Small investors, using digital trading apps and the Reddit board r/WallStreetBets, have disrupted the stock market and revealed their potential power to destabilize the financial industry. Meanwhile, public reaction has emphasized ongoing distrust and dislike for the financial elite.

Rising unemployment and ample time to spare led to a surge in stock trading among Gen Yers and older Gen Zers in 2020. Yet while the likes of Robinhood, Stash, and E*Trade have made it easy to participate in this once-opaque market, could simplified investing apps do more harm than good?

Have frictionless payments gone too far? Are women finally set to get targeted financial advice? And will investments’ eco-credentials trump potential returns? In this part of the 2021 Expert Outlook, we speak to three experts about how people are redefining their relationships with money.

Gen Yers and Zers are turning to payment services like Klarna, Afterpay, and Laybuy to help their wallets keep up with their shopping habits. But due to a lack of education regarding financial responsibility, how are these ‘buy now, pay later’ services impacting their financial futures?