Both Willow Wealth and Fundrise offer individual investors access to private markets — asset classes that were historically available only to institutions or high-net-worth individuals. At that level of description, they appear similar.
In practice, they differ substantially in investor eligibility, fee structure, asset focus, platform history, and risk profile. This guide covers what each platform actually is, what has changed recently, and who each one is and is not appropriate for.
The Core Difference
Fundrise is a broadly accessible platform — open to non-accredited investors with a $10 minimum — that focuses primarily on diversified private real estate funds, with expanding offerings in private credit and venture capital. It operates a fund-based model where investors select a portfolio strategy and the platform allocates across underlying assets.
Willow Wealth (formerly Yieldstreet, rebranded October 2025) is a multi-asset private markets platform aimed primarily at accredited investors. It offers both individual deal selection and managed portfolios across a broader range of asset classes, including real estate, private credit, private equity, art finance, and legal finance.
The comparison is not straightforward, because Willow Wealth’s recent history introduces material considerations beyond the platform’s feature set. Those are addressed directly in the Key Considerations section below.
How Each Platform Works
Fundrise
Fundrise operates as an online investment platform structured around non-traded real estate funds. Investors choose an investment plan — Supplemental Income, Balanced Investing, or Long-Term Growth — and the platform allocates capital across a portfolio of private real estate holdings, private credit, and, through its Innovation Fund, early-stage technology companies.
The minimum investment is $10, making it one of the most accessible entry points in the alternative investment space. The fee structure is transparent: a 0.85% annual asset management fee plus a 0.15% advisory fee, totaling approximately 1% per year. Additional fund-level fees may apply but are disclosed in offering circulars.
Liquidity is limited to quarterly redemption windows. Fundrise does not offer a secondary market. The platform experienced negative returns in 2023 (-7.45%) as commercial real estate values declined during the rate tightening cycle, and restricted some redemptions during that period. Performance recovered in 2024–2025, with reported net annualized returns in the range of 5.5–7.1% depending on fund allocation. As of Q1 2026, Fundrise manages approximately $3.3 billion in assets across more than 2 million investor accounts.
Willow Wealth
Willow Wealth, formerly Yieldstreet, was founded in 2015 and rebranded in October 2025. The platform offers individual investors access to private market deals across ten asset classes, as well as managed multi-asset portfolios through its Willow 360 product, developed in partnership with Wilshire Associates.
Most offerings require accredited investor status — defined in the US as individuals with annual income exceeding $200,000 or net worth above $1 million excluding primary residence. A limited number of products, including the Alternative Income Fund (minimum $10,000), are available to non-accredited investors. Managed portfolio minimums start at $25,000.
The platform reports more than 500,000 members and over $6 billion in cumulative investments since inception. Fee structures vary by deal and are embedded in individual offerings rather than charged as a flat platform fee; some offerings have carried fees of 2–3% or higher.
In March 2026, Willow Wealth sold the assets of its flagship Alternative Income Fund — representing over $100 million — to a third-party fund. The transaction is expected to close in Q2 or Q3 2026.
Key Considerations: Willow Wealth
Editorial note: The following reflects documented public reporting and regulatory records. CoOwn.com presents it as a material consideration for any prospective investor evaluating this platform.
Between August and December 2025, CNBC published a three-part investigation documenting approximately $208 million in investor losses across Willow Wealth’s (then Yieldstreet’s) real estate portfolio. Of 30 real estate deals reviewed, 9 were reported to be in default — a roughly 30% failure rate. Four deals were reported as total losses.
The platform rebranded from Yieldstreet to Willow Wealth in October 2025 and removed its historical performance track record from its public website at the time of rebrand. Independent reviewers noted that this removal made it materially harder for prospective investors to evaluate the platform’s history.
Additional context: the platform carries a 2023 SEC enforcement settlement, a $9 million class action settlement, and a Trustpilot rating of 1.5/5 as of early 2026. In March 2026, it sold its flagship fund representing over $100 million in assets to a third party.
Willow Wealth continues to operate as a going concern and has added institutional fund partners including Goldman Sachs, Carlyle, and StepStone. The platform’s current and future performance may differ from its historical record. Prospective investors should review this history in full before making any decision.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Willow Wealth | Fundrise | |
|---|---|---|
| Primary focus | Multi-asset private markets (real estate, private credit, private equity, art, legal finance) | Diversified private real estate + private credit + venture capital |
| Investor eligibility | Primarily accredited investors; some products open to non-accredited | Open to all investors, including non-accredited |
| Minimum investment | $10,000 (Alternative Income Fund); $25,000 (managed portfolios); varies by deal | $10 (starter); most meaningful exposure from $1,000+ |
| Fee structure | Embedded fees per deal (varies); up to 2–3% on some offerings | 0.85% asset management + 0.15% advisory = ~1% all-in |
| Liquidity | Illiquid; most deals locked 2–7 years; limited quarterly options | Quarterly redemption windows; not daily liquidity |
| Asset classes | Real estate, private credit, private equity, art finance, legal finance, venture capital | Real estate (primary), private credit, venture capital (Innovation Fund) |
| Portfolio approach | Deal-by-deal selection or managed portfolios (Willow 360) | Fund-based; plan-driven allocation |
| Track record context | ~$208M in documented investor losses 2022–2025; 30% real estate default rate reported by CNBC | Returned −7.45% in 2023; recovering to 5.5–7.1% net annualized in 2024–2025 |
| Platform stability | Rebranded Oct 2025; flagship fund sold to third party Mar 2026; under ongoing scrutiny | Survived 2022–2023 downturn; ~$3.3B AUM as of Q1 2026 |
| Non-accredited access | Limited (Alternative Income Fund only) | Yes — core feature of the platform |
Key Trade-Offs
Accessibility
Fundrise is one of the most accessible private markets platforms available. Non-accredited investors can participate with as little as $10, and the fund-based structure removes the need to evaluate individual deals. For investors who want private real estate exposure without meeting accredited investor thresholds, Fundrise is one of very few structured options.
Willow Wealth’s broader asset class menu is largely gated behind accredited investor status. For eligible investors, the platform provides access to asset classes — art finance, legal finance, private equity co-investments — that are difficult to access elsewhere at the individual investor level.
Fee Transparency
Fundrise’s approximately 1% all-in annual fee is straightforward and competitive within the non-traded REIT and private real estate fund category. Additional deal-level fees exist but are disclosed in offering circulars.
Willow Wealth’s fees are embedded in individual deal structures and vary significantly. Some offerings have carried total fees of 2–3% or higher, which is materially above Fundrise’s structure. The Willow 360 managed portfolio product may offer cleaner fee visibility, but the deal-by-deal model requires careful individual review.
Liquidity
Neither platform offers daily liquidity. Both are structurally illiquid by design — appropriate for investors with a multi-year time horizon and no near-term need for the capital. Fundrise offers quarterly redemption windows. Willow Wealth’s liquidity profile varies by product: some deals lock capital for 5–7 years with no early redemption path.
Both platforms restricted or limited redemptions during periods of market stress. Fundrise did so during the 2022–2023 commercial real estate downturn. Yieldstreet/Willow Wealth has had broader and more prolonged liquidity issues tied to deal defaults. This is a material distinction.
Platform Risk
All alternative investment platforms carry platform risk — the possibility that the company operating the platform faces financial, regulatory, or operational difficulties independent of the underlying investments. Willow Wealth’s documented history of investor losses, the rebrand, the flagship fund sale, and ongoing regulatory scrutiny represent a higher platform risk profile than Fundrise, which has operated continuously since 2012, survived a significant market downturn, and maintains an A+ BBB rating.
For Willow Wealth, investor capital in individual deals is held in separate legal entities (SPVs), providing some structural protection if the operating company were to fail. This protection is partial, not absolute — administration and communication would be materially disrupted in a platform failure scenario.
Asset Class Breadth
This is where Willow Wealth maintains a genuine differentiation. For accredited investors who specifically want exposure to legal finance, art-backed lending, or private equity co-investments alongside real estate and private credit, Willow Wealth offers access that Fundrise does not. Whether the platform’s operational history warrants that exposure is a separate question each investor must weigh individually
Who This Is For
Fundrise may be a reasonable fit if:
- You are a non-accredited investor seeking private real estate or alternative asset exposure
- You want a simple, fund-based approach without evaluating individual deals
- You prefer transparent, predictable fees
- You can commit capital for 5+ years and do not require liquidity
- You want a platform with a stable operational track record
Willow Wealth may be worth evaluating if:
- You are an accredited investor who has reviewed the platform’s full history and loss record
- You want access to asset classes not available through Fundrise — legal finance, art-backed lending, private equity co-investments
- You have the capital to meet per-deal minimums and the time to evaluate individual offerings
- You understand and accept the platform risk profile as described above
Who This Is Not For
Fundrise is likely not a fit if:
- You need access to your capital within 1–2 years
- You want deal-by-deal selection across multiple asset classes
- You are an accredited investor seeking institutional-grade private equity or credit structures
Willow Wealth is likely not a fit if:
- You are a non-accredited investor (most offerings are inaccessible)
- You have not reviewed the platform’s documented loss history in full
- You want a low-fee, fund-based approach without deal-level evaluation
- You have a low tolerance for platform-level risk or capital illiquidity
Final Take
For most individual investors — particularly non-accredited investors or those new to private markets — Fundrise is the more straightforward choice. Its accessibility, fee transparency, regulatory track record, and fund-based simplicity make it a defensible entry point into private real estate exposure.
Willow Wealth occupies a different position. For accredited investors who specifically want exposure to the asset classes the platform offers, and who have reviewed the documented history carefully, it may represent a considered option. The platform continues to operate, has added institutional partners, and the structural protections around individual deal SPVs provide some investor safeguards.
The comparison, however, cannot be made without acknowledging that these two platforms carry materially different risk profiles beyond the investment returns themselves. Fundrise’s challenges in 2022–2023 reflected broad commercial real estate market conditions. Willow Wealth’s losses reflected a combination of market conditions and deal-specific failures that resulted in documented, large-scale investor losses and regulatory action.
That distinction matters, and any investor evaluating both platforms should give it appropriate weight.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, legal, or financial advice. Platform details, fees, and performance data are subject to change. Information about Willow Wealth’s loss history is drawn from public reporting including CNBC’s 2025 investigative series, SEC enforcement records, and court filings. Readers should conduct independent due diligence before making any financial decision.