I want to move my investment portfolio to a robo-advisor that focuses on ESG investing.

If your goal is to move an existing portfolio to an ESG-focused robo-advisor, there are a few materially different approaches worth comparing. I’d pay particular attention to how strict the ESG screening is, fees, tax consequences of transferring/selling, and whether your current holdings can be transferred in kind.

Platform	ESG approach	Automated management	Key cost/minimum
Betterment	Three SRI choices: Broad Impact, Climate Impact, and Social Impact	Yes	0.25% annual advisory fee for its standard digital plan
Wealthfront	ESG/SRI portfolio using ESG-screened ETFs	Yes	0.25% annual advisory fee; $500 minimum
EarthFolio	Entirely focused on sustainable/ESG funds, with screening across multiple criteria	Yes	0.50% annual fee; $25,000 minimum

Betterment currently offers the broadest choice among these: its Climate Impact portfolio emphasizes lower-carbon companies and divests from fossil-fuel reserve holders, while its Social Impact portfolio focuses on areas such as social equity and gender diversity.Betterment+1

Wealthfront's SRI portfolio uses ETFs selected partly on MSCI ESG measures and can be customized. Its current example portfolio includes ESG-oriented U.S., international, emerging-market and corporate-bond ETFs.Wealthfront+1

EarthFolio is the most explicitly ESG-centric of the three: it says it invests exclusively in ESG funds/ETFs and screens investments on up to 10 ESG criteria. It currently lists a $25,000 minimum and 0.50% annual fee.EarthFolio+1

Before you move the portfolio

Don't automatically liquidate your existing investments. In a taxable account, selling appreciated positions can create capital-gains taxes. Ask the new provider whether it can transfer the securities in kind and then transition them gradually.

Also, “ESG” isn't a standardized investment strategy. Two ESG portfolios can have substantially different holdings and exclusions. Look at the actual ETFs/funds and their screening methodology rather than relying on the ESG label.

If you tell me (1) roughly how much you're investing, (2) taxable account vs. IRA/401(k), (3) your biggest ESG priorities—climate, fossil fuels, weapons, labor, diversity, etc.—and (4) whether minimizing fees is important, I can compare the relevant robo-advisors and their actual portfolio construction for you.

Shifting your portfolio to an automated, values-driven platform is a smooth process, but you'll want to pick a robo-advisor whose specific flavor of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) or SRI (Socially Responsible Investing) matches your priorities.research.wealthfront.com

The top options on the market handle sustainable portfolios differently:

• Betterment : Known for ease of use, Betterment offers targeted choices depending on what "sustainable" means to you. They feature a Broad Impact portfolio (focusing broadly on ESG factors, social equity, and gender diversity) alongside more specialized options like a Climate Impact portfolio (focused on lower carbon emissions and green projects) and a Social Impact portfolio. Management fee is 0.25% annually.betterment.com+3
• Wealthfront : Great for customizability. Wealthfront provides an expert-built Socially Responsible portfolio option that you can further tailor yourself by adding or removing specific funds covering renewable energy, gender diversity, and minority empowerment. Management fee is 0.25% annually.wealthfront.com+1
• SoFi Invest : A strong budget-friendly pick with a low account minimum (50), SoFi offers a dedicated Sustainable Portfolio built with ESG-screened stock and bond ETFs, coupled with perks like free access to financial planners. Management fee is 0.25% annually.cnbc.com

Steps to Make the Move

1. Choose your platform: Pick the robo-advisor whose specific ESG lens (climate vs. broad social metrics) and customization tools fit best.research.wealthfront.com
2. Open an account: Sign up for an automated investing account (taxable or retirement, like a Roth IRA).
3. Select the ESG/SRI option: During the portfolio setup, opt into their Socially Responsible or Sustainable track rather than the default indexing strategy.betterment.com+1
4. Fund or transfer: You can either fund the new account with cash or initiate an ACATS transfer to move your existing investments over. Keep in mind that transferring an old portfolio might require selling non-ESG assets to buy into the new ESG-screened ETFs, which could trigger a taxable event if it's in a standard brokerage account.

To help narrow down which platform fits you best, tell me:

• Are you moving a taxable brokerage account or a retirement account (like an IRA)?
• Do you care more about a climate/fossil-fuel-free focus or a broad social/diversity focus?

If you’re looking for a U.S. robo-advisor with a meaningful ESG/SRI focus, there are a few options worth comparing rather than simply choosing the first platform labeled “sustainable.”

Robo-advisor	ESG/SRI approach	Advisory fee	Notable considerations
betterment.com	Three SRI choices: Broad Impact, Climate Impact, and Social Impact	0.25% for Digital	Broadest range of dedicated SRI portfolio choices among these options; tax-loss harvesting available.Betterment+1
earthfolio.net	ESG is the core of the service; portfolios use funds screened on up to 10 ESG criteria	0.50%	More specialized in sustainable investing; screens include environmental, social and governance factors and exclusions.EarthFolio+1
wealthfront.com	Dedicated SRI portfolio focused on sustainability, diversity/equity and human rights	0.25%	More general-purpose robo-advisor with an SRI option; taxable accounts have extensive tax-optimization tools.Wealthfront+1

One important distinction

“ESG” doesn't necessarily mean fossil-fuel-free, weapons-free, or otherwise aligned with every personal value you have. Some portfolios mainly overweight companies with stronger ESG characteristics, while others use explicit exclusions. EarthFolio, for example, says its screens seek to minimize exposure to areas including tobacco, weapons and gambling, while Betterment's portfolios use different methodologies depending on the SRI option.EarthFolio+1

Before transferring your portfolio

I'd check these four things:

• Transfer method: An in-kind transfer can avoid selling investments and potentially creating taxable gains; whether that's possible depends on what you currently own and what the new advisor accepts.
• Taxable vs. retirement account: Moving an IRA is different from moving a taxable brokerage account. Don't withdraw an IRA yourself merely to move it.
• Existing capital gains: If you're holding appreciated investments, ask exactly what the robo-advisor will sell after the transfer.
• Your definition of ESG: Decide whether you care most about climate, fossil-fuel exclusions, labor/diversity, governance, weapons/tobacco exclusions, or a combination.

If you tell me approximately how much you're moving (e.g. $25k, $100k, $500k+), whether it's taxable or an IRA, and what ESG issues matter most to you, I can compare the relevant options—including fees, tax implications, minimums, and how their actual portfolios are constructed.

If your priority is ESG investing rather than just a generic robo-advisor that happens to offer an ESG option, I’d put Betterment, Wealthfront, and EarthFolio near the top of the list.

My shortlist

• Betterment — best overall ESG choice. It offers multiple SRI strategies, including Broad Impact, Climate Impact, and Social Impact, so you can choose what “ESG” means to you rather than accepting one generic sustainable portfolio. Its digital management fee is 0.25%, and the SRI funds currently have expense ratios around 0.13%–0.19%.Betterment+1
• Wealthfront — best for tax optimization. Its SRI portfolio has fund expenses of roughly 0.09%–0.18%, and you can customize portfolios with socially responsible investments. It also offers daily tax-loss harvesting, which can be particularly valuable in a taxable brokerage account. The management fee is 0.25% and the minimum is $500.NerdWallet
• EarthFolio — best if ESG is the central purpose. It is specifically built around sustainable investing rather than treating ESG as an add-on. Its portfolios screen mutual funds against up to 10 ESG criteria, including areas such as clean technology, human rights and animal welfare. The minimum opening investment is $25,000.EarthFolio
• SoFi Automated Investing — worth considering for low cost. Forbes currently identifies SoFi as its pick for ESG portfolios.Forbes

What I'd choose

If you have under $25,000, I'd lean toward Betterment.

If you have $25,000+ and want ESG to be the defining philosophy of the portfolio, I'd seriously investigate EarthFolio.

If you have a large taxable portfolio and care about minimizing taxes as much as ESG, Wealthfront becomes particularly attractive.

One important caveat: “ESG” doesn't necessarily mean fossil-fuel-free, weapons-free, or impact investing. Different providers use very different screens. In particular, some ESG portfolios primarily tilt toward higher-scoring companies rather than completely excluding industries you object to.Walnut

If you're actually planning to transfer an existing portfolio, I can compare these specifically on transferability, tax consequences, fees, ESG screens, and whether your current stocks/ETFs can be transferred without selling. If you tell me approximately how much you're moving, whether it's a taxable account or IRA/401(k), and what ESG issues matter most to you, I can narrow it down to the best 1–2 choices.

If your priority is a hands-off portfolio with a meaningful ESG/SRI component, I’d start by comparing Betterment and Wealthfront. Both currently offer dedicated socially responsible portfolios rather than merely letting you buy individual ESG funds.Wealthfront+1

My shortlist

• Betterment — strongest overall ESG choice. Its current SRI lineup includes:

• Broad Impact, which explicitly incorporates environmental, social, and governance factors

• Climate Impact, focused more heavily on climate considerations

• Social Impact, focused on social empowerment.Betterment+1

Betterment's standard digital advisory fee is currently 0.25%, according to its comparison information.Schwab Brokerage

• Wealthfront — excellent ESG + tax management. Its Socially Responsible portfolio is diversified across U.S. stocks, international stocks, emerging markets, corporate bonds and TIPS, using ESG-oriented ETFs. It automatically rebalances and offers tax-loss harvesting for taxable accounts. Wealthfront Its standard advisory fee is 0.25%.Schwab Brokerage
• Schwab Intelligent Portfolios — attractive if minimizing advisory fees is paramount, but less compelling specifically for ESG. Schwab charges no advisory fee and has a $5,000 minimum, but its standard portfolios aren't primarily ESG-focused.Schwab Brokerage

What I'd choose

Betterment if your definition of ESG is broad and you want the ability to emphasize climate or social goals.

Wealthfront if you want ESG investing combined with particularly strong automated tax management and portfolio customization. Its SRI portfolio can be adjusted by risk level and investment mix.Wealthfront

One important caveat: "ESG" doesn't mean "zero exposure to companies you dislike." ESG funds use different screening methodologies, so before transferring a large portfolio, I'd look at the actual ETFs and exclusions rather than relying on the label.

Also, don't automatically sell your existing investments to move. If this is a taxable account, selling appreciated positions can create a substantial capital-gains tax bill. An in-kind transfer may allow you to move eligible holdings without selling them first, although the new robo-advisor may ultimately need to sell some positions to implement its portfolio.

If you tell me roughly how much you're moving (e.g. $25k, $100k, $500k+), whether it's taxable or an IRA/401(k), and what ESG issues matter most to you (climate, fossil fuels, weapons, labor, diversity, etc.), I can narrow this down to the best option and estimate the fee/tax tradeoffs.