The research
The numbers describe a generation, not a niche.
StarryTrader is built on peer-reviewed research about how Gen Z learns, invests, and feels about money. Every design decision traces back to a citation.
Published research
The work behind the platform.
Original research and field notes on how Gen Z learns about money, why most financial education fails, and what actually moves the needle. Published under the StarryTrader brand.
Gen Z, Attention, and Financial App Engagement
Synthesises peer-reviewed research and industry data on Gen Z's attention patterns, digital engagement behaviours, and attitudes toward financial education. Findings are mapped directly to product decisions for StarryTrader.
Read the pieceInvestor Challenges Across All Stages
A research and brand strategy document on the challenges investors face at the beginner, intermediate, and advanced stages of their financial journey, and what those findings mean for StarryTrader's product and brand.
Have research to share or want to collaborate?
team@starrytrader.comof Gen Z feel financially stressed three or more days a week.
Source: Motley Fool, 2024
lost money in their first year of investing.
Source: FINRA Foundation, 2022
basic financial literacy among U.S. adults, stagnant since 2017.
Source: TIAA Institute, 2024
Across every stage of investor
One product, three audiences.
The fears change with experience. The need for plain language and honest feedback does not.
Beginner
The shame barrier.
65% of low-to-moderate-income students cite fear of loss as their primary investing barrier. Most beginner content treats them as people who need to be sold a product. We treat them as learners.
Commonwealth, 2024
Intermediate
The hype cycle.
79% of Gen Z and Millennials turn to social media for financial advice. 50% began investing due to FOMO. Real-time context, in plain English, gives them an alternative to the loudest voice in the timeline.
CFA Institute, 2023; PYMNTS, 2024
Advanced
Cognitive bias does not retire.
Cognitive biases do not diminish with experience. Advanced investors develop sophisticated rationalisations for irrational decisions. Skill-building requires friction-aware practice, not more content.
Thaler and Sunstein, 2008
Find out what kind of investor you tend to be.
A short bias quiz. Three quick questions. We tell you which cognitive bias is most likely to bite you, and which capabilities in StarryTrader help you spot it next time.
Coming soon.
Academic sources
Read the underlying research.
- Commonwealth (2024). Accumulating Wealth Among Low-and-Moderate-Income Households.
- CFA Institute (2023). Gen Z and Investing: Social Media, Crypto, FOMO, and Family.
- PYMNTS (2024). Generation Z and Investing: How Young Adults Are Building Wealth.
- FINRA Investor Education Foundation (2022). National Financial Capability Study.
- Motley Fool (2024). Gen Z Money Stress Survey.
- TIAA Institute (2024). Personal Finance Index.
- Thaler, R. and Sunstein, C. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness.
Three ways to be part of this.
For learners.
Start where you are. We’ve got the rest.
For institutions.
Help us reach more young people.
Press inquiries: team@starrytrader.com