Chime

Chime simply makes banking awesome with no hidden fees and members receive their paycheck up to two days early once direct deposit is enabled. Every new member also receives a free $50 welcoming bonus when their first direct deposit of $200 or more is made and it is completely free to apply for an account. Another great feature of Chime is that there are no overdraft fees, minimum balance requirements or foreign transaction fees. Additionally, there are over 38,000 MoneyPass and VisaPlus Alliance ATM’s that are free to use and Chime also features a free savings account that rounds up your purchases and amazingly your payments too so every transaction results in a positive addition to your savings account. For peace of mind, Chime gives you complete control by sending constant alerts of all transactions along with your account’s daily balance. Their security is top-notch which assures the protection of your sensitive information and the prevention of any unauthorized use of your account. Last but not least, your deposits are FDIC insured up to $250,000 so it’s obvious that Chime really does make banking awesome, especially for those of us that travel frequently and benefit greatly from reliable online banking.

Firstrade

Firstrade is an online brokerage firm that provides online and mobile trading of stocks/ETFs, options, mutual funds, fixed income products and much more. They also feature zero dollar trading costs and no per-contract fees for options trades, while beginning investors will appreciate Firstrade’s $0 account minimum to begin investing. Additionally, investors that are focused on long-term investments will benefit from commission-free trades on all mutual funds and they also offer extended hours of trading along with a 0.1 second trade execution guarantee. Equipped with mobile apps and three trading platforms, Firstrade provides exceptional brokerage services for traders of all sorts whether you are a day trader or a retirement investor looking to open an IRA. Lastly and very refreshing, they are also open to international investors. Beyond the United States, Firstrade also accepts clients from 60 nations and territories, including Japan, South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore, New Zealand, Israel, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Mexico. Please note that a U.S. Social Security number or a tax ID number are not required to trade on their platform.

Stash

Stash is an investing app that is designed to simplify stock selection and trading. This is accomplished in several different ways, which includes minimizing the number of investments to around 450 various stocks and exchange traded funds (ETF’s). These investment options are presented to the company’s members in an easy to read interface that allows user accessibility to high priced stocks through fractional shares. Anyone can use Stash, but young investors and beginners will benefit the most since there is no minimum to buy investments and the subscription fees are very inexpensive. Another great feature of Stash is that they streamline all of your finances by placing your checking account, brokerage account, retirement account and debit card into one all-inclusive app. Lastly, Stash is not a robo-advisor that uses a proprietary algorithm to automatically invest your money. Their approach is in fact a direct opposite that provides all of the necessary tools and instruction needed to choose the best investments, which makes them completely hands on versus an automatic hands off platform. Of course, there are many other great features including rewards and incentives so don’t hesitate and take a firsthand look at what they offer. You won’t be disappointed.