As we approach our next Masterclass, speakers Victor Trokoudes, CEO and co-founder, Plum and Rajan Lakhani, Money Expert, Plum explain how the majority of investors have been quietly changing their investment styles and what this means for investment platforms. They also highlight the importance of a fresh perspective and value of using spokespeople that better reflect a broader range of investors and potential investors.

Can you give a quick overview of what your Masterclass will cover?

The Masterclass will cover the rise of retail investing, the debate between passive and active investing, growth of investment platforms and what the future might look like.

What are the challenges surrounding retail investment you would like journalists to help their readers understand? How will you be discussing this at the Masterclass?

Retail investing grew significantly during the pandemic. People with more time and savings put their money to work in the markets, many of whom saw higher returns in a low interest rate environment. Now things are changing as we shift to higher interest rates to combat inflation so we want to showcase how investors are responding and what that might mean for investment platforms. And we want readers to understand the importance of a longer-term approach to investing. It’s about stock investing, not trading.

Any general tips for money writers covering investments?

The investment world can appear pretty opaque and intimidating for people who are new to it. But it’s actually more accessible compared to first impressions.

A tip would be to try investing yourself in a small way to test how an investment platform works, if you have spare money available. A simple start is to invest a few pounds in a company you’re very familiar with or to track a particular market, such as the FTSE.

Capital at risk

What would you like to change about how journalists cover retail investment?

It would be amazing if they could use a broader range of spokespeople.

There are some established players who’ve been relied on. But  with the arrival of fintechs such as Plum, there’s an opportunity to use a fresh perspective, discover new insights, and diversify the commentary, finding voices that better reflect the broader range of investors and potential investors who recently started investing. 

Tell us about the big stories in investment / around investment platforms in the past few months. Could these be rolling stories?

There have been so many major stories with investing.

The Twitter saga with Elon Musk and the Bed, Bath and Beyond student millionaire have been two of the biggest.

But beyond these headline stories, the majority of investors have been quietly changing their investment styles and we want to shine a light on the trends that we’re seeing.

Finally, why is it important for journalists to have access to initiatives such as Headlinemoney Masterclasses?

Masterclass is a fantastic initiative. It gives both companies and journalists a space to engage and provide some additional insight which can be very difficult to deliver over a coffee. It’s really exciting that we can do the Masterclass in person as well, to help build contacts and relationships that could be valuable for years.

Victor Trokoudes, CEO and co-founder, Plum and Rajan Lakhani, Money Expert, Plum will be speaking at the upcoming Headlinemoney Masterclass on 19 October 2022, along with three other industry experts giving succinct overviews of their sectors for financial journalists. Find out more and book a place.

10 October 2022