Investing together
Alexis Smith was always a natural leader — on the soccer field, in the classroom, and around campus. So when Stackwell’s Student Ambassador Program came across her radar, she jumped in without hesitation.
A few years later, her younger brother Blake headed off to college, ready to tackle basketball, journalism, and, thanks to Alexis, the world of investing.
Stackwell became a shared spark — a way to think about money differently, build financial skills, and help their peers do the same.
When Alexis first heard about Stackwell’s Student Ambassador Program, it came at exactly the right moment — and directly from Stackwell’s CEO and Founder, Trevor Rozier-Byrd.
She was studying and playing soccer at Georgetown, and as always, looking for more ways to build community on campus. “I was in another program called Make A Play Foundation, and Trevor sent a message about the Student Ambassador Program,” she says.
The program caught Alexis’s attention. Stackwell’s Student Ambassador Program gives college athletes and students the chance to share Stackwell with their peers, learn the basics of investing, and build leadership and outreach skills along the way.
“It aligned with my thinking, I’m graduating soon, I need to figure out how I’m building my longer-term wealth, and how I want to approach my finances with this new stage of life coming,”
Alexis and Trevor’s introduction also coincided with the launch of Name Image Likeness (NIL) laws — policies that helped student athletes make money from their name, image, and likeness for the first time, through things like sponsorships, endorsements, or brand deals.
“I had been seeing some other athletes on campus start to deal with that and thinking how that could impact me if I were in a position to get a deal,” she adds.
A few years later, when her younger brother Blake arrived at Northwestern University, he was ready to set his own course, studying journalism and playing basketball. But he’d also take a page out of his big sister’s book and join the Stackwell Student Ambassador Program, just like she had.
“Lexi put me on to Stackwell,” Blake says. “I was navigating into college, and I wanted to do something with the brand because I really aligned with their mission statement — helping young people learn how to invest in an easy way.”
Alexis knew she’d found something special with Stackwell when she discovered the passionate people behind the app, our powerful mission, and — best of all — our tangible results.
“Trevor and Stackwell and the mission as a whole connected with some values I have,” she says. “I’m a community builder. A lot of what I did in college was surrounding uplifting underrepresented groups in different capacities, and Stackwell is a perfect manifestation of just that.”
Trevor, in particular, made a big impact with the Student Ambassadors. “Over the years, I’ve seen Trevor’s passion for giving back, taking his network and success, and giving back to others,” Alexis says. “That goes hand-in-hand with generational wealth — setting up the next people behind you for success.”
Blake also resonated with Trevor’s pitch, which he felt demonstrated Stackwell’s unique altruistic approach.
“What stood out to me was Trevor and the mission statement of Stackwell — really wanting to teach and help young people, no strings attached.”
It was clear to Blake that Trevor and the team at Stackwell were different from other services that he and so many others have come to mistrust.
Stackwell stood out. “With all the newsletters and the app,” Blake describes, “ and their determination to teach young people — they’re not just wondering, How do I make a dollar for this company?”
Once the siblings got involved with Stackwell, it was only a matter of time before their approaches to their finances began to change, rooted in practical habits around investing.
Alexis describes a “set it and forget it” approach.
“I just know that X portion of my paycheck or bonus is going straight to my HYSA or Stackwell account,” Alexis says. “I don’t even act like that’s money I have access to. That’s been really helpful — not feeling it as a loss, just another category my future self will thank me for.”
She started small before graduation and gradually increased her contributions. “At the time, it was very small, just what I could afford,” Alexis says. “Seeing how much my portfolio has grown over the years is amazing. If you’re consistent and patient, you’ll see gains pretty quickly. A small amount can still go a long way.”
When Blake joined Stackwell, he put his focus on building a foundation early and now takes comfort in knowing his money is hard at work.
“The app is a good spot for me,” he says. “I haven’t invested too much money in the app, but I’m also investing a good amount of money where I know I have that in my pocket and it’s building money.”
As Blake started making money during college, he invested to make sure his money didn’t lose value over time sitting in a savings account.
“The worst thing is to have money that’s just sitting there losing money because of inflation over the years,” he says. “Just knowing I have that steady flow of money invested and making money is a good feeling. There’s nothing better than that — knowing that your portfolio is doing what it’s supposed to do.”
As Student Ambassadors and Stackwell users, Alexis and Blake didn’t just change how they think about money — they changed how they talk about it. For them, the app isn’t just about building wealth for the future — it’s about making investing feel approachable and real for the people around them.
Especially for student athletes navigating new NIL deals, the stakes are high. “You hear these stories that kids are getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars,” Alexis says. “But if you don’t know that, Hey, this is going to be taxed like crazy, and you don’t have as much money as you think you do! It’s not likely you’ll handle your money appropriately.”
That’s where Stackwell comes in. By breaking it down in a way that actually makes sense, Alexis and Blake were able to get a lot of their peers curious about investing.
“If I’m making an influx of money and I don’t know specific things to invest in, I can go to Stackwell,” Blake explains. “You don’t want to have to pay someone 2% of your contract to do it for you. That’s expensive.”
With Stackwell, they saw the difference right away — putting the power back in the hands of student athletes.
“Compared to having someone else with control, and then you have to go back and forth with what their vision would be — you can create your own vision with Stackwell,” Blake adds.
And the real connection came when they shared their own stories. That’s what unlocked the conversations, what made people stop and think about how investing could shift their futures too.
“I was able to connect through personal storytelling, like, Hey, I’ve seen some members of my family go in one direction, I’ve seen others go in this direction, and those learnings that I’ve taken with me,” Alexis says. “Those are stories that many people can connect with really well.”
Everyone’s money journey starts somewhere. For Alexis and Blake, it’s all about the basics — and that’s exactly what they tell people who are just starting out.
For Alexis, this means not worrying too much about how much you’re able to put into your account each month.
“Don’t be intimidated,” Alexis says. “At the time when I started, I was doing — I can’t even remember what the dollar amount was — it was very small, it was what I could afford right before graduating college and starting my first job.”
Over time, taking that chance has paid off. “Just seeing how much my own portfolio has grown over the years is honestly amazing.”
For Alexis, the key has been keeping at it, through her changing circumstances.
“The biggest takeaway is the importance of persistence and self-understanding of where you are in life at the time,” she says. “I think one thing that can get in the way of people wanting to or being able to invest is people thinking Oh, I need to deposit this big amount or It has to be XYZ, and, it doesn’t have to be some big thing.”
“As long as you have one anchoring goal that you’re working towards,” Alexis explains, “it doesn’t really matter how you get there as long as you’re consistent in some capacity of investing in something.”
“Give yourself grace. As long as you’re doing something, that’s better than nothing,” she adds.
For Blake, investing has been a lesson in sitting back and letting the markets do their thing.
“One thing I had to learn to do was not try to check it every day or worry about the ebbs and flows too much,” Blake says. “I don’t want to be like, Okay, it just went down five dollars! And now I’m freaking out.”
As time went on, Blake realized that worrying too much wasn’t necessary.
What does that mean for Blake, exactly? “Understanding the market is going to do what the market does, and just knowing that in the long run as long as the economy is doing well, it’s in a good place,” he says. “The discipline of investing is leaving it to the side.”
For both Alexis and Blake, sustaining financial wellness is an essential part of their long-term plans.
Now in his final year of Northwestern and final season with the Wildcats, Blake sees Stackwell as the foundation for what’s ahead.
“Investing at this age means setting yourself up for the future,” Blake says. “It’s long-term. If you’re investing just to hopefully one day turn $300 into $600, you’re doing it for the wrong reason.
Right now, Blake may not have a lot of cash to invest, but it’s laying the groundwork for financial wellness that will serve him as he gets older.
“It’s the principles and the tactics that when I do make big money, I’ll know what I’m doing. And until then, I’ll always have a certain amount of money set aside that’s building money. That’s why I think it’s the perfect time to invest.”
As for Alexis, she sums up the meaning of financial wellness in a single word: “Empowerment.”
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.