Our mission is to provide the best possible answer to that question. From the cash you spend today to the money you save for tomorrow and beyond, your money is a connection to the things you want and the life you want to live.
When everyone has that answer, more people will be financially well and free to pursue happiness in their own way. Our world and our society will be more equitable and just. That’s why we started Betterment.
Not far into 2010, I had the most nerve-wracking day of my life.
We were in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis, and I was pitching an idea for an automated investing platform. Great timing, right?
Why pitch this idea? Because, for many people, money used to be simple. You had cash for daily spending, savings in your local bank, and a pension plus Social Security to take care of you in retirement. That was it. But things have changed.
A sleep-deprived Jon Stein presents Betterment to an audience of 20,000 people at TechCrunch Disrupt 2010.
Watch the pitchOver time, money’s become complicated. It’s harder to do the right thing.
There’s more responsibility on all of us to make our money work. We have thousands of investing and retirement options, not to mention all the ways to save and spend money. We engage with dozens of financial companies with little to no guidance on how we should do so.
Betterment exists to change that.
We’re grounded in a few simple principles. Everyone should have access to good, fiduciary guidance—not just the wealthy among us. Financial technology, which has lagged behind other industries, can provide that access, while making money better. Most importantly, financial services should center itself around people, and build solutions for their lives.
Our customers have done great things over the years.
As we’ve grown from hundreds of customers to hundreds of thousands, we’ve helped more and more people save for what matters most to them.
Our customers have done great things over the years.
As we’ve grown from hundreds of customers to hundreds of thousands, we’ve helped more and more people save for what matters most to them.
Cheers to 10 yearsWe’ve grown and evolved over 10 years.
What was once a simple investing platform is now the central hub for your financial life. We built an alternative to a savings account because banks often pay you next to nothing on your savings. We built a new kind of checking account with no fees‡ or minimum balances, and ATM fees reimbursed because no one should have to pay to access their own money.
The Origins
We spent years building a product out of a vision to make investing better, sparking a new industry.
The First RoboWe iterated on our initial product, built a company, and found customers looking for a better way.
The Expansion YearsWe launched B4B and B4A to bring our technology to 401(k)s and like-minded advisors.
Prepare for TakeoffWe’re tackling new ways that money can be better, beyond investing into daily spending and saving.
Money, and how you use it, will continue to change.
And so will we. I’ve challenged us to look at the next decade as one in which we might eliminate the traditional boundaries of “products” and “accounts,” and instead to focus on the people—and their families—who we serve and how we can make them better off.
Thank you for going on this journey with me to the bottom of the page. If you like what you’ve learned, join us. No matter where you are in life, or what you want to do with your money, we’re excited to help you make the most of it in your own pursuit of happiness.
Dive deeper into what Betterment is all about.
Yahoo! Finance | Dec. 2019
Bloomberg | Oct. 2018
Forbes | Feb. 2020
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