Swell Investing was created with the mission of delivering profit and purpose with a focus on environmental, social and governance issues, but two years after its launch, the robo-investor is out of business.
Swell, which was founded by David Fanger and backed by Pacific Life Insurance, in a message on the homepage of its shuttered website, told customers that the firm was not able to achieve the scale needed to sustain operations in the current market. “As a result, we will be closing,” the message said.
The Santa Monica-based digital advice platform, according to its message, will no longer accept new clients or deposits as of Wednesday, and any accounts with a $0 or negative balance will be closed.
Investors will still be able to log into their accounts through Aug. 30, the message said. After that, Swell said it will direct Folio Investments Inc., the firm's custodian, to sell out remaining positions and disburse account balances. It added that it will waive management fees for the month of August and cover transfer fees and account closing fees normally imposed by Folio.
“Rest assured that your investments are safe and you will not lose money solely as a result of this change,’’ it noted.
According to a recent regulatory filing, Swell had 43 employees, 14,000 accounts and $33 million in assets under management.
Pacific Life of Newport, Beach, Calif., could not be reached for comment.
Many traditional advisors were banking on robo-advisors as the next platform to help reach younger investors. But at least one recent survey indicated that millennials are not so interested in using them.
The report, by D.A. Davidson, found that even as millennials continue to embrace technology, they prefer to work with a traditional financial advisor. Fifty-two percent still entrust the bulk of their investments to a traditional financial advisor, while less than 8% use a robo-advisor, the survey said.