Design Highlights
- Brokers like Robinhood and Webull offer attractive IRA match rates, increasing with premium memberships for enhanced benefits.
- SoFi and Public provide uncapped matching on contributions, but have specific conditions for rollovers and transfers.
- Be aware of holding periods and clawback policies; Robinhood and Acorns impose longer restrictions on bonuses.
- Review transfer fee reimbursements and conditions to maximize benefits with brokers like Public and Webull.
- Consider long-term suitability and rules of each broker to ensure the best match for your retirement savings.
In 2026, a handful of brokers are stepping up their game by offering IRA matches that might actually get people excited about saving for retirement. It’s about time, right? Who doesn’t want free money?
Robinhood is strutting its stuff with a 1% match on annual contributions for standard accounts. But wait, there’s more! If you shell out $5 a month for Robinhood Gold, that match skyrockets to 3%. They even throw in a 2% bonus for IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers, but don’t get too excited. There’s a five-year holding period to dodge that clawback.
Robinhood is serving up a 1% IRA match that jumps to 3% with Gold—but watch out for that five-year clawback!
SoFi Invest is joining the party, offering a 1% match on IRA contributions and 401(k) rollovers, but there’s a catch: a $20,000 minimum for those rollovers. Want to switch brokers? Sorry, no match on those IRA transfers. They do require ACH transfers for annual contributions, and if you want to keep that match, you better hold onto it for two years. It’s like a bad relationship you can’t escape.
Public is all about keeping it simple. They grant a 1% uncapped match on IRA rollovers and transfers, and they even reimburse transfer fees. No minimum deposits? No problem! They match contributions without any strings, and they support various IRA types. IRA bonuses seem almost too good to be true.
Then there’s Webull, which offers a 1% match for free users and a hefty 3.5% match for Premium users. They also match 3% on transfers until the end of 2025, capping the total match at $30,000. No account minimums or annual fees? Sweet! But don’t get too cozy; deadlines can be a mood killer.
Acorns and Stash are also in the mix. Acorns gives a 1% match for Silver users and a spicy 3% for Gold users, but watch out: they require a four-year holding period. Notably, IRA contributions are subject to annual limits that apply regardless of whether matching is involved.
Stash offers a 3% match for Stash+ users, focusing on higher-risk stock trading.
What’s the bottom line? Matches are sprouting up like weeds, but the rules? They’re a tangled mess. Clawback periods range from two to five years across brokers. Just like comprehensive policies can avoid unexpected gaps in protection, choosing the right IRA match structure requires careful attention to the fine print. So, buyers beware.
Whether you’re in it for the free money or just trying to figure out which broker won’t make you cry, it’s a wild ride. Is your broker the right fit? Only time will tell.
