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Wealthfront Automated Investing Account

A flat 0.25% a year and $500 to start, with daily tax-loss harvesting and direct indexing from $100,000. No human advisor tier.

Rates verified October 14, 2026
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The Bottom Line

Best for
Hands-off investors who want daily tax-loss harvesting and a simple flat fee, and who do not need a human advisor.
Advisory fee
0.25% a year (verified Oct 14, 2026). All rates and fees

Key facts

  • Annual fee: 0.25%
  • Account minimum: $500
  • Tax-loss harvesting: Yes
  • Human advisor: No

Pros

  • One simple fee, 0.25%, with no tiers or surprises
  • Daily tax-loss harvesting included, with direct indexing from $100,000
  • Individual, joint, trust, custodial and 529 accounts, plus three IRA types
  • Low fund costs: 0.03% to 0.07% in a taxable portfolio

Cons

  • 0.25% is charged even on small balances, and the minimum is $500
  • No human advisor tier
  • Cannot withdraw below $500 without closing the account

At a glance

Rates verified October 14, 2026
Advisory fee
0.25% a year. A flat 0.25% a year of your balance at any size, charged monthly. It covers advisory fees, brokerage commissions and administrative costs.
Account minimum
$500
Fund costs on top
ETF costs average 0.03% to 0.07% in a taxable portfolio, depending on risk level, charged on top of the 0.25%. Wealthfront does not receive compensation from them.
Cash in the portfolio
Money that cannot be invested (such as share rounding) and a small reserve for about six months of fees sit in a money market fund. No percentage is published.
Tax-loss harvesting
Yes. Software looks for losses to harvest daily on taxable accounts at no extra fee. Direct indexing (owning the individual stocks of an index) is available from $100,000.
Direct indexing
Yes, from $100,000
Human advisor
No human advisor tier. A support team answers questions, and financial planning is a free software tool.
IRAs
Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA
Account types
Individual, Joint, Trust, Custodial (UTMA/UGMA), 529, Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA
Mobile app
Wealthfront app for iOS and Android
SIPC
Member, Wealthfront Brokerage LLC is a SIPC member (up to $500,000 including $250,000 of cash).
Other fees
No account-opening, withdrawal, closing, trading or account transfer fees. Fund expense ratios apply.

Sources: wealthfront.com/static/documents/form_crs.pdf, wealthfront.com/investing, read October 14, 2026

What it costs in practice

$63 a year in advisory fees on $25,000

On a $25,000 balance the advisory fee is about $63 a year, and about $250 at $100,000. The funds inside the portfolio charge their own small expense ratios on top (see Fund costs above). Fee schedule as listed by the provider on the verification date shown.

What to know before you open an account

Every provider has trade-offs. These are the ones we found on its own pages and in regulator records.

  • The 0.25% fee applies at every balance: about $25 a year on $10,000 before fund costs.
  • There is no human advisor tier, and Wealthfront says it does not provide personalized estate, tax or retirement planning.
  • Withdrawals cannot take the account below the $500 minimum; closing it is the alternative.
  • Heavy trading from rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting can add small bid-ask spread costs, which Wealthfront discloses.

Regulator record

  • Dec 21, 2018, SEC. SEC order against Wealthfront Advisers (older than our usual window, shown because it concerns its tax-loss harvesting service): from October 2012 to May 2016 its whitepaper falsely said it monitored all client accounts to avoid wash sales, and it published client testimonials and paid bloggers without required disclosures. Penalty: $250,000. Read the source

Where these numbers come from

Each figure above was read on the provider's own page. Fees and rates change, so check the page before you act.

What is Wealthfront Automated Investing Account?

Sources read on the date shown
Wealthfront's Automated Investing Account builds a portfolio of low-cost index funds, rebalances it, reinvests dividends and looks for tax losses to harvest every day, all without any input from you. It is built for people comfortable with an app-only service who want a simple price and strong tax features, and who do not need to talk to a financial advisor. The advisory fee is a flat 0.25% a year at any balance, charged monthly, which is $25 on $10,000 and $250 on $100,000. The minimum to open is $500. The funds inside a taxable portfolio add a weighted average of 0.03% to 0.07% on top, depending on risk level, and Wealthfront does not receive any of it. Tax-loss harvesting (selling an investment at a loss to lower your tax bill) is included at no extra fee, and accounts over $100,000 can use direct indexing, which means owning the individual stocks of an index rather than one fund. Accounts come as individual, joint, trust, custodial, 529, and Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs. All figures were read on Wealthfront's own pages and filings on 14 October 2026. What it does not offer: there is no human advisor tier, and Wealthfront states it does not give personalized estate, tax or retirement planning. Withdrawals cannot take the account under $500, and the 0.25% fee is charged even on small balances.
Sourcewealthfront.com ↗

Key details

Flat 0.25% a year at any balance, $500 minimumDaily tax-loss harvesting on taxable accounts, no extra feeDirect indexing available over $100,000Individual, joint, trust, custodial, 529 and Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAsNo account-opening, trading or transfer fees

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Wealthfront Automated Investing Account FAQ

How much does Wealthfront cost?

A flat 0.25% a year of your balance, which is $25 on $10,000. Fund costs add a weighted average of 0.03% to 0.07% in a taxable portfolio. Read on Wealthfront's pages on 14 October 2026.

What is the minimum to open a Wealthfront account?

$500. Wealthfront's Form ADV says that is also the balance you must keep: withdrawals cannot take the account below $500.

Does Wealthfront do tax-loss harvesting?

Yes. Its software looks for harvesting opportunities daily in taxable accounts at no extra fee. Accounts over $100,000 can add direct indexing for stock-level harvesting.

Which IRAs can I open at Wealthfront?

Traditional, Roth and SEP IRAs. Old 401(k) and 403(b) plans can be rolled into a Wealthfront IRA.

Can I talk to a financial advisor at Wealthfront?

There is no human advisor tier. A support team of certified professionals answers account questions, and financial planning is offered as free software.

Source: wealthfront.com