Millennials – the first generation in history with true financial freedom

Every generation faces its own unique challenges. Millennials face new challenges of job insecurity, automation and an ever-changing global jobs market. But unlike previous generations, they have a historic ability to reach into their pockets, pull out a device and take personal control of every aspect of their finances.

It isn’t just current accounts, savings and investments that can be managed on a smartphone. Thanks to the emergence of the in-app trading platform, absolutely anybody who wants to secure an exciting financial future can buy and sell shares: whenever, wherever and however they want. These platforms have completely demystified the world of share trading and made it not only accessible but understandable – offering free online training through ‘knowledge hubs.’

For millennials used to living their lives seamlessly across multiple platforms, trading platforms are now accessible on multiple devices and major browsers, with 24/7 uptime and support. The provision of real-time help is important for millennials – it makes share trading friendly, simple, easy to use and hassle-free. As digital natives, this is a generation that expects answers instantly and in real-time: and that is the key to successful trading.

The opportunity is huge. So much so that the global online trading platform market is projected to reach $17.4 billion by 2025. It is a vast market with enormous potential that is there for the taking for business savvy, news-aware traders who take interest in what is happening in the world.

Credibility
With the democratisation of trading comes the question of credibility – are trading platforms as professional, transparent and responsive as a brokerage? And can your average millennial really be as good a trader as a ‘professional’?

The answer to the first question is that it depends which platform you choose. The dynamic nature of the world of trading requires constant live updates, instant accessibility, around the clock support and free access to financial markets worldwide – these are crucial for all traders whatever their level of experience. Your chosen trading app must do all of this. Additionally, just as you would expect from any great app, there must be an immersive experience that is constantly evolving and adapting to new technology.

When it comes to how good a trader can be, the answer lies in learning. It is important to choose a trading platform that allows communication through easy-to-use forums, so that users can read, share and voice their opinions – a forum that builds a community of traders.

Education is vital throughout the entire trading journey, and it is therefore useful to choose an app that provides educational content with constant customer support – so that users can be guided to become better traders at any time of the day or night. Your chosen app should provide free and premium explainer videos, training courses and FAQs for beginners and experienced traders alike. These value-add services are unique to digital trading platforms – they are designed to share expertise and build skills, and impart the knowledge that traditional brokers do not want their clients to have.

Getting started
For every trader, whether novice or experienced, the onboarding process is critical. Platforms such as ours at 4T will walk a new trader through the entire process from sign-up to testing the waters, making sure that every new trader is informed and at ease. That also means openly addressing any misconceptions and concerns – is it too complex, fast-paced and confusing? Will I lose control of my money? How can I get my money if I change my mind?

Traders therefore must be confident that whatever trading platform they choose will happily show them the long-term picture and teach them how to trade responsibly. It is critically important for new traders to be shown how to build a more secure future by making properly risk-balanced decisions.

That is how old-school traders learnt how to become successful – with the only difference being that in today’s generation, anybody can do it if they want to. The key to unlocking that exciting financial future is just a few swipes away.

Hamzeh Ajjour is the CEO of 4T