Ally Invest

What you will be able to do with this connection

This connection setup enables two features:

1. Route money into your account (also called “pushing” funds).
   1. In this case, you will push to an Ally savings or checking account and manage investment funds inside the Ally ecosystem.
2. Transfer funds from a pod to Ally Invest (also called “pulling” funds).

Requirements to Connect

• You have an account with Ally Invest
  • If you wish to push funds, you’ll need to have an Ally checking (spend) account or an Ally savings account.
• You have a Sequence account.
• You will need whatever device you use Sequence on - desktop or laptop.
• You may encounter some Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA). So, you may need one or more of the following:
  • Whatever device you receive text messages on
  • Whatever device you use to access the [Institution Name] Mobile app
  • Whatever device you use to access your preferred authenticator app

Connection Instructions

Currently, investment accounts are discoverable via Plaid. Therefore, investment accounts can be added to Sequence via Plaid, resulting in the visibility of account balances. However, no routing or account numbers are available for Ally Invest's accounts, which means you cannot directly route to accounts at Ally Invest. Below, we present the 2 alternative methods—the push and the pull—for maximum convenience.

If you’ve previously added a pod to your Sequence money map, you should be able to run through that section fairly quickly.

Some steps can be completed via Ally's browser interface or mobile app. Instructions for both are below.

The Pull Method: Using an EFT at Ally Invest

If you’ve used an EFT (electronic funds transfer) to transfer money from a bank account to Ally Invest, then this process will be familiar. If this is your first EFT setup at Ally Invest, you’ll find this guide helpful.

The below method has two overall tasks:

1. Create a pod in your Sequence money map.
2. Add the pod created in task 1 to Ally Invest’s list of eligible EFT sources.

💡 Use Sequence rules to fill your investment pod. Then, use Ally Invest’s frequency-based recurring transfers to pull funds from your Sequence pod automatically.

Task 1: Create a pod in your Sequence money map

• Click this link to navigate to the Sequence login page.

• On the bottom center of your money map, click the Add Pod button.

• Give your pod a name and select a Beneficiary from the dropdown menu.

• You should now have your newly created pod visible as a node in your Sequence money map.

• Click on your pod to open the slide-out drawer containing the details view.

• You should see a routing number and account number for the pod. You will need these for the next task.

Task 2: Add your Sequence pod to Ally Invest’s list of eligible EFT sources

There is only one method for adding your pod to Ally Invest:

• Ally Invest desktop browser app

  1. Use your preferred browser to log in to Ally Invest.

  2. You should be on your Snapshot screen.

  3. Select an account from the listed investment accounts. This should take you top Ally Invest.

  4. On the upper navbar, click on Transfers and select Investments.

     

  5. You should now be on a screen labeled Ally Invest | Investment Transfers.

  6. From the Transfers list, select “Bank Transfers.”

  7. Select The radio button for “Deposit.”

  8. Below the To and From fields, click on “+ Add an account at another institution.”

     

  9. This should start a Plaid workflow. Follow the workflow as instructed.

  10. When you reach “Select your institution,” search for Sequence and select the Sequence option below the search field.

      

  11. Continue working through the Plaid workflow until you reach “Select account.” Here, you should see a list of Sequence Income Source accounts and pods.

  12. Select the pod you set up in Task 1. Click continue to complete the plaid workflow.

      💡 If you would like to select more than one pod, you may select as many of your pods as you wish to connect.

  13. Back on the Ally screen, click Submit.

  14. Continue setting up your transfer as normal to complete the process.

      ⏰ You may set up a one-time transfer or transfers that repeat at regular intervals, such as monthly.

      💡 After adding your Sequence pod you can manage future transfers from the Ally mobile app; only adding accounts for transfers is restricted to the browser.

The Push Method: Using Sequence to route money to Ally checking/savings

In this method, we’ll use Sequence to route money to an Ally savings account. Once funds are inside the Ally savings, we will set up an automated transfer to an Ally Invest account. In addition, we will use buckets and settings for the buckets to segment and control the flow of funds inside Ally.

🗒️ Ally savings buckets segment savings funds for distinct purposes (e.g., vacation, taxes, emergencies). If you prefer to manage based on a lump sum savings, you can skip the steps related to savings buckets detailed in Task 3.

The below method has three overall tasks:

1. Add your Ally checking/savings account to your Sequence money map.
2. Create rules in Sequence to route money to Ally.
3. Automate routing of funds inside the Ally ecosystem.

Task 1: Add your Ally depository account to Sequence

You may skip this task if your Ally depository account is already added to Sequence.

In the example below, we will add an Ally savings account to take advantage of Ally’s savings buckets when we get to task 3.

🗒️ Ally savings accounts tend to have a higher APY which is good for parking cash even temporarily. However, transfers out of a savings account are limited to 10 per month. In contrast, Ally checking accounts tend to have a lower APY but unlimited transfers.

1. Click this link to navigate to the Sequence login page.

2. On the bottom center of your money map, click the Add Account button.

3. Select the Beneficiary and then click on “Depository account.”

4. Ally should appear as selectable by default. Click Ally.

5. You should now be in a Plaid workflow. Click the Continue button.

6. Continue working through the Plaid workflow. When you get to the institution selection, select Ally.

7. When prompted, sign in using your Ally Bank credentials. Verify your identity as necessary.

8. You should reach a point where Plaid displays a list of your Ally bank accounts. Select the account(s) you would like to connect.

9. Click Continue and let Plaid do its connection magic 🪄.

Task 2: Create rule(s) in Sequence

In this task, we will create an example rule using Sequence. This example uses a simple Income Source account-to-savings account rule. Rules can also be created to run from a pod or external account. Your rule(s) will be unique to your financial goals.

1. Make sure you have both a Income Source account and your desired Ally bank account included in your Sequence money map.
    

2. Click on your Income Source account and drag a line from the plus sign (+) at the bottom of the Income Source account node to your Ally account node. This will trigger the rule workflow.

3. In this example, we will select a “Triggered by incoming funds rule.”

4. The “incoming funds rule” details view will slide out from the side of your screen.

5. This example does not employ any condition(s). You may add them to your rule as you see fit.

6. The action on this rule is set to Transfer fixed amount of $100 to Ally Savings Account.
   

7. Click the Save button to save the rule to your Sequence money map.

Task 3: Automate in the Ally ecosystem

There a multiple ways to automate the movement of funds inside the Ally financial ecosystem. Ally’s automated transfers will always be frequency-based (e.g., monthly, weekly, daily). In this example, we will use savings buckets to segment funds in an Ally savings account, as uninvested cash at Ally Invest is not interest-bearing.

Depending on the Ally automation features you implement, this can be the longest part of the process. It looks longer than it is because we’ve detailed every click for you. So grab your favorite beverage, relax, follow the guide, and become your own personal CFO.

🗒️ Transfers cannot be made from specific savings or spending buckets when an investment account is involved.

There are two methods for Implementing these automation features at Ally:

• Ally Savings & Ally Invest via desktop browser apps

  1. Use your preferred browser to log in to Ally Invest.

  2. You should be on your Snapshot screen.

  3. From the list of accounts, we will select our Ally savings account.

  4. By default, you will be on the Activity tab on your savings account page.

     

  5. Click on the Buckets tab.

  6. On the Buckets tab, click “Add another.”

     

     🗒️ Your bucket creation workflow may differ slightly if this is your first bucket.

  7. At the “Why are you saving?” prompt, we select the Make Your Own option.

     

  8. Give your bucket a name and click Done.

     

  9. Back at the “Why are you saving?” prompt, click Done again. You should see a confirmation.

  10. You may complete any optional steps under “Power up your savings” or click the ‘X’ to close the card and view your buckets.

  11. You should now have at least 2 buckets - 1 called “Core Savings” and 1 for your investment funds.

      

  12. Under “Organize using buckets,” click on Settings.

  13. On the Settings tab labeled “How money goes out,” you can order how money is withdrawn from buckets. Core Savings will always be first. In our example, the ordering is as shown. If no funds are in the core bucket, withdrawals are taken from our investment bucket.

      

      🛠 When you take money out of your savings account, Ally will move money from your core savings first and then, by default, take additional money from your most recently created buckets until they grab the amount needed for your transfer. You can adjust the bucket order whenever you like. For instance, say you want to take money out of your investment bucket, you'll want to move vacation above vacation before moving money. If no funds are in the core bucket, withdrawals will be processed from the subsequent bucket ordering.

  14. If you need to adjust your bucket ordering for withdrawals, click the Update Settings button and use the up and down arrows to modify the ordering of buckets.

  15. On the Settings card, click the tab labeled “How money comes in.”

  16. On the “How money comes in” tab, set the percentages determining how you wish incoming deposits to be distributed across buckets. In our example, the distribution is as shown. The example places all incoming funds in the investment bucket. Your choices may be different.

      

      🛠 You can set percentages for how money comes into your savings, making it automatic whenever you add money to your account. As always, you can change these settings whenever you want. If you don't manually set percentages, your money will go into your core savings bucket by default. Remember that you can still divvy your money into buckets however you want with the Distribute feature.

       

  17. If you need to adjust your distribution percentages, click the Update Settings button and adjust the numerical percentages. The total of all percentages across all buckets must total 100%.

      ✅ Checkpoint: At this point, you’ve completed setting up your Ally savings account automations. 🏆

       

  18. Now, we will set up our auto-transfer from an Ally savings account to Ally Invest. On the very top navbar, click on the drop-down arrow for Accounts and select your desired Ally Invest account.

  19. You should now be on Ally Invest.

  20. On the upper navbar, click on Transfers and select Investments.

      

  21. You should now be on a screen labeled Ally Invest | Investment Transfers.

  22. From the Transfers list, select “Bank Transfers.”

  23. Select The radio button for “Deposit.”

  24. Select your desired investment account in the To field and your desired account in the From field (savings in this example).

  25. Fill in the Amount, Frequency, and Deliver first transfer on fields.

  26. Click the Next button.

      

  27. Review your transfer selections. Click Submit.

  ✅ Checkpoint: Now you have both your savings and investment account transfers automated. 🏆

• Ally Savings & Ally Invest via Ally mobile app

  1. Log in to the Ally app on your mobile device.

  2. You should be on your Snapshot screen.

  3. From the list of accounts, we will select our Ally savings account.

  4. By default, you will be on the Activity tab on your savings account screen.

     

  5. Tap on the Buckets tab.

     

  6. Tap on Manage.

  7. Below your list of buckets, tap on “Add another bucket.”

     

     🗒️ Your bucket creation workflow may differ slightly if this is your first bucket.

      

  8. At the “Why are you saving?” screen, we select the Make Your Own option. (You may need to scroll to the bottom.)

     

  9. Give your bucket a name and tap OK.

     

  10. Back at the “Why are you saving?” screen, click Next. You should see a confirmation screen.

  11. You may complete any optional steps under “Power up your savings” or tap the ‘X’ to close the screen and and return to the Manage Buckets screen.

  12. You should now have at least 2 buckets - 1 called “Core Savings” and 1 for your investment funds.

  13. On the Manage Buckets screen, tap on Withdrawals.

      

  14. Here you can order how money is withdrawn from buckets. Core Savings will always be first. In our example, the ordering is as shown. If no funds are in the core bucket, withdrawals are taken from our investment bucket.

      

      🛠 When you take money out of your savings account, Ally will move money from your core savings first and then, by default, take additional money from your most recently created buckets until they grab the amount needed for your transfer. You can adjust the bucket order whenever you like. For instance, say you want to take money out of your investment bucket, you'll want to move vacation above vacation before moving money. If no funds are in the core bucket, withdrawals will be processed from the subsequent bucket ordering.

  15. If you need to adjust your bucket ordering for withdrawals, tap on the Prioritize text , then drag and drop to modify the ordering of buckets.

  16. When you are done with the ordering of bucket for withdrawals, tap the back arrow ⬅️ in the upper left corner.

  17. On the Manage Buckets screen, tap on Deposits.

  18. On the Deposits screen, set the percentages determining how you wish incoming deposits to be distributed across buckets. In our example, the distribution is as shown. The example places all incoming funds in the investment bucket. Your choices may be different.

      

  19. If you need to adjust your distribution percentages, tap on the Update settings text and adjust the numerical percentages. The total of all percentages across all buckets must total 100%.

      ✅ Checkpoint: At this point, you’ve completed setting up your Ally savings account automations. 🏆

  20. Now, we will set up our auto-transfer from an Ally savings account to Ally Invest. From the Deposits screen, tap the back arrow. On the Manage Buckets screen tap the X to close out. Click the back arrow once more to return to the Snapshot view.

  21. Tap on your desired investment account.

  22. Tap on the transfers icon underneath your account value.

      

  23. Select “Transfer to Ally Invest” by tapping on it.

  24. Select the Ally Invest account you wish to transfer to.

  25. Select your desired account in the From field (savings in this example).

      

  26. Fill in the Amount, Frequency, and Start Date fields.

  27. Tap on Continue.

  28. Review the notification and click Submit.

      

      ✅ Checkpoint: Now you have both your savings and investment account transfers automated. 🏆

      ⚠️ If you need to edit or delete a scheduled transfer you can only do that on a web browser and not from the Ally app.

      Testing

      Testing the Pull Method

      After ensuring that your Ally Invest pod has funds and has been verified at Ally, you can run an EFT on the Ally Website or in the Ally App.

      Testing the Push Method

      If you would like to test the push method, you can go to your Sequence Activity Log and run a manual transfer by clicking on the “Transfer Manually” button located in the upper right of the Activity Log screen.

      ⚡ For faster manual transfers use money already in a pod. Transfers from pods to external accounts are 2x faster than transfers from external accounts to external accounts.