Capital markets are a primary wealth-building pathway for individuals in the United States. Today, there is an unprecedented opportunity to fundamentally shift and expand capital market investing by inspiring the professional asset management community to make the experience more inclusive. 

The new research brief “Transforming Investor Identity” contains early insights from a groundbreaking national pilot project in which more than 800 first-time investors—primarily women of color—received seed funding to begin investing and participated in surveys related to understanding their sense of belonging as an investor. This is the first brief from a year-long project, with support from the Nasdaq Foundation’s New Investor Initiative and in partnership with leading investing platforms Ellevest, Public, and Stash.

The insights that emerge from this innovative research will provide the evidence and tools that providers and platforms need to drive these shifts and meet the needs, wants, and aspirations of people earning low and moderate incomes, especially Black and Latinx women.