The introduction of financial investment platforms such as Robinhood, which is designed to appeal to a younger group of investors, has drawn the concern of some firms who offer a more traditional investment experience. One traditional product, actively-managed funds, has seen a decline in investor interest recently. In a recent article, OnWallStreet addressed the effect that new products and platforms have had on traditional products and the importance of attracting younger investors.

In the OnWallStreet article, Will Danoff, manager of Fidelity Investment's mutual fund, Contrafund, noted the fact that investment in his mutual fund has decreased despite positive returns. Danoff chalked up the decreases to a demographics issue, and an inability to appeal to the younger generation.

To Danoff, both the platform and the product were of concern as traditional investment firms try to appeal to the younger generation. While Danoff felt that Fidelity's app was quite good, he thought that mutual funds may not be appealing to the younger generation. Recently, low-cost alternatives, such as index funds and ETFs, have been gaining interest from investors. Firms such as Fidelity will need to compete with newcomers such as Robinhood, which combines low cost and convenience, packaging commission-free trades in an app. Adapting to changing investor attitudes and attracting younger investors will be critical as the next generation of investors becomes an ever-increasing percentage of the investment market.

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