Ally Invest Review (2026)
Ally Invest suits Ally Bank customers who want a brokerage account beside their bank accounts, with stocks, options, mutual funds and individual bonds. The one thing to know: cash in the trading account earns no interest, even when it is swept to banks. Stocks and ETFs priced $2 or more trade at $0 commission, and options cost $0.50 per contract.
By Wealthy Pot Editorial · Facts checked October 19, 2026
Facts checked October 19, 2026 against Ally Invest's own fee schedules, rate pages, disclosures and regulator records (12 sources, listed below). We re-check prices about once a month. We do not earn a commission from Ally Financial.
Ally Invest at a glance
| Stocks and ETFs | $0 for stocks and ETFs priced $2 and higher; under $2, $4.95 + $0.01 a share, at most 5% of the trade [1] |
|---|---|
| Options | $0 commission + $0.50 per contract; $0.35 more per contract on certain single-exchange index products; $0 exercise and assignment [1] |
| Mutual funds | More than 17,000 funds; no-load funds $0 to buy and sell [2] |
| Bonds and Treasuries | $1 per bond, $10 minimum and $250 maximum per trade; brokered CDs $24.95, waived for Ally Bank CDs [1] |
| Minimum | $0 for a cash account (taxable or IRA); $2,000 for a margin account [2] |
| Fractional shares | No fractional-share buying listed; fractions come only from dividend reinvestment [5] |
| Account types | Individual, joint, custodial, Traditional, Roth and Rollover IRA, Coverdell; no SEP, SIMPLE, solo 401(k), HSA or 529 listed [4] |
| Cash | Cash balances in a self-directed trading account earn no interest, including cash in the FDIC-Insured Sweep Program [7] |
| Margin | 11.50% under $25,000, falling by tier to 9.25% at $100,000 to $249,999 and 7.00% at $1 million and up; base rate 5.75% (as of September 16, 2026) [3] |
| Transfer out and IRA fees | $50 ACAT transfer out (full or partial); $25 IRA closure fee; the table also lists a $50 IRA transfer fee; $0 annual IRA fee [1] |
| Other fees | $20 + commission for broker-assisted trades; $30 outgoing domestic wire; $4 per paper statement; $50 + commission per foreign (non-ADR) stock trade [1] |
| Extended hours | 8:00 to 9:28 AM ET and 4:00 to 5:00 PM ET, limit orders only [6] |
| Premium tier | None. Advisory options: Robo Cash-Enhanced 0%, Robo Market-Focused 0.30% a year ($100 minimum), Personal Advice 0.75% to 0.85% ($100,000 minimum) [1] |
| SIPC and excess | SIPC up to $500,000 including $250,000 cash, plus Apex Clearing's excess policy through Lloyd's of London syndicates up to an aggregate $150 million [2] |
| Payment for order flow | Yes: per-share rebates on stock orders and per-contract cash payments on options [8] |
| Company | Ally Invest Securities LLC (CRD 136131), formerly TradeKing Securities, part of Ally Financial Inc.; Charlotte, NC; clears through Apex Clearing [10] |
What a year at Ally Invest costs
| Situation | Cost or interest | How we got it |
|---|---|---|
| Open and close a 10-contract options trade, twice a month for a year | $240 | $10 a round trip x 24. |
| $10,000 left uninvested for a year | $0 earned | Cash in a self-directed trading account at 0% APY, if the rate held all year. |
| Borrow $10,000 on margin for a year | About $1,150 | 11.5% a year on a $10,000 balance; 9.25% at $100,000. Interest accrues daily, so the exact figure varies a little. |
| Move the whole account to another broker | $50 | Full outgoing transfer (ACATS). Closing an IRA costs $25. |
Hypothetical examples, our arithmetic from Ally Invest's published fees, cash rate (as of October 19, 2026) and margin rates (as of September 16, 2026), read on October 19, 2026. Broker commissions and the broker's own per-contract fees only: the small SEC, FINRA, OCC and exchange fees passed through on sales and option trades are left out. Cash and margin rates move with the Federal Reserve's rate.
How Ally Invest works
Ally Invest is the brokerage arm of Ally Financial, the parent of Ally Bank. Ally Bank and Ally Invest accounts show up together, and money moves between them quickly. Ally Financial reported 542,000 funded Ally Invest accounts and about $23.0 billion ($22,997 million) in net customer assets at June 30, 2026. There are no branches: Ally calls itself an all-digital bank, and support is by phone (1-855-880-2559, Monday to Friday 7 AM to 10 PM ET, Saturday 9:30 AM to 6 PM ET), chat or email. If your first ACAT transfer in from another broker is $2,500 or more, Ally gives a $75 transfer fee credit after you send a request form (credited within 30 days); no end date was published as of October 19, 2026.
You can trade US stocks, ETFs, equity and index options, mutual funds and fixed income: corporate, agency, Treasury and municipal bonds, strips and zeros, CDs and new issues. Stocks and ETFs priced $2 and up are $0; cheaper stocks carry a commission. Options are $0.50 a contract with no charge for exercise or assignment, so the options line in the cost block on this page is not $0. Research comes from TipRanks (its Smart Score and analyst ratings) plus ETF screeners and watchlists. Futures and crypto are not on Ally's list of tradable securities.
A hypothetical bond order, from Ally's $1-per-bond schedule with a $10 minimum and $250 maximum per trade. Buying 5 Treasury bonds would be 5 x $1 = $5, so the $10 minimum applies. Buying 40 bonds costs 40 x $1 = $40. Buying 300 bonds would be $300, so the $250 cap applies. Ally notes that when it trades a bond as principal it builds a markup or markdown into the price instead of charging this commission. Brokered CDs cost $24.95 a trade, except Ally Bank CDs.
Cash is the weak spot. Ally says cash balances in a self-directed trading account "do not currently earn interest", and its sweep disclosure says you will not be paid interest on cash in the FDIC-Insured Sweep Program either. The cost block shows what that means for $10,000. Ally's alternative is moving the money to a separate Ally Bank savings account, which is a bank deposit, not part of the brokerage account; compare high-yield savings accounts and money market funds before you leave cash idle.
Pros
- $0 options exercise and assignment
- Bonds and Treasuries at $1 per bond ($10 minimum, $250 maximum)
- $50 transfer-out fee, and a $75 transfer credit when you bring $2,500+
- Excess protection through Apex up to an aggregate $150 million
- Ally Bank and Ally Invest in one place
Cons
- Trading-account cash earns no interest, even in the sweep
- No fractional-share buying
- Margin from 11.50% under $25,000
- Commission on stocks under $2
- Extended hours end at 5:00 PM ET
Who Ally Invest fits, and who should skip it
A good fit if
- You bank at Ally and want investing in the same login with quick transfers.
- You buy individual bonds or Treasuries and want a flat $1-per-bond commission.
- You trade options and want $0 exercise and assignment fees with a $0.50 contract fee.
- You may move brokers later: the transfer-out fee is $50.
Look elsewhere if
- You want interest on idle cash automatically: Fidelity can hold uninvested cash in a money market core position.
- You want to buy fractional shares with small amounts: SoFi sells them from $5.
- You borrow on margin: Ally starts at 11.50%; Public starts at 5.15%.
- You open large options orders: tastytrade caps its opening commission at $10 per leg and charges $0 to close.
Limitations to know
- There are no branches to visit: Ally Financial describes Ally Bank as an all-digital bank, and Ally Invest support is by phone, chat or email. [12]
- Ally's fee table lists an ACAT transfer out at $50, an IRA transfer fee at $50 and an IRA closure fee at $25 (charged for full distributions and full outgoing transfers). It does not say whether these add up when you move an IRA out, so ask Ally before you transfer. [1]
- Stocks priced under $2 cost $4.95 plus $0.01 a share, up to 5% of the trade, and OTC and pink-sheet stocks need a $100 minimum opening purchase. [1]
- Fractional shares only come from dividend reinvestment, and they are sold automatically when you sell the whole-share position. [5]
- Extended-hours sessions run 8:00 to 9:28 AM and 4:00 to 5:00 PM ET, limit orders only, good for that session. [6]
- Margin accounts need a $2,000 deposit, and rates run from 11.50% under $25,000 down to 7.00% at $1 million and up. [3]
Ally Invest compared with alternatives
| Broker | Options per contract | Default cash rate | Transfer out | Fractional shares |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ally Invest | $0.50/contract | 0% | $50 | No |
| Fidelity | $0.65/contract | 3.48% 7-day yield if you pick SPAXX (no default named) | $0 | Yes |
| SoFi Active Invest | $0 | Not published | $100 | Yes |
| Public | $0 stock/ETF options (rebate program); index options $0.35 | Not published | $100 | Yes |
| Tastytrade | $1 to open, $0 to close ($10 max per leg) | Not published | $75 | Yes |
- Pick Fidelity if you want uninvested cash in a money market core position and $0 to transfer out.
- Pick SoFi Active Invest if you want fractional shares from $5 and $0 options contract fees.
- Pick Public if you borrow on margin and want rates from 5.15%.
- Pick Tastytrade if you open large options orders and want the commission capped at $10 per leg.
Security and privacy
- Securities are protected by SIPC up to $500,000, including $250,000 in cash, if the firm fails. Apex Clearing adds an excess policy through Lloyd's of London syndicates covering securities and cash up to an aggregate $150 million. [2]
- Swept cash is spread across program banks for FDIC coverage, but it earns no interest. [7]
- Ally Invest takes payment for order flow. Its second-quarter 2026 Rule 606 report shows options payments of about 49 to 50 cents per contract from Citadel, Wolverine, Dash/IMC and Global Execution Brokers, about $1.0 million in options payments from April to June 2026. [9]
- In October 2025 FINRA fined Ally Invest Securities $850,000 and censured it for failing to preserve business-related electronic communications, such as trade and transfer notices and group mailboxes, because of technical failures in three systems. [11]
- We did not confirm Ally Invest's two-factor login options or privacy policy terms for this review.
Recent changes
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| Sep 16, 2026 | Margin table dated September 16, 2026, with a 5.75% base rate and 11.50% under $25,000. [3] |
| Aug 31, 2026 | Ally updated its order execution and payment for order flow disclosure. [8] |
Ally Invest FAQ
Is Ally Invest safe?
Ally Invest Securities LLC is a FINRA member owned by Ally Financial, and accounts carry SIPC protection up to $500,000 (including $250,000 cash) plus Apex Clearing's excess policy up to an aggregate $150 million. Neither covers market losses. FINRA fined the firm $850,000 in October 2025 over record keeping.
Does Ally Invest charge for options?
Yes: $0 commission plus $0.50 per contract, with $0.35 more per contract on certain single-exchange index products. Exercise and assignment are $0.
What does Ally Invest pay on cash?
Nothing. Ally says self-directed trading account cash "does not currently earn interest", including cash in its FDIC-Insured Sweep Program. To earn interest you have to invest the cash or move it to a bank savings account, such as Ally Bank's, which is separate from the brokerage account.
Is Ally Invest good for beginners?
There is no minimum for a cash account and no annual IRA fee, and stocks and ETFs priced $2 and up are $0. Against that, you cannot buy fractional shares, and idle cash earns nothing unless you move it. See <a href="/brokerage-ira-where-to-start/">where to open a brokerage IRA</a> for the first steps.
Ally Invest vs Fidelity?
Ally charges $0.50 per options contract against Fidelity's $0.65, and $50 to transfer out against Fidelity's $0. Fidelity can keep uninvested cash in a money market core position, while Ally pays nothing on trading-account cash. Ally margin starts at 11.50%, Fidelity's at 12.075%. See <a href="/brokers/fidelity/">our Fidelity review</a>.
How much does it cost to transfer out of Ally Invest?
$50 for a full or partial ACAT transfer out. For an IRA, Ally's table also lists a $50 IRA transfer fee and a $25 IRA closure fee on full outgoing transfers, without saying whether they stack, so confirm the total with Ally first.
How we researched this review
We did not get paid or receive a free account for this page. We read Ally Invest's own pricing page, help center, security and privacy pages and app-store listing on October 19, 2026, quoted each fact from those pages, and link every one below. We did not run a long-term hands-on test, so we do not score the app; where a point rests on what the company says rather than something we can check, we attribute it to Ally Invest. Cost figures are our own arithmetic. We re-check prices and plans about once a month and log changes in the table above.
Sources
- Ally Invest, Commissions and fees, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, Self-directed trading, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, Margin account (rates accurate as of September 16, 2026), checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Help, Opening an Invest account, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Help, Invest trading questions, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, Extended-hours trading disclosure, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, FDIC-Insured Sweep Program disclosure, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, Order routing and payment for order flow, checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Invest, Rule 606 report, second quarter 2026, checked October 19, 2026.
- FINRA BrokerCheck, Ally Invest Securities LLC (CRD 136131), checked October 19, 2026.
- FINRA BrokerCheck, Ally Invest Securities LLC detailed report (disclosures), checked October 19, 2026.
- Ally Financial, Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2026 (SEC EDGAR), checked October 19, 2026.
This review is for general information, not investment advice. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal; margin and options can lose more than you put in. Fees and rates change; check the broker's own pages before you open or move an account.