Not only an M1 creator, but a client, too 

The minds behind M1 share what makes them loyal clients.

The people behind M1 aren’t just committed to making a great product. As clients themselves, they’re obsessed with the idea of building their dream financial platform. So how do the minds behind M1 put it to use for their own goals? A few employees shared the inside scoop. 

Healthy habit: A personal finance waterfall 

Simon L., VP of Platform Engineering, has been at the company since its first year in 2015. When it comes to building wealth, he’s a big proponent of the waterfall method.  

For Simon, his personal finance waterfall goes like this: 

First, he directs any extra income to an emergency fund until it reaches his goal. He tries to keep about 6 months of expenses in an M1 High-Yield Cash Account. “It’s nice to know I’m earning interest on that balance,” says Simon. 

Once that ceiling is met, he directs his funds to his Traditional IRA, which he aims to max out each year. When he reaches the annual limit, then he’ll start investing in his taxable brokerage account.  

Luckily, M1’s Smart Transfers can automate the entire waterfall. Simon sets up monthly transfer rules and amounts and M1 handles the waterfall process under the hood. 

He says some might consider his strategy boring, but he sees that as its strength. “It’s like eating your vegetables. It’s good for you.” 

Buy and hold without the headache  

Affiliate Product Manager Kaila W. loves M1 because for its ease of use and simple automation. “I set up my account when I started at M1 in 2020. I check in on it a couple times a week, but I’ve barely changed a thing,” she says.  

The key to her hands-off approach? Dynamic rebalancing. “It makes tax season easy since I don’t have to sell assets.” She likes that she doesn’t have to do a “hard rebalance” each year, which can involve selling and cause taxable events. Instead, each deposit is automatically allocated to the underweight holdings in her Pie first. Over time, the Pie corrects itself resulting in a balanced portfolio.  

If any, she makes changes to her portfolio quarterly. With a long runway ahead, Kaila is focused on the long-term, rather than worrying about day-to-day shifts in the market. “I’m still young, so I’m focused on long-term growth over short-term gains.”  

A bucket-style savings strategy  

Dani V., an Analytics Engineer at M1, is all about her High-Yield Cash Accounts. She has multiple accounts so she can set money aside for specific goals. “I’m paying for my brother’s college, so I have one account for that,” says Dani. She names her different accounts to easily organize them. 

“I want to travel with my husband because he hasn’t left the country yet! I’d like to go to Italy.” She’s saving for that goal in another High-Yield Cash Account called “Travel Fund.” Plus, she has a separate account for family and household expenses. “I know the money I’m saving is earning interest, making more money.”  

Retirement savings on auto-pilot  

Social Media Marketing Specialist Megan K. is angling to max out retirement contributions each year. She’s investing in an M1 Roth IRA to take advantage of the tax benefit.  

“I set recurring deposits and have auto-invest on so I can set it and forget it,” says Megan. “I don’t really want to worry about saving for retirement, so it feels good knowing it’s taken care of already.”  

A loyal client turned employee  

Sam was an M1 client before he joined the M1 team as a Product Designer. He’s been on the platform since 2019. “I found out about M1 online after doing some research. I was looking for a place to invest and I wanted to know, what’s the best platform for me?” He wanted something tech-forward with a sleek user interface and auto-invest functionality. He’s been a fan ever since.  

“It was really cool to watch the product evolve from a design perspective. As a client, you see the company actively improving its product.” That’s what led him to seek out a position at the company. “I thought it would be cool to be a part of that.” He’s focused on perfecting the user experience in the app so it’s simple, straightforward and enjoyable to use. 

When it comes to his financial goals, he’s looking to achieve financial independence within the next few years. He’s actively working towards a portfolio amount that will generate enough market gains to support his lifestyle. His accounts at M1 include an IRA, a taxable brokerage account, and a High-Yield Savings Account. That’s helpful because “the transfer are so fast within M1.”  

As an investor, he typically likes to buy and hold stocks and funds. He also dedicates a small portion of his portfolio to more high-risk investments to diversify.  

Getting rewarded for regular behavior  

Bruce M. has worked in Clearing Ops at M1 since 2023. His favorite thing about M1 is the Owner’s Rewards Card, a cash-back credit card with a unique tiered rewards system. The card offers up to 10% cash back* on purchases from specific brands.   

“It’s aligned with the spending I was already doing,” says Bruce. He and his wife love seeing movies at AMC together; they do it at least twice a month. Plus, their visits to Chipotle and Starbucks earn rewards, too. “My wife does digital art, so she has an Adobe subscription.” All that spending usually nets Bruce around $50 a month in cash-back rewards, which he has set up to go to his High-Yield Cash Account.  

“Sometimes I use the extra money to invest in my portfolio. Sometimes I keep it in the savings account to earn interest.” Either way, he’s able to turn everyday errands into extra cash. 

A place for real estate investors to stash cash  

Jessica S., Head of Product Design at M1, and her husband are real estate investors and own a handful of rental properties. “Real estate is our retirement plan,” she says. Before joining M1, they kept rent checks in their Chase savings account, where it earned a 0.01% APY. Basically, they got minimal returns on their sizable balance.  

Last year, she moved it over to an M1 High-Yield Cash Account, where it earns 4.25% APY.¹ “Now we have a place for that money to sit that’s separate from our other accounts. We’re taking advantage of the high-interest rate environment while we plan for our next real estate investment.” 

When it comes to investing, Jessica considers herself a moderate to conservative investor. “Five years ago, I didn’t have a portfolio beyond my 401(K),” she says. “Now I’ve learned enough to feel confident as an investor. I wouldn’t invest in a stock without researching or being familiar with the company’s performance.”  

She’s even used Margin to increase holdings in her brokerage account. “I used it to invest in my overall portfolio. It was so easy to use now that it’s part of the investing workflow.” 

Building a platform to be proud of  

Product design manager Mary D. loved how easy it was to experiment with different investing strategies on M1. “I set up a few Pies to figure out what works for me.”   

Right now, she owns a condo and has her eyes on investing in more property someday. “In the next five years or so, I’d like to upgrade to a bigger place and rent out the condo to diversify a little more.”  

While Margin may not be the best choice for everyone, Mary’s seen the benefit of using Margin as an investing strategy.^{^} “I was focused on leveraging an amount back into my portfolio, to use it to potentially amplify gains.” She worked on the latest product margin updates. “We talked to clients to learn how they use the product, what was clear and unclear to them,” she says. “We took that feedback and made changes based on what they said. We’re always keeping clients in mind and thinking of how we can help them achieve their goals.”  

Made for clients, by clients  

It’s clear that the minds behind M1 are passionate about the company, the product, and the clients who use it. They dedicate their days to rethinking, iterating, and improving the way you build your wealth. If you have a long-term mindset like the folks at M1, we made this for you. Ready to build and manage your wealth, your way?  

The experience of these customer may not be representative of the experience of all customers and is not indicative of future success. 

Disclosures: 

M1 is a technology company offering a range of financial products and services. “M1” refers to M1 Holdings Inc., and its wholly-owned, separate affiliates M1 Finance LLC, M1 Spend LLC, and M1 Digital LLC. 

Brokerage accounts on the M1 platform are either fully disclosed to APEX Clearing or cleared through M1 Finance LLC.   

^ All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Using margin can add to these risks. Margin rates may vary. Users utilizing APEX cleared margin accounts should review the APEX margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. Users utilizing M1 cleared margin accounts should review the M1 margin account risk disclosure before borrowing. M1 Margin Loans are available on margin accounts with at least $2,000 invested per account. Not available for Retirement or Custodial accounts. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. 

M1 does not provide investment advice, and this is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security, and you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. Past performance does not guarantee future performance. 

All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. Brokerage products and services are offered by M1 Finance LLC, Member FINRA / SIPC, and a wholly owned subsidiary of M1 Holdings, Inc. 

M1 High-Yield Cash Account(s) is an investment product offered by M1 Finance, LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA / SIPC. M1 is not a bank and M1 High-Yield Cash Accounts are not a checking or savings account. The purpose of this account is to invest in securities, and an open M1 Investment account is required to participate in the M1 High-Yield Cash Account. All investing involves risk, including the risk of losing the money you invest. 

¹ Stated APY (annual percentage yield) with the M1 High-Yield Cash Account is accrued on account balance. Obtaining stated APY requires a minimum initial deposit of $100. APY is solely determined by M1 Finance LLC and its partner banks, and will include administrative and account fees that may reduce earnings. Rates are subject to change without notice. M1 High-Yield Cash Account is a separate offering from, and not linked to, the M1 High Yield Savings Accounts offered by M1 Spend LLC’s banking partner. M1 is not a bank. 

 
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Credit Card not available for US Territory Residents. The Owner’s Rewards Card by M1 is Powered by Deserve and issued by Celtic Bank. Review Cardholder Agreement and Rewards Terms for important information about the Owner’s Rewards Card by M1. 

*2.5% – 10% Owner’s Rewards cash back is earned on qualifying purchases based on M1’s rewards tiers that can be found here. All Standard Reward purchases receive 1.5% cash back. Owners Rewards and Standard Rewards are subject to a maximum of $200 cash back in aggregate per calendar month. Exclusions may apply. See Rewards Terms for additional information and exclusions. 

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