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FinTech can make it easier to invest regularly, diversify smaller amounts, manage a portfolio, and understand costs. Those improvements may support better net outcomes, but an app, algorithm, or robo-adviser cannot guarantee higher returns or reliably beat the market. The evidence does not establish a dependable percentage increase in stock-market returns caused by using financial technology.
What “maximizing returns” can—and cannot—mean
For an investor, pursuing better returns is not just about picking investments with the biggest possible gains. A useful goal is to improve the outcome after fees and taxes while choosing a level of risk that fits the investor’s goals and circumstances. FinTech can help with access, implementation, and portfolio upkeep; it cannot remove market risk or make a poor investment choice sound.
Robo-advisers and other automated tools vary. A robo-adviser typically asks about factors such as goals, time horizon, assets, income, and risk tolerance, then uses that information to build or manage a portfolio. The actual investments, services, and costs depend on the provider. The SEC’s Investor Bulletin: Robo-Advisers (February 23, 2017) describes these differences.
10 ways FinTech can support a stronger investing process
1. Buy fractional shares with smaller amounts
Fractional shares let you buy less than one whole share, which can make it possible to put a small contribution to work without waiting until you can afford a full share. Depending on the broker’s available securities and order rules, you may be able to spread a modest amount across more holdings. That can make diversification more accessible, but it does not guarantee that the holdings are diversified or that they will perform well.
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Fractional-share rules differ by brokerage. Check which securities are eligible and how the broker handles orders, liquidity, voting rights, and transfers before investing. The SEC’s Investor Bulletin: Fractional Share Investing – Buying a Slice Instead of the Whole Share and FINRA’s Investing in Fractional Shares discuss these broker-specific mechanics and limits.
2. Automate recurring contributions
Many digital investing services make it easier to schedule contributions. Automation can reduce the chance that investing gets postponed or forgotten, helping you follow a plan consistently. It is an execution aid, not evidence that a particular deposit schedule will earn more than another. Before setting it up, confirm the amount, frequency, funding source, and how to pause or change the instructions.
Micro-investing services may combine low minimums with recurring deposits or fractional-share purchases. FINRA’s What Is Micro-Investing? notes that availability and fees vary; a small account can be disproportionately affected by recurring charges.
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3. Build a diversified portfolio with a robo-adviser
A robo-adviser can use your answers about goals, time horizon, finances, and risk tolerance to recommend or manage a portfolio, often using funds. This may help investors who want a structured allocation rather than choosing every holding themselves. Review the portfolio’s actual investments, concentration, underlying fund expenses, and fit with your goals instead of treating an automated recommendation as inherently diversified.
4. Rebalance toward a target allocation
Market movements can cause a portfolio’s mix of investments to drift from its intended allocation. Some robo-advisers monitor allocations and rebalance automatically, which can reduce the administrative burden of keeping a portfolio aligned with a plan. Ask what schedule or thresholds prompt rebalancing and whether the service may sell investments to do it. In a taxable account, sales can have tax consequences.
5. See and compare the full cost of investing
Digital services may have lower service costs than some alternatives, but the advisory charge is only one part of the bill. Include asset-based or subscription advisory fees, fund expenses, transaction costs, and other account charges. Fees reduce the amount left invested and therefore the money that can earn returns, as the SEC explains in How Fees and Expenses Affect Your Investment Portfolio (July 23, 2025).
Small balances need particular attention. In a September 6, 2023 example, the SEC’s Subscription-based Advisory Fees bulletin shows that a $3 monthly fee on a $500 account totals $36 in a year—more than 7% of that account balance. This is an illustration of the fee’s weight on a small balance, not an estimate of market performance. When comparing services, calculate the cost in dollars and as a share of the balance you expect to invest.
6. Customize index exposure through direct indexing
Direct indexing holds individual securities intended to track an index rather than buying a single fund that tracks it. It can allow an investor to include or exclude particular companies, and fractional shares have helped make the approach more accessible to retail investors. That customization comes with more complexity than owning a broad index fund: costs, the number of holdings, and differences between the portfolio and its target index can affect the result. FINRA’s The Basics of Direct Indexing describes the approach and its trade-offs.
7. Use tax-aware features with care
Some digital managers offer tax-loss harvesting, which involves selling an investment at a loss and may have tax consequences. Whether it helps depends on your tax situation, account type, other transactions, and the rules that apply to your circumstances. Wash-sale rules may also matter. Treat harvesting as a feature to evaluate—not a guaranteed after-tax gain—and check how the service handles trades and tax reporting. The SEC’s robo-adviser bulletin and FINRA’s direct-indexing overview discuss tax-related considerations.
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8. Analyze allocation and investments more easily
Portfolio tools can summarize holdings, estimate asset allocation, or flag concentration. That can make it easier to spot questions worth investigating, such as whether one holding dominates the account. Their output is only as useful as the data and assumptions behind it. A tool may not know your complete financial circumstances or adjust appropriately as markets and your situation change. Verify inputs and treat estimates as prompts for review, not personalized certainty. FINRA’s What You Should Know About Automated Investment Tools explains these limits.
9. Get access to investment professionals when available
Some robo-advisers offer access to investment professionals; others primarily provide technical or customer support. The amount and type of human help can differ, as can whether it is included in the selected service or costs extra. Before enrolling, check what questions the service will answer, how you can reach an adviser, and whether the service’s scope fits the help you need.
10. Reduce avoidable execution and information risks
Technology can simplify account management, but it can also make it easy to act quickly on unreliable claims or give a service access it does not need. FINRA’s July 29, 2025 warning is specifically about auto-trading services offered by unregistered entities. It flags unsupported profit claims, trades that may not match an investor’s goals, and requests for brokerage login credentials. An AI label or automated-trading feature is not evidence of likely profit.
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Before using an investment service, check its registration and disclosures, understand what authority it has to trade, and protect your account credentials. Do not give brokerage login details to an unregistered auto-trading provider. Verify the service’s current status and terms rather than relying on a performance promise.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to compare investing platforms
Compare services based on what they actually do and what they cost for your expected balance and account type. A low advertised advisory fee does not by itself establish that a platform is less expensive or a better fit.
Quick Recap
- Total cost: Estimate annual charges in dollars and as a percentage of your expected balance, including advisory fees, fund expenses, transaction costs, and account charges.
- Portfolio design: Review holdings, diversification, investment selection, concentration, and how the portfolio relates to your goals and risk tolerance.
- Access and account rules: Check minimums, fractional-share availability, recurring-investment options, order handling, liquidity, and transfer restrictions.
- Portfolio management: Ask how often and under what conditions the service rebalances, and whether rebalancing or tax features may involve taxable sales.
- Advice and accountability: Find out whether investment professionals are available, what support is included, and what falls outside the service.
- Registration and security: Review registration, disclosures, conflicts, data access, and credential protections. Be especially cautious of unregistered auto-trading services making profit claims.
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