Plootus is a free (for now) financial planning platform that analyzes your 401(k) plan and recommends the proper asset allocation for your investment goals. It also identifies the lowest-cost options to help you save on fees.

These days, most employees participate in defined contribution plans through their work. But employers don't do the best job of providing their employees with educational resources to help them make the best investment decisions for their 401(k) or 403(b) plans. Can Plootus help? Find out in this full review. 

What Is Plootus?

Plootus is a financial technology company (fintech) that offers free financial planning tools to help ensure that you are on track for retirement. Plootus's platform allows you to search for your employer 401(k) 403(b), 457, or TSP plan. It's AI-powered algorithm will analyze your financial data to estimate your income needs at retirement, and will make recommendations about the investment/funds you should select inside your retirement account. It also takes investment fees into account to ensure it is recommending the most cost-effective solution.

What Does It Offer?

Here's a closer look at how Plootus works to help you plan for retirement. 

1-Step Process

Plootus refers to its service as a 1-Step Process. You can use its search engine to locate your employer-sponsored retirement account. From there, Plootus will analyze the available investments and make recommendations based on your risk profile. It looks at your current spending patterns and estimates your future retirement income needs. 

401(k) Recommendations

After analyzing your employer-sponsored retirement accounts (401(k), 403(b), 457, TSP, Plootus will provide you with specific recommendations for how you should invest. It focuses on low cost, well-diversified portfolios that are rebalanced over time to stay aligned to your risk-level and investment goals. Plootus aims to provide you with a recommendation within a week of you linking your 401(k) account. However, it can sometimes take up to 30 days. 

Ongoing Support

While you can quit the platform after you receive your 401(k) recommendation, Plootus will provide ongoing monitoring of your investment performance and make recommendations if it feels changes to your asset allocation are necessary. There is no cost involved. 

Can Plootus Provide Recommendations For My 529 Or IRA Plans?

At this time, Plootus only works with employer-sponsored retirement plan accounts. However, the company is considering adding more account types in the future, such as 529s and IRAs.  

Plootus Mobile App

In addition to its web platform, Plootus has a mobile app available for iOS and Android devices. If you don't want to manage your Plootus account on your own, you can delegate access to a financial advisor. And Plootus allows makes it possible to financial advisors to access multiple Plootus accounts. 

Are There Any Fees?

At this time, Plootus is completely free to use, and there are no hidden fees. However, the company does point out that they may start charging a fee in the future, similar to a monthly subcription model used by streaming services such as Netflix or Disney+. There are no contracts to sign, and you are free to leave the platform at anytime. 

How Does Plootus Compare?

The service Plootus offers is unique in that it's limited to employer-sponsored retirement accounts. At least for the time being. If you're looking for more comprehensive financial planning tools that can help you manage all of your financial goals, you might want to consider platforms like ProjectionLab or Boldin. 

ProjectionLab helps you model your finances around your values and the type of life you want to live. It allows you full control over the inputs, including your goals, timelines, and assumptions. For example, if you're trying to decide whether it's better to rent or buy your next home, or determine the financial implications of starting a family, ProjectionLab can help. 

Boldin (formerly NewRetirement) offers both free and paid plans to help people plan for retirement. You can get a free analysis of your retirement income vs. expenses within minutes, or pay an annual fee for more detailed analysis, including multiple scenarios, detailed charting, plan monitoring, budgeting, tax modeling, and more. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can sign up with Plootus by selecting "Get Started" on its website homepage. From there, you'll be prompted to select your employer's 401(k) and link your bank accounts, credit cards, brokerage, and retirement accounts to the Plootus app. Plootus will use this information to estimate how much money you will need during retirement. 

Is It Safe And Secure?

Plootus takes several steps to ensure that your data is kept secure. They collect very little personal information from clients, and do not ask for a Social Security number or your specific home address. When connecting your bank accounts, Plootus does not collect or store your login details, rather they use a partner aggregator that employs bank-level security, including 256-bit encryption.

Contact

Plootus does not provide support via telephone. Your only option is to contact them by email at support@plootus.com. They monitor their email account during business hours, Monday to Friday. 

Is It Worth It?

If you're enrolled in an employer-sponsored retirement plan account, but don't know if your money is invested properly or if you're on track to meet your retirement goals, Plootus may be worth trying out. There is no cost, no contracts, and setting up your 401(k) for analysis seems like a very simple process. Of course, you will have to link your accounts to get the most accurate recommendations. If you need support beyond your 401(k), then should probably skip Plootus and choose a more comprehensive financial planning tool or consider dealing with a financial advisor. 

Check out Plootus here >>

Features

Unlock Surveys is a market research platform that lets you earn rewards by answering surveys. 

There are dozens of paid survey websites like Unlock Surveys, such as Survey Junkie, Inbox Dollars, and Swagbucks, but not all are legit. 

In this Unlock Surveys review, we explain how it works, cover the key features and pros and cons, to help you decide if this rewards website is worth joining.

What Is Unlock Surveys?

Unlock Surveys began as Springboard America in 2009, but rebranded in 2024. Like other paid survey sites, Unlock helps household brands, and various government, nonprofit, and media organizations by gathering insightful data from the general population. 

What Does It Offer?

Unlock Surveys allows you to earn reward points for answering surveys, and then redeem your points for a wide range of gift cards. In addition to reward points, you may be given contest entries where you can win cash or other rewards. 

Complete Surveys

Unlock Surveys is different from sites like Swagbucks in that the primary way to earn is by answering surveys. There is a sign up bonus, and you may be invited to participate in the occasional referral campaign, but it's not a regular thing. 

How Much Are Surveys Worth? 

According to Unlock, most surveys are worth between 50 and 500 points ($0.50 to $5.00), if you qualify and finish the survey. Typically, the longer the survey, the more points you will receive. However, you might only be entered into a contest draw, although Unlock will let you know what you can earn in the survey invitation. 

Redeeming Your Points

You can redeem your rewards when you reach 2500 points, which has a value of $25. Gift card options are as follows: 

• Virtual or physical Mastercard 
• Amazon e-gift card 
• iTunes 
• Google Play 
• Charitable donation 
• Various other gift cards

It takes about a week to receive your rewards after you've made your point redemption. To find out your points balance, simply login to the Unlock Member Portal. 

Will My Rewards Points Expire? 

As long as your account remains active, your points will not expire. Unlock Surveys reserves the right to close your account and reclaim any outstanding points if you have been inactive in the Unlock Surveys community for more than five consecutive months. 

Is There A Referral Program? 

Unlike some paid survey sites, Unlock Surveys doesn't have a regular refer-a-friend program. That said, they will sometimes target a select group of users with a limited-time referral campaign. They do not provide details on how to qualify for one of these programs. 

How Many Surveys Will I Receive?

Unlock Surveys doesn't disclose how often you will receive surveys. It depends on several factors, including the type of market research they are doing, what the quotas are for specific surveys. From there, they use a random selection process. That said, you can improve your chances at receiving relevant surveys by completing the Monthly Mosaic and Profiling surveys as they are sent out. This lets Unlock Surveys know more about you and makes it easier for them to send you relevant surveys. 

Are There Any Fees?

No. Like most online survey websites, Unlock Surveys is completely free to join. In fact, never join a survey or get-paid-to (GPT) website that charges a fee for membership. 

How Does Unlock Compare?

As mentioned, there are dozens of online survey sites to choose from, and some that have more to offer than Unlock Surveys. Two of the best platforms are Survey Junkie and Swagbucks. 

Survey Junkie is a dedicated survey website. It has a low $5 minimum payout threshold, and you can choose from three payout options: PayPal Cash, bank transfer, or gift cards. Plus, you may have an opportunity to earn more with focus groups. 

Swagbucks is more than just a survey site. It offers many ways to earn. You can answer surveys, but you can also get paid to shop online, play online games, search the web, take advantage of bonus codes and special offers, and more. It has a very low minimum payment threshold of $1 (which you can redeem for an Amazon gift card) and payment can be in the form of PayPal Cash, gift cards, or prepaid Visa cards. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can get started with Unlock Surveys by clicking on the blue, Join Now button on its website homepage. You'll receive a 500 point-bonus ($5 value) for signing up. To qualify, you must be at least 18 years of age, a U.S. resident, and not be employed in market research or a related industry. 

During the sign up process, Unlock Surveys will require you to provide some personal information via a short survey, and confirm your account by responding to an email. 

Is It Safe And Secure?

Unlock Surveys should be considered safe to use. For starters, they are not collecting or storing any highly sensitive data, like credit card or bank account numbers, or your Social Security Number. A detailed privacy policy is available on its website, and Unlock Surveys states that it keeps all of your personal information and survey responses strictly confidential and will never sell, exchange, or distribute your personal details to any party without your prior consent. 

Contact

If you need assistance, you can contact Unlock Surveys by email at support@unlocksurveys.com or by regular mail to the following address: 

Unlock Surveys
225 W Wacker Drive, Suite 1900 
Chicago, IL 60606
USA

Is It Worth It?

If you're only signing up for one paid survey site, then Unlock shouldn't be the one you join. It offers fewer ways to earn points than top sites like Swagbucks, and fewer redemption options than Survey Junkie and others. Not having the option to redeem for cash, whether it's via PayPal, bank deposit, or a check in the mail, is disappointing. Also, Unlock is very vague about whether you will even have a chance to earn rewards points for a survey — you may only be entered into a random draw. 

That said, the best way to maximize your earnings with online survey sites is to sign up for multiple platforms to increase the number of survey opportunities. If that's your strategy, than Unlock Surveys is worth a shot. It is free, after all. 

Check out Unlock Surveys here >>

Features

Mos is a financial technology company that helps students search for scholarships and apply for various federal and state student aid programs.

The company began as a student banking alternative, offering a spending account with a rewards debit card, but it has since pivoted solely to student aid and scholarship services. 

We explain how Mos works, including its key features and pricing, and let you know whether we think its worth using. 

What Is Mos?

Mos is a scholarship search website that offers access to a large pool of scholarships and help from a personal advisor (optional) to help you maximize scholarship and financial aid opportunities. 

What Does It Offer?

Mos offers an interesting mix of features that college students can take advantage of. Here’s what stands out about Mos. 

Scholarship Directory 

Mos offers a directory of over 20,000 scholarships. You don’t need an account to browse the directory, but by signing up, MOS can match you to scholarships that give you the best chance of winning. The Mos directory includes dozens of filters to narrow your scholarship search. For example, you can search by low, medium, and high effort, no essay, college, major, scholarship amount, and more. 

Financial Aid Support

Need help completing the FAFSA? Mos offers an AI advisor that can answer questions and assist with filling out financial aid applications as well as essay drafts. If you need more personalized support, you can sign up for Mos Premium for $9.99 per month. This unlocks access to a human advisor who can support you through the financial aid process. According to Mos, Premium subscribers receive an extra $3,000 in financial support on average. 

Mos Plans 

Mos’s basic service (Standard) is free, but you can unlock more personalized service with a Premium subscription, which costs $9.99 monthly. Here’s what’s included with each tier: 

Standard (Free) 

• Private scholarships
• AI Advisor 
• Instant AI Essay Drafts 

Premium ($9.99/month)

• Private scholarships  
• Institutional scholarships 
• Maximize state grants 
• Maximize FAFSA 
• AI Advisor 
• Instant AI Essay drafts 
• Premium Advisor 
• 1:1 FAFSA Review 
• 1:1 Tuition Review 
• Negotiate with your school 

Are There Any Fees?

You can access Mos services free of charge, including its scholarship directory. However, you will have to pay $9.99 per month to access 1:1 FAFSA and tuition support with a Mos expert. Mos claims that it's experts can help you maximize your student aid, although we don't see any way to confirm this. 

How Does Mos Compare?

Several scholarship search websites are available online, and many don’t charge a fee like Mos. Of course, Mos is charging for more personalized service. But if that’s not something you need, you may want to look elsewhere. 

Scholarships360 is a free scholarship search website. It works similarly to Mos in that you can browse its scholarship directory without becoming a member. However, if you sign up, you can provide information allowing Scholarships360 to provide personalized matches. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can get started with Mos by signing up on its website or downloading the iOS or Android app and applying from your smartphone. You will be required to provide some personal information along with your mobile phone number. 

Contact

Contact options are limited. You can reach Mos support via email at support@mos.com. Unfortunately, it does provide a phone number on its website, nor does it publish any business hours. 

Customer Service
Based on its 4.6 out of 5-star Trustpilot rating, you should expect a positive experience with Mos. Additionally, both the iOS and Android versions of the app have earned over 4 out of 5 stars in their respective stores.

Is It Safe And Secure?

The Mos platform should be considered safe to use. While the company may collect information from its users, such as your name, email address, phone number, other personal info, app activity, location, and financial info, it says that it does not share any of your information with third parties. It also uses standard encryption to ensure that your information is transferred over a secure connection, and users can request that their data be deleted. 

Is It Worth It?

MOS is essentially a scholarship search website that offers personalized assistance for a fee. Their scholarship directory is easy to use, with loads of filters. And by signing up, you can receive personalized scholarship matches. Mos also offers some exclusive scholarships that you won't find on other platforms. 

The big question is whether paying for a Premium subscription is worth it as most students are able to complete the various applications, including the FAFSA, themselves. There are no guarantees that a Mos advisor will get you more money. Ultimately, you'll need to decide if the added cost is worth the peace of mind and time savings, and for some, it might be. 

Features

Abe Student Loans offers private student loans through a partnership between DR Bank, the lender, and Monogram LLC. 

Abe does not charge application, processing, or late payment fees, and offers more flexible repayment options than other private student loan providers. 

In this review, we cover the key features, strengths, and weaknesses, to help you decide if Abe Student Loans is worth considering. 

What Is Abe Student Loans? 

Abe offers private student loans to a undergraduate, graduate, and post-bachelor graduate certificate students, with flexible repayment options and no origination, late payment, or forbearance fees. Students can use the funds from an Abe student loan to cover the cost of expenses such as tuition, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and other personal expenses during their time at school.

What Does It Offer?

Undergraduate

You can use Abe loans to help fund the cost of a Bachelor of Arts or Science degree at an approved school. This includes private and public colleges. You can check the approved school list at the time of your application. 

Graduate

Most graduate degree programs are eligible for Abe loans funding, including the following: 

• Doctoral (Ph.D)
• Law Degree (J.D.) 
• Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) 
• Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S) 
• Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) 
• Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) 
• Master of Public Health (MPH) 
• Master of Accounting (MAcc) 
• Master of Architecture (M.Arch) 

Abe recognizes that graduate degree programs have much higher costs associated with them, which is why they provide an aggregate loan limit for certain degree programs. This includes all of your student loans from various sources, including federal student loans. 

Certificate Programs

Unlike many student loan lenders, Abe provides student loans for graduate certificate programs from its list of approved schools. If you've enrolled in a graduate certificate program in order to gain a specific skill, you may be able to rely on Abe for funding.  

Less Than Half-Time Enrollment

Not every student needs or is able to attend college full-time. Whether you can only manage part-time studies, or you only need a few more credits, you can still receive funding through an Abe student loan. 

Are There Any Fees?

As mentioned, Abe Student Loans does not charge any origination, late payment, or forbearance fees. Also, you won't be charged a fee if you make payments via debit card. 

How Does Abe Compare?

Flexibility is the name of the game with Abe, which offers student loans for those who are in school less than half-time, extended grace periods, and payment relief. However, it's always a good idea to compare providers before you proceed with any student loan company.

Ascent has long been a leader in the student loan loan space. You might find competitive rates with Ascent (always compare before you sign); however, it's grace period is a standard six months - Abe's is 12 months. 

Earnest is a student loan refinance and private loan lender. Like Abe, it offers an extended grace period, though for nine months versus Abe's 12. It provides loans for undergrad, grad, MBAs, medical and law schools, but doesn't lend for graduate certificate programs. 

*Rates published are current as of 11/5/2024. 

How Do I Open An Account?

You can be prequalified for an Abe student loan within minutes online. Simply head to the Abe student loans website, and select "Apply" in the top right-hand corner on the homepage. Before you apply, you'll want be prepared with the following information: 

• Your date of birth and SSN (and cosigner's, if you're using one) 
• Phone number 
• Email address 
• Mailing address 
• You school name, grade level, and your expected graduation date 
• Desired loan amount 
• Your income (or cosigner's income if you're using one 

You are not required to apply with a cosigner, however, your chances of approval may be higher and your loan interest rate lower if you have a strong cosigner. 

Is It Safe And Secure?

Yes, you should consider the information you provide to Abe Student Loans safe and secure. When you deal with Abe, you are really dealing with DR Bank, which is the actual lender and an FDIC-member institution, and its partner, Monogram LLC. Both companies provide have robust privacy policies, which you can access at the bottom of the Abe Student Loans homepage.  

Contact

You can contact Abe via telephone, email, and regular mail. You can speak with an Abe Student Loan Specialist by phone at 1(833) 499-2254, email them at customerservice@abestudentloans.com, or sent mail to the following address: 

Abe Student Loans 
c/o Priority Services at Monogram 
200 Clarendon St., 20th Floor
Boston, MA 02116

Is It Worth It?

Before you apply for any private student loan, you should always exhaust other, more favourable financing options. This includes federal student loans, which usually come with lower interest rates and more flexible repayment options. That said, Abe seems to compare well against similar private student loan lenders. While it's too new to have made it onto our list of top private student loan lenders, Its starting fixed and variable interest rates are lower than more well-established names, including SoFi and Earnest.

It doesn't charge any origination, late payment, or forbearance fees, and it offers flexible repayment options, including terms up to 20 years, extended grace periods, and interest rate discounts that reward on-time payments. You can even qualify for a loan if you are attending school less than half-time.

Abe won't be suitable if you're in need of student loan refinancing, as it doesn't currently offer it. SoFi or another refinancing provider might be a better option. 

Check out Abe here >>

Features

Launching in January 2025, the Rise Charge card is a no-annual-fee secured student credit card that helps you build credit without going into debt. 

In addition to the convenience of a credit card, students will be able to earn rewards on every purchase they make. 

Learn more about Rise to find out if this card is worth adding to your wallet.

What Is Rise?

Rise is a secured student credit card set to launch at select college campuses in January 2025, with plans for a broader rollout at a later date. Prior to launch, students have an opportunity to join a waitlist on the Rise website. 

What Does It Offer?

The Rise Charge card is a no-annual-fee credit card for students. Unlike most secured credit cards, it comes with a rewards program. Here's a closer look at the features we know of so far. 

Secured Credit Card

When it arrives, the Rise Charge card will be a secured Visa Signature card designed for college students. When you open the card, you will be provided with a demand deposit account (DDA), which is similar to a checking account. Instead of borrowing money like you would with a regular credit card, the money you deposit into the DDA account becomes your credit limit. Because you're spending your own money, there's no risk of going into debt or paying high credit card interest charges. You can add or remove money from the DDA account anytime. 

Rise Rewards

The Rise Charge card will be a rewards credit card that allows you to earn Rise points on all purchases, with no limits. You can redeem Rise points within its app two ways: for free purchases and experiences. Rise has partnered with many top brands, but offers will be tailored to each cardholders interests. 

Partner brands include names such as Apple, Ikea, Alaska Airlines, Delta Airlines, lululemon, Sephora, Trader Joe's, Nike, and more. You'll earn 4x points per dollar spent on Rise's education partners, 3x points on a category of your choice, and 2x points on all other purchases. 

According to the rewards calculator on the Rise website, it seems that points have a redemption value of 0.5 cents each. For example, 40,000 points is worth approximately $200. 

AI-Powered Budgeting Tool

The Rise app will feature a budgeting tool that helps you keep track of your monthly spending and reach your financial goals. 

Are There Any Fees?

The Rise Charge card will be a no annual fee card. At this time, it's unclear what other fees, if any, will be associated with the card, as those details have not yet been published. 

How Does Rise Compare?

Rise offers a single product — a secured credit card built for college students. But while it includes a rewards program and allows for credit building, other credit-building cards have more to offer. For example, Current offers a Visa debit card, along with early direct deposit, fee-free overdraft, and the ability to earn up to 4.00% on savings. The Bilt Mastercard lets you earn rewards on your rent payments, with more redemption options than Rise.  

How Do I Open An Account?

If you attend one of the colleges included in Rise's initial rollout, you will have an opportunity to apply when the card is launched. To apply, you will be able to provide a picture of your passport, an ITIN, or an SSN number. In the meantime, you can join the waitlist on the Rise website.  

Is It Safe And Secure?

Until the card launches, we don't have full details on the various security features of the card. However, you should expect it to have the same security features of a regular Visa or Mastercard credit card. 

How Do I Contact Rise?

If you have further questions for Rise, you can contact them via email at matt@getrisecard.com. 

Is It Worth It?

If you're a college student looking for a secured credit card that will help you build credit and give you the opportunity to earn some rewards, the Rise Charge card might be a good solution. Of course, you'll have to ensure that it's available on the college campus you attend when it launches. If you're looking for other products beyond a credit card, such as a high-yield savings account, early direct deposit, or cash advances, you might want to consider other options. 

Check out Rise here >>

Rise Features