August 27, 2021
1. Do you have one or more online trading or investment accounts?
Yes, I have one or more accounts that I access online, either using a computer or a mobile app but I also access the account(s) in other ways (e.g., by calling or visiting in person).
2. If your response to Question 1 is Yes, do you think you would trade or invest if you could not do so online using a computer or using a mobile app?
Yes
3. On average, how often do you access your online account?
Daily/more than once a day
4. On average, how often are trades made in your online account, whether by you or someone else?
Once to a few times a week.
5. If you access your account online, did you have the account first, and only began to access it electronically later? Or did you open the account with the idea that you would access it electronically immediately?
I had a pre-existing account and downloaded an app or visited a website to access my account
6. My goals for trading or investing in my online account are (check all that apply):
Keep the amount of money I have, while keeping up with inflation
Save and grow my money for short-term goals (in the next year or two)
Save and grow my money for medium- to long-term goals
Other
If Other, Explain:
Begin family investment business
7. What would you like us to know about your experience with the features of your online trading or investment platform? (Examples of features are: social networking tools games, streaks, or contests with prizes points, badges, and leaderboards notifications celebrations for trading visual cues, like changing colors ideas presented at order placement or other curated lists or features subscription and membership tiers or chatbots.)
Social networking tools, games, subs and memberships, curated stock picks, notifications
8. If you were trading or investing prior to using an online account, how have your investing and trading behaviors changed since you started using your online account? (For example, the amount of money you have invested, your interest in learning about investing and saving for retirement, the amount of time you have spent trading, your knowledge of financial products, the number of trades you have made, the amount of money you have made in trading, your knowledge of the markets, the number of different types of financial products you have traded, or your use of margin.)
I started half a decade ago following value investing practices. However, apps like Robinhood, that I used for a short time got me into daytrading and speculation more frequently. I ended up stopping using these apps because they took up so much time with little gain. I spent more time longterm trading based off of proper market factors and evaluation. There's a big concern to me, especially as a professional game designer, as to how gamification in life impacting subjects can have negative impact on society, culture and personal finances. I have friends who got into technical trading and day trading due to these apps, who talk more like gamblers than actual investors. It sets a very poor precedent for this industry and behavior.
9. How much experience do you have trading or investing in the following products (None, 12 months, 1-2 years, 2-5 years, 5+ years):
Stocks : 5+ Years
Bonds : 2-5 Years
Options : 5+ Years
Mutual Funds : 5+ Years
ETFs : 5+ Years
Futures : 2-5 Years
Cryptocurrencies : 1-2 Years
Commodities : 1-2 Years
ClosedEnd Funds : 1-2 Years
Money Market Funds : None
Variable Insurance Products : None
Business Development Companies : 1-2 Years
Unit Investment Trusts : 2-5 Years
10. What is your understanding, if any, of the circumstances under which trading or investing in your account can be suspended or restricted?
If there's too much suspicious activity such as unreasonable amount of orders being made, obscene manipulation of markets via trading. Hitting certain financial restrictions such as margin calls,, etc... However it feels like it takes a lot to get suspended or restricted.
11. What else would you like us to know positive or negative - about your experience with online trading and investing?
Regulation on the display of marketing and advertisement needs to step up, along with how speculation is pushed out to people. The rise of meme stocks is a perfect example of the negative precedent being set, and it must be clamped down on. I'll give a game design example called power creep mechanics. This is a common technique used in my industry that basically allows players to stack power and strength onto their accounts over time. It also means content in a game has to keep going up to catch up with player expectations. In the end, it causes the game and designers to have to constantly introduce \"more power\" in order to satisfy customers. The same will happen here, more money, more speculation, more risk because online trading has established a dependency on users that they now need to fill for them to stay. It will cause these companies to take more risks, push more products and it become a vicious and dangerous cycle. A game can reset with a bit of Lost retention and angry players, but a financial reset means lives and money lost, which is far far worse.