Hi Everyone and Welcome Back!

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring fintech educator, investor, and financial literacy advocate, Dara Albright.  Dara is a Board Member of Worthy, a fintech company providing unique fixed-income products for retail investors.  She’s also a newsletter author, podcaster, and frequent media contributor.   

Ready to dive in? Listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and YouTube or on your favorite podcast platform.

I wanted to have Dara on the show to learn more about Worthy’s innovative fixed-income product and to highlight her important work around improving financial literacy and leveling the playing field in the investment business.  

Tune in to this important episode to learn: 

• How Worthy managed to sell almost $250M in Worthy Bonds yielding 7% and priced in $10 increments

• How Worthy’s innovative “roundup” feature is helping investors save and invest more

• Why the current regulatory framework for investment disadvantages a large number of Americans

• Ideas for how we might create a fairer playing field for investors and entrepreneurs 

  &

• Much, much more

Stay tuned to the end to learn how working in high finance exposed Dara to the unfairness and inequity in our financial system and sent her on a mission to innovate, advocate, and fight for a fairer world.  Dara also shares how she uses stoicism as a framework for personal growth navigating difficult situations.  

As always, I hope you all enjoy this episode.  Thanks for tuning in!      

Love this episode? Please rate, subscribe, and review on your favorite podcast platform to help more users find our show. 🙏 Thank you

Summary
Worthy Bonds is a company that enables small investors to have access to alternative, higher yielding assets. They invest in real estate projects and offer retail investors the opportunity to participate in these investments through their Reg A+ qualified worthy bonds. The bonds yield 7% and investors can start with as little as $10. Worthy also offers a roundup feature where users can automatically invest their spare change in worthy bonds. The company has raised over $250 million in bond sales and aims to democratize access to capital for small investors. In this conversation, Nick Halaris and Dara Albright discuss the flaws in the current financial system and the need for reform. They highlight the lack of consequences for banks during the financial crisis and the excessive enforcement by the SEC, which often targets companies for issuing unregistered securities without clear guidelines. They also discuss the accredited investor rule and its impact on access to capital, particularly for minority groups. They emphasize the importance of financial literacy and the potential of stoicism in navigating crises.

Keywords
Worthy Bonds, alternative assets, real estate, retail investors, Reg A+, 7% yield, roundup feature, democratizing access to capital, financial system, reform, consequences, banks, financial crisis, SEC, enforcement, unregistered securities, accredited investor rule, access to capital, financial literacy, stoicism

Takeaways
Worthy Bonds enables small investors to access higher yielding alternative assets.
Investors can participate in real estate projects through Reg A+ qualified worthy bonds.
Worthy offers a roundup feature where users can invest their spare change in worthy bonds.
The company has raised over $250 million in bond sales and aims to democratize access to capital for small investors. There were no consequences for banks during the financial crisis, leading to anger and a sense of unfairness.
The SEC's enforcement division often targets companies for issuing unregistered securities without clear guidelines on what constitutes a security.
The accredited investor rule restricts access to capital, particularly for minority groups, and should be reformed or eliminated.
Financial literacy is crucial in empowering individuals to make informed investment decisions.
Stoicism can provide a valuable framework for navigating crises and finding resilience.

Titles
Worthy Bonds: Empowering Small Investors
Investing in Real Estate through Worthy Bonds The Importance of Financial Literacy
Stoicism: A Framework for Navigating Crises

Sound Bites
"Worthy fits into kind of the alternative asset universe."
"Worthy has created a mechanism, if you will, of enabling small retail investors to participate in those type of investments."
"It's a very painless, easy and fun way for retail investors to save and to build wealth with what my husband calls couch cushion money."
"Is this an unfair world? Is there no consequence for these activities?"
"The SEC's biggest division is enforcement."
"The SEC goes after companies for issuing unregistered securities without clear guidelines."

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Worthy Bonds
02:48 The Reg A+ Qualified Worthy Bonds
03:45 The Roundup Feature
04:43 Success and Growth of Worthy Bonds
05:14 The Liquidity Feature of Worthy Bonds
08:06 Democratizing Access to Capital
29:45 Flaws in the Financial System and the Need for Reform
30:14 Lack of Consequences for Banks and Excessive Enforcement by the SEC
31:41 The Impact of the Accredited Investor Rule on Access to Capital
48:39 The Importance of Financial Literacy

50:32 Stoicism: A Framework for Navigating Crises