Stash is making investing accessible to everyone. The platform and app was started in 2015 and since then has grown to more than 1.2 million accounts and over 2.5 million content subscribers.
Brandon Krieg is the CEO and co-founder of Stash. He explains that Stash is not only about investing, it is also a learning platform. Stash opens up conversations between friends and family about investing and what to be looking for. Krieg says he is really proud of his customers.
The minimum investment in Stash is only $5, opening the door for all types of investors. In fact, over 80% of Stash customers are first-time investors.
When it comes to crypto, Krieg says they are waiting and watching. Krieg wants to get a sense of what regulators do and say. That being said, Stash customers are asking to invest in crypto. Krieg reveals that Stash will likely roll out a product sometime later this year.
A new study from a Russian university finds that LEGO sets can be a lucrative investment, rising in value by 11 percent every year, a faster and better rate of return than gold, stocks, bonds, and wine. Victoria Dobrynskaya, associate professor of finance at Higher School of Economics University and author of the research, joined Cheddar to discuss the findings. "In general, most sets tend to appreciate after they're retired, after you cannot find them in LEGO stores," she said. "They tend to appreciate on the secondary market after a couple of years."
Stocks closed lower to end the day Thursday, the second to last trading day of 2021. The Dow snapped a six-day winning streak, and the S&P 500 was weighed down by chip and energy stocks. This all comes as weekly jobless claims fell to a 52-year low to 198,000. Kevin Riley, Managing Partner at Exponential Investment Partners, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss today's close, his 2022 market predictions, the state of business in China, and more.
Daniel Newman, Founding Partner and Principal Analyst at Futurum Research, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says the markets are going to feel very uncomfortable receiving news of more potential setbacks for chip manufacturers after already enduring a lengthy chip shortage.
The federal government and numerous industries have been preparing for a greener future, setting goals to reduce greenhouse emissions by switching to electric vehicles. But the next hurdle to clear is convincing the wider public to get on board. Arun Kumar, managing director in automotive practice at AlixPartners, spoke to Cheddar's Ken Buffa about consumer trends related to EV transition and said he believes a widespread switch is imminent in 2022. Despite this, he acknowledged there are still significant obstacles to overcome, including high prices and more charging stations. "Without charging infrastructure, people are going to struggle with increasing adoption of electric vehicles in the future," Kumar told Cheddar. "I think by 2030 our estimate is that about a million chargers need to be put in place nationally in the U.S."
The pandemic has supercharged the creator economy, and there are no signs of it slowing down no matter when the pandemic officially ends. Creators prove to be a key factor in driving purchasing decisions and retail sales, and an increasing amount of platforms are taking advantage of the social influence. Karissa Bell, senior editor at Engadget, joins cheddar news to discuss the creator economy boom.
