I'm happy to pay a monthly fee for my robo-adviser because it's investing in companies that share my values - and growing my money

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• The investment world is male dominated - research has shown that time and again. Because of that, "gender-neutral" investing advice, while well-intentioned, privileges men's interest, salaries, and goals.
• Enter Ellevest, a women-first robo-adviser that builds portfolios based on a different set of criteria and offers Impact Portfolios that invest in socially responsible companies.
• I was drawn to Ellevest as a woman in finance, and I'm so glad I signed up - even though I pay a monthly fee to have my assets managed, I've watched my money grow in the short time I've had my Ellevest account.
• Sign up with Ellevest today and invest in companies that share your values »

If I were to ask you to picture the New York Stock Exchange floor or an investment banker, what kinds of images pop into your mind? In my mind's eye, I often see the bustling trading floor with lots of bespoke suits and short haircuts, corner offices, live updates scrolling across the Times Square screens, and, generally, not very many women.

Even as a woman with several investment profiles as well as my own successful business, I still think of the investment world as mostly male. And I'm not off base. According to data from SoFi, men invest more money (and invest more aggressively) than women. Plus, women hold a fraction of high-level positions at investment firms.

Ellevest is a robo-adviser that puts women first

Fortunately, Ellevest exists and it's trying to shift the tide; it's an investment company created by women, designed to benefit and encourage women investors.

Ellevest is taking a gender-forward approach to investing because, according to its research, "gender-neutral" investing typically defaults to men and male salaries, lifestyles, goals, and experiences.

Ellevest isn't targeting women because women can't invest the same way as men, but because so-called gender-neutral investing, by default, isn't equitable - it privileges men's interests, preferences, higher salaries, and shorter lifespans.

As a robo-adviser, Ellevest takes each investor's goals, risk aversion, and finances into account when putting together a client's portfolio. It's no secret that women generally tend to invest in a more conservative manner than men, resulting in long-term gains rather than volatile short-term gratification. So Ellevest investment forecasting takes into account hundreds of market scenarios, historic downturns, and the impact of taxes and fees when building portfolios.

Interested in opening an Ellevest account? Sign up with just a few clicks »

As a woman with a data-driven brain, I was sold. I immediately signed up to invest with Ellevest as soon as I learned about it.

My Ellevest experience

The signup process was relatively straightforward: I simply entered my personal information and long- or short-term goals, then submitted my salary as well as the current value of any funds I wished to be taken into account. As a member, I could link a credit union account, checking and savings accounts, investment profile, 401(k), or any other type of account I held.

Next, I was able to choose an overarching financial goal. Whether I'd like to build wealth, retire on my own terms, start a family or business, buy a home, or save for a vacation or an emergency, my Ellevest account would tailor itself to that particular goal.

To match my personal financial goals, I selected the option to build my wealth in the long-term. For this setting, Ellevest gave me a 20-year projection with error bars ranging from its value in a very poor market to its value in an exceptional market.

This projection was based on pre-set monthly and one-time investments, but I am always free to modify those to explore different projection scenarios. I linked my bank account to Ellevest and set up a recurring, automatic monthly deposit.

My personal portfolio came out heavy on broad-based ownership of the entire US stock market, a sizable chunk of emerging international corporate stocks, and a small emphasis on US bonds. However, I can up my aggressiveness (heavier emphasis on stocks) or up my conservativeness (smaller emphasis on stocks) as I see fit.

Ellevest also has another interesting option available: Impact Portfolios.

Impact Portfolios redistribute stock and bond ownership to include companies that emphasize women in leadership, sustainability and accountability, and community development. If I switched to an Impact Portfolio, I would still leave a sizable chunk of my stock ownership as-is, but 49% of my ownership would be reallocated to fund companies that comply with those Impact Portfolio goals.

For me, this was a no-brainer. If I could invest ethically and even possibly do better in the long run, it was worth the slightly higher average fund fee. Instead of sticking with my Core Portfolio, I switched to an Impact Portfolio.

The fees are worth it

Investing with Ellevest isn't completely fee-free, but it shouldn't be. Using Ellevest to manage my money is so simple that I have no qualms with paying small fees - these fees are a small percentage of your funds under management and the rate you pay depends on whether you're investing with basic Ellevest Digital or Ellevest Premium.

Premium offers financial planning and career coaching services, but at this point, I've chosen to stay with the basic service until I have significant funds under management.

With basic Ellevest Digital service, Ellevest pulls 0.25% of my funds under management annually, but that fee is offset a bit by the $20 gift that Ellevest deposited into my account as a sign-up bonus.

My money is growing

After letting a few months go by, it's clear to me that investing with Ellevest was a smart move. With my personal settings and recurring deposits, I've seen a 2.6% total growth in this short time. Ellevest shows me exactly how much money I invest into each component of my portfolio, and notes where exactly my returns originate. It's very transparent, and transparency is quite important to me.

I appreciate Ellevest because it helps make investing accessible to consumers who don't have a sizable lump sum of money to use for a play portfolio.

Most of all, though, Ellevest's use of data makes it one of the more competitive investment companies out there. By factoring in historical market conditions as well as the impact that gender, salary, and lifespan have on realistic financial projections, Ellevest makes it easy and motivating to stay on track.

I plan to stick with Ellevest for the long haul, and I'm looking forward to watching my money continue to work for me.

Start investing with Ellevest today - it's easy »

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