Born in New York City’s east village, Noah Kerner got involved with Acorns two months after launch as an adviser, investor, board director and then CEO. His background is colorful: 3X entrepreneur, Co-author of "Chasing Cool” with the former CEO of Barneys, and former DJ for Jennifer Lopez...all before 30. Noah built the leading millennial creative agency, Noise. Before being acquired by Engine, Noise developed hundreds of products and marketing campaigns for this generation including Facebook’s first application, the first credit card to reward responsibility rather than spending for Chase, Vice's music site Noisey, and the top branded game in the App Store. Noah was featured as a "Top 30 Under 30" in Billboard Magazine, a Fast Company "Innovation Agent," and one of AdWeek's "Top 20 under 40." He also advises and invests in a variety of fast-growing startups, including WeWork, where he served as the first Chief Strategy & Marketing Officer. Passionate about educating today’s youth, Noah has lectured on entrepreneurialism and media at NYU, UCLA, Stanford, and Columbia and currently serves on the Board of VH1's Save The Music Foundation. Noah is a graduate of Cornell University where he studied Psychology and Economics.

What's been your best investment?

My apartment in New York City. I love it and it keeps appreciating. That's the best kind of value.

Best financial advice?

Try to never make decisions driven by fear. But since we all get afraid sometimes, I think it's good to just take a long walk in the sun before making a big investment decision.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

I've always hoped investing allows me to get involved in things that bring me pleasure and/or create positive change in the world - whether it's an apartment for myself or a great company advancing society.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

I don't really splurge. I've been wearing the same t-shirts since I was 18.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Manning launched market-leading products and programs at JPMorgan Chase like Chase Sapphire, Chase Freedom and Chase Ultimate Rewards, and was named an Ad Age "40 Under 40." He spent four years in Beijing, China, as CMO of JPMorgan Chase's consumer team and while there, founded a local credit card business. During his 18 year tenure at Chase, Manning oversaw many departments including Branding, Advertising, Product Development, Marketing, Corporate Development, Innovation, Sales Strategy, and, lastly, as the Managing Director of Loyalty Innovation. He and his wife have three future Acorns investors.

What's been your best investment?

Walmart. I'm from Arkansas, and I've had Walmart stock since I was a teenager.

Best financial advice?

Identify the things you want to pay a premium for (for me it's dining) and then be hopelessly cheap on most everything else.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

It's really about being in a position where I can pursue my passions with a "!" instead of a "?"

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

Pretty much any Napa Valley wine club I ever signed up for…

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Hugh is a technology executive, product leader, and architect who has built innovative technology at-scale for the world’s largest financial institutions. As Chief Architect and CTO for 14 years at JP Morgan Chase, he led the execution of strategic technology initiatives, including mobile banking, mobile payments, merchant acquiring, customer support systems, and big data. His mobile payments work has earned multiple industry awards, and 5 patents. Working with both large and small companies throughout his career, Hugh has a history of scaling platforms to new levels of potential. He has a BS in Computer Science and an MBA from the University of Delaware, and lives in Wilmington, DE with two future Acorns investors.

What's been your best investment?

My two kids. The financial investment is massive, but the returns are better than anything else I ever committed money to.

Best financial advice?

Just be comfortable living within your means.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

A beach house where I can open the windows and nap to the sounds of the ocean.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

I worked in New York and I bought a lot of nice expensive suits. I don’t expect to wear a suit to work ever again.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Debbie has 18 years of experience providing the visionary and pragmatic leadership to drive companies to the next level of success. Prior to joining Acorns, Debbie most recently served as Chief Financial Officer of Exhale Enterprises. During her tenure, Debbie created and executed strategies that enabled the company to scale globally. She played a pivotal role in the Company’s sale to Hyatt Corporation and then successfully led the integration efforts post transaction, with her role expanding to oversee marketing and loyalty. Debbie also served in senior financial positions at Crunch and Equinox where she implemented plans that supported explosive scale while also improving store-level economics. Debbie began her career at Bear Stearns investment banking after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, the Wharton School, with a concentration in Finance.

What's been your best investment?

Our apartment in NYC, which required significant renovation. We saved on the purchase price and worked really hard to fix it up, allowing us to customize our dream home.

Best financial advice?

A penny saved is a penny earned. Don’t spend your money on things that are not meaningful to you.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Generously giving to people that I love and to causes that solve important problems.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

Initially, an expensive pair of shoes, I felt so guilty that I promised myself I would justify the splurge with a low cost-per-wear. I’ve been wearing them consistently for 10 years; mission accomplished.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Before joining Acorns as Chief Technology Officer, Jeff was Chief Technology Officer at edo Interactive, responsible for product management, engineering and analytics, and leading edo's international expansion efforts. Prior to edo, Jeff served as Vice President of Engineering and Vice President of Product Strategy at Orbitz Worldwide, where he developed long-term strategies for product marketing and distribution. Jeff helped design and build the global platform that powered websites such as Orbitz.com, Cheaptickets.com and eBookers.com, and was an early developer of the Orbitz hotel and private label systems. Jeff began his career in innovation as a technology consultant at Ernst & Young, specializing in Web and mobile technologies.

What's been your best investment?

My education.

Best financial advice?

Maximize your 401(k).

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Being able to provide for my family — a comfortable retirement for my wife and me, as well as sending my kids to college.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

Possibly hiring a videographer for our wedding, as we haven't looked at the video since.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Jennifer began her financial journalism career as the foreign exchange columnist for The Wall Street Journal. She has since been Personal Finance Editor at CNBC Digital, Editor-in-Chief/Senior VP at DailyWorth and a General Manager at Hearst Digital, where she oversaw four magazine sites. The co-author of two personal finance books, Jennifer's written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Forbes, Worth, Money and Newsweek, where she was a staff writer and editor for seven years. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two future Acorns investors. Follow her @JBarrettNYC.

What's been your best investment?

Back in mid-2008, I got an advance for a book I co-authored and put almost all of it into the stock market. It took a lot of willpower not to pull that money out as the market continued to drop for months, but then it hit bottom and turned. In the eight years since I invested that money, the value has grown by more than 50 percent. It was a great reminder that if you can ride out the dips and downturns, you can be rewarded over time.

Best financial advice?

Pay yourself first.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Investing has already helped me realize one of my dreams: being able to buy the home in NYC where I live with my husband and two sons.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

A certain tattoo I got in my 20s. It cost 10 times more to have it removed than it did to get it. And it's still visible if you look closely. It serves as a good reminder to think twice before buying anything I might later regret.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Dan is a dedicated career compliance professional with 20 years of experience in the industry. Before joining Acorns, Dan served as Chief Compliance Officer of PIMCO Investments and a Senior Vice President and Senior Compliance Officer of the parent company, PIMCO, LLC. Prior to that, Dan served as a Vice President and Senior Compliance Officer at BlackRock. Dan was also Chief Compliance Officer of HSH N Securities (a division of German bank HSH Nordbank), and was a Compliance Examiner at FINRA as a member of the Membership Application team. Earlier in his career, Dan served in compliance roles at Citibank/Smith Barney and Prudential Securities. He earned his BA in English from Yeshiva University and his Juris Doctor from Brooklyn Law School.

What's been your best investment?

My best investment by far has been moving out to California to join the incredible and unparalleled Acorns team!

Best financial advice?

"Stick with it." Don't chase the markets, set your long-term goal and keep your eyes on the road.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Nothing dramatic, just the comfort to know I can weather unforeseen life events and expenses. Well, that and flying lessons.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

None. As a Compliance Officer through and through, I perform a ton of research before any purchase.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Jessica honed her communications skills during her tenure at Point72, where she led communications for the firm’s venture capital arm — Point72 Ventures — in addition to serving as Vice President of corporate communications of the hedge fund. She then went on to found Bevel, a leading public relations consultancy that works with venture capital funds, tech and fintech brands. Prior to Point72, Jessica had multiple sales and marketing roles at Moody’s, which included Head of Marketing Communications and Director of Global Sales, managing a book of $12.5M. She started her career at a mid-sized PR agency in NYC at the beginning of the financial crisis in 08’. Her clients included OppenheimerFunds, RBC, RBS, and Jefferies. Jessica has received multiple awards for her work including PR News “Rising Stars 30 under 30” and Moody’s “Rising Star Award.” She holds her MBA of Finance from Zicklin School of Business at Baruch College and is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where she studied Public Relations. She currently serves on the Board for Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation and volunteers a significant amount of her time doing public relations for non-profits focused on pediatric cancer.

What's been your best investment?
Although at the time I wasn’t happy, investing in my future by pursuing my MBA in Finance while working full-time. It advanced my career at a young age and I’ve applied what I learned to a career in financial communications.

Best financial advice?
Don’t wait to invest. The worst decision you can make is doing nothing at all.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?
The first time I stayed in Laguna I fell in love with the views and calmness of the water. I’ve always hoped to own a vacation home in the Hills so I can surf every morning.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?
A Lululemon sweater crop top that was more than $150. Sweaters that are crop tops don’t make any sense. Also crop tops that are more than $20 should always be reconsidered.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Jike is a product strategist, team builder, and inventor with 17 years of experiences across industry and academia. Passionate in working cross-functionally to empower growth-stage businesses to deliver long-term enterprise value, Jike built the team that prevented $30M/year in fraudulent loans at Yirendai (NYSE:YRD), and served as its Chief Data Scientist when the online P2P lender went public. He built the team responsible for the personalized ranking algorithm at Simply Hired, and was also invited to the White House multiple times to advise on data-driven approaches for reducing unemployment. Jike also led quantitative risk analytics for private equity investments at Silver Lake. On the academia side, he founded a research center and a teaching center at Carnegie Mellon University as adjunct professor and PhD advisor, created and teaches a new course in quantitative credit risk assessment at Tsinghua University as adjunct faculty. Jike holds a Ph.D. from University of California, Berkeley, M.S. and B.S. degrees from Carnegie Mellon University, and 10 patents (6 granted, 4 pending).

What's been your best investment?
Pursuing the love of my life in my undergraduate years, and nurturing a strong relationship with my wife that has survived ups and downs over the decades, while receiving emotional, intellectual, and financial dividends everyday of the year!

Best financial advice?
Invest in yourself, through education and experiences; focus on your strength, and diversify your portfolio for everything else.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?
Achieve financial freedom, so I will not be a burden on society; Gain independence, so I can apply AI even more broadly to help people gain financial, health, and spiritual wellness.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?
The expensive camera lens that allowed me to capture beautiful images that I don’t have time to look at any more.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Prior to joining Acorns Dave worked at Amazon where he built the Prime Now and Amazon Fresh technology teams in Irvine, CA. Dave and his teams created Amazon’s hyper-local, ultra-fast third-party fulfillment service and technology, partnering with Sellers around the globe to bring their products to customers in under an hour. During Dave’s 11 years at Amazon he was a serial entrepreneur, bouncing from business to business innovating in Payments, Retail, and Operations. Dave is a Southern California native, but has spent time overseas in England and Japan, and speaks Japanese fluently. He and his wife have 5 future Acorns investors.

What's been your best investment?
Amazon stock (I started working there when shares were $30).

Best financial advice?
Diversify your investments and increase your financial literacy.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?
I have 5 kids, so who knows how many grandkids I’ll have or where they’ll end up living. Investing now will help me realize my dreams of being there for my kids and grandkids even when they are grown and gone.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?
I bought a smart watch in 2017 that I regret; although it did come in handy when I crashed my electric skateboard and it saved me from some major road rash.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Roma is a passionate marketing strategist, innovator, and team builder with 15 years of experience across the financial services and media industries. Prior to joining Acorns, Roma led the Consumer Subscription Business at Bloomberg Media where she oversaw marketing, customer service, and operations for Bloomberg Media’s digital & print subscription products including Bloomberg.com and Bloomberg Businessweek magazine. Prior to Bloomberg, Roma was Head of Growth Marketing for TheStreet.com, a digital financial media company, where she led new customer acquisition efforts for TheStreet’s 10 premium subscription products. Roma began her career at American Express where she spent over a decade in a variety of strategy & marketing roles across the B2B & B2C businesses. Most notably, she designed & launched go-to-market strategies for new products and drove value across the customer lifecycle through effective nurture, loyalty, up-sell/cross-sell, and retention strategies. Roma attended Pennsylvania State University where she received her bachelors degree in Math/Statistics and MBA in Marketing. She currently resides in downtown Manhattan.

What's been your best investment?

Funding my 401K, to the best of my ability, every year since I started working.

Best financial advice?

To start saving & investing at a young age. Like many others, I didn’t believe that I had the means or knowledge to invest. Luckily, my father guided me to make wise financial decisions at a young age — including opening up a Roth IRA in high school. While I didn’t understand the importance of these decisions back then, I now appreciate the impact they can have on your investment portfolio over the medium to long-term.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Philanthropy! Funding passion projects of mine including efforts focused on women’s empowerment and building confidence in young girls.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

All of the cash that goes to NYC rent!

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Babak has over 17 years experience in business development and advertising sales helping world-class companies build revenue-generating partnerships across various media and business platforms. Before joining the Acorns’ leadership team as Vice President of Business Development, Babak spent over five years at Apple helping to spearhead the advertising sales and partnerships efforts in the western region. A graduate of the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, with an emphasis on Entrepreneurial Studies, Babak currently resides in Southern California with his wife and three beautiful daughters.

What's been your best investment?

Without a doubt, it was buying my first home. Fast forward 4 years, three kiddos later, and we were able to sell it and use the profits as a down payment to buy an even better home for our family where we can live for many years to come.

Best financial advice?

Three points: 1. Life moves pretty fast, so start investing as soon as you can. Even if it’s just small amounts. (Oh, how I wish Acorns was around when I was in my 20's). 2. If your company offers a 401k, do it! No matter what! 3. No risk, no reward. In life, you need to take chances to change your future for the better.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

To help my daughters through college and give them beautiful weddings, take my family on an African Safari adventure, and be able to retire early enough for my wife and me to travel the world together, and spend time with our daughters and grandchildren without worrying too much about money.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

I don’t splurge often on myself, but I do enjoy spending time with friends and family over dinners/drinks. While it can add up, I believe that time with family and friends is the most important in life and I just try to be as responsible as I can in other areas.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Kennedy wasn’t looking for an in-house role when she took on Acorns as a client through her content and brand strategy consultancy. The mission and team changed her mind. Today, she works across the organization to bring our story, values, and vision to life. Previously, she started Kennedy Reynolds Consulting and partnered with clients from Under Armour to Microsoft on writing, content strategy and brand identity. Kennedy created the Brand and Storytelling Team at Zeno Group, a Daniel J. Edelman agency, while Vice President and Head of Digital Content in their New York Office. Her clients included Virgin America, Unilever, WeWork and the NFL. Prior, she was a Content Manager at Edelman, serving two of their largest global accounts.

Kennedy received her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of London, where she published a collection of short stories and poems written by her class. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English and American Literature and Language at Harvard University.

What's been your best investment?

My passport.

Best financial advice?

You can live in the moment and save for later. The two aren't mutually exclusive. Invest a portion of your money regularly, however small, and let that be the pot you never, ever touch. Forget it's there. With the rest, carpe diem.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

I hope my children get to see the world and I hope I get to see a bit of it with them.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

Outside of travel, all of them.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

David joined the Acorns team as the first full-time designer before the app launched in August 2014. He has helped define the Acorns brand, aesthetics and now leads a team of passionate world-class designers focused on bringing the best possible experience to life for our users. Before Acorns David helped several companies build and launch successful apps for clients like Intuitive Surgical and Barracuda Networks. David takes a unique approach to Product Design by blending his passions for art and technology, getting his start in computer graphic visual effects at companies like Blizzard Entertainment and Nickelodeon.

What's been your best investment?

My friendships.

Best financial advice?

Max out your retirement savings as early as possible. Spend money on things that improve your quality of time, time is the one resource you can’t get more of.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

Buying my childhood lake house.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

When I was young and just starting to work, I spent all my money on a lot of dumb things, including an expensive collar for my dog. I wish I’d known more about investing. If I’d invested the money I spent on that collar in Apple stock, it’d be worth a couple thousand dollars today…

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Originally from the Pacific Northwest, John has been involved with technology strategy in financial services his entire career. He's worked on growing institutional brands as well as start ups such as Morgan Stanley, City National Bank, and most recently EVP at cloud software company InvestCloud where he was influential in developing strategic partnerships and sales channels globally. John has degrees in business administration, information systems, and an MBA from San Diego State University. He has been nominated as Los Angeles CIO of the Year and co-owner of 3x "Best Yoga Studio" in Dana Point with his wife.

What's been your best investment?

Time. Investing my most valuable resource into people and things around me has the best dividend. Investing with Acorns gives me the gift of time. That and Amazon.

Best financial advice?

Invest in things you use, places you go, and people you aspire to be.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

The world is a big place and I've got allot more to see.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

If I splurge, its usually on a unique experience and I don't take any of them back. My lifetime spend on premium razor blades might cover a mortgage though.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Smith is a digital product builder and strategist with over 18 years of experience in product management, execution and operations. He has built award winning product management and development teams across verticals, including digital marketing and media. Smith cut his teeth at GeoCities (acquired by Yahoo!), helped develop the world’s first personalized video over IP offering and launched Current TV — the global media network founded by Al Gore. In the agency space, Smith launched dozens of innovative client projects for Chase, Vice, Intel, GE, Coke and EA Sports. And like every parent at Acorns, Smith and his wife are raising 3 future Acorns investors.

What's been your best investment?

IVF, which gave my wife and me the family we always wanted.

Best financial advice?

No, really. Spend less than you earn.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

To travel the world with my family (and still be able to pay for college).

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

All those dinners out before we had kids! If I had invested that money instead, I’d be much closer to my investment goals! Every. Little. Bit. Counts.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.

Prior to joining the Acorns leadership team, Randy was the Founder and CEO of Vault, a startup focused on helping everyday Americans automatically save and invest a percentage of their pay towards retirement. Shortly after the successful launch of Vault's mobile apps, Randy was introduced to Noah Kerner, which eventually led to an acquisition of the company by Acorns in November of 2017.

The new team members quickly started to work on a retirement product that would develop into one of the company's latest successes, Acorns Later. Randy and the former Vault team reside in Acorns' newest office, Portland Oregon.

What's been your best investment?

Founding Vault. It was a priceless experience that introduced me to my Portland team and eventually brought us Acorns.

Best financial advice?

Take the emotion out of investing and play the long game. Try not to overreact to fear or get sucked into greed and stick to the plan.

What dream do you hope investing helps you realize?

I hope investing early in life provides me with the freedom to help others open doors that once seemed impossible.

What splurge do you wish you could take back (and invest instead)?

I've been living on a founder's budget for years. It's time to splurge a little.

Disclosure: Answers to the Q & A are not meant as investment advice and should not be read as recommendations to buy or sell securities.