Investing consistently is one of the most effective ways to build a long-term portfolio, but it requires discipline that can be difficult to maintain manually. Auto-Invest is designed to support that consistency by automating your investment activity on a schedule you define.
The feature allows you to set up a recurring plan to buy U.S stocks at regular intervals, with the amount, frequency, and stock allocation entirely under your control. Once your plan is set up, the system handles each execution on your behalf.
What is Auto-Invest?
Auto-Invest is a feature within your Raenest stocks account that automatically buys selected U.S stocks on a recurring schedule. You decide how often to invest, how much to invest each time, and which stocks the funds should go into.
The strategy behind Auto-Invest is dollar-cost averaging. This revolves around the idea that when you invest a fixed amount at regular intervals, you naturally buy more shares when prices are lower and fewer when prices are higher. Over time, this approach smooths out the average price you pay per share and reduces the impact of short-term market volatility. It also removes the need to time the market, which is one of the most common challenges investors face.
Beyond the strategy itself, Auto-Invest helps you build a consistent investment habit. Setting the rules once and allowing the system to follow them removes the friction of manual decision-making, which is where consistent investing tends to break down.
How to create an Auto-Invest plan
Setting up an Auto-Invest plan involves three main choices:
How often the plan should run.
How much you want to invest each time.
Which stocks the funds should be invested in.
You can run your plan weekly, choosing any day between Monday and Friday, or monthly, choosing any date in the month. If you select the 31st for a monthly plan, the system will run it on the last day of the month for months with fewer days, ensuring your plan executes on time regardless of the calendar.
The minimum investment is $2 per stock. Once you confirm your plan, the system schedules the first execution and sends a confirmation notification. You will also receive a reminder 24 hours before each scheduled run, giving you time to top up your Trading wallet if needed.
How an Auto-Invest execution runs
When your scheduled date arrives, the system follows a defined order to complete the execution.
The system first checks your Trading wallet for sufficient funds to cover the full budget. If the Trading wallet has enough funds, the funds are debited, and the system places orders for your selected stocks based on your allocation.
If the Trading wallet does not have enough, the system then checks your other Raenest balances, including your USD, NGN, GBP, and EUR wallets. It looks for a single wallet with enough funds to cover the full budget. If funds are pulled from a non-USD wallet, the standard conversion fee applies, since the funds must be converted to USD before the stocks can be purchased.
It is important to note that the system does not split payments across multiple wallets. It requires one wallet that can fully cover the execution budget on its own. If no single wallet has sufficient funds, the execution fails, and you receive a notification. No stocks are purchased in a failed execution, and no partial debits occur.
When an execution is successful, the stocks are added to your portfolio, and you receive a confirmation notification with details of the purchase.
When Auto-Invest runs in relation to market hours
Auto-Invest executions take place during US market hours, so the timing of each run depends on when the market is open on your selected day.
If your scheduled date falls on a weekend or a public holiday, the system still places the order on that day. The order is then filled once the market reopens. This works the same way as any order placed outside regular market hours on the platform.
Editing, pausing, resuming, and deleting a plan
Your plan can be adjusted at any time from the Auto-Invest section of your stocks account.
You can edit the frequency, the investment amount, the stocks included in your plan, or how your budget is allocated across them. All changes apply to future executions, so any executions that have already taken place remain unchanged.
You can pause your plan to temporarily stop executions without removing your setup. While the plan is paused, no future investments will run. You can resume the plan at any time, and the system will recalculate the next execution date based on your schedule.
If you want to remove a plan entirely, you can delete it. Deletion is permanent, the plan is fully removed, and no further executions will run. You can always create a new plan from scratch if you decide to start investing again later.
Notifications you will receive
The system keeps you informed throughout the lifecycle of your plan. You will receive notifications when:
Your plan is created
An investment is upcoming (sent 24 hours before execution)
An investment runs successfully
An investment fails
The 24-hour reminder is particularly useful, as it gives you time to top up your Trading wallet before the execution date if your balance is not sufficient.
Where to see what was invested
Once your plan starts running, you can track activity in several places.
Plan History: This shows every past execution for the plan, including the date, the amount invested, and the outcome. This is the most direct way to confirm whether a specific run was successful and what it covered.
Stocks Transaction History: This shows all activity in your stock account, including Auto-Invest purchases and any manual trades. This is useful when you want a complete view of your stock activity rather than only the Auto-Invest portion.
My Stocks: This displays your current portfolio, including all shares acquired through Auto-Invest. This is where you can monitor how your holdings are growing over time.
A note on returns
Auto-Invest is a tool for building consistency in your investment activity, not a guarantee of returns. Stock prices can rise or fall, and the value of your portfolio will reflect those movements. The feature is designed to help you stay invested in a disciplined and structured way over time. Still, the performance of your portfolio depends on broader market conditions and the specific stocks you hold.
If you have any questions while setting up your plan or reviewing an execution, our support team is available at [email protected] to assist you with anything that needs further clarification.
You're Ready to Start
Now that you understand how Auto-Invest works, you can set up a plan that fits your investment goals and schedule. Log in to the app, tap Stocks, and select Auto-Invest to create your first plan.
Disclaimer:
Raenest is not a broker-dealer, investment adviser or member of FINRA. Securities offered by Alpaca Securities LLC ("Alpaca Securities"). Alpaca Securities is a member of FINRA and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Raenest does not recommend any specific securities or investment strategies. Investing involves risk, and investments may lose value, including the loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Investors should consider their investment objectives and risks carefully before investing. US stock investments are held with Alpaca Securities LLC, a US-licensed broker-dealer regulated by the SEC and FINRA. Investment feature is offered in partnership with City Investment Capital Limited, a firm licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Nigeria.