Humans Are Coming for the Robots’ Jobs at Betterment

  • Traditional management advice will double some advisory costs
  • Move looks to lure wealthier clients, boost fee income
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The largest independent robo-adviser is adding human advice to the automated technology it’s championed for years.

Betterment LLC will begin offering recommendations from certified financial planners and other experts alongside its computer-driven service, which aims to build investment portfolios for a fraction of the fees charged by traditional brokers. The human touch will cost 50 basis points of clients’ assets for a “premium” plan allowing unlimited advice from financial planners, roughly double the charge for the company’s digital service, depending on the account size.