Investing Through Public – a Social Network

Public – C

Public is a new way of investing, through an app that is actually a social network. You’re able to share investment information with people you meet through the app. While it might seem like an innovative idea, you can’t always trust the information going through this site. Quite often a “herd mentality” takes over if a stock does well rather than using one’s knowledge to research various investment opportunities. Because of this potential drawback, we give Public a C. 

Investing with the Public

Public.com has a very fitting name. They are known as the “Facebook” of investing, as their app’s claim to fame is a social network. You’re literally on Public while investing with the public. Their app is available for any mobile device and you can invest in various ways, including investing in ETFs and crypto.

Because Public is public, you can see what other people are investing in and share what you invest in as well. This can help new investors find stocks and crypto assets they might not have heard of or even known about prior to being on Public. The platform allows its members to create various groups to chat with each other which makes Public more of an investing community than a cold brokerage.

However, this can be dangerous as well, as stocks are bought or sold based on market trends or the rumor mill, which might not be the best financial decisions to make on the spur of the moment. Misinformation is often rampant on the platform, considering its public nature, and it is hard to weed out the good advice from the bad advice.

A Community Feel

One of the great things about Public is that you don’t need to invest to be a part of their community. If you’d like to hop on and talk to some folks first, or maybe feel out the platform as a whole to see if it works for you, you’re perfectly able to do so. It’s a “try before you buy” mindset, and you’ll be able to have a look at what other people are investing in.

While you don’t have to invest right away, you can invest right inside the platform if you so choose. What you’re purchasing are fractional shares and not a whole share, so you’ll be able to invest in various bits and pieces of certain stocks.

You might also bump into a few star celebrities within Public, as many are on the platform as well. But listening to the advice of a celebrity can be dangerous. There is some truth but also much lies within this social platform. You’ll want to take any advice you get with a grain of salt and be smart with your money. 

All in All

The concept of an investment community is a fresh one and can be quite exciting to jump in with both feet. However due to the social aspect of Public and the fact that everyone has a say, information is often wrong or misleading, which makes it somewhat dangerous to use seriously. Due to this unfortunate circumstance, Public has earned the grade of C from Financial Joy School. 

To learn more about investing, closing the racial wealth gap, and growing generational wealth for Black and brown families, please visit Financial Joy School and become a part of our financial family.