About Smart Money Picks

Smart Money Picks is an independent personal-finance review site covering brokerages, robo-advisors, and money apps. We started it because too many “best investing app” lists bury the fees and rank by commission. Our job is the opposite: surface the costs the apps hide, test the platforms ourselves, and help you put your money where it actually works hardest.

Smart Money Picks is for information and education only and is not financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

How we review

We open real accounts where we can and compare what matters: management fees, expense ratios, account minimums, available investments, tax features, and the quality of the tools and support. We read the fine print so you don’t have to, and we re-check fees and terms regularly because they change. Where a platform shines we say so; where it quietly costs you — a cash drag, a new monthly fee, no tax-loss harvesting — we flag it.

Who we are

Our coverage is led by David Cohen, our Markets Editor and a CFA charterholder, alongside writer Daniel Reeves and contributors with backgrounds in investing and personal finance. We focus on the numbers that decide long-term outcomes, not the promotions that get the clicks.

How we stay independent

No company pays us for a higher ranking. Some links here are affiliate links, so we may earn a commission if you open an account through them — at no extra cost to you and at the same price as going direct. That revenue keeps the site free and doesn’t influence our picks. A zero-fee option that pays us nothing still beats a pricier one that pays well, and we’ll tell you when a popular app isn’t the right fit. Read our affiliate disclosure for details.

Get in touch

Have a correction or an app you’d like us to review? Reach us through our contact page. The goal is simple: clear, fee-first reviews that help you make confident decisions with your money.