Stacks over status
At 24 years old, Marlon is in the middle of writing his next chapter. A current service member, he’s chasing a career in aviation, working toward his Airframe and Powerplant license and looking ahead to what’s possible. Like many people his age, he’s got money on his mind.
“I’m all about bettering myself and taking opportunities,” Marlon says. “So, I’m going wherever the money’s going. If there’s a lot of money to be made, I’m going there. I’m all about making money for sure.”
That hunger to grow — to level up his career, his finances, and his future — has been his driving force since leaving the military. But like many young adults making that transition, the financial side wasn’t easy at first.
Before Stackwell, Marlon’s relationship with money was simple: earn, spend, repeat.
“I wasn’t saving anything. I was kind of just surviving and spending it,” he admits. “Before joining Stackwell, I was — I’m not going to say I was at my lowest — but I was struggling. I didn’t really have the connections I have now, where I’m investing or making money. As far as my situation, I was kind of just making it through.”
It wasn’t until his best friend Chase — now Stackwell’s Community Manager — pulled him into a conversation about investing that things began to shift.
When they sat down to talk about Marlon’s experience with Stackwell, they got into their relationship to their finances, going all the way back to their childhood playing football in Douglasville, GA.
Growing up, neither Marlon nor Chase remembers having real conversations about money.
“You know, it’s crazy. As we were growing up, we never talked about it — Black people in particular — about finances at the dinner table,” Chase explains. “It wasn’t necessarily taught to us. As we got older, we started to have these conversations.”
For Chase, once these conversations began, it wasn’t long before he discovered the power of investing — and wanted to share that discovery with his best friend.
“I’m all about opportunities and making money. So, [you] came to me when [you] first started doing this and said, this is an opportunity to start making money and to help me grow as a person financially. I’mma always take that leap,” Marlon says. “You gave me the information on Stackwell, and I followed you — cause you my dog and I’mma trust you.”
Sometimes, that’s all it takes to change everything. The right person coming to you at the right time.
When he made the leap and tapped in, Marlon was relieved to find that investing wasn’t as intimidating as he’d feared. With Stackwell, investing was built for people just like him who were looking for a place to start.
“Stackwell itself isn’t really complicated,” Marlon says. “You just put in some money, however much you can at that time, and it does its own thing. It kind of works itself out in a way. So, that kind of helped me on my part. I didn’t have to do too much. I just put it in — however much I can — and I just let it grow on its own.”
Chase remembers starting out with just $10 a month. It didn’t seem like much, but over time it really added up. That’s the thing about investing with Stackwell — you decide how much to put in, and we take it from there. When Chase and Marlon opened their accounts, we asked them a few quick questions and built portfolios around their goals. Since then, our technology has kept things on track, automatically adjusting as the market changes so their money keeps working for them.
Once Marlon saw that investing didn’t have to be complicated, it gave him the push to start thinking differently about the rest of his money too.
The biggest change since joining Stackwell hasn’t just been the money — it’s been Marlon’s mindset too.
“My budget? Like I said before, I was just spending. Like, I get a check — I spend it,” he recalls. “After I got introduced to the app, I started controlling what I was doing, watching my budget, watching my spending. Instead of going to the mall to buy Js, I’m putting that money toward the app, toward more stocks.”
At Stackwell, we believe that when you open an account to start investing, you put your finances in focus. We’re not just building wealth through investing — we’re inspiring intention and building on it with resources designed to grow your knowledge.
When Marlon transformed his mindset, he found a way to make money grow and the distance between himself and his financial goals shrink.
Marlon is clear about his goals: financial freedom, stability for his family, and yes, a little fun along the way.
“As far as a goal, I’m trying to get a new Camaro. You know that,” he laughs, looking at Chase. “I want to get a crib, a house, some land, some property, and try to flip that as well. Like I said, there’s opportunities out there to make more money, and I’m all about making more money. So, there’s things I’m trying to do to get there — and Stackwell is definitely playing a big part in it.”
For Marlon, financial freedom is simple but powerful: “Being able to go and buy stuff without looking at the price tag. I ain’t gotta look at nothing, ‘cause I know I got it. My family needs something — they got it. My girl needs something — she got it. I want to be dependable. That’s what it means to me.”
If he could go back, Marlon knows exactly what he’d tell his younger self.
“Start. Start, man. Start saving. Start looking into stocks. It’s never too late to start doing it, but if I could’ve started sooner, I definitely would have,” he says. Marlon remembers when Chase first told him about Stackwell. “I ain’t gonna lie, I hesitated for a minute. But then you showed me your portfolio and I was like, Alright, let me go ahead and tap in.”
To anyone else who’s just beginning their journey, Marlon keeps it real: “Don’t overthink it. It’s real simple. It gives you the blueprint. You don’t have to throw a bunch of money. You don’t have to be rich and throw bands in there — it’s cool throwing a band in — but, you know, start where you are.”
What started as two friends talking money turned into something bigger: a whole new path for Marlon — one where discipline meets opportunity.
Before Stackwell, he didn’t really have a plan. He’d spend what he made, and that was that. Now, he’s building toward the future he wants — whether that’s buying property, flying planes, or cruising in a brand-new Camaro.
For Marlon, like so many people, the shift began with a single conversation — getting real about money with someone he trusted. That was the moment his mindset changed, and his future opened up.
Maybe your moment is closer than you think.
Disclaimer: This paid client testimonial was of an actual Stackwell client. This testimonial may not be representative of the experience of other clients. No testimonial is indicative of future performance or success. This testimonial may not represent all interactions or relationships with Stackwell.