It’s been a turbulent year for retail investors. But a new app could help you pick the right stocks without hours of research — even in a market downturn.
StockPick is a new video-sharing app that delivers high-quality investing content. Through short videos (all 2 minutes or less), new and seasoned investors alike can keep up with the market, get actionable tips, and learn stock market basics from experienced investors.
Video is quickly becoming the preferred medium for learning across disciplines, and investing is no exception. But the lack of platforms dedicated to video means that retail investors — especially those new to the stock market — have been turning to platforms like YouTube and TikTok for quick market updates and stock tips. However, information on these social networks comes with risk, as no checks or verifications are applied to the content. That approach can be risky when it comes to building an investment portfolio.
Reliable insights for the modern investor
Investing should be based on a methodical approach, clear goals, and a thorough understanding of risk. Most experienced investors spend hours reading financial analyses to build and manage a balanced portfolio. If you're new to the stock market, that kind of commitment could deter you from ever getting started. StockPick’s goal is for experienced investors to share high-quality content through digestible, short-form videos, so anyone can invest with confidence.
For StockPick CEO Charles Qi, content quality is key. “Investing content on social media platforms has become a free-for-all,” says Qi. “Anyone can claim to be an expert and dispense advice online. Sometimes, content creators have sound tips to offer, but not always — and separating out the quality insights from risky ones is extremely difficult.”
Before launching StockPick, Qi worked for over a decade at CIBC Capital Markets, a top Canadian investment bank, where he oversaw $1 billion CAD in institutional assets. Throughout his career in the financial sector, the lack of accessible information for everyday investors was too big to ignore.
"Across North America, household debt is increasing, while savings are declining and home ownership is becoming out of reach," says Qi. "The stock market can be a great way to grow money over time. My goal is to provide retail investors reliable and accessible information so they can be successful in building wealth.”
Helping investors break through the noise
In recent years, mobile platforms have led to an explosion in retail trading volume: during the first half of 2022, $1.3 billion flowed into the stock market every day from retail investors alone. But so far, access to high-quality investing insights hasn’t kept pace. Most in-depth investment analyses are behind expensive paywalls or in the form of long-form articles, which is prohibitive for many retail investors.
One of StockPick’s main differentiators is that the content is entirely short video-based, so anyone can watch and learn on their mobile device. Via the StockPick app, investors of all experience levels can find trustworthy content from experienced creators, who share financial insights in bite-sized videos.
Qi’s goal is to democratize investing education by making it easy to understand and free. For this reason, StockPick’s content is created by experienced investors who share their insights through digestible, jargon-free videos. Users can personalize an AI-driven content feed based on knowledge level and interests, so they’re served the videos they want to watch. The app also has a unique focus on transparency. Every creator has a public profile with their investing experience, professional credentials, and a short bio, and each video shows whether a creator has a position in the stock or cryptocurrency they’re discussing.
For Charles, this upfront visibility is critical for helping users build an investment portfolio and grow their knowledge from reliable sources. And the creators on the platform are excited to have a forum where they can freely discuss their ideas. “When we talk to our creators about why they’re on StockPick, there’s an overwhelming desire to share their knowledge with the public. They want to help others make informed investing decisions and be successful in the stock market,” Qi says.
Today’s modern investor — no matter their experience level — is looking for a way to gather information and learn strategies that is accessible and, ultimately, sticks with them. Qi is hopeful that StockPick will meet the moment and offer accessible content that informs and connects like-minded investors.
“Many people are intimidated by the idea of investing, and while there are certainly resources out there, they aren’t the most accessible,” Qi told Medium. “By diversifying the mediums in which this investing content is made available to audiences, we can hopefully inspire younger people to achieve financial literacy.”
