Investment platforms and brokerage firms fight for your business by offering competitive investment offers and promotions.
It took me a while to start investing because it seemed so complicated. Not only did you have to decide what stock to buy, but you also had to know how to buy it! Since you cannot deal directly with companies, it means a “broker” – an intermediary through which you can buy shares of any company or mutual funds that collect a lot of shares in one basket.
Nowadays, there are a lot of brokers, from old-school companies like Charles Schwab where you have a relationship with a local office and a person, to slightly newer giants like Vanguard and Fidelity, to startups like Betterment that aim to automate the entire process. Plus, there are all the free investing apps available.
But how do you choose the broker you will deal with? Since many of these companies are well-known and trustworthy (i.e. they won’t run away with your hard-earned money like Bernie Madoff did), you need some way to differentiate between them.
In my opinion, if you are trying to differentiate which companies are trustworthy, there are three things you should take into consideration:
- What types of fees do they charge? Can you invest for free?
- What types of services do they provide?
- What types of incentives do they offer to make you choose? Their company instead of Their competitor?
The age of the Internet really makes the third factor shine! Practically, new offers appear every month as brokers try to entice people to transfer their investments, or start investing for the first time. This is a good time to think about opening a new investment account. Since it is so easy to research fees and offers, many of the major brokerages match each other’s rates and offers, making the environment better and better for clients.
I’ve had a look around and here are some of the best stock brokers and investment offerings available right now:
TradeStation – up to $3,500
TradeStation is one of the best platforms for active traders looking for tools to research and execute trades with ease. And now they offer a great partnership with TradingView.
They are running a promotion where you can earn up to $3,500 when you transfer money to your TradeStation account. The amount you get depends on the amount you transfer.
Deposit amount | Bonus amount |
|---|---|
$5000 | $150 |
$25,000 | $300 |
$100,000 | $500 |
$250,000 | $1000 |
$500,000 | $2000 |
$1,000,000 | $3500 |
Read our full TradeStation review here.
Get a bonus of up to $3,500!
Up to $700 with Self-Directed Investing at JP Morgan
JP Morgan Self-Directed Investing is currently offering an introductory offer of up to $700. The JP Morgan Self-Directed Investing Program allows unlimited, commission-free investing in stocks, ETFs and options trading when you open an account.
They also allow traditional brokerage, traditional or Roth IRA. This offer does not apply to JP Morgan Automated Investing or any account opened with a JP Morgan advisor.
Currently, you can get up to $700 when you open and fund a self-directed investment account with JP Morgan with qualifying new money by January 8, 2026.
Below are the bonus levels:
Deposit amount | Bonus amount |
|---|---|
From $5,000 to $24,999 | $50 |
$25,000 to $99,999 | $150 |
$100,000 to $249,999 | $325 |
$250,000 or more | $700 |
Read our full review of JP Morgan Self-Directed Investing here.
Get a bonus of up to $700!
Investment and insurance products are: Not a deposit • Not FDIC insured • No bank guarantee • May lose value
Merrill Edge – up to $600 and free trades
Merrill Edge It is the financial brokerage subsidiary of Bank of America (the result of Bank of America’s acquisition of the famous trading company Merrill Lynch during the 2008 financial crisis). It’s generally a good option for anyone, but if you already have a banking relationship with Bank of America, it can be especially tempting given the “Preferred Rewards” status you can get.
Merrill is one of the last remaining brokerages that has not adopted commission-free trading for everyone. However, if you qualify for Bank of America Preferred Rewards, you can earn $0 in commissions.
The current bonus offer includes up to $600 in cash. Here are the levels of upfront investment you need to qualify:
Deposit amount | Bonus amount |
|---|---|
$20,000 to $49,999 | $100 |
$50,000 to $99,999 | $150 |
$100,000 to $199,999 | $250 |
$200,000+ | $600 |
As you can see, they have lower starting minimums – and their $600 top-level bonus is less than the requirement than most on this list. However, the product and costs don’t really match up with the rest of the industry anymore.
Read our full Merrill Edge review here.
Get a bonus of up to $600!
Wealth Interface – $50
Wealthfront is a robo-advisor that is always on our list of the best ways to manage your portfolio automatically. With Wealthfront, you simply deposit your investment dollars, and their service takes care of the rest.
Right now, you can get a $50 bonus when you open a new taxable investment account and deposit at least $500. You have to keep the funds there for at least 7 days, and you will receive your reward 30 days after that.
Read our full Wealthfront review here.
Get a $50 bonus!
Walnuts – $20
Acorns is the popular “all-in-one” investing app that allows you to invest your spare change over time. They also offer banking options so you can do everything within one super app.
Right now, Acorns gives you a $20 bonus if you open an account and successfully deposit at least $5 into your new account within 14 days of opening it.
Read our full Acorns review here.
Get a $20 bonus!
eToro – $10
eToro is an investing app that is making waves by offering a full range of products and services – including $0 commission stocks and cryptocurrency trading. It has been known around the world for years, and has recently made inroads in the United States.
Currently, eToro gives you a $10 bonus if you open an account and successfully trade $100 in your new account.
Read our full eToro review here.
Get a $10 bonus!
Cryptocurrency is offered by eToro USA LLC (“MSB”) (NMLS:1769299) and is not FDIC or SPIC insured. Investing involves risks. The bonus is offered to US users only.
Moomoo – Up to $1,000 in NVDA stock
Moomoo is a new investment app that seeks to impress those interested in trading on their phones. They offer advanced trading features, and even the ability to invest in offshore markets.
To encourage users to register, they are offering the following additional offers.
Deposit $100 and get $20 in NVDA stock, Deposit $2,000 and get $50 in NVDA stock. If you deposit $10,000, you get $300 in NVDA shares. Finally, if you deposit $50,000, get $1,000 in NVDA stock.
Read our full Moomoo review here.
Robinhood – Free Share of Stocks
Robinhood is the popular commission-free investing app that many young traders are making headlines for using. We also rate it as one of our favorite free investing apps.
One of the great things about Robinhood is that when you open an account, you can get a free share of stock. The value of this stock can range from $5 to $200! You never know what you’ll get.
Read our full Robinhood review here.
Get a free share of stock!
Webull – Free share of stock
Webull is a direct competitor to Robinhood which also offers commission-free trading on the app. Where they’re a little different is that Webull offers a lot of more advanced features and analysis that you don’t see in the Robinhood app.
Webull is geared for more advanced traders. But they also offer a similar promotion – get a free share of stock when you open an account!
Read Webull’s full review here.
Get a free share of stock!
Who is this guide for?
This guide is for anyone looking to open a new brokerage or investment account. If you’re already shopping for a new investment account (whether it’s a brokerage, trading instrument, or investing app), many of these companies will offer you a bonus for doing so.
If you’re really going to open a new account, why not get a promotion or bonus for doing so? So easy! But you just have to know about these offers. That’s why our team focuses on organizing these offers to make it easier for you.
Combined with our in-depth investing app and brokerage reviews, you can know you’re making a smart choice when you open a new investment account.
Why trust us?
I’ve been using and reviewing investment apps and brokerage accounts since I started The College Investor in 2009. We started crafting our “Best Brokerage Lists” in 2015, and have continued to review and track the industry ever since.
Our team also has extensive investment knowledge, and we follow the industry to find you the latest promotions. Furthermore, our compliance team regularly reviews these promotions to ensure they are the most current and accurate as of our last update.
Final thoughts
There are a lot of brokers that did not make it to this list. Either they don’t offer cash promotions at the moment, or they offer much smaller promotions that don’t seem worth it.
However, my research shows that right now, with the stock market somewhat bullish and many new entrants to the stockbroking business (including Wealthfront, which is on this list, and others, like Vanguard, which is not on this list), stockbrokers are very eager to offer incentives.
I think cashback, free deals, and other incentives to switch services will continue to improve for a while. Just last month, TradeStation and JP Morgan started offering really big cashback if you move a lot of money to their platform. I think others will have to at least consider continuing.
Overall, it’s a great time to look for a new stock broker!
Wealth interface
College Investor receives cash compensation from Wealthfront Advisers LLC (“Wealthfront Advisers”) for each new client who applies for a Wealthfront automated investing account through our links. This may create an incentive that creates a material conflict of interest. College Investor is not a client of Wealthfront Advisers. More information is available via our links to Wealthfront Advisers.
Editor: Clint Proctor
Reviewed by: Rachel Hawley
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