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Start here
Investing 101
ETFs vs. mutual funds, brokerage accounts, and risk — explained without the trading-floor jargon, so you can start with confidence.
Self-powered education, not advice
Ask anything about your money.
Free to start · Not a broker-dealer or investment adviser · No commissions
Live on Socratii
Open the Market Center
Market Center
Follow the market live, see which sectors are leading, and screen every S&P 500 stock and popular ETFs by sector, returns, and dividend yield.
Market Overview
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Index levels are shown through the ETFs that track them. For education only, not investment advice. Market Data from Tiingo.com
How it works
From your first question to a plan you understand
Start by asking and learning. Then test your own numbers in Plan2Vest, try out a practice portfolio, and bring in a registered advisor when you want guidance for your specific situation. Go at your own pace and come back to any step.
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01Understand
Ask and learn
Ask Socratii anything in plain English and get source-backed answers. Then build the basics with short lessons and quizzes on budgeting, investing, credit, retirement accounts, fees and risk.
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02Plan
Map out your plan in Plan2Vest
Enter your income, spending, accounts, debts and goals, and see your net worth, cash flow and a retirement projection. Test your numbers with the calculators, and check the economic backdrop for context.
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03Practice
Build a practice portfolio
Start with practice cash, from $1,000 to $100,000 or any amount you choose. Buy and sell real stocks, ETFs and funds at real closing prices, and track your portfolio day by day against the S&P 500. Ideas come from your Market Center watchlist. It's a safe way to test what you've learned before any real money moves.
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04Get guidance
Talk to a registered advisor
Once you have a feel for your plan and want guidance specific to you, Socratii connects you with a registered advisor partner. You'll see disclosures, including any commercial relationship, and give your consent first. Matching opens as partners come on board.
Steps 1 to 3 are education. Plan2Vest projections and practice portfolios are hypothetical, are saved only in your browser, and aren't recommendations. Personalized advice comes only from a registered advisor in step 4.
Curriculum
What you'll learn
Plain-language education for first-time investors and self-directed savers alike — start wherever your money questions are loudest today. It's a sample of the full library, which spans personal finance, investing, retirement, wealth management, and business finance.
Budgeting Basics
Build a budget that actually survives contact with real life — track spending, set limits, and find money you didn't know you had.
Understanding Credit
What actually moves your credit score, how to read a credit report, and how to borrow without it costing you later.
Saving for Retirement
401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement account types — how much to set aside now so future-you isn't stuck playing catch-up.
Debt Management
A practical, judgment-free plan for paying down credit cards, loans, and everything in between — in an order that works.
Building Wealth
Asset allocation, fees, and risk — how they interact so you can turn good habits into lasting net worth.
These six are just a starting point.
Browse all topics
Test your knowledge
Self-guided learning quiz
Nine quick questions across the topics above. No sign-up, no scoring you against anyone else — just a plain-English check on where you're strong and where a lesson might help.
Trust & compliance
Education and advisor-matching. Never advice.
Trust is the whole product. Here's exactly where our role ends and a regulated advisor's role begins.
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Registered partners handle your account
Every advisor we match you with is a registered investment advisor, bound by a fiduciary duty to act in your best interest at all times. They handle account opening, identity verification (KYC/AML), execution, and must disclose any conflicts of interest.
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Subscription, not commission
Socratii is funded by subscriptions, not trade commissions. We have no financial incentive to push you toward any specific trade, product, or advisor.
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Clear consent before every handoff
Before we ever hand you off to an advisor partner, we show you clear disclosures — including any commercial relationship — and ask for your consent.
In short
Socratii is an education and advisor-matching platform — not a broker-dealer, investment adviser, or bank. We don't hold your money, execute trades, or give personalized investment advice. Every account is opened and held with a registered advisor partner, who owes you a fiduciary duty — a legal obligation to act in your best interest and disclose any conflicts of interest — and who's responsible for identity verification (KYC/AML), trade execution, and custody. We're paid by subscription, not commission, so we have no financial incentive to steer you toward any specific trade, product, or partner — and we always disclose any commercial relationship and get your consent before any handoff.
Who actually holds your cash
Even "non-bank" firms sweep cash to an FDIC-insured bank
Every brokerage, RIA, and wealth manager we might match you with relies on a bank behind the scenes to hold and insure your uninvested cash — sometimes a bank the firm owns, sometimes an unaffiliated program bank. Here's the top 10 in each category and where that money actually sits, sourced from each firm's own disclosures.
Top 10 brokerage firms
| # | Brokerage firm | Bank partner(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fidelity Investments | Citibank, N.A.; Associated Bank, N.A.; BNY (3 of 10 program banks) | Fidelity |
| 2 | Charles Schwab | Charles Schwab Bank, SSB (proprietary); overflow to TD Bank, N.A. | Schwab |
| 3 | Vanguard | Citibank, N.A.; Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; U.S. Bank N.A. (3 of 17) | Vanguard |
| 4 | Morgan Stanley / E*TRADE | Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A.; Morgan Stanley Private Bank, N.A. | E*TRADE |
| 5 | J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | Chase |
| 6 | Merrill Edge | Bank of America, N.A. | Merrill |
| 7 | Edward Jones | American Express National Bank; Associated Bank, N.A.; BNY (3 of 30) | Edward Jones |
| 8 | Wells Fargo Advisors | Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. | Wells Fargo |
| 9 | Interactive Brokers | Program banks disclosed only to enrolled clients | IBKR |
| 10 | Robinhood | Goldman Sachs Bank USA; Wells Fargo Bank, N.A.; Citibank, N.A. (3 of 15) | Robinhood |
Top 10 registered investment advisors (RIAs)
| # | RIA firm | Custodian → bank partner | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CAPTRUST | Pershing, LLC → BNY Mellon, N.A.; also Schwab, Fidelity | Form ADV |
| 2 | Fisher Investments | Schwab → Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; Fidelity/NFS | Fisher |
| 3 | Edelman Financial Engines | Schwab → Charles Schwab Bank, SSB (majority) | Form ADV |
| 4 | Creative Planning | Schwab → Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; NFS/Fidelity; Ascensus | Creative Planning |
| 5 | Hightower Advisors | Fidelity; Schwab; Pershing → BNY Mellon, N.A. | Hightower |
| 6 | Focus Partners Wealth | Schwab; Fidelity/NFS; Pershing Advisor Solutions | Focus Partners |
| 7 | Corient | Schwab; Fidelity; Pershing, LLC → BNY Mellon, N.A. | Corient |
| 8 | Cerity Partners | Schwab; Fidelity; private funds at Wintrust, JPMorgan Chase Bank | Cerity Partners |
| 9 | Mariner Wealth Advisors | Schwab → Charles Schwab Bank, SSB; NFS/Fidelity | Mariner |
| 10 | Wealth Enhancement Group | Schwab; NFS/Fidelity; First International Bank & Trust | Wealth Enhancement |
Top 10 wealth management firms
| # | Wealth management firm | Bank partner | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fidelity Investments | Fidelity Personal Trust Company, FSB | Fidelity |
| 2 | Charles Schwab | Charles Schwab Bank, SSB | Schwab |
| 3 | Morgan Stanley Wealth Management | Morgan Stanley Private Bank, National Association | Morgan Stanley |
| 4 | J.P. Morgan Private Bank | JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A. | J.P. Morgan |
| 5 | UBS Global Wealth Management | UBS Bank USA, N.A. | UBS |
| 6 | Merrill / Bank of America Private Bank | Bank of America, N.A. | Bank of America |
| 7 | Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management | Goldman Sachs Bank USA | Goldman Sachs |
| 8 | Edward Jones | Edward Jones Bank (FDIC-approved, opening ~2027) | FDIC |
| 9 | LPL Financial | The Private Trust Company, N.A. (non-depository) | SEC filing |
| 10 | Wells Fargo Wealth & Investment Management | Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. | Wells Fargo |
Rankings reflect each firm's latest disclosed client assets/AUM as of mid-2026. Bank partners can change — always confirm current cash-sweep or custody arrangements directly with the firm before opening an account.
Pricing
Simple, subscription-based pricing
No commissions, no transaction fees, and no incentive to steer you toward a specific trade. You pay for education and tools — nothing else.
Free
$0/mo
Everything you need to get started.
- Core self Q&A assistant
- Basic education content library
- Limited broker matching
Premium
$8–15/mo
For hands-on planning and family access.
- Everything in Free
- Advanced planning tools
- Deeper, source-backed explanations
- Saved scenarios
- Family access
- Portfolio education tools
Subscription-based, never commission-based — we don't earn more when you trade more.
What users say
Illustrative sample quotes
Real questions, real progress
I finally understand what's actually on my credit report — and what to do about it. The self assistant explained it better than any article I'd read.
Jordan M.
Sample user · Credit & budgeting
The broker comparison actually explained why one account fit me better — fees, account types, all laid out. No pressure, no pitch.
Aisha R.
Sample user · Broker matching
Opened my first brokerage account after the ETFs vs. mutual funds lesson. I liked that Socratii never told me what to buy — just what to consider.
Devon K.
Sample user · Investing 101
Get started
Start learning this week
Join free, ask the self assistant your first question, and get one short lesson a week — plus early access to broker-matching as new partners come online.