Charlie’s Post

If you haven’t already, check out the launch of SpeedBump in Fast Company!

Today, Charlie launched SpeedBump, a pioneering new way to protect older Americans from financial fraud. You can read about the news in Fast Company. This is the latest step in our mission to help older Americans get the most out of their money and keep it safe. Through a proprietary combination of pauses, alerts, and real-time education, SpeedBump ensures customers are maximally aware of the latest information about fraud so they are empowered to protect their money during the moments they are most at risk. AI has unleashed a disturbing new wave of financial fraud and scams on this population, leaving them more vulnerable than ever. However, research shows that when people are aware of a specific scam, they are 80% less likely to engage with it, and if they do engage, they are 40% less likely to lose money or sensitive information. SpeedBump ensures customers are educated in real-time about their money’s movements and able to make informed decisions when it matters most. With tens of billions stolen from older Americans every year and fraudsters becoming more sophisticated, we believe it is our responsibility to build impactful technology to protect our customers. Check out today’s story in Fast Company or head to Charlie.com to learn more!

Charlie co-founder and CEO Kevin Nazemi recently spoke at #EMERGE Financial Health 2024. Along with Rhian Horgan and Vikas Raj, he discussed the market opportunity to serve older Americans with fintech, ways to overcome barriers to adoption, and how to spur investment and innovation that caters to this population. #EMERGE2024

Charlie co-founder and CEO Kevin Nazemi will be speaking at #EMERGE Financial Health 2024 this Thursday, June 6. He’ll join the panel discussion, “Can Fintech Support Financial Health for Older Adults?” Hosted by Financial Health Network, this year’s special EMERGE event will bring together hundreds of leaders in Chicago June 5-7 to celebrate 20 years of #financialhealth.

Charlie is pleased to be included in the Financial Health Network and The SCAN Foundation's report, "Assessing the Fintech Market Against Age-Inclusive Standards." Please check it out!

Today is Charlie's birthday! One year ago, Charlie launched across all 50 states to help older Americans get the most out of their money and keep it safe. We believe this population has worked too hard and faces too many unique financial challenges to not have a financial services solution custom-built for them. Thank you to the entire Charlie team for their hard work, and to our investors, partners, supporters, and, of course, our customers, for everything you've contributed to this amazing first year!

We are thrilled that Charlie has been chosen as the “Best Retirement Planning Solution” by the 2024 FinTech Breakthrough Awards! Retirees have long been underserved by the financial services industry and face too many unique financial challenges to not have a solution custom-built for them. We are proud to be building the place for older Americans to get the most out of their money and keep it safe. Thank you to the FinTech Breakthrough Awards for recognizing Charlie’s efforts to give older Americans the financial peace of mind they deserve! The winners can be seen here: https://lnkd.in/eBRU6rc7

Charlie is excited to share research that we recently commissioned with our partners at Cornerstone Advisors: Aging and Banking: Unique Needs and Challenges of Aging Individuals and Their Loved Ones. The research dives into a subject that Charlie knows all too well: the unique financial vulnerabilities and needs of older Americans. This report explores the financial realities of seniors, from the constant threat of fraud to the lack of protection from traditional financial institutions. It also dives into how little adult children know about their parents’ financial health and the important role they can play in helping them get the most out of their money and keeping it safe. Older Americans have been underserved by the banking industry for far too long and face too many financial challenges to not have a solution custom-built for them: shifting from accumulating to deaccumulating assets, a constant assault from fraudsters, a lack of transparency and trust in the banking industry, and few options to make the most of their limited resources. This research shows that the financial services industry has a long way to go to give 62+ Americans the tools they need to be finally secure. We are proud to be leading the way in giving older Americans Charlie the financial peace of mind they deserve. The report can be found on Cornerstone Advisors's website and below.

We are thrilled to announce the launch of Charlie FraudShield (https://lnkd.in/gKaTAnG3), a comprehensive, personalized suite of fraud protection tools built exclusively for the unique needs of 62+ Americans. And FraudShield is entirely free of charge for all Charlie customers! Far too many older Americans are devastated by financial fraud in the United States, with over $28 billion stolen from them every single year. Charlie has built anti-fraud tools that will protect the 62+ community like never before. We’ve tapped into older Americans’ static habits, patterns, and preferences to design something truly groundbreaking in the fight against financial fraud. Here are a few of the tools FraudShield offers: Online Limits: Don’t shop online? No problem. We can block all online transactions. Only shop at Amazon or Walmart? That’s fine too; Charlie will block all other online merchants. Sleep Mode: The Charlie card can simply go to sleep when customers are not using it. We won’t let any unexpected card transactions through when their card is sleeping. Fraud Alerts Co-Pilot:  Customers can add a trusted family member as a second set of eyes to receive important alerts (e.g. change of address, or a payee being added to bill pay).  Co-Pilots will not have access to account information or transaction details, and will not be able to spend any funds. Upload a Personal Security Photo: Customers can protect their accounts by uploading a photo, perhaps of a grandchild or pet, and they'll see that photo every time they log into Charlie.com. If the photo they uploaded is not there, they can call us right away, as they are likely not on Charlie. International Limits: Charlie keeps out international transactions by default, recognizing that only 2% of legitimate transactions are international for the average American 62+er. But we’ll turn them back on when customers tell us they’re traveling abroad. Spend Limits: Customers can set a maximum daily amount for card and ATM withdrawals, with confidence that only they can exceed those limits. Is This Fraud? Customers can forward any suspicious-looking email to Charlie, and have a real human provide feedback in less than 24 hours. We’ll also offer pointers on how to spot fraudsters in the future. And this is just a snapshot! Please head to Charlie.com to see the full suite of tools and understand how FraudShield is the first line of defense in the fight against fraud. Congratulations to the entire Charlie team for their amazing work on FraudShield! You can also learn more about our new announcement in the Business Wire article here (https://lnkd.in/gp3pHHGa) and the video in the comments!