Jon Stein: 'Free Trading Is Actually Going to Cost You'

<p><p>Our guest this week is Jonathan Stein, the founder and chief executive of Betterment. Stein founded Betterment in 2008 as an automated, goals-based investing service, and it's currently the largest of the independent robo-advisors. Betterment offers two main services--Betterment Digital, which is a pure robo-advisor, and Betterment Premium, which offers clients ongoing financial planning guidance from a Certified Financial Planner. Stein began his career consulting with banks and brokerage firms on risk and products. He's a graduate of Harvard University and Columbia Business School and holds the Chartered Financial Analyst designation. </p></p><p><p><strong>Background</strong><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.betterment.com/resources/author/jonbetterment/" target="_blank">Jonathan Stein bio</a> </p></p><p><p><a href="https://www.betterment.com/" target="_blank">Betterment.com</a></p></p><p><p>"<a href="https://www.npr.org/2018/10/26/661049018/betterment-jon-stein" target="_blank">Betterment: Jon Stein</a>," How I Built This with Guy Raz, Oct. 26, 2018. </p></p><p><p>"<a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucerogers/2018/01/18/jonathan-stein-built-betterment-to-help-investors-make-better-decisions/#2007d5e24d30" target="_blank">Jonathan Stein Built Betterment to Help Investors Make Better Decisions</a>," by Bruce Rogers, Forbes.com, Jan. 18, 2018.</p></p><p><p><strong>The Coronavirus and Investor Behavior</strong><br /></p><p>"<a href="https://www.betterment.com/resources/jon-stein-ceo-thoughts-volatile-market/" target="_blank">Thoughts on the Volatile Market</a>," by Jon Stein, Betterment.com, March 19, 2020.</p></p><p><p>"<a href="https://www.betterment.com/resources/covid-impact-investor-sentiment-report/" target="_blank">COVID-19's Impact on Investor Sentiment</a>," Betterment.com, May 6, 2020.</p></p><p><p>"<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/how-betterment-s-customers-are-behaving-amid-the-volatility-4802389" target="_blank">How Betterment's Customers Are Behaving Amid the Volatility</a>," by Caleb