A fixed purchase does not need an AI decision
If your instruction is “buy $100 of this ETF every payday,” start with your broker’s recurring investment feature. The investment, amount and timing are already decided. Paying a model to reconsider them adds complexity you may not need.
Robinhood’s recurring investment documentation, for example, explains scheduled dollar-based purchases. Check eligibility, funding and execution terms at your own broker.
What do you want to delegate?
| Your task | Start by considering |
|---|---|
| Buy the same ETF for the same amount regularly | A recurring purchase at the broker. |
| Keep a fixed multi-fund allocation near its target | A portfolio or rebalancing tool; inspect its rules and fees. |
| Research holdings and reconsider a written plan periodically | An AI agent with defined permissions and a review schedule. |
An agent is useful only if you want it to exercise judgment. If every acceptable action is already fixed, a simpler rule is easier to check.
Separate purchases from allocation maintenance
Buying $60 of one fund and $40 of another each month does not guarantee that the total portfolio stays at 60/40. Existing holdings change value too. Decide whether you want fixed contributions, purchases directed toward underweight holdings, or periodic sales to rebalance.
Also separate depositing cash from investing it. Agency cannot transfer money from your bank into the broker. Cash arriving at the broker is yours until assigned to an agent; do not assume a deposit automatically expands an agent’s budget.
An ETF still needs research
Check what the fund owns, its expense ratio and whether it overlaps with other holdings. A thematic or leveraged ETF is not interchangeable with a broad market fund just because both are ETFs. Read the issuer’s current prospectus.
If you choose Agency, set the permitted funds, target weights and review frequency in its investing plan. Compare the review cost with the amount invested. Neither recurring purchases nor AI decisions guarantee a profit.