and risk profile, the robo-advisor will invest your money across a variety of asset classes with various levels of risk and potential return to keep your portfolio diversified.
  • Automatic portfolio rebalancing – Your account is typically reviewed by our robo-advisor daily, when U.S. markets are open, to help keep your portfolio in balance with your goal and target date.
  • Low-cost investments – Your money is invested in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), whose fees are typically lower than those for mutual funds. (Investopedia, September 2022, “Why are ETF fees lower than mutual funds?”)
  • Tax-loss harvesting – For taxable accounts, we automatically work to offset taxes on capital gains by selling other investments at a loss. The cash from these transactions will be reinvested across your portfolio to help keep it in balance and on track with your goal.
  • See our Methodology & Assumptions page for more information on automated investments.

You can apply for an Automated Investor robo-advisor account in about 10 minutes.

  • You’ll start by answering a few questions about your main goal and your comfort with risk. We’ll use this information to show you an investment mix tailored to your goal.
  • Then, you’ll complete our brief application and fund your account from your checking, savings or brokerage account.
  • If you’re opening an Automated Investor IRA and want to roll over funds from a previous employer, call us and we’ll walk you through the steps.
  • Once you transfer money to your new account, we’ll start investing for you, usually on the next business day. You’ll receive a welcome email and you can check your progress on your mobile app or online.
  • If at any point along the way you have questions or need help, call us at 866-758-8655.

Your Automated Investor account is typically monitored by our robo-advisor daily when U.S. markets are open.

If you are an existing customer of U.S. Bancorp Investments or our affiliate U.S. Bank who is exploring your investment opportunities, there are several different types of robo-advisor accounts that can be opened, including:

  • Individual accounts
  • Joint accounts
  • Traditional IRAs
  • SEP IRAs
  • Roth IRAs

You can setup a one-time transfer or recurring transfers at any time. To set-up automatic transfers, log in to your Automated Investor account and select Transfers. You will be able to select the frequency and amount of the transfers that work best for you.

While your initial investment can build over time, making regular contributions to your Automated Investor account may help you get there faster.

If you’d like to roll over3 a 401(k) from a previous employer, call us at 866-758-8655.

next steps

Open an account
Call 866-758-8655
Request a call
Find a financial advisor
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Disclosures

Automated Investor legal agreements & disclosures

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  1. Annual advisory fee is 0.24% of invested assets, billed quarterly with a minimum investment of $1,000. Your annual advisory fee doesn’t include ETF fees and expenses which are reflected in the daily pricing of the fund, or other account level fees as described in our Automated Investor Wrap Fee Program Brochure.

  2. Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) are subject to risks similar to those of stocks, such as market risk. Investing in ETFs may bear indirect fees and expenses charged by ETFs in addition to its direct fees and expenses, as well as indirectly bearing the principal risks of those ETFs. ETFs may trade at a discount to their net asset value and are subject to the market fluctuations of their underlying investments.

  3. U.S. Bancorp Investments can assist clients with IRA Rollovers. However, keep in mind that a rollover of qualified plan assets into an IRA is not your only option. Before deciding whether to keep assets in your current employer’s plan, to roll assets to a new employer’s plan, to take a cash distribution, or to roll assets into an IRA, clients should be sure to consider potential benefits and limitations of all options. These include total fees and expenses, range of investment options available, penalty-free withdrawals, availability of services, protection from creditors, RMD planning and taxation of employer stock. Discuss rollover options with your tax advisor for tax considerations.

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Investment and insurance products and services including annuities are:
Not a deposit • Not FDIC insured • May lose value • Not bank guaranteed • Not insured by any federal government agency.

U.S. Investments is a marketing logo for U.S. Bancorp Investments Inc.

Investment and insurance products and services including annuities are available through U.S. Bancorp Investments, the marketing name for U.S. Bancorp Investments, Inc., member FINRA and SIPC, an investment adviser and a brokerage subsidiary of U.S. Bancorp and affiliate of U.S. Bank.

Insurance products are available through various affiliated non-bank insurance agencies, which are U.S. Bancorp subsidiaries. Products may not be available in all states. CA Insurance License #0E24641.

U.S. Bancorp Investments and its representatives do not provide tax or legal advice. Your tax and financial situation is unique. You should consult your tax and/or legal advisor for advice and information concerning your particular situation.

IMPORTANT: The projections or other information generated by Automated Investor regarding the likelihood of various investment outcomes are hypothetical in nature, do not reflect actual investment results and are not guarantees of future results. Results may vary with each use and over time.

Investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal.

U.S. Bancorp Investments is registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission as both a broker-dealer and an investment adviser. To understand how brokerage and investment advisory services and fees differ, the Client Relationship Summary is available for review.

Pursuant to the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, U.S. Bancorp Investments must provide clients with certain financial information. The U.S. Bancorp Investments Statement of Financial Condition is available for you to review, print and download.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Rule 2267 provides for BrokerCheck to allow investors to learn about the professional background, business practices, and conduct of FINRA member firms or their brokers. To request such information, contact FINRA toll-free at 1-800‐289‐9999 or via https://brokercheck.finra.org. An investor brochure describing BrokerCheck is also available through FINRA.

Past performance and market conditions do not guarantee future results. There is no assurance that a particular investment mix or hypothetical performance shown will lead to actual investment results or performance. Diversification and asset allocation strategies do not guarantee low volatility, profit or protection against loss. There is no guarantee that you will achieve your goal within your time horizon, or over a longer time period by using Automated Investor. You are responsible for providing accurate and up to date information about your goal, time horizon, and risk tolerance.

If you have any questions or concerns, contact us to consult with an investment professional 866-758-8655. The illustrative portfolios cannot account for the impact that economic, market, and other factors may have on an actual investment portfolio.

Municipal Securities Education and Protection– U.S. Bancorp Investments is registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB). An investor brochure that describes the protections that may be provided to you by the MSRB rules and how to file a complaint with an appropriate regulatory authority is available to you on the MSRB website at www.msrb.org.

U.S. Bancorp Investments Order Processing Information.