Understanding Performance

Based on our estimation, using Betterment’s retirement recommendations could earn you 38.8% more after-tax money in retirement compared to investing on your own.

How we estimate the added value you gain by following Betterment’s investing recommendations for retirement using our optional tax-smart strategies.

Markets are frustrating—especially when you look at a year’s worth of returns. Year to year, you can easily experience what we call the pain gap. The key is to not let the pain gap create a behavior gap between your account and market performance.

Want to know a simple strategy that can help you end up with thousands more to spend in retirement?

A good financial plan has to adapt over time to be successful. Here’s how Betterment helps you do that.

Understanding and using time-weighted and money-weighted returns within your Betterment dashboard.

Understanding your accounts’ performance can feel complicated. We’re advancing how we display performance to help answer your questions and make stronger investment decisions.

Learn the different ways returns can be calculated, and find answers to common questions we hear from customers about their returns.

In taxable investing, your after-tax return—the amount you “take home”—is what’s important. Yet far too many investors focus on market performance. Let’s look at the difference.

We’re investors in the stock market because it has a long, time-tested history of generating big returns for those patient enough to let compound interest work its magic.