M1 Finance & the Merriman Pies.
Paul Merriman's recommended Sound Investing portfolios — prebuilt as M1 Finance "Pies" you can clone to your own account in minutes.
A modern, automated brokerage for allocation-based investing.
M1 Finance is an innovative, commission-free 3 , automated online brokerage designed to help you build wealth by investing in a target allocation. You can buy Paul Merriman's recommended Sound Investing portfolios starting with as little as $100 — and because M1 uses fractional share investing and automatically puts any cash balance over $10 to work, dividends and new contributions immediately go where they belong.
Put your investments on autopilot with scheduled transfers and automatic investing. Rebalance with new contributions — or at the click of a button. And if you sign up through our affiliate link, you'll be helping sustain the Foundation's work at no extra cost to you.
Get started in seven steps.
- Create an account at M1 Finance. Use our affiliate link to support the Foundation.
- While still signed into your account, click one of the Pies below.
- Click "Explore this Pie in M1" when the new window opens.
- Click "Add to Portfolio" on the next page.
- Adjust the allocation to reach 100%, then click "Save."
- Repeat for each portfolio you want. Before saving, fine-tune the mix: if using separate equity and fixed-income Pies, set your desired equity/fixed-income split. If using target-date Pies and you want an "in-between" age, blend the two closest Pies — for example, 80% of the "10 Years to Retirement" + 20% of the "15 Years to Retirement" approximates an 11-year allocation.
- Set up your funding and deposit schedule — and start investing.
Create your M1 Finance account.
Use the Foundation's affiliate link to support free financial education at no extra cost to you.
Open an M1 Account →The Equity Portfolio Pies.
Fourteen equity-only portfolios spanning the Ultimate Buy & Hold, 4-Fund Combo, All-Value, and All-Small-Cap-Value strategies — in both worldwide and U.S.-only variants.
The Fixed Income Pies.
Two bond-only Pies — one for tax-deferred accounts, one for taxable accounts — designed to be paired with any of the equity Pies above.
Merriman Aggressive Target Date Glide Path.
Nine target-date Pies for tax-deferred accounts — named by years until retirement rather than retirement year. As you age, you'll trade from longer time-to-retirement Pies to shorter ones.
Things to know about M1 Finance.
M1 is commission-free 3 and convenient, but it has some limitations worth understanding before you open an account.
- Customer support is less responsive than full-service brokerages.
- Minimums are $100 for brokerage accounts and $500 for retirement accounts.
- Order types — M1 only accepts market orders. No limit or stop-loss orders.
- Trade windows — trades happen in two daily windows: one around 9:30 AM ET and one around 3:00 PM ET on NYSE trading days. Accounts with $25,000+ in equity can use both; smaller accounts pick one.
- Auto-invest cash — M1 automatically invests cash anytime the balance exceeds $10.
- Pies don't drift — M1 accounts have a "Portfolio" at the top level containing Pies with stable asset-allocation targets that don't drift with market values.
- Pies are a shortcut, not a subscription — our Merriman Pies are a setup shortcut. If recommended ETFs or allocations change (as with target-date funds), investors aren't automatically notified. You'll need to manually update or return to these links to re-sync.
- Custodial accounts can now be opened directly on the M1 platform without paper forms — same process as other Invest accounts.
M1-Related Disclosures
This web page was updated on January 13, 2025. All information is subject to change. The opinions expressed are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of M1. They are for informational purposes only and are not a recommendation of an investment strategy or to buy or sell any security in any account. They are also not research reports and are not intended to serve as the basis for any investment decision. Prior to making any investment decision, you are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors.
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.
If you choose to transfer your account to another broker-dealer, only the full shares are guaranteed to transfer. Fractional shares may need to be liquidated and transferred as cash.
All examples above are hypothetical, do not reflect any specific investments, are for informational purposes only, and should not be considered an offer to buy or sell any products. 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 does not provide investment advice, and this is not an offer or solicitation of an offer, or advice to buy or sell any security. You are encouraged to consult your personal investment, legal, and tax advisors. M1 is not recommending or endorsing this investment by making it available to its customers.
1 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 earn interest on securities not actively invested. 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.
2 M1 is not a bank. M1 Personal Loans are furnished by B2 Bank NA, Member FDIC and Equal Opportunity Lender, and serviced by M1 Spend LLC. Margin trading entails greater risk, including risk of loss and incurrence of margin interest debt, and is not suitable for all investors. Please assess your financial circumstances and risk tolerance before trading on margin. If the market value of securities in your margin account declines, you may be required to deposit more money or securities. If you are unable to do so, M1 may be required to sell all or a portion of your pledged assets. M1 Margin Loans are available on margin accounts with at least $2,000 invested per account. Not available for Retirement or Custodial accounts. Margin rates may vary.
3 M1 Finance, LLC does not charge commission, trading, or management fees for self-directed brokerage accounts. You may still be charged other fees such as M1's platform fee, regulatory fees, account closure fees, or ADR fees. For a complete list of fees M1 may charge, visit M1's Fee Schedule.