Switching to Public from Stash opens up a new world of community and informed investment experience. We’ve created an investment app that gives you the information and control you need to take your financial growth to a whole new level. Our mission is to make investing available to everyone regardless of their current financial situation or their future financial dreams. With Public, you can buy and sell stocks and ETFs in real-time with zero commissions within a transparent community that fosters the free exchange of ideas.
Better yet, all investments are available in sliced shares to make owning shares affordable for all.
Fractional trading equals accessibility
Public’s app offers you the ability to invest through sliced shares. This type of fractional trading supports our mission of opening up the stock market to every individual. Why? We don’t think it’s right that the pursuit of financial growth is limited to those who are already lucky enough to experience wealth prosperity. That’s why we created a platform for users to buy and sell stocks and ETFs at whatever price suits their financial life. In this way, we hope to level the investment playing field.
 | Stash | |
|---|---|---|
| Fractional trading | ✔ | ✔ |
| Real-time settling of investments | ✔ | - |
| Real, registered brokerage | ✔ | - |
| Free service, no subscription | ✔ | - |
| Invest in U.S. stocks | ✔ | ✔ |
| Invest in U.S. ETFs | ✔ | ✔ |
| Commission-free | ✔ | ✔ |
| Automatic dividend reinvestment | ✔ | - |
| See what brands a company owns | ✔ | - |
| Search stock by brands the company owns | ✔ | - |
| Discover companies based on themes | ✔ | ✔ |
| See other people's trades | ✔ | - |
| Comment on other people's investments | ✔ | - |
| iOS app | ✔ | ✔ |
| Android app | ✔ | ✔ |
| In-app live chat support | ✔ | - |
No hidden fees
Because we believe in accessibility for all our investors, we just can’t justify adding hidden fees that will surprise you later. That’s why we’ve removed things like commission fees, minimum account balances, and monthly account maintenance fees. With Public, the money you invest goes straight to purchasing shares in the types of companies that you choose. Public users will never encounter barriers to investing like account tiers, commission fees, or minimum balances. The goal for each user on the Public platform is the ability to grow their wealth over time.
Craft your portfolio
We make it easy for you to invest in the companies and brands that align with your values. That’s why we allow you to pick and choose every investment you make. We’ll never push you to buy shares that belong to a company if you wouldn’t buy their products or take advantage of their services in real life. Your investment portfolio should be a reflection of the way you live your life, and your Public account gives you control over your financial investments that you deserve.
Transparent investing
Did you know that one parent company trading on the market could have multiple subsidiary companies that aren’t listed on their own? Wouldn’t it be nice to clearly see all the brands that one company owns? Public was created to put the power back in the hands of the everyday investor. That’s why we allow you to see the brands a company owns.
Discover stocks through themes
To help make browsing stocks easier and more user-friendly, we’ve organized every company into themes. That way, you can search for the brands under the umbrella of causes or business operations that you want to support most. Want to find companies with Female CEOs? We’ve got a theme for that. You can also browse by themes like Clean and Green for environmentally-friendly companies, and Cannabis. We want investing to be as streamlined as possible, and part of streamlining means organizing your investment possibilities.
Get social
We understand that many Public members will be new to the world of investing. That’s why we created a community-driven platform that allows users to see other people’s investments in real-time. Want to ask someone about their investments? It’s as simple as leaving a comment on their activity. You can create valuable relationships with other investors no matter their experience level and get the most out of your Public portfolio.
Reinvest dividends automatically
Streamlining your investments gives you more time away from worrying about your finances. To help make this happen, we give you the option to automatically reinvest your dividends. Whenever a company pays out dividends to its shareholders, you’ll have the option to automate what happens to that money. Choose to reinvest in the companies you already trust, leave the money in your account to gain interest or reinvest in other companies.
Insured investments
At Public, the investments you make are a big deal. We understand that investing your money and trusting the stock market can be a scary thing. We also know that the money you invest represents the chance for financial growth. And that takes trust. That’s why all investment accounts are protected by SIPC (Securities Investor Protection Corporation). SIPC insures your investments up to $500,000 on your securities accounts. To learn more, check out the SIPC website at www.sipc.org.
Fully licensed support team
We want you to invest and build your portfolio with confidence, which is why we’re proud to offer a licensed support team. Our customer service representatives are available to provide you with round the clock service in whatever way works for your schedule. Our support team can help you with anything from account troubles to finding ways to access your tax documents. We offer full in-app chat support to answer any questions you might have. You can also shoot us an email if you don’t have time for a chat.
