starship's goal is to make investing available to everyone, regardless of their financial experience or capability.
Starship has designed three portfolios for an individual to invest in.
Conservative
Balanced
Growth
The conservative portfolio carries the least risk. Balanced is an average risk. And growth carries the greatest risk, but potentially the greatest returns (based upon market conditions).
When you enroll in starship you will answer questions that help define a risk tolerance score. Based upon this score, the portfolio is selected for you. You can choose to go into the suggested portfolio, or you can select one of the others (with one exception noted below).
Each portfolio is made up of the same Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), ranging from more safe bond portfolios to much more risky international funds. But the percentage of these ETFs that make up the funds varies. For instance, the Conservative Portfolio will have much more bond funds and very little international funds. The Growth Portfolio will have much more international funds and little bond funds.
Limitation to portfolio changes: If through enrollment, it has been determined you have a very low tolerance for risk, you will be placed in the Conservative Portfolio. You do have the option to change the portfolio to Balanced, but you will not be able to change to Growth. The only way you could change Growth would be to change you answers on the risk assessment.
Additionally, you may choose to change your investment portfolio any time, however you may not change more than once every 30 days.