Frequently Asked Investment Account Questions
Table of Contents
- How does an ATM investment account work?
- Why does it say my application failed when all of the info I used is accurate?
- How do I find your highest dividend stocks?
- How do I buy or sell a stock?
- Can I cancel a stock I purchased but don’t want anymore?
- Can I close my investment account but keep my ATM account open?
- Can I sell all of my stocks but keep my ATM account open?
- Will I lose money if I have an investment account?
- How much money have my investments made?
- Why aren’t there more stock options to choose from?
- Why can’t I purchase more of one stock?
- Do I need to pay taxes on my investments?
- Why are you buying or selling my stocks?
- Can I deposit money from my bank account into the app?
- Can I change how much is invested vs in savings?
- Are you going to take money from my bank account? How are my stocks paid for?
- What is a dividend?
How does an ATM investment account work?
Our “Core & Explore” investment approach gives users the ability to micro-invest with Robo-Bumper™ technology to keep them diversified. Just like in bowling,🎳 we aim to put up guardrails in order to mitigate the risk so your investments don’t end up in the gutter.
Once you open an investment account, a portion of your ATM.com® balance is transferred and invested into a Core portfolio that's designed to diversify your investments using fractional shares while the rest remains in savings. This Core portfolio consists of a handful of the largest, low-cost ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) in the world. Some of these funds include the shares of over 11,000 companies! (You can read more about ETFs here).
If you’d like to choose specific stocks as well, you can add to your Explore portfolio by selecting a maximum of 10 companies from a curated list of 100+ stocks. Every time you buy stock in a company via the Explore page, roughly 5% of your investment balance is reallocated from your Core portfolio to the stock you selected. 📊
For example, if you had $100 invested in your Core Portfolio and you then added one stock to your Explore portfolio, about 5% of the $100 ($5), would be used to buy fractional shares of that stock, leaving $95 in your Core portfolio. As your balance increases, our algorithms are built to re-balance so that 5% of your investment balance is always allocated to the specific stock you selected.
This means that up to 50% of your investment balance can be invested into specific companies, while the other 50% will always remain in your diversified Core portfolio. This careful approach gives our users the best chance of growing their investment account over a longer time horizon. 🌅
We work with Ant Money Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor, and you can read more about the investment approach here.
To determine the amount of money you have invested in a stock, click on the name of that stock and under “Your Investment” the dollar amount displayed below “Value” is the rough amount. 🔍 Due to market fluctuation, the “Value” may either increase or decrease at different times.
Why does it say my application failed when all of the info I used is accurate?
If your investment application failed, that means one or more of your answers didn’t match the authoritative sources we use for verification. Please review and update your information before resubmitting. Without accurate information, you won’t be able to invest with ATM.com® 😕.
Unsuccessful applications may be due to the following:
- Address doesn’t match records or cannot be verified
- You may have recently moved
- Tax ID number (SSN/ITIN) cannot be verified
- Contained an error or typo in Legal Name or Date of Birth
If you’ve double-checked the information you entered and it’s still not working, please contact our customer service ants. 🐜
How do I find your highest dividend stocks?
In the investment section of the app, click on the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner to open the list of stocks you can choose from for your “Explore” portfolio. From there, click on an individual stock and check its dividend percentage under “Stats!” 🤓 Happy hunting!
How do I buy or sell a stock?
You can add specific stocks to your Explore portfolio by selecting the “Add Stock” button on your investments tab. From there you can select a maximum of 10 companies from a pre-curated list.
Once you've added a stock, you’ll see it listed on your app’s investment page under “Stocks.” Every time you buy a stock via the Explore page, roughly 5% of your investment balance is reallocated from your Core portfolio to the stock you selected.
To sell a stock, click on its name and then click the blue “Remove” button.
Selling or purchasing a stock typically takes 1 business day during trading hours. If it’s outside trading hours, your order will be processed when the markets open the next business day. ⏰
NYSE Holidays & Trading Hours can be found here.
Can I cancel a stock I purchased but don’t want anymore?
At this moment, there is no option to cancel a pending purchase. The good news is that if you’re no longer interested in a particular stock, you can wait until the purchase process is complete and then sell that stock and choose a different one. 👀
Usually, the process to purchase stocks takes 1 business day during trading hours. If it’s outside trading hours, your order will be processed when the markets open the next business day. 📆
Your fractional share purchase will be made using a percentage of your ATM.com® balance. There is currently no option to transfer money from your bank account into ATM.com® (to purchase stocks or otherwise).
Can I close my investment account but keep my ATM account open?
At this time, we’re unable to delete only your investment account. In order to sell all of your investments and/or close your ATM.com® investment account, our system will close your entire ATM.com® account.
If you’d like the option to close only your investment account, please contact the Customer Service ants and let them know, so the team can consider it for a future update!
Can I sell all of my stocks but keep my ATM account open?
While it’s possible to sell stocks in your Explore portfolio, when you do, proceeds from the sale will automatically get invested in your Core portfolio. You can initiate the sale of an Explore stock by removing it from your portfolio in the app.
We offer a discretionary investment account with an investment advisor, rather than broker-dealer or brokerage services, so a portion of your ATM.com® balance will always remain in investments (split between your Core and Explore portfolios) while the rest stays in savings. In order to sell all of your shares, including those in your Core portfolio, you would need to close your entire ATM.com® account.
If you’ve previously selected stocks for your Explore portfolio, you’ll see them listed on your app’s investment page under “Stocks.” To sell those shares, click on the stock name and then click the blue “Remove” button.
For more information, see Ant Money Advisors’ disclosures.
Will I lose money if I have an investment account?
The market will fluctuate from day-to-day, so the money that gets invested can increase or decrease, depending on the market performance. As a reminder, investing in securities involves risks, and there is always the potential of losing money ⚠️. But don’t let dips in the market scare you 😅 If you leave your investments alone they’ll have the potential to grow and make up any “losses” over time.
For more information, see Ant Money Advisors’ disclosures.
How much money have my investments made?
You can see the total return (profit or loss) for each of your investments on the Investment page (second icon from the bottom right). To view your Daily and Total returns as a percentage or dollar amount, tap on the display options located on the same line as “Holdings.” You can even check how much money you’ve made or lost today by selecting “Daily return $.” 📊📈
Keep in mind that the market will fluctuate from day-to-day, so your returns can go up and down, depending on the market performance. Investing in securities always involves risks. For more information, see Ant Money Advisors’ disclosures.
Why aren’t there more stock options to choose from?
The Core & Explore investment approach gives users the ability to micro-invest with Robo-Bumper™ technology to keep them diversified. Just like in bowling 🎳, we aim to put up guardrails in order to mitigate risk so your investments don’t end up in the gutter.
That’s why your investment advisor has curated the list of over 100 large-cap company stocks. If you don’t see a specific stock you want on the Explore page, feel free to contact the customer service ants so they can take note of your request! 🐜📝
We work with Ant Money Advisors, LLC (AMA), an SEC-registered investment advisor, to provide our investment services. You can read about the investment approach here. 🤓
Why can’t I purchase more of one stock?
We limit individual stock investments to 5% of your portfolio in order to mitigate risk. We use Robo-Bumper™ technology to put up guardrails, like in bowling, so your investments don’t end up in the gutter because of one company’s low performance.🎳 We work with Ant Money Advisors, LLC (AMA), an SEC-registered investment advisor, to provide our investment services. You can read about the investment approach here. 🤓
Do I need to pay taxes on my investments?
It’s possible 🤔 Selling an investment for more than you originally paid for it is a “taxable event.” Additionally, selling an investment at a loss may also affect the taxes you owe.
As with everything tax-related, it can be complicated 🙈 We recommend consulting the IRS website and speaking with a tax professional about your specific situation.
Our partners at DriveWealth handle all communications regarding tax documents related to Investing with ATM.com®. Users with investment earnings over $10 (made from the sale of investments) should expect to receive tax documents via email from DriveWealth in February for the previous fiscal year.
For more information on investment taxes, check out these articles:
Why are you buying or selling my stocks?
Your investment advisor, Ant Money Advisors, LLC., provides discretionary investment management services at no cost. As part of the Core & Explore investment approach, they use an algorithm to make occasional trades that bring each of your stock holdings closer to the correct portfolio allocations. 🤓
This way at least 50% of your account balance always remains in your diversified Core portfolio while the other 50% can be invested into 10 specific companies at 5% each. This careful approach gives our colony the best chance of growing their investment accounts over a longer time horizon. 📈
If you’d like you can read more about Ant Money’s investment approach here.
Can I deposit money from my bank account into the app?
We don’t currently have an option for depositing funds from your linked bank account into your ATM.com® account. However, you can continue to fund your account through rewards from brand offers, location rewards, and paid surveys!
Can I change how much is invested vs in savings?
ATM.com® wants to help users dip a toe into investment, so for every dollar you earn on the app, a fraction of it is transferred and invested in a diversified portfolio while the rest remains in savings. Unfortunately, we’re unable to customize the percentage of your earnings allocated for savings vs. investment
This careful, balanced approach helps mitigate risk while still encouraging our users to grow their investment accounts over a longer time horizon.
We work with Ant Money Advisors, LLC (AMA), an SEC-registered investment advisor, to provide our investment services, and AMA does not charge investment advisory or commission fees! You can read about the investment approach here.
Are you going to take money from my bank account? How are my stocks paid for?
As of right now, there is no option to transfer money from your bank account into your ATM.com® account. 🏦→⛔️🐜
Once you open an investment account through your ATM.com® app, a fraction of the money you’ve earned and will earn in the app is transferred and invested directly into a Core portfolio. 💵
When you add stocks to your Explore portfolio, you are allocating 5% of your total investment balance to each company you select. 📊
What is a dividend?
A dividend is a share of a company’s profits distributed to its investors either in the form of cash or a stock percentage. Not all companies offer this type of “bonus,” but those that do typically distribute the payoff quarterly. 💸
Hoping for compounding returns, some people prefer to invest in stocks that offer higher dividends, but it’s important to remember that dividends are discretionary and are not guaranteed.
You can learn more about dividends here.