Welcome to my first app review. I hope to add more as time goes on. A while back I stumbled on an app called Worthy Bonds. It sounded similar to Acorns, a microinvesting platform that rounds up the charges on your favorite card and invests it. I had thought of joining one of these but at the time was focused on my tax deferred accounts. Since selling my house, I had some money laying around that needed to be put to work. I thought about Acorns again, but family members didn’t like it, and this review didn’t help either. Additionally, I may buy a property sometime so I was looking for a blend of liquidity and a decent return. I decided to give Worthy a try.
The first thing that stood out was the fact that they invest in bonds rather than stocks. Being younger, I have never really considered getting into bonds at all, preferring larger gains associated with the larger risks in the stock market. Bonds often pay a meager 2-4%.
It was difficult finding anyone that has ever used them so I was a bit hesitant to set up an account. Google and Facebook finance groups turned up empty. People were asking about it, but I couldn’t find anyone using it. Leave it to me to test things out for you.
What Make Worthy Bonds Different?
Worthy is different than most bonds, boasting a solid 5% interest rate. Making this more solid is the fact that there are zero fees. The best part is the liquidity! While their business runs off selling three year bonds, you can withdraw anytime without penalty. The bonds sell in $10 increments. Obviously they are making more than 5% by loaning their money out to various businesses.
It is worth nothing there is no FDIC/SIPC insurance like a traditional bank. To mitigate risk and provide their solid return, their bonds are “fully secured by liquid assets having a value significantly greater than the loan amount,” which makes them fairly safe in my mind. Of course I have no way of vetting this other than their website, but I’m willing to risk a little to get a little.
Things To Know:
- After buying a bond, it takes 4-6 business days for the transaction to clear. Selling a bond has the same delay.
- Interest is credited weekly.
- Bonds are issued to small companies, so buying Worthy Bonds helps small businesses grow.
- They want to limit you to 10% of your net worth or income, which is typical for these sort of investments, for non-accredited investors. If you are accredited, the limit is 100k, or 10,000 bonds.
- You can set up monthly or weekly contributions in addition to credit or debit card round ups.
- Their app doesn’t have fingerprint sign on, so I usually check my account on the computer.
I haven’t tried to withdraw any bonds yet but there is no resistance on the page. You really can withdraw any time without penalty!
Conclusion
Thanks for reading my Worthy Bonds Review. I think this is a really solid place for a small emergency fund ($500 – $3,000). I personally don’t think I’d put more than that in until they have been around longer. This is also a great place to put your sinking fund for a car, vacation, or other upcoming expense. Get your money making 5% instead of 2.5% in a money market. Worthy Bonds is a legit platform with great features. I’m tiptoeing in and will be adding about $100 each month through automatic contributions and round ups.
Referral Bonuses
You can sign up through my referral link if you would like to try it out. They do have some rules around this which you can see below:
For Referrers
Referrals must be first time bond-buyers only. Limit 1 free $10 bond per new user referred and new user must reach and maintain balance of at least 10 bonds ($100) for a 6 month period for free bond to be awarded to the referrer. (Free bond will be awarded once referred account holder reaches the $100 threshold but bond will be forfeited if new user’s balance falls below the $100 minimum account threshold within the 6 month period). To be eligible for the reward, the persons you refer must use your personal referral invitation link when they sign up. This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer. Promotion terms subject to change without notice at any time and at the sole discretion of Worthy Peer Capital, Inc.Worthy Peer Capital
For Referred New Users
When a new user referred by an existing user opens a Worthy account with 20 bonds ($200) or more, or reaches a balance of 20 bonds for the first time, a free $10 bond will be awarded to their account. $200 (or greater) balance must be maintained for a 6 month period or free bond will be forfeited. This promotion cannot be combined with any other offer. Promotion terms subject to change without notice at any time and at the sole discretion of Worthy Peer Capital, Inc.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my latest update on Worthy Peer Capital.
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