E*TRADE

E*TRADE Core Portfolios is the automated investing arm of E*TRADE, which itself became a Morgan Stanley subsidiary in 2020 following a $13 billion acquisition. The robo-advisor launched in 2017 and constructs diversified portfolios using low-cost ETFs across six risk-based profiles, from conservative to aggressive. Portfolios rebalance automatically when allocations drift more than 5%–10% from targets, and investors have access to socially responsible investing (SRI), smart beta, and Core (standard ETF) portfolio variations.

The platform carries a 0.30% annual advisory fee with a $500 minimum investment — positioning it above free or near-free competitors like Fidelity Go and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios but below premium offerings like Vanguard Digital Advisor. E*TRADE clients already using the brokerage's cash management accounts, checking products, or other services benefit from consolidated account views, unified tax reporting, and direct transfers between accounts. Core Portfolios does not include tax-loss harvesting at any balance tier, which is a notable structural gap compared to Betterment and Wealthfront.