Unifimoney Review [2024]: Simplify Your Financial Life with an Easy-to-Use App

BANKING - BANK REVIEWS
Unifimoney offers a complete money management solution that could help you simplify your finances.
Updated Jan. 3, 2024
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Warning
Unifimoney has undergone significant changes since its inception in 2019. Unifimoney no longer offers a high-yield checking account, a rewards credit card, student loan refinancing, or other insurance and loan services it previously offered.

For alternative financial management apps, check out our Rocket Money review and explore our list of the best budgeting apps. You can also find depositary options in our list of the best banks.

Unifimoney is an investment and money management platform that offers an online-only solution to simplify financial management and centralize your information in one single app.

The Unifimoney app can help you handle your banking and investing needs. It offers multiple investment options, including the option to buy stocks and alternative assets such as cryptocurrency.

In this Unifimoney review, we'll explore the main benefits and drawbacks of this financial management app to help you decide whether it's a good fit for you.

Quick Summary

Unifimoney offers all-in-one money management to help simplify your finances.

  • Save, spend, and invest from one app
  • Earn a high APY on your bank deposits
  • Invest in stocks, precious metals, and cryptocurrency
In this Unifimoney review

Key takeaways

  • Unifimoney offers a comprehensive money management solution that allows users to handle their banking and investing needs through a single app.
  • Unifimoney partners with other financial service providers to offer a range of services through its app, including high-yield cash accounts, investment services, and more.
  • The investment options available through Unifimoney include self-directed investing in stocks and ETFs, robo-advisory services with different investment profiles, and the ability to invest in cryptocurrencies and precious metals.

What is Unifimoney?

Unifimoney was founded by Ben Soppitt and Ed Cortis in 2019. Although neither had ever started a company before, they had more than four decades of collective experience working in finance and technology. They wanted to harness their knowledge to provide a simplified approach to money management.

The San Francisco-based company isn't a bank, credit card issuer, or investment advisor. Instead, it partners with other top-notch financial service providers to deliver any and all options its clients would need — all from one full-service app. It offers a single integrated account with high-yield checking, investing, and a credit and debit card.

Although some of Unifimoney’s programs are still being rolled out, the company has already earned a 4.6 out of 5-star rating on the Apple App Store. And it’s partnered with banks and investment platforms insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and Securities Investor Protection Corp., such as UMB Bank and DriveWealth, which could help to protect clients’ funds.

What does Unifimoney offer?

Unifimoney aims to be a complete money management solution, which can make it easy for users to manage their financials in one place. By harnessing the power of technology, it also aims to keep costs low.

Unifimoney offers checking accounts, a debit card, a credit card, and a full-featured investment platform with the option to use a robo-advisor or manage your portfolio on your own. Although users can invest in more traditional asset classes like stocks, they can also buy cryptocurrencies.

The company offers a mobile app, which is available only for iPhone — not Android at this time. It also provides:

  • A high-yield checking account
  • A rewards credit card
  • An investment platform
  • Student loan refinancing
  • Mortgages and refinance loans
  • Car, home, and life insurance
  • Health savings accounts

High-yield checking account

Editor's note: Unifimoney's high-yield checking account is no longer offered.

APY 0.20% (as of Jan. 9, 2023)1
Minimum balance for APY N/A
Minimum deposit to open account $100
Minimum monthly deposit $2,000 to avoid monthly account fees
Monthly account fees $10 per month after 90 days, unless you make minimum deposits of $2,000 per month or maintain a balance of at least $20,000
ATM access Free access at 55,000 Allpoint ATM locations
FDIC insured Yes

Unifimoney aims to be the best checking account available by providing the opportunity to earn a 0.20% (as of Jan. 9, 2023) APY. Most checking accounts aren’t interest-bearing, which means they pay little or no interest to their customers.

The company does have certain requirements for its checking account, though. Specifically, you'll need to keep at least $20,000 in your checking account or make monthly deposits of at least $2,000 to avoid a $10 minimum account fee after three months.

The good news is the account offers several features in addition to earning interest. You'll have access to a Visa debit card and can make free withdrawals at 55,000 Allpoint ATMs throughout the United States. You also have the option to set up direct deposit, get a checkbook, take advantage of mobile check deposit, and make online bill payments with more than 20,000 merchants.

Your account will also be protected by up to $750,000 of FDIC insurance through UMB Bank. In keeping with Unifimoney's goal of simplifying and automating money management, it automatically invests a minimum of $25 per month from your checking account to your Unifimoney investment account. And there's no upper limit on the amount you can choose to automatically invest.

Unifi Premier credit card

Unifi Premier, the Unifimoney credit card, is a Visa credit card that is slated to become available in the first quarter of 2022.

Specific details about its rewards program are not yet available. But the card sets itself apart by providing cardholders with the choice of redeeming cash back into equity investments, gold, or even Bitcoin.

The card will also offer other important perks such as car rental insurance and identity theft protection.

Unifi investment account

Unifimoney
Management fees 0.15% or 0.30%
Asset classes
  • Stocks
  • Cryptocurrencies
  • Precious metals
Account types available
  • Self-managed
  • Robo-advisor
Features
  • Commission-free equity trades
  • Fractional shares
  • SIPC insurance
Visit Unifimoney

Paid Non-Client Promotion

If you’re wondering how to invest money, Unifimoney offers many different investment options. Rather than having to separately figure out how to buy cryptocurrency or how to buy stocks, you could invest in both through your account.

And you can choose to set up automatic transfers from checking and automatically invest your credit card rewards from the Unifimoney Premier card, which makes it easy to potentially grow your investment portfolio over time. Just remember that all investments are subject to risk, and growth isn’t guaranteed.

Here are some of the investment options available when you use Unifimoney.

Self-directed investing

Unifimoney's self-managed trading platform allows commission-free trading in stocks and exchange-traded funds. Fractional shares are also available, which means it is possible to invest as little as $1 and simply buy a fraction of a share of your chosen investment even if the price per share is far higher.

You'll also be able to take advantage of optional features that help you choose investments. For instance, it offers 12 investment themes created by a board advisor highlighting interesting companies in fields like clean energy, information technology, and women in leadership to help you research potential investments.

Robo-investing

If you'd prefer to be more hands off in your investing, you can take advantage of Unifimoney’s robo-advisory services. There are several options, including:

  • Tenjin AI Basic: This entry-level service invests your money in a portfolio of smart ETFs that follow Environmental, Science, Governance (ESG) principles. Advanced machine learning determines an appropriate investment mix. It comes with an annual fee of .15% of assets under management
  • Tenjin AI Advanced: This service develops a personalized investing profile based on your risk tolerance. Your portfolio is rebalanced quarterly using smart rebalance, which also uses machine learning to predict market downturns and make adjustments to portfolios to maximize your potential returns. It comes with an annual fee of .30% of assets under management.

Cryptocurrencies and precious metals

In early 2021, Unifimoney partnered with crypto exchange Gemini to enable its users to invest in crypto. Through the Unifimoney platform, you can invest in Bitcoin and 32 other cryptocurrency tokens.

Unifimoney users can also choose to invest in gold, silver, and platinum. You can buy in any quantity and will have direct ownership of the metal you invest in. The platform also offers the convenience of fractional investments for certain types of precious metals.

Unifimoney insurance

If you’re looking for insurance, Unifimoney also makes it easy to apply for car insurance, home insurance, and life insurance. Insurance is offered through partners, including Gabi for auto insurance, Covered for home insurance, and Ladder Life for life insurance.

If you apply for either auto or home insurance, you could become eligible for a $15 Bitcoin reward just for requesting a quote and fulfilling certain terms and conditions.

Life insurance is available for qualifying individuals between the ages of 20 and 60. You can apply directly online, the process takes as few as five minutes, and you can purchase between $100,000 and $9 million in coverage with no hidden fees.

Unifimoney lending

If you’re interested in a loan, Unifimoney also offers student loan refinancing, home loans, and home loan refinancing.

Borrowers could potentially secure large amounts of financing if they need it. For example, it's possible to refinance up to $250,000 in student loan debt and qualify for up to $5 million in financing for a home loan.

Unifimoney offers some unique bonuses with certain lending products as well. The company offers up to a 1% bonus for those who refinance student loans, with those who borrow larger amounts receiving larger bonus rewards. And home loan customers might qualify for a .5% discount on their mortgage loan through Unifimoney.

Pros and cons of Unifimoney

Unifimoney has some significant advantages:

  • Convenience of managing your banking, investing, and credit card through one platform
  • Commission-free trading and fractional shares could make investing easy and affordable
  • APY is higher than what you’d get with most checking accounts
  • Robo-advising fees are relatively low
  • Automatic investments can help to make growing wealth easier

However, there are also some downsides:

  • High minimum balance requirements for the checking account could mean many users get hit with fees
  • The quality of service depends on Unfimoney's different partners — the company doesn't actually provide the services itself
  • Some features, such as the credit card, haven't been rolled out yet
  • Mutual funds can't be purchased through Unifimoney, though it offers many other investment options

Who can open an account with Unifimoney?

You will need to be able to download the Unifimoney iOS app to open an account, so those who don't use Apple products can't currently use the platform’s services.

The company also caters to young professionals and high earners who have a lot of money to deposit into their checking accounts. People who don't deposit $2,000 per month or leave thousands in their checking account might prefer a different bank. Many banks don’t impose such costly requirements in order to avoid monthly fees.

How much can you earn with Unifimoney?

Unifimoney's interest-bearing checking account is unique, as many checking accounts provide little or no interest. A 0.20% yield is generous in today's low-rate market, and you could earn a lot of interest over time if you have a large account balance.

Here’s an example of how much you might earn if the APY on the Unifimoney High-Yield Checking Account remains consistent versus the rate for a traditional interest checking account:

Traditional Checking Account

0.07% (as of Feb. 8, 2024) APY

Unifimoney High-Yield Checking

0.20% (as of Jan. 9, 2023) APY

Starting balance $5,000 $5,000
After one year $5,003 $5,010
After three years $5,009.01 $5,030.06
After 10 years $5,030.08
$5,100.90

If you use Unifmoney's investing features, your earning potential might be higher, but it depends on how well your investments perform. There is always a risk with any investment. So if you are purchasing cryptocurrencies, stocks, ETFs, or precious metals, be aware that you could make money, but you could also lose money.

FAQS about Unifimoney

Is Unifimoney legit?

Unifimoney is a legitimate company based in San Francisco. It was started by co-founders with decades of experience in the financial industry. Its app is highly rated on the App Store, and the partners it works with are FDIC and SPIC insured.

Is Unifimoney SPIC and FDIC insured?

Unifimoney isn't a bank or investment firm itself. Instead, it is a money management app that partners with banks and investment firms and allows you to manage your finances in one account. The partners that Unifimoney works with are FDIC insured and SIPC insured.

How to open a Unifimoney account

To open a Unifimoney account, you will need to download the app from the iOS App Store. You must be 21 years or older, a U.S. resident, and have a current Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number.

After downloading the app, you will need to provide your identifying information, including your name and contact details. You can decide which Unifimoney services to use, but remember some options such as its credit card are not yet available.

Other platforms to consider

If Unifimoney isn't the right choice for you, there are other options out there, including:

Stash2 is similar to Unifimoney in that it offers a bank account and also a debit card that provides Stock-Back Rewards®.3 When you make purchases at participating retailers with your Stash debit card, you can actually get rewarded with portions of retailers’ stock. It also offers investment products, but though you could build a customized portfolio of stocks, bonds, and ETFs,4 you can't buy cryptocurrencies on Stash.

Read our full Stash review to learn more.

E-Trade is a more traditional discount online broker. It doesn't provide the integration with other financial products that Unifimoney does, but it does offer the option to invest in mutual funds, which are not available with Unifimoney.

Read our full E-Trade review to learn more.

Bottom line

Whether Unifimoney makes sense for you depends on your personal finance situation and goals. If you want one app to handle all your money management tasks or you're interested in automating your investing and earning credit card rewards in the form of cryptocurrency or equity investments, Unifimoney might be worth considering.

Just be aware the platform has high minimum balance requirements to fulfill to avoid monthly checking account fees. If you don't have a lot of money to leave in a checking account, this company might not be a good fit.

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