SoFi Invest stocks: an in-depth guide to stock trading at SoFi Invest

SoFi Invest gives access to 3 stock exchanges for trading real stocks.

The following table contains an estimated number of stocks available at SoFi Invest and its closest competitors. Some brokers that offer access to the NYSE and Nasdaq focus on the biggest names and may not list some smaller companies. Other brokers allow you to trade all stocks listed on the respective exchange, giving you more flexibility in setting up your investment portfolio.

Check out the following table for details about US stock trading at SoFi Invest.

Due to limited trading activity, stocks usually have greater price fluctuation and wider bid-ask spreads during extended hours compared to standard market hours.

Trading stocks comes with a range of brokerage fees, which can be divided into trading and non-trading fees. Trading fees are directly tied to a trade and usually include commissions, spreads, financing rates and conversion fees. Non-trading fees are charges not directly related to trading, such as withdrawal fees or inactivity fees. When you are trading stocks, the most important fees are commissions. For a more detailed breakdown of costs related to investing, check out our in-depth guide to brokerage fees.

When it comes to trading real stocks at SoFi Invest, commissions are Low when compared with all brokers we've reviewed at Brokerchooser. The following tables contain the most important charges related to stock trading and the fees levied by the competitors of SoFi Invest.

We've calculated the fees for an imaginary trade of $2,000 worth of shares on American, British, Hong Kong and German stock exchanges. We've converted the GBP, HKD and EUR trading fees to USD for better comparison.

SoFi Invest is a zero-commission broker, so trading US stocks at SoFi Invest is free of charge. Bear in mind, however, that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Although free trading sounds especially advantageous for active traders, it may not be the best solution for everyone. The payment-for-order-flow model, which is used by some zero-commission brokers to generate income (rather than relying on commissions), could potentially create a conflict of interest between you and your broker. This could result in trade execution (like routing your orders to specific market makers) that may be unfavorable for you under certain market conditions, especially when using market orders (as opposed to limit orders, which seem to be less affected). Note that non-trading fees may and probably will still apply.

Now let's take a look at non-trading fees. Most online brokers don't charge an account fee, nor deposit fees, but inactivity fees and withdrawal fees are more common.

The minimum deposit to open a brokerage account with SoFi Invest is $0. This is a great benefit as there are brokers that require as much as a couple thousand dollars.

Clients can open a margin account with SoFi Invest. These accounts allow you to borrow money from the broker and buy more stocks than what your actual cash balance would cover. You'll need a margin account if you want to short individual stocks or ETFs (i.e. bet on price decline). Margin accounts require a minimum balance. If you decide to use this feature, you'll have to pay the following margin interest on your negative cash balance.

The Pattern Day Trading (PTD) Rule applies at SoFi Invest. According to FINRA rules, you are a day trader if you execute at least four day trades within five business days. Pattern Day Traders have to maintain a minimum account balance of $25,000 in their margin accounts. This will allow them to engage in unlimited day trading. Brokers are free to impose a higher minimum requirement, which is often called a house requirement. If the account balance drops below the set minimum, traders are not permitted to day trade until the minimum level is restored. If the account balance is less than $25,000, a maximum four day trades are allowed in five business days.

While buying stocks and ETFs may prove one of the best long-term investments, it also carries a number of risks. In addition to unpredictable market movements, the most common risks include choosing the wrong broker, not diversifying your portfolio and investing in lousy stocks. To avoid some of these pitfalls, check out our guide about managing risks related to trading stocks.

We recommend only quality brokers, so you can be sure that none of the online brokers listed here are scams. In order to be sure, we check roughly 20 safety-related criteria, such as regulation, investor protection amount and the transparency of the broker's financials. Lastly, at least one top-tier financial authority regulates all the brokers you can find on BrokerChooser.

If you want to read our full review of SoFi Invest, including fees, deposit options and platform reviews (like web and desktop), visit SoFi Invest review.