Wealthfront
Wealthfront Inc. is an automated investment service firm based in Palo Alto, California,[2][3][4][5] founded by Andy Rachleff and Dan Carroll in 2008.[6][7] As of January 2019, Wealthfront had more than $11.4 billion of assets under management.[8] Wealthfront is considered a "robo-advisor" investment service.
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Industry | Personal Finance, Stock Exchanges, Finance |
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Founded | Redwood City, California |
Founder | Andy Rachleff (CEO, Chairman) Dan Carroll |
Headquarters | , |
Key people | Burton Malkiel (CIO) |
AUM | $20 billion (September 2019) |
Number of employees | 138[1] |
Website | www![]() |
History
Wealthfront was founded by Benchmark co-founder Andy Rachleff and Dan Carroll in 2008 as kaChing, a mutual fund analysis company, before pivoting into wealth management.[9][6][4][10] Rachleff was the firm's founding CEO.[10] In December 2012, the firm started tax-loss harvesting for accounts of more than $100,000.[11][12]
The company started 2013 with $97 million in assets under management and grew by 450% in one year.[7] In 2013, Wealthfront introduced "direct indexing", a tax-loss harvesting platform that purchases the individual securities of an investment portfolio.[13] Between January 2014 and October 2016, Adam Nash was Wealthfront's CEO.[3] Founder Andy Rachleff retook the role in 2016.[14]
In 2016, Wealthfront launched a partnership with the state of Nevada to launch a 529 tax-advantaged college savings plan. In the previous year, Nevada passed approval on a new tax credit for employers who provide fund matching to employees participating in 529 savings programs.[15] Andy Rachleff is currently the executive chairman and chief executive officer. In January 2018, Wealthfront launched homeownership planning tool for Path.[16][17] In January 2020, Wealthfront was listed in Business Insider's Top 10 Best Robo Advisors in 2020.[18]
Finances
The company has received funding from Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, Index Ventures, The Social+Capital Partnership and individuals, including Marc Andreessen, Ben Horowitz and Jeff Jordan.[10] In April 2014, Wealthfront raised $35 million in a funding round led by Index Ventures, Ribbit Capital and Benchmark Capital.[19] The funding round brought the firm's total funding to $65.5 million.[20]
See also
References
- "Wealthfront Form ADV Part 1" (PDF). Wealthfront. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
- Leena Rao (2014-01-13). "Automated Investment Services Company Wealthfront Now Manages Over $538M In Assets, Up 450 Percent Over The Past Year". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Brooke Southall (2014-01-30). "Andy Rachleff is out as CEO of Wealthfront as former LinkedIn star takes his place". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Saitto, Serena (25 March 2014). "Wealthfront Said to Be Raising $30 Million Led by Index". Bloomberg News. Bloomberg L.P. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
- "The 2014 CNBC Disruptor 50 List". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Eric Savitz (2012-03-01). "WealthFront: Asset Manager Targets Valley's Nouveau Riche". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Leena Rao (2014-04-02). "Automated Investment Service Wealthfront Raises $35M From Index, Ribbit Capital". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- "Wealthfront Review - A Hands-Off Robo Advisor with Low Fees (2019)". 14 August 2019. Retrieved 15 August 2019.
- Jason Kincaid (2009-12-15). "kaChing Raises $7.5 Million To Turn Mutual Funds On Their Heads". Retrieved 2015-03-19.
- Tom Taulli (2012-02-07). "Interview: Wealthfront CEO and Founder Andy Rachleff". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Marcus Wohlsen (2012-10-09). "Now Tech Plebes Can Dodge Taxes Like a Former Governor". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Kim-Mai Cutler (2012-10-09). "Financial Planning Startup Wealthfront Woos Silicon Valley Workers With A Once-Secret Investment Trick". Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Wommack, Sanders (19 December 2014). "Wealthfront's high-net-worth cat leaps out of the bag -- keeping it one robo 'pivot' ahead of Schwab". RIA Biz. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
- "Exclusive: Wealthfront's Founder Reclaims CEO Role as Current Chief Steps Down". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-05-10.
- Andrea Davis (2016-06-03). "Wealthfront leads robo expansion into college savings plans". Retrieved 2016-07-14.
- Neal, Ryan W. "Wealthfront app to help millennials with this lofty goal". www.investmentnews.com. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- "Wealthfront Launches Homeownership Planning Tool - Finovate". Finovate. 2018-01-30. Retrieved 2018-05-17.
- Meola, Andrew. "Top robo advisors in 2020: Performance reviews, returns, and comparisons". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-03-17.
- "Funding Roundup: Wealthfront Raises $35 Million, Reports 450% Growth". 2014-04-04. Retrieved 2014-08-22.
- Gabrielle Karol (2014-06-13). "High-Tech Investing Startup for Millennials Hits $1 Billion in Assets". Retrieved 2014-08-22.