Accessible, Affordable, and Active Investing

with guest Clay Gardner #MakingBank S6E8

You don’t have to be a billionaire to invest like one. 

On this episode of the Making Bank Podcast, Clay Gardner chats about his investing app, Titan. With either $100 or $1M, Titan makes investing accessible, affordable, and active. Clay tells us how he went from a small team to landing investors like Kevin Durant in just six months. Hear about his challenges, advice, and more in the episode. 

Listen to Josh and Clay discuss active investing:

What is Titan?  (2:16)

Titan is a mobile app that allows users to have their money managed by experts. In just three years, Titan has grown to over 30,000 clients, with half a billion dollars managed today. Unlike traditional management, users of Titan don’t need to own millions of dollars to have their money smartly invested. All they need is a smart phone. 

Where the money is invested (3:48)

After downloading the app, users can send anywhere from $100 to $1M to their money manager. The money manager will provide a plethora of videos explaining where your money is going, what it’s doing, and how it’s growing. Clients can choose who involved they want to be, and how much risk they want to take. 

Titan vs. Hedge funds (6:16)

While Titan may appear like hedge fund on the surface, it differs in key areas. Whereas hedge funds pool investors’ money all together, Titan tracks investors’ fractional shares. $100 may not be enough to by a full share. However, with Titan it can grant you part of a share, which gives you different advantages. 

The Client’s Choice (7:33)

After filling out a survey, users are presented with a recommended plan and choice of stocks. Ultimately, you can choose whatever stocks, profile and timeline you like, but Titan is always there for guidance. You can choose and change how risky you want to be in your investments, with Titan offering suggestions to match. 

Clay’s Background (9:28)

After attending the Wharton School, Clay and his co-founder first went into traditional money managing. While gaining practical knowledge in banking, private equity, and hedge funds, Clay and his co-founder realized that many intelligent people were terrified of investing. The pair found that even some of the wealthiest people were hesitant to invest, and they wanted to tackle this problem right away. They believed that investing should be affordable, accessible and active. Titan has been able to tap into the large pool of Americans who want to invest but are hesitant to do so all by themselves. 

Three Challenges and Advice (12:18)

Clay found that when starting out, he faced three challenges: money, tradition, and focus. The first and most obvious is he had to muster up finances to start Titan. Next, he had to tackle the idea that active investing is just as desirable as passive. He advises listeners to find those that truly believe in the idea and find support in those communities. Lastly, Clay’s challenge was deciding where to focus. Due to budget, Clay was forced to pick and choose his focus, which ultimately helped him perform very well at a few tasks.  

One of the pieces of advice that Clay has been drawn to lately is that when starting a company, make sure you do every role once. No matter the role, participate in your company from all aspects to get a better understanding of how each part fits into the whole. 

Success is Slow, Then Sudden (17:07)

While it took Clay and his team awhile to set up, launch, and grow, he discusses the sudden changes during Covid. Within six months, his team went from 7 people to 30. They hit their stride during the pandemic, especially with investors like Will Smith, Kevin Durant, and more – and haven’t looked back since.

Move Faster (21:56)

In looking back at his experience, Clay says the number one thing he would’ve done differently is move faster. Although Titan is only 3 years old, Clay believes that as there is so much more information out there, build your company as fast and as well as you can. An hour is still an hour to everyone, but make sure to use it wisely.  

At the end of the day, no one remembers your failures. So, Clay encourages everyone to try hard, fail fast, and move on to the next adventure. 

Links mentioned:

Making Bank – Website

Titan