https://www.betterment.com/help Customer help center and frequently asked questions for Betterment clients and 401(k) participants en Fri, 19 Jun 2026 14:55:32 GMT 2026-06-19T14:55:32Z en https://www.betterment.com/help/editing-a-goal <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fediting-a-goal&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Goals Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/editing-a-goal 2026-06-19T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/portfolio-rebalancing-methods <p>Rebalancing is a Betterment feature that seeks to reduce drift in client managed portfolios. Betterment performs two types of rebalancing on your behalf. First, in response to cash flows such as deposits, withdrawals, and dividend reinvestments, we buy underweight holdings and sell overweight holdings. Second, if cash flows are not sufficient to keep your managed portfolio drift within its applicable drift tolerance, automated rebalancing sells overweight holdings in order to buy underweight ones, aligning the portfolio more closely with its target allocation.</p> <p>Rebalancing is a Betterment feature that seeks to reduce drift in client managed portfolios. Betterment performs two types of rebalancing on your behalf. First, in response to cash flows such as deposits, withdrawals, and dividend reinvestments, we buy underweight holdings and sell overweight holdings. Second, if cash flows are not sufficient to keep your managed portfolio drift within its applicable drift tolerance, automated rebalancing sells overweight holdings in order to buy underweight ones, aligning the portfolio more closely with its target allocation.</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fportfolio-rebalancing-methods&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Allocation management Fri, 19 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/portfolio-rebalancing-methods 2026-06-19T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/how-does-the-cost-of-premium-compare-to-other-financial-advisors <p>Betterment Premium is a fraction of what traditional financial advisors cost.&nbsp;</p> <p>Betterment Premium is a fraction of what traditional financial advisors cost.&nbsp;</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fhow-does-the-cost-of-premium-compare-to-other-financial-advisors&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Premium Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/how-does-the-cost-of-premium-compare-to-other-financial-advisors 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/receiving-income-goldman-sachs-tax-smart-bonds-portfolio <p>Available income generated by the portfolio will be automatically reinvested. You can always withdraw funds from your account.</p> <p>Available income generated by the portfolio will be automatically reinvested. You can always withdraw funds from your account.</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Freceiving-income-goldman-sachs-tax-smart-bonds-portfolio&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Goldman Sachs Tax Smart Bonds Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/receiving-income-goldman-sachs-tax-smart-bonds-portfolio 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/pricing-fee-calculation <p>Below you can read about how fees are calculated depending on your pricing plan.&nbsp;</p> <p>Below you can read about how fees are calculated depending on your pricing plan.&nbsp;</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fpricing-fee-calculation&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Fees Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/pricing-fee-calculation 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/management-fees-following-outbound-acats <p><span style="color: #434343;">When you transfer your account from Betterment, account management fees may still be assessed based on your invested balance in </span><strong><span style="color: #434343;">eligible automated investing accounts</span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">. Below are the details for how fees are handled in both full and partial transfers.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #434343;">When you transfer your account from Betterment, account management fees may still be assessed based on your invested balance in </span><strong><span style="color: #434343;">eligible automated investing accounts</span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">. Below are the details for how fees are handled in both full and partial transfers.</span></p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fmanagement-fees-following-outbound-acats&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> ACATS Transfers Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/management-fees-following-outbound-acats 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/tax-loss-harvesting-representation <div class="hs-featured-image-wrapper"> <a href="https://www.betterment.com/help/tax-loss-harvesting-representation" title="" class="hs-featured-image-link"> <img src="https://www.betterment.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Most-Common-Tax-Form-Questions-2-1-Oct-06-2021-05-21-46-60-AM.jpg" alt="Where will my tax loss harvests be represented?" class="hs-featured-image" style="width:auto !important; max-width:50%; float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;"> </a> </div> <p><a href="https://www.betterment.com/resources/understanding-tax-loss-harvesting/">Tax Loss harvesting</a> <strong><span style="color: #434343;">is a strategy that can help lower taxes and boost after-tax returns—and we do it automatically. </span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">As markets move, we take advantage of declining investments by selling them and harvesting the loss</span><strong><span style="color: #434343;">. We use available funds to buy similar investments </span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">to replace those we sold, making adjustments to rebalance the portfolio. The harvested losses can be used to reduce taxes owed on other gains, or even ordinary annual income.</span></p> <div class="hs-featured-image-wrapper"> <a href="https://www.betterment.com/help/tax-loss-harvesting-representation" title="" class="hs-featured-image-link"> <img src="https://www.betterment.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Most-Common-Tax-Form-Questions-2-1-Oct-06-2021-05-21-46-60-AM.jpg" alt="Where will my tax loss harvests be represented?" class="hs-featured-image" style="width:auto !important; max-width:50%; float:left; margin:0 15px 15px 0;"> </a> </div> <p><a href="https://www.betterment.com/resources/understanding-tax-loss-harvesting/">Tax Loss harvesting</a> <strong><span style="color: #434343;">is a strategy that can help lower taxes and boost after-tax returns—and we do it automatically. </span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">As markets move, we take advantage of declining investments by selling them and harvesting the loss</span><strong><span style="color: #434343;">. We use available funds to buy similar investments </span></strong><span style="color: #434343;">to replace those we sold, making adjustments to rebalance the portfolio. The harvested losses can be used to reduce taxes owed on other gains, or even ordinary annual income.</span></p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Ftax-loss-harvesting-representation&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Tax Filing Forms Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/tax-loss-harvesting-representation 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/why-bond-only-portfolio <p><br>There are many ways to implement an income portfolio. Some of those ways include adding dividend producing equities.&nbsp;<span style="color: #30363d;">The Target Income built with BlackRock portfolio does not because it wants to target lower volatility than equities. </span>Even long-term and high-yield “junk” bonds have historically had lower risk than large cap equities.</p> <p><br>There are many ways to implement an income portfolio. Some of those ways include adding dividend producing equities.&nbsp;<span style="color: #30363d;">The Target Income built with BlackRock portfolio does not because it wants to target lower volatility than equities. </span>Even long-term and high-yield “junk” bonds have historically had lower risk than large cap equities.</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fwhy-bond-only-portfolio&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Target Income Portfolio Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/why-bond-only-portfolio 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/external-portfolio-analysis-assumptions <p>We incorporate your external accounts into our goal projections and related advice if you link them to specific goals. In projecting the performance of these linked accounts, we assume that they are the same type of account and have the same allocation as the Betterment goal to which they are linked. For example, if you link an external account to a General Investing goal with a 90% stocks, we assume that such linked account is also a brokerage account with a 90% stock allocation. Linked cash accounts and accounts holding crypto are treated differently and are projected as a static balance based on currently available account information; we do not project growth or losses in these accounts. Our projections assume the fees associated with your linked account align with Betterment’s management fees, including any Premium or third-party Advisor fees. Additionally, our analysis assumes that your advisory fees and fund fees will remain constant through time.&nbsp;</p> <p>We incorporate your external accounts into our goal projections and related advice if you link them to specific goals. In projecting the performance of these linked accounts, we assume that they are the same type of account and have the same allocation as the Betterment goal to which they are linked. For example, if you link an external account to a General Investing goal with a 90% stocks, we assume that such linked account is also a brokerage account with a 90% stock allocation. Linked cash accounts and accounts holding crypto are treated differently and are projected as a static balance based on currently available account information; we do not project growth or losses in these accounts. Our projections assume the fees associated with your linked account align with Betterment’s management fees, including any Premium or third-party Advisor fees. Additionally, our analysis assumes that your advisory fees and fund fees will remain constant through time.&nbsp;</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fexternal-portfolio-analysis-assumptions&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/external-portfolio-analysis-assumptions 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors https://www.betterment.com/help/portfolio-rebalancing <p style="font-weight: bold;">Why Rebalancing Is Necessary</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Why Rebalancing Is Necessary</p> <img src="https://track.hubspot.com/__ptq.gif?a=5274572&amp;k=14&amp;r=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.betterment.com%2Fhelp%2Fportfolio-rebalancing&amp;bu=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.betterment.com%252Fhelp&amp;bvt=rss" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="min-height:1px!important;width:1px!important;border-width:0!important;margin-top:0!important;margin-bottom:0!important;margin-right:0!important;margin-left:0!important;padding-top:0!important;padding-bottom:0!important;padding-right:0!important;padding-left:0!important; "> Allocation management Thu, 18 Jun 2026 04:00:00 GMT https://www.betterment.com/help/portfolio-rebalancing 2026-06-18T04:00:00Z Betterment Editors