Frequently Asked Questions

What is TILE?

TILE was created to help young people better understand, manage, and control their finances. Working with financial institutions, we help financial advisors and parents develop a dialogue with their children about financial issues that are often difficult to talk about. We work with a variety of partners such as financial institutions, charities, media providers, and industry experts to foster greater transparency and knowledge around wealth management. We strive to provide a trusted environment in which people can learn and develop their own financial identities.

For more on TILE, watch our demo video.

Who started TILE?

TILE was founded by Amy Butte, a former Wall Street type with teenagers in her life. Amy is the former CFO of the New York Stock Exchange and a former financial services industry analyst. Having taken two financial services companies public in the last five years, she appreciates what it means to build both a good business and a good cause.

In addition, the TILE team is comprised of smart, young tech aficionados who are in many ways our target audience.

How is “financial identity” different than “financial literacy?”

We feel financial identity is a broader term. Literacy is knowing the facts, and identity is about engagement. We believe the formulation of financial identity empowers people to form opinions based on facts, and apply their own values to their finances. We link finance to how young adults live their lives and what they care about.

Why do you think young people would be interested?

Empowering young people to build their financial identity while being deeply engaged is our greatest challenge – and opportunity. This is our number one focus at TILE, and it is reflected in the fact that many of our employees could also be our target members, as well as in our ongoing efforts to work with young people to receive input and feedback as we build our company. We will continue to iterate, refine, and evolve the platform as we grow.

Why would a financial institution want to work with TILE?

It is estimated that $1 trillion in assets will shift from one generation to the next by the year 2025. Research indicates that 90% of customers leave their financial advisor when they inherit. Our platform helps young people engage with their finances by presenting information in a way that they want to consume. By using TILE, we believe that financial institutions are offering their customers something of value – a financial plan for Gen Y that can facilitate important conversations and deepen relationships.

Is this just for affluent families and kids?

Our utmost priority is in helping young people develop their financial identity. In working towards that objective we are focused on security, privacy, and seamless integration with financial institutions. We must also prioritize the organizations we partner with. Our product will be initially introduced through private financial institutions, which will admittedly limit the audience. However, we feel a secure, private, advertising-free roll-out working in close collaboration with financial services firms will allow us to build and refine our platform in the most efficient fashion.

Is this another Mint.com or budgeting service? How is it different?

TILE is focused on helping our audience form a complete financial identity. We incorporate education and learning into every aspect of the platform. Finance can be an inaccessible, hard-to-penetrate subject, so we approach it in a way that reflects the way young people want to learn and consume media. In doing so, we emphasize the touch points and interactions between young people, parents, and financial advisors.

Where can I sign up?

We are currently in a private beta and will only be available through select financial institutions. If you are interested in TILE, you can sign up using the box on this page for updates as we grow and expand our offerings.

Can I buy or trade securities?

We do not execute trades or provide advice on securities. Rather, we try to facilitate an ongoing conversation between young people and their financial advisors. There is contact information for financial advisors available in each account, should a user want to learn more about a specific securities-related issue or make a trade.

Can I give on the site? Can I give to any nonprofit organization?

You can give to charities directly through TILE. We have partnered with ten charities for our beta launch, all of which fall within our five funding categories: Education, Environment, Health, Human Rights, and Poverty. Each was vetted and selected for being 501(c)3, having a minimum annual budget of $1 million, stellar past performance, and a secular scope. This is an evolving list, and we are interested in hearing about the organizations you care about. Feel free to contact us with suggestions.

How will TILE reach its audience?

TILE will reach its audience through our initial launch partners: financial services institutions and financial advisors.

How does TILE make money? What’s the model?

TILE’s model is subscription-based. Our partners are financial institutions and financial advisors. We are keeping the platform private, secure, and free of advertising. Our only motivations and incentives are to provide a compelling platform for constructing a financial identity.

How do I learn more?

Check out our introductory video, read the blog, or subscribe to our mailing list using the form on this page to get the latest TILE updates.