If you’ve already explored the basics of buying individual stocks on Acorns, you know that Custom Portfolios let you add specific companies and ETFs (exchange traded funds) to your Acorns Invest account. This guide will walk you through how to set up, build, and manage your Custom portfolio. From understanding your allocation limit to choosing stocks and ETFs and handling dividends, we've broken down every step to keep it simple.
You can set up your Custom portfolio exclusively through the Acorns Gold subscription ($12/month), which also includes a 3% IRA match during your first year, Acorns Early Invest for kids, and more. See Acorns Pricing for full details.
Setting up your Custom portfolio
You can set up your Custom portfolio within minutes in the app. With Acorns, you can invest as little as $1 towards your choice of stock or ETF, making every dollar work for you.
Here’s how to set up Custom Portfolios:
- Open the Invest tab in the Acorns app
- Tap “Customize your portfolio” to access Custom portfolio settings
- Browse the curated list of individual stocks and ETFs available for selection
- Set your allocation percentages for each stock or ETF
- Confirm and save your selections
Not a Gold customer? Upgrade to Acorns Gold and start building your Custom portfolio.
Allocation Limits and Your Investment Profile
To help you stay diversified, Acorns uses guardrails. Depending on your investment profile, you can allocate up to 50% of your total Acorns Invest account to your Custom portfolio. This percentage is equal to the number of stocks and ETFs you can hold. A 10% allocation range means you can pick up to 10 stocks and ETFs. Just be sure to always allocate a minimum of 1% of your total Invest account to every stock and ETF you pick.
Your allocation amount is dependent on the investment profile questionnaire you completed when you opened your account - the same one that determines your Base portfolio’s asset allocation. It assesses your age, income, financial goals, and comfort with risk.
You can’t manually adjust the allocation limit once you finish the questionnaire. However, if your financial situation or risk tolerance changes, you can update your investor profile questionnaire - your allocation limit may change accordingly.
Choosing stocks and ETFs for your Custom Portfolio
Your Base portfolio is the strong, diversified foundation of your account, built by our experts, and invested in ETFs, which hold thousands of stocks and bonds for long-term growth. Your Custom portfolio adds a personalized layer, giving you more control to hand-pick individual stocks and ETFs and express your own choices.
A few practical considerations when deciding what to add:
Start with companies you know and use. If you use a company’s products regularly and believe in its direction, that’s a reasonable starting point, though it’s not a guarantee of performance.
Think about sector mix. If all your picks are in one industry, you’re concentrating risk. Spreading selections across different parts of the economy can help balance things out.
Remember what your Base portfolio already covers. You don’t need to replicate broad market exposure. Your custom picks can focus on specific companies or themes that matter to you.
Data proves that the simple, diversified approach often wins. In the SPIVA scorecard for 2025, they found that 79% of U.S. large-cap active equity funds underperformed the S&P 500 index. That’s why keeping the majority of your money in a diversified Base portfolio is a sound foundation.
We don’t provide stock or ETF recommendations for your Custom portfolio. Custom Portfolios are non-discretionary, which means you’re responsible for choosing and managing your selections. The SEC offers independent educational resources on individual stock investing through Investor.gov.
Trade execution, timing, and fractional shares
Acorns is built for long-term investing, not day trading. To help keep your costs low, we group all buy and sell orders together and process them at scheduled times throughout the trading day. So, when you hit ‘confirm’, your investment gets placed in the next available window. For investors focused on the future, this small delay is a key part of how we help ensure you get the best value over time.
Fractional shares make Custom Portfolios accessible. If a stock trades at $500 per share, you can still invest $10 and own a fraction of one share, which is useful when you want exposure to higher-priced companies without committing a large amount to a single position.
How are dividends handled in your Custom Portfolio?
When companies in your Custom portfolio pay dividends, those get automatically reinvested to your account. Dividends are handled consistently with the broader Acorns approach of getting your money to work for you, similar to the dollar-cost averaging strategy used across all Acorns investment products.
Adding, removing, and adjusting stocks and ETFs over time
Your Custom portfolio isn’t locked in after setup. You can make changes whenever your perspective shifts.
Adding new stocks and ETFs: Browse the list in the Invest tab and add new companies, subject to your customization allocation limit.
Removing stocks and ETFs: If a holding no longer belongs in your portfolio, you can remove it. Acorns will sell the position during the next trading window.
Changing allocation percentages: Adjust how much of your Custom portfolio goes to each stock or ETF at any time. This lets you increase exposure to companies you’re more confident in or reduce positions you’re less sure about.
Selling holdings in a taxable Acorns Invest account may have tax implications. Consult a qualified tax professional for guidance on your specific situation.
How do your Base and Custom Portfolios work together?
Your Base and Custom Portfolios aren’t two separate accounts. They’re two parts of one Acorns Invest account.
Automatic rebalancing applies to your Base portfolio only. Acorns performs portfolio rebalancing on your Base portfolio to keep it aligned with your recommended asset allocation. This is part of the managed, discretionary advisory service that Acorns Advisers, LLC provides.
Your Custom Portfolio is managed by you—and only you. Unlike your Base portfolio, Acorns doesn't automatically rebalance the individual stocks or ETFs you pick. If one of your holdings grows significantly, be sure to check in and adjust the percentage if needed. It's a good practice to regularly review your picks and make sure your Custom portfolio still reflects your goals.
Your two portfolios work together seamlessly. The Base Portfolio provides the diversification you need, acting as a core that’s managed by our experts. The Custom portfolio gives you control, allowing you to add personal choices. This combination helps ensure you keep a strong, diversified foundation while still able to take risks of picking individual investments.
Investing is a powerful way to potentially build wealth, but it does involve risk, including loss of principal. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure profits or guarantee against losses. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Ready to take a look at Custom Portfolios? Start building your Custom Portfolio.
Looking for the basics? Learn more about buying individual stocks and ETFs on Acorns, our companion guide covering what Custom Portfolios are, who they’re for, and how they fit into the Acorns investing experience.
Frequently asked questions
How many stocks and ETFs can I have in my Acorns Custom Portfolio?
The number of stocks and ETFs you can hold depends on your allocation limit percentage. For example, if you have an allocation limit of 30%, you can pick and hold up to 30 individual stocks and ETFs. Your limit can range between 10% to 50% and is determined by your investor profile questionnaire. The minimum allocation to any single holding is 1% of your overall Invest account.
Can I change my customization limit?
You can’t manually change it. It’s determined by the questionnaire you completed before creating your Invest account. However, if your financial situation or risk tolerance has changed, you can update your profile and your limit may be adjusted within the 10% to 50% range.
How do I add or remove stocks and ETFs from my Custom Portfolio?
Tap the Invest tab and select “Customize your portfolio.” From there, browse the curated list to add stocks or ETFs or change an existing stock’s or ETF’s allocation to zero to remove it. When you remove a holding, Acorns sells the position during the next scheduled trade window. Selling may have tax implications in a taxable account.
Are my Round-Ups and Recurring Investments split between both portfolios?
Yes. All investments, including Round-Ups®, Recurring Investments, and paycheck split deposits, are automatically distributed between your Base and Custom portfolios according to your allocation percentages. You don’t need to manually direct each deposit.
Does Acorns rebalance my Custom Portfolio?
No. Your Base portfolio is rebalanced automatically, but your Custom portfolio is a non-discretionary account managed by you. You’re responsible for monitoring your holdings and adjusting allocations if you want to make changes.
This material has been presented for informational and educational purposes only. The views expressed in the articles above are generalized and may not be appropriate for all investors. The information contained in this article should not be construed as, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or hold, an interest in any security or investment product. There is no guarantee that past performance will recur or result in a positive outcome. Carefully consider your financial situation, including investment objective, time horizon, risk tolerance, and fees prior to making any investment decisions. No level of diversification or asset allocation can ensure profits or guarantee against losses. Article contributors are not affiliated with Acorns Advisers, LLC. and do not provide investment advice to Acorns’ clients. Acorns is not engaged in rendering tax, legal or accounting advice. Please consult a qualified professional for this type of service.
For informational purposes only. This is solely intended to provide notification of an available product or service. This is not a recommendation to buy, sell, hold, or roll over any asset, adopt an investment strategy, or use a particular account type. This information does not consider the specific investment objectives, tax and financial conditions or particular needs of any specific person. Investors should discuss their specific situation with their financial professional.
Investment advisory products and services offered by Acorns Advisers, LLC ("Acorns"), an SEC Registered Investment Adviser. Brokerage products and services are provided by Acorns Securities, LLC, an SEC registered broker-dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC.
Acorns Invest is an individual investment account which invests in a portfolio of ETFs (Exchange-Traded Funds) recommended to customers based on their responses to the Acorns investor profile questionnaire.
Custom Portfolios are non-discretionary investment advisory accounts, managed by the customer. Custom Portfolios are available only to Acorns Gold customers with an open Acorns Invest Account and are not available as a stand alone account. Custom portfolios are not instant trading. Customers wanting more control over order placement and execution may need to consider alternative investment platforms before adding a Custom Portfolio account. This is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as, and may not be used in connection with, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy or hold, an interest in any security or investment product. Acorns Advisers does not provide investment advice with regard to orders directed in a Custom Portfolio.
The ETFs comprising the Acorns portfolios charge fees and expenses that will reduce a customer’s return. Investors should read each fund's prospectus and consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of the funds carefully before investing. Investment policies, management fees and other information can be found in the individual ETF’s prospectus.
Spare change invested with Round-Ups® is transferred from your linked funding source (checking account) to your Acorns Invest account when activated. Round-Up investments from an external account will be processed when your Pending Round-Ups reach or exceed $5.
Automatic investing does not ensure a profit or protect against losses. It involves continuous investing regardless of fluctuating price levels.
Acorns Later is an Individual retirement account consisting of a Traditional, ROTH or a SEP IRA selected for customers based on investor profile questionnaire answers.
Effective March 26, 2025, customers who open an Acorns Gold or Acorns Silver subscription plan or upgrades to an Acorns Gold or Silver subscription plan can opt into the Acorns Later Match feature and receive either a 3% or 1% IRA match, respectively, on new contributions made to an Acorns Later account during the first year subscribed to these subscription plans. New customers in these subscription plans are automatically eligible for the Later Match feature at the applicable 3% and 1% match rate on all contributions made during the first subscription year. All Later funds for customers must be held in an Acorns Later account for at least four years to keep the earned IRA match and all or a portion of IRA Match may be subject to recapture by Acorns if customer downgrades to a Subscription Plan with a lower monthly fee. See full terms and conditions. Terms and conditions applicable to those who opened an Acorns Gold or Acorns Silver subscription plan before March 26, 2025 and opted into Later Match are unchanged.
Acorns Early Invest is an UTMA/UGMA investment account managed by an adult custodian until the minor beneficiary reaches the selected age of transfer, at which point the minor assumes control of the account assets. Money in a custodial account is the property of the minor.
