Yahoo Finance’s largest ever virtual event, “All Markets Summit: The Path Forward,” takes place from October 25 – 26. Cynopsis caught up with Joanna Lambert, President and GM, Yahoo, to talk about the summit, the rewards of educating people about finance – and maybe get a little financial advice.
At a time when many people distrust the media, how can you overcome that distrust when offering people information about the financial market?
Our mission at Yahoo is to be a source for trusted content and information and during a time when there is so much distrust, our role is more important now than ever.
Yahoo Finance has been focused on connecting with audiences from different backgrounds across the globe, and providing them with informative and trusted content on the issues that really matter to them. Consumers can find trusted resources through Yahoo Finance to gain financial literacy on a variety of topics and arm themselves with knowledge to help make smart investment decisions. We believe strongly in adapting our content to meet our readers wherever they are, so that we can ensure we are not only top of mind, but also ensuring we continue to reach a wide variety of users. We are confident in our content, regardless of platform, because it is rooted in facts. We have focused on building a team of top financial reporters who are dedicated to reporting the latest breaking financial news along with providing analysis and insight. Yahoo is also one of the top curated, premium content aggregators in the world, which provides an opportunity for our consumers to have a diverse set of perspectives in addition to our original reporting.
I think the caliber of Yahoo Finance’s guests at the All Markets Summit: The Path Forward next week highlights the trust people have in our content and the reputation that Yahoo Finance has. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler, Citi CEO Jane Fraser, and Bank of America CEO, Brian Moynihan are all taking part in the event.
We believe that we can make the world a better place by connecting people from all backgrounds and cultures to insights, education and tools that democratize financial services. Our results have proven our strategy is working. We’ve seen significant growth in both female and Gen Z audiences – +43% growth in Gen Z audiences, +28% in our female audiences, and we are now the most visited financial news platform for 18-24 year olds. Our job is to deliver trusted news. That’s been our brand and mission since the beginning. The way we consume content has changed, but the desire for trusted content has not.
How important do you think it is for people to understand the crypto market?
The cryptocurrency market is worth over $2 trillion and has grown exponentially over the past few years. While that may seem small in the overall global financial market, it is still rapidly growing. Just this week, the first bitcoin-linked, exchange-traded fund launched, meaning that the most widely traded cryptocurrency is now available to most investors with a brokerage account. Crypto is very much going to be part of our future, and I would certainly encourage consumers to begin to educate themselves on the market and terminology.
Cryptocurrency is actually one of the biggest upticks Yahoo Finance has seen this year. Given the growing interest around investing in Cryptocurrency, we have been focused on providing information and facts to help both those who are new to the Crypto market and those who already have a deeper understanding. We are also building out our coverage of the space with 101’s for consumers as well as dedicated programming on the topic.
Primarily, it is important to really understand what you’re investing in and do your research. Too many fall victim to making impulse investments after seeing a 30 second speculative clip on social media or following fast trends. Our guidance at Yahoo Finance would be to invest in reputable companies, seek expert and professional advice, and most importantly, do your research first on trading apps to ensure that they are verified and can offer support when you need it.
If you could give someone one piece of financial advice what would it be?
I truly believe it is never too early to start budgeting and saving money, and investing in your future. I think some individuals have the impression that saving and investing needs to require a large amount of funds in order to get started, when in reality there is a scale that welcomes all types of investors on all different levels. There is so much information out there to help you make smart financial decisions. That is something we have been really focused on with Yahoo Finance. If you are thinking about starting to invest your money, there are great resources, like this great article on Yahoo Finance that highlights the top tips on how to enter into the market.
We are really excited to present Yahoo Finance’s largest ever virtual event, “All Markets Summit: The Path Forward ” next week across two days from October 25 – 26. The All Markets Summit is Yahoo Finance’s flagship event series, and open for all to watch. Consumers will gain great insight from leaders in business, finance, healthcare and more. Our goal in hosting this summit has always been to drive important conversations to continue to deliver trusted information on the issues that matter most to our audience.