Last month, Goldman Sachs announced the launch of Marcus Invest, a low-cost digital platform that allocates and automatically rebalances individuals’ wealth across portfolios of stocks and bonds based on the models developed by the firm’s investment-strategy committee.” This according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal.
The article notes that the new offering will “help round out a somewhat disjointed set of Goldman banking products, which include savings accounts, unsecured personal loans and budgeting software that carry the Marcus brand.”
While historically, Goldman targeted customers with more than $10 million in assets for its wealth-management services, the article reports, Marcus Invest is designed for more mainstream investors with an account minimum of just $1,000. The move follows what the article characterizes as a series of false starts in retail investing that began in 2016.
“Marcus Invest is launching at a time when everyday investors’ interest in the stock market is at a high point. But unlike some others (including Robinhood), the platform will not allow users to buy and sell individual stocks,” the article reports. According to Stephanie Cohen, Goldman’s global co-head of the consumer and wealth management division, the firm believes that the best way for most individuals to create wealth over time is through diversified portfolios rather than by “driving user engagement” as Robinhood has. That said, the article adds, Goldman may introduce brokerage features through Marcus Invest in the future.