Webull Review: What You Need to Know

Everyone should have an opportunity to build wealth. Learning the basics of investing and understanding the risks is an excellent way to pave your way to a successful financial future. It wasn’t easy to invest or trade stocks until recently without paying commissions to eat away at your profits.

The plethora of zero-commission brokers has leveled the playing field for more affordable investing. Webull can be a good choice for many and an alternative to Robinhood.

I should confess upfront that I tend to prefer investing rather than trading as the way to go in building wealth. That doesn’t mean holding onto long positions through thick and thin. No, leaving positions on autopilot can be risky. You should also know I am scornful of the practice of margin trading.   I’ve watched friends go up in smoke from paying exorbitant interest that put them out of business.

What Is Webull?

As a relative newcomer, Webull is joining the competitive field of online trading that appeals to young traders. I applaud the rise in young retail investors participating in the markets. Webull offers commission-free online trading as a mobile-oriented broker. Like other mobile apps, Webull’s trading platform appeals to traders who have some financial markets’ experience and seek advanced features, including in-depth and real-time market data.

They are a legitimate player in online trading by constant improvement in the tools they offer to their subscribers, 

Webull Background

Founded in 2017, Webull has about 15 million registered users in early 2021, gaining greater customer acceptance despite its lower profile than Robinhood. Comparisons to Robinhood are inevitable. When Robinhood halted trading temporarily in the GameStop frenzy, their users jumped ship to Webull, which had resumed trading more quickly.

Webull is growing its customer base quickly, which may account for the rocky beginning that I share with you below.

How To Get Started Opening A Webull Account

Setting up a Webull account is straightforward. You can sign up with your email address or your mobile number, and you will receive a verification code. Make sure you select your preferred brokerage account. You can choose a cash account or a margin account.  Next, add your personal information, your profile, and answer regulatory and security questions. You will need to upload your proof of identity using a passport or a state-issued ID card.  Both sides of a driver’s license suffice for identification.

Webull promotes free stocks (from $5-$250), which require a $100 deposit. I received two free stocks. You will need to link to a bank to fund your WeBull account with an ACH bank transfer. Technically, there is no minimum amount required unless you set up a margin trading account that requires at least a $2,000 deposit.

Before they transfer money from your bank to your Webull account, they will deposit two tiny amounts (like $0.09 and $0.33) into your bank account. You confirm the deposit amounts to Webull. There is a 24-hour delay in the posting. The next day, I found the deposits and attempted many times to let Webull know.

My Experience – An Unnecessary Delay

At this point, I reached out to customer support with emails and calls. Each time I called, I was on hold for 45-60 minutes. Come on, guys! My customer support person was always the same, Doug, and I wondered if there was only one person. Doug was super friendly, apologetic, and similarly stumped as to why my deposit verification wasn’t working, which held up my trading account’s funding.

This setup didn’t take hours; it took days! Finally, tech support intervened, and they fixed my account. Signing up via an email account rather than a mobile version was the culprit, but that should not make a difference. I get that they are mobile-oriented, but some of us still prefer bigger screens.

The delay in customer support occurred as Webull was signing up many customers. During the GameStop frenzy, volumes soared, and some customers left Robinhood when trading halted in some stocks. I have since learned that Doug will have company as they are adding people to customer support now.

Payment For Order Flow And Retail Trading

The SEC requires that Webull disclose it engages in the practice of  “payment for order flow.” Webull, Robinhood, and many small brokers receive compensation for directing orders to market makers for executing the equity and options trades. These brokers realize cost savings and enhance their ability to handle high order volumes to offer zero-commission trading.

Trading volumes for stocks and options have been exploding as more individuals open trading accounts. This activity overwhelmed many small brokers. The average daily volume in equities has grown from 7 billion in 2019 to 14.7 billion in early 2021. The higher proportion of routing to these market makers  (i.e., specialists on both the buy and sell of a trade) indicates that retail trading accounts for tremendous volume growth.

2021 Pros of Using Webull

No Fees Or Minimum Deposit

Webull offers commission-free trading with no required minimum amount, except for $100 to receive your free stocks.  Zero commissions extend to unlimited day trades and options trades (no charge per trade or contract) and other tradeable securities they offer. There are no annual fees or charges for inactivity. 

They do charge $75 for either closing an account or if you want to transfer your Webull elsewhere.

Free Stocks

Webull runs continuous promotions offering free stocks valued from $5-$250 per share once you drop $100 in your account. It is improbable that you will receive a free high-priced stock. I received two stocks: an AMC share valued at $8 and a Southwestern Energy (SWN) share valued at $4.38.

Tradeable Securities

The company has expanded its offerings, but there are some limitations. You can choose among hundreds of ETFs for diversification purposes. Webull allows trading during extended hours during pre-market hours (4:00 am – 9:30 am) and after-hours (4:00 pm – 8:00 pm). That you can is not a reason that you should as markets have less liquidity and more volatility.

Webull’s Offerings

• Stocks
• Options
• ETFs
• Gold
• Cryptocurrency
• ADRs (i.e., American Depository Receipts)

You can open a traditional IRA, a Roth IRA, or Rollover IRAs on Webull, and “more IRAs are in the works,” according to their website. Currently, they do not offer mutual funds, money markets, or bonds, which are big holes for those who may want diversification.

Easy-To-Use Customizable Dashboard

Forty-five or more widgets populate the dashboard to satisfy simple to more complex needs. The company has continuously improved its dashboard to allow traders to analyze trends and market information for a better experience with faster load times. Clients can configure their trading panel to fit their investment strategy.

Stock Charts

There is a rich assortment of high-quality stock charts with technical indicators from the most simple to advanced trading. You can display prices using Moving Averages, line, bar,  Candlesticks, Hollow Candle, Heiken Ashi, or Colored Bar. You can draw, manipulate, compare two charts. I focus on fundamentals more than charts, but I plan to work on this skill.

Stock Screens

Webull’s stock screens are the typical ones such as top gainers, most active, stock earnings actual and estimates, dividends, splits, and Advances/Declines. Clients can look at markets by location: US, Hong Kong, London, Toronto, and all major global markets. I found these screens easy to find and use and all on one page with some toggling.

You can screen by market, sector, and market capitalization. There is a nifty IPO center showing activity in the primary market. The dashboard doesn’t display a SPAC center, but I bet that may come soon if there is interest in such a display.

Fundamental Analysis Tools Could Better

Investors can use fundamental analysis tools that may seem rudimentary to many. I am dating myself, but my first view of the markets was on a Quotron. I recall a librarian snipping news off a teleprompter giving us earnings results, dividend hikes, management changes, and other information.

The current fundamental analysis tools available to Webull customers indicate financial statement highlights, cash from operations,  earnings estimates per stock, analyst ratings, short interest, institutional holdings and by ETF, and order flows. I use this information when making purchase decisions, looking for market sentiment changes,  and it is easy to find.

Fundamental investors need more tools, such as downloading SEC documents and research reports from Ned Davis and Thomson Reuters.

Technical Indicators

The site has several technical tools to satisfy more advanced traders. Webull offers capital flow analytics to show the inflow and outflow positions in the market. These indicators show money coming into a specific stock or sector.  Among the technical indicators is Simple Moving Average, Exponential Moving Average, Bollinger Bands, MACD, Volume, and Relative Strength Index (RSI).

Level I And Level II Trading

Level I and Level II are two different trading screens used in stock trading. Traders use these screens for direct access to real-time market data, such as the last trading price, the current bid and ask price, daily high and low, and trading volumes. Webull provides Level 1 trading data that gives traders all buys and sellers with actual “bid and ask” orders currently in the market.

Level II trading is market data powered by NASDAQ’s TotalView and is essentially NASDAQ’s order book. It adds a substantial dimension by showing the number of buyers and sellers at different price levels. Webull offers Level II trading for free for three months and is  $1.99 per month after the trial period when you sign up for a new account. Robinhood provides this service free only to its gold members who pay $5 per month for this and other extras.

Webull offers other paid plans for premium data from regional markets like Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange, and London Stock Exchange.

Trading Platform

Webull gets a lot of respect and credit for its trading platform, available on mobile and desktop formats. A browser-based and downloadable desktop platform is accessible with advanced or customizable charts, screeners, and many technical indicators.

The platform is attractive for traders who want advanced features. You can set up watch lists, price alerts, and voice commands.

Margin Trading Available

I am not a fan of margin trading, especially if young traders are inexperienced with the practice. For those who are more mature and capable of handling its risks, margin trading is available without requiring an additional subscription or membership fees. To qualify for margin trading, you need at least $2,000 in your account.

The stated margin rates on Webull’s site appear to be in line with other providers. Rates vary by the margin loan size.  The highest level of 6.99% is for a small loan up to $25,000, declining to 3.99% for a $3+ million loan.  Margin interest is calculated daily and paid monthly. Be aware that these are stated margin rates, and brokers often raise rates or change requirements when markets get volatile.

<h3><b>Short Selling</b></h3>

When investors or traders sell short, they take a short position instead of a long position when purchasing a stock. For a short position, you need to borrow the shares, paying margin interest for the loan. The cost associated with a short sale is the fee for borrowing that stock. Webull’s fee changes every day for every available stock and is charged daily.

I cannot stress the risks of short-selling and margin trading. When markets get volatile, brokers can raise their requirements regarding how much money traders have to put down using leverage or margin.

Security and Safety

Being secure and safe investing your money on an online trading site is a primary concern. Webull is regulated by the SEC and FINRA.  As a member, SIPC covers up to $500,000 per account per brokerage firm, and up to $250,000 may be in cash. Two-factor verification and encryption of your personal information and passwords are worthy safety features. They also require you to set up two different passwords for different functions.

That said, users should do their part in protecting their accounts to the greatest extent possible.

Virtual Trading and Competitions

When you initially have your account, you can do virtual or paper trading for free without depositing any money, using some or all of their tools. For the beginner, this feature is desirable for those who want to practice and feel comfortable with their website.

As far as I know, Robinhood does not have simulated trading. I use simulated stock market games to allow students to invest and trade stocks in my classroom, so I liked seeing this feature.

And there’s more. Webull has Paper Trading Competitions, encouraging participants with prizes up to $300 going to everyone who has a positive return at the end of each week.

There is a private Twitter feed where users can comment on individual stocks, creating a community vibe for those new to trading, starting with the simulation.

2021 Cons Of Using Webull

Investment Limitations

There are some gaps in Webull’s offerings, notably mutual funds, OTC stocks, and bonds. They have been steadily building their products since 2019, offering options and cryptocurrency trading currently. As of yet, they do not offer fractional shares or pink sheet stocks, and on the latter, I hope they never do.

The ability to have an IRA account on Webull is terrific. However, they will need to have mutual funds for such accounts for diversification.

Cash Management

Webull doesn’t pay interest on uninvested cash or have a partner bank to handle this option. Robinhood pays interest on idle money, and Reddit’s comments indicated that some users stay with them for that reason. Although interest rates are super low now and perhaps not as urgent, it will be a product Webull will need to have soon as interest rates rise.

Prefer Better Educational Support

With the influx of young individual investors who joined firms like WeBull to trade for the first time since the March lockdown, it is essential to have educational support. I find WeBull’s educational material sorely lacking for their clientele, especially in advanced trading. When it comes to academic support, more is better in the financial world.

When you are trading and investing, you may run across many financial concepts and<a href=”https://thecentsofmoney.com/working-on-the-street-wall-street-jargon-explained/”> jargon you need to know</a>.

Needs Better Customer Support

It may be just my personal experience that I had so much trouble reaching customer support, but I doubt it. When I called customer support, the minimum wait was 45 minutes to as long as 109 minutes. (Yes, I was counting!) That is unacceptable, especially when I tried to move the money into my account that had left my bank. I was persistent, but other potential users may give up.

On one of the long waits, I perused Webull’s name on the web and found they have an “F” rating on Better Business Bureau (BBB), with numerous complaints. So I looked at several brokers’ ratings on BBB and was not surprised that many have F’s, including Robinhood or low grades (C minus) for Fidelity and Ally Invest. TD Ameritrade appears to be an outlier with an A-minus.

I will say that when you do get a live person on WeBull’s customer service, they are patient and helpful. They need to add more live customer support.

What Can Webull Do Better

Webull seems to continue to broaden their products to their credit, and they should add mutual funds, bonds, and fractional shares.

They should partner with a bank to offer interest on idle cash.

Webull needs to strengthen customer support for kinks that are inexplicable, like my experience and educational materials.

Who Is Webull Best For

Webull’s paper trading option can benefit beginners who aren’t quite ready to pay for their trades. Their platform is best suitable for those in the intermediate level who want simplicity or desire more advanced trading. I use my Webull as an alternative broker to do some trading and investing separate from my financial advisor and other accounts.

Full-time day traders who require far more advanced systems would probably find WeBull’s platform lacking in some areas.

Final Thoughts

Webull is emerging as a legitimate competitor and alternative to Robinhood, growing its customer base to a potential number two spot among online brokers serving retail traders. This relative newcomer in the zero-commission online trading world continuously broadens its products to satisfy its customers and leverage its trading platform.

This article originally appeared on Wealth of Geeks and has been republished with permission.