IA.md

brand	Betterment
tagline	Investing made better.
category	E-Commerce & Fintech
website	https://www.betterment.com

Information Architecture — Betterment

Overview

Betterment is a goal-based robo-advisor that helps users invest toward specific life goals (retirement, safety net, major purchase). The IA is organized around goals as first-class objects — each goal gets its own portfolio, allocation, and timeline. Betterment also offers a cash management account, 401(k) for businesses, and crypto portfolios. The platform emphasizes tax coordination across accounts and automated rebalancing.

Site Map

betterment.com
├── Home
├── Investing
│   ├── Goal-based investing
│   ├── Portfolio strategies
│   │   ├── Core (broad market)
│   │   ├── Socially responsible (SRI)
│   │   ├── Goldman Sachs Smart Beta
│   │   ├── BlackRock Target Income
│   │   └── Crypto portfolios
│   ├── Tax-loss harvesting
│   ├── Tax coordination
│   ├── Charitable giving
│   └── Retirement (IRA, Roth, Rollover)
├── Cash Management
│   ├── Cash Reserve (high-yield)
│   ├── Checking
│   └── Features & rates
├── Betterment at Work (401k)
│   ├── For employers
│   ├── For employees
│   ├── Pricing
│   └── Request demo
├── Advisor Solutions (B2B)
│   ├── Betterment for Advisors
│   ├── Features
│   └── Get started
├── Resources
│   ├── Blog / Perspectives
│   ├── Help center
│   ├── Calculators & tools
│   └── Retirement calculator
├── Pricing
├── About
│   ├── Company
│   ├── Careers
│   ├── Press
│   └── Security
├── Legal
│   ├── Terms
│   ├── Privacy
│   └── Disclosures
└── Auth
    ├── Log in
    └── Get started
├── Tax Center
│   ├── Tax Forms (1099, K-1)
│   ├── Tax-Loss Harvesting Log
│   └── Tax Impact Preview
├── Referral Program
│   ├── Invite Friends
│   └── Referral Rewards

Navigation Model

Level	Type	Details
Global	Top nav	Logo, Investing, Cash, 401(k), Advisors, Resources, Pricing, Log in, Get started
Product	Sub-nav	Overview, Strategies, Tax features, Performance, FAQ
Footer	Multi-column	Products, Resources, Company, Legal
Dashboard	Left sidebar + goal cards	Overview, Goals (each as a card), Cash, Tax, Settings

Key pattern: Goal cards are the primary UI metaphor in the dashboard — each goal is a visual card showing progress toward target with its own allocation.

Content Model

Entity	Key Attributes	Relationships
Goal	name, type (retirement, safety net, custom), target amount, timeline, portfolio strategy, risk level	belongs to parent entity
Portfolio	strategy name, ETF allocations, risk score, performance, rebalancing log	belongs to parent entity
Tax-loss Harvest	primary security, replacement, harvest amount, wash-sale status	belongs to parent entity
Cash Reserve	balance, APY, FDIC coverage, linked accounts	belongs to parent entity
401(k) Plan	employer, match formula, vesting schedule, participant count	belongs to parent entity
Blog Post	title, author, date, category, body, CTA	belongs to User, has many Comments
Deposit	amount, frequency, source_account, goal_id, status	belongs to Goal
Withdrawal	amount, destination_account, goal_id, status	belongs to Goal
Tax Form	type (1099-B/1099-DIV/K-1), year, document	belongs to User
Allocation	etf_ticker, weight, asset_class	belongs to Portfolio

User Flows

Create a goal

Sign up / log in → "Add a goal" from dashboard → Select goal type (Retirement, Safety Net, Major Purchase, General Investing, Education) → Set target amount + target date → Select portfolio strategy (Core, SRI, Smart Beta, etc.) → Adjust risk level slider → preview allocation → Fund initial deposit → enable auto-deposit → goal live

Tax coordination

Connect external accounts (401k, IRA, taxable) → Betterment analyzes all holdings across accounts → Recommends asset location (which assets in which account type for tax efficiency) → User approves → rebalancing adjusts allocations across accounts

401(k) employer setup

HR visits Betterment at Work → "Request demo" → Sales consultation → plan design → Employer sets match rules, vesting schedule → Employees invited → individual goal-based 401(k) experience → Payroll integration → contributions automated

Auto-Deposit Setup

Dashboard → Goal → Auto-deposit → Set amount and frequency (weekly/biweekly/monthly) → Link bank account → Enable → Automatic investing begins
                                                                                                                                                          ↘ Adjust or pause anytime

Tax-Loss Harvesting

Betterment monitors portfolio daily → Market dip triggers harvest opportunity → Sell losing position → Buy tax-equivalent replacement → Harvest logged → Tax savings reflected in dashboard
                                                                                                                                                                                      ↘ Wash-sale rule enforced automatically

URL / Route Structure

/                               → Home
/investing/                     → Investing overview
/portfolio/core/                → Core portfolio strategy
/portfolio/sri/                 → SRI portfolio
/portfolio/crypto/              → Crypto portfolios
/tax-loss-harvesting/           → TLH feature
/tax-coordination/              → Tax coordination
/cash-reserve/                  → Cash management
/checking/                      → Betterment Checking
/401k/                          → Betterment at Work
/advisors/                      → Advisor Solutions
/pricing/                       → Fee schedule
/resources/                     → Blog & tools
/resources/{slug}/              → Blog post
/calculators/retirement/        → Retirement calculator
/help/                          → Help center
/help/{category}/{article}/     → Help article
/app/goals/                     → Dashboard (auth)
/app/goals/{goal-id}/           → Individual goal (auth)
/app/cash-reserve/             → Cash Reserve account
/app/checking/                 → Checking account
/app/transfers/                → Transfer money
/app/tax/                      → Tax impact preview
/app/activity/                 → Activity log
/app/settings/                 → Account settings
/app/settings/security/        → Security settings
/app/settings/linked-accounts/ → Linked external accounts
/app/referrals/                → Referral program

Search & Filter

Feature	Behavior
Help search	Keyword-based, categorized by product area
Blog search	By topic (Investing, Taxes, Retirement, Market Commentary)
Portfolio comparison	Side-by-side strategy comparison tool
Goal filtering	Dashboard filters by goal type, performance, funding status
Calculator inputs	Interactive sliders for age, savings, expected return

• Sort options: By relevance, date created, date modified, alphabetical, popularity
• Autocomplete: Type-ahead suggestions with recent searches and popular results
• Advanced search: Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), field-specific filters, date ranges
• Recent searches: Quick access to previous search queries

Responsive Behavior

Breakpoint	Adaptation
Desktop (≥1024px)	Full nav, goal card grid, side-by-side charts, interactive tools
Tablet (768–1023px)	2-column goal cards, collapsible sidebar
Mobile (<768px)	Hamburger menu, stacked goal cards, simplified charts
App (iOS/Android)	Tab bar (Home, Goals, Cash, Transfers, More), swipeable goal cards

Platform-Specific Patterns

• Touch targets: minimum 44x44pt on mobile for accessibility
• Swipe gestures: swipe to delete, archive, or perform quick actions
• Pull-to-refresh: standard refresh pattern on feeds and lists
• Keyboard shortcuts: comprehensive shortcuts on desktop for power users
• Dark mode: system-preference detection with manual override
• Offline support: cached data available without network connectivity
• Progressive loading: skeleton screens while content loads

Betterment-Specific UX Patterns

• Progressive disclosure: Complex features hidden behind expandable sections
• Contextual actions: Right-click menus and hover-revealed action buttons
• Inline editing: Click-to-edit fields without navigating to a separate page
• Batch operations: Multi-select with bulk actions (delete, move, archive, tag)
• Undo support: Non-destructive actions with undo toast notifications
• Loading states: Skeleton screens and progress indicators during async operations
• Empty states: Helpful illustrations and CTAs when sections have no content
• Onboarding tooltips: First-time user guidance highlighting key features

Accessibility

• WCAG 2.1 AA compliance across all interactive elements
• Semantic HTML with proper ARIA labels and landmarks
• Keyboard navigation support for all core workflows
• Screen reader compatibility tested with VoiceOver, NVDA, and JAWS
• Color contrast ratios meeting minimum 4.5:1 for body text
• Focus indicators visible on all interactive elements
• Reduced motion option respecting prefers-reduced-motion
• Resizable text up to 200% without content loss

Access Control

Role	Access
Visitor	Marketing, pricing, blog, calculators
Free User	Account overview, basic financial tools
Funded Investor	Goal management, portfolio, TLH, tax coordination, performance
Cash Reserve User	High-yield savings, checking, transfers
401(k) Participant	Employer plan, goal-based investing, rollovers
401(k) Admin (Employer)	Plan configuration, employee management, compliance
Financial Advisor (B2B)	Multi-client dashboard, model portfolios, billing
Internal	Compliance review, support, account management