Most people agree that it's important to invest for the future. But considering roughly half the country has nothing whatsoever invested in the stock market, it's obviously easier said than done. Granted, income inequality makes it difficult for many to invest. And memories of the 2008 financial crisis have frightened away others. But in some cases, people fail to start investing because they are simply too intimidated.

Luckily, automated investing tools have drastically simplified the process and dramatically lowered costs. With an automated investing tool, or "robo-advisor," the investment choices are left in the (figurative) hands of sophisticated computer algorithms, which make decisions based on an investor's preset parameters and long-term goals. Regular account maintenance issues – such as rebalancing, reinvesting, and harvesting tax losses – are also performed automatically, and are completed at a fraction of the cost of a traditional financial advisor. So whether you're an investment noob who doesn't know where to start, or a stock market veteran looking to lower costs, the following automated investment tools will help you create a brighter financial future.

Ally

With Ally Invest's professionally designed automated investing portfolios, you'll get a customized investment program based on your personal goals and risk tolerance that's monitored by a team of specialists. Using a variety of low-cost, diversified exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Ally's automated technology automatically monitors and rebalances your account to keep you on track – all for a low, affordable fee that never changes.

Swell Investing

Like other companies that offer automated investing, Swell allows customers to set general parameters based on their investment preferences and long term goals, and then takes care of the rest. However, what sets it apart from its competitors is Swell’s focus on “Impact Investing” with companies that work toward at least one of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. After selecting these socially responsible companies, Swell groups them into “six thematic impact portfolios” for investors to choose from. So if the idea of investing in companies that are focused on “green technology” or “disease eradication” is appealing to you, Swell is worth considering.

Peer Street

PeerStreet is an online marketplace that matches accredited investors (along with fund managers and various institutions) with high-quality private real estate loans, which are traditionally difficult to access. Once approved, investors are able to quickly build a portfolio of real estate loan investments. However, PeerStreet also offers an Automated Investing option based on advanced algorithms and big data analytics. Once enrolled, the system automatically finds high-quality investments that meet each investor’s custom parameters. Or as the company’s website puts it, “You invest, PeerStreet does the rest.”

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