Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Financial Empowerment

Breaking down the barriers that stand between people and financial empowerment is what we’re all about at Robinhood. And there’s no better time to learn about the opportunities to create a more inclusive financial system than during Financial Literacy Month. Here’s a recap of some of the top lessons from a conversation our Chief Marketing Officer Christina Smedley had with Columbia University’s Ameera Amir this month.

Normalize Not Knowing Fear of getting started is often the first obstacle to financial empowerment, Ameera says. And that’s perfectly normal. Most of us don’t know how to get started in planning our financial future — and that’s ok. It’s never too late to take the first step on our financial journeys. At Robinhood, we build products to help people take small steps in becoming more confident in their financial situation. Tools like Investing 101, which has quick courses on the basics of investing, or fractional shares, which empower people to invest in certain stocks and ETFs with as little as $1, make it possible to invest no matter your experience or income level. Education Empowers Us All Word of mouth is one of the most powerful ways for us to learn. From social media to conversations with family and friends, we lean on the trusted people around us. That is why when you open an account with Robinhood through a referral both you and your referrer get free stock. We want to help demystify the stock market, and hope that our free stock feature can help make your first trade a bit less scary. Education is the foundation of financial empowerment. We believe access to the financial system means having access to information and resources so you can learn and grow. With podcasts like Robinhood Snacks, we try to break things down into bite size chunks that are easy to understand. Additionally, Robinhood Learn offers hundreds of articles on financial terms, concepts, and timely market trends to empower you as an informed investor. It’s Never Too Late To Start The stock market is an engine for economic growth that everyone should feel empowered to participate in. But Ameera found through her grassroots financial education work that women have felt excluded because of financial barriers. Ameera has worked to break down these barriers for women in her local community through financial education and confidence building. Her grassroots efforts encourage people to invest long term, secure their future and fulfill their dreams. She elevates the voices of phenomenal-women-turned-money-coaches who are paving the path for financial empowerment for millions. Like Ameera, we aim to provide simple, digestible education tools to give you the ability to move at your own pace and build power in participation as an investor. Fractional shares are illiquid outside of Robinhood and are not transferable. Not all securities available through Robinhood are eligible for fractional share orders. For a complete explanation of conditions, restrictions and limitations associated with fractional shares, see our Customer Agreement related to fractional shares. All investments involve risks.