Wealthfront vs. Betterment - A Plebian's Perspective - Getting Started

I've recently left the trading industry which opens up my ability to try other providers other than my previous employer. In the past, I managed my portfolio by myself with great attentiveness and spending a good deal of time following my investments. I'm looking forward to exploring the robo-investor world of automatic management.

If you find my assessments helpful, here are the links to benefit us both in using Wealthfront and/or Betterment.

Wealthfront | Betterment
When you sign up for Wealthfront, we each receive $5,000 additionally free assets.
When you sign up for Betterment, we each receive free management time.

The Baseline

$7,500.00 in each account initially. Adding $100/month thereafter.

The Objective

Spend 1 year with each account, monitoring success of the accounts with similar distribution settings. Comparing and contrasting the experience with each system.

Head-to-Head Comparison

Account Highlights	Individual and joint non-retirement accounts, as well as trusts Traditional, Roth, SEP and rollover IRAs	Individual and joint non-retirement accounts, as well as trusts Traditional, Roth, SEP and rollover IRAs
Automatic rebalancing	Yes	Yes
Tax-loss harvesting	Yes	Yes
Direct indexing	Yes, for balances above $100,000	No
Fractional shares	No	Yes
Goal-based savings	No	Yes
Investments	ETFs	ETFs
Expense ratios	0.12% average	0.09% – 0.17%
Account minimum	$500	$0
Promotion	Manages the first $10,000 for free.	Get up to six months free, depending on initial deposit amount: $5,000: Three months free $25,000: Four months free $100,000: Six months free
Referral program	Invite a friend and Wealthfront will waive fees on an additional $5,000 for both of you. My link to help us both.	Investors who get three people to sign up using their referral link get one year of free management. Plus, for each friend who joins, you both get 30 days for free. My link to help us both.
Management Fees	< $10,000: Managed for free. > $10,000: 0.25% annual advisory fee	< $10,000: 0.35% annual advisory fee with a minimum of $100 per month in auto-deposits, or $3 per month without auto-deposits $10,000 < $100,000: 0.25% annual advisory fee > $100,000: 0.15% annual advisory fee
Asset classes	U.S. stocks Foreign stocks Emerging markets Dividend stocks Real estate Natural resources TIPS Corporate, municipal and emerging market bonds	U.S. stocks Foreign stocks Emerging markets TIPS Short-term treasuries Corporate, municipal, emerging market and foreign bonds