Form CRS Conversation Starters
Here is what you should know about how Beanstox works. Also see Beanstox’s Client Relationship Summary.
Updated October 18, 2024
What investment services and advice can you provide me?
Given my financial situation, should I choose an investment advisory service? Why or why not?
We created Beanstox to help our clients build wealth over time. Our tools are designed to make investing simple, without the need to pick stocks, do hours of research, or chase the latest fads. The plan is simple; stick to Beanstox Chairman and co-owner Kevin O’Leary’s investment principles: keep it simple, keep investing, and keep portfolios diversified. Keep in mind that everyone’s financial situation is unique, and all investments involve risk. You should not invest more money than you can afford to lose.
Beanstox is probably not the most appropriate service for someone who wants frequent feedback from a human advisor.
How will you choose investments to recommend to me?
For IRA and Wealth Builder accounts, our portfolios have a stock to bond allocation designed to fit your investment goals and risk profile. They are constructed by Beanstox’s investment team which has decades of investment and portfolio construction experience. Our IRA and Wealth Builder products are discretionary products. Answer a few questions and we’ll propose a portfolio aimed at meeting your investment goals and risk tolerance levels based on your client profile. You will have some ability to customize the portfolio that we propose for you. You can also opt to decline the Proposed Portfolio and select a different portfolio offered by Beanstox. We also offer two non-discretionary products, Power Savings which invests in T-Bill ETFs and aims to offer a better return than traditional savings accounts, and Stocks 500, which invests in S&P 500 tracking ETFs.
What is your relevant experience, including your licenses, education and other qualifications? What do these qualifications mean?
Beanstox is an investment adviser registered with, and regulated by, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All of our financial advice is automated. Generally, Beanstox personnel oversee the algorithm that proposes portfolios but do not monitor individual client accounts.
What fees will I pay?
Help me understand how these fees and costs might affect my investments. If I give you $10,000 to invest, how much will go to fees and costs, and how much will be invested for me?
Our fees are described in the below table and vary according to the plan selected by you. For example, if you gave us $10,000 to invest in Beanstox Simple only, Power Savings or Stocks 500, we would generally invest the full $10,000 for you. If you gave us $10,000 to invest in Beanstox Plus which includes Beanstox Simple and the Wealth Builder product, or Beanstox Premium which includes Beanstox Plus and the IRA product, we would generally invest the full $10,000 for you and the Subscription Fee would be charged monthly in advance commencing on the date of the Plus Plan account opening and thereafter upon each monthly anniversary of the account opening. Beanstox will arrange for the automatic debit of the Subscription Fee from your linked bank account.
We stand by Seriously Simple Investing®. You won’t be charged additional fees for costs associated with portfolio advisory services, custody, account maintenance, or trade executions, unless those fees are related to foreign exchange or third-party asset fees. However, if you request non transactional special or additional services you may be charged for such services, including, without limitation, a $0.25 processing charge when you withdraw funds from your account, which will be subtracted from the total withdrawal amount. You may also be charged additional fees for reimbursement of non-advisory expenses such as insufficient funds charges.
Included in the Beanstox Plus monthly Subscription Fee is a $0.10 fee for Advisory Services (the “Advisory Fee”) and $4.90 for access to a Wealth Builder account, additional educational content and additional non-advisory services provided by Beanstox (“Beanstox Plus Fee”). The first monthly Subscription Fee payment covers additional on-boarding expenses incurred by Beanstox for new and current Clients and is not refundable. This is waived for Beanstox Simple Clients. Subscription Fees are subject to change upon notice to Clients. Beanstox may apply reduced Subscription Fees, including in connection with promotional programs, in its sole discretion. Advisory Fees are not charged for accounts with a $0.00 balance in which case the $0.10 portion of the Subscription Fee for Beanstox Plus Advisory Services will be deemed to be part of the Beanstox Plus Fee.
Included in the Beanstox Premium monthly Subscription Fee is a $0.10 fee for Advisory Services (the “Advisory Fee”) and $9.90 for access to a Wealth Builder account and IRA accounts, additional educational content and additional non-advisory services provided by Beanstox (“Beanstox Premium Fee”). The first monthly Subscription Fee payment covers additional on-boarding expenses incurred by Beanstox for new and current Clients and is not refundable. This is waived for Beanstox Simple Clients. Subscription Fees are subject to change upon notice to Clients. Beanstox may apply reduced Subscription Fees, including in connection with promotional programs, in its sole discretion. Advisory Fees are not charged for accounts with a $0.00 balance in which case the $0.10 portion of the Subscription Fee for Beanstox Premium Advisory Services will be deemed to be part of the Beanstox Premium Fee.
What are your legal obligations to me when acting as my investment adviser? How else does your firm make money and what conflicts of interest do you have?
How might your conflicts of interest affect me, and how will you address them?
When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests. It’s important that you understand these conflicts because they can affect the investment advice we
provide you. Because we pay for your brokerage fees with a portion of the fees we receive from you through the wrap fee program, we have an incentive to keep brokerage and transaction fees low. Beanstox doesn’t have affiliated brokers or partners which minimize conflict of interests.
How do your financial professionals make money?
We receive cash compensation from the fees we receive from you. Our financial professionals are paid base salaries and bonuses. Our overall financial professionals’ compensation may vary primarily based on the revenues of our firm. Please see Item 4 of our Brochure for additional details.
Do you or your financial professionals have legal or disciplinary history?
As a financial professional, do you have any disciplinary history? For what type of conduct?
No – we do not have any legal or disciplinary events. Visit investor.gov/ for a free, simple search tool to research us and our financial professionals.
Additional Information
Who is my primary contact person? Is he or she a representative of an investment adviser or a broker-dealer? Who can I talk to if I have concerns about how this person is treating me?
Because we provide investment advice over the internet, your primary way of interacting with us is through our app or website. You can visit the “Contact Us” section in order to get in touch about any concerns. Please keep in mind that our customer service team members are not authorized or licensed to dispense investment advice.