Betterment Cash Reserve review

Cash Reserve pays a variable rate of 3.5%, so the figure follows the market instead of being locked in. Cash is swept to a network of FDIC-insured program banks rather than held by Betterment, and the rate is set by what those banks pass on. Wise at 3.29% gives a second reading.

There is no monthly charge: the fee is $0 and the pricing model is no monthly fee. Opening the account takes a deposit of $10. The group also holds an investment adviser registration with the SEC and a broker-dealer registration with FINRA, so the running costs stay at the floor and the rate is the thing to compare.

Deposits sit with FDIC-insured program banks and FDIC up to USD 250,000 applies, while the brokerage side runs through SIPC member 51906. The group also carries an investment adviser registration with the SEC and a broker-dealer registration with FINRA under Betterment Securities. Joint accounts carry a higher protection limit than single ones.

Yes. The access terms allow unlimited withdrawals, and there is no minimum balance to keep the account open. Cash is swept to FDIC-insured program banks and comes back as needed, which suits a working balance rather than a locked deposit. A deposit of $10 is the only stated threshold.

The minimum deposit is $10, and once the money is in there is no ongoing minimum balance. The account is listed as cash management, so it behaves like a cash pot attached to the platform rather than a savings term product. Anyone adding money regularly can start small and top up as income arrives.

The legal entity is MTG LLC, based in the United States and founded in 2008. Regulation comes from three US licences: an investment adviser registration with the SEC, a broker-dealer registration with FINRA covering Betterment Securities, and SIPC member 51906. That structure matters if you also hold investments in the same group.

Support runs on phone, help centre and email, which covers several ways to reach the team. Questions about the sweep to program banks or the rate fit a written answer, while balance issues usually go to phone or chat. The adviser and brokerage licences sit behind the same group, so escalation stays within one firm.

Cash Reserve pays 3.5%, above 3.29% at Wise and 3.01% at bunq, while Finteres advertises 0% to 36%. Against a cash-management median of 3.46%, the rate sits at the top of the usual band rather than above it.