Good advice is tough to come by and when everything is on the line, you cannot afford a bad advice. In these circumstances if you don’t want to pay someone to do the research for you, you may just have to go with your gut…unless you are smart enough to choose SmartAsset. The free digital resource that conglomerates 100+ data sources was created to give you the peace of mind you need. With 4 million people already trusting SmartAsset in October alone, they are proving their worth.
Michael Carvin, a cofounder of SmartAsset explains the company that will give you researched advice on whether or not to buy that house or not, and lets AlleyWatch know how they do such a good job.
Tell us about the product or service
SmartAsset is the digital resource for people making big financial decisions. We offer the Web’s best and most comprehensive financial advice. Partnering with over 130 different data sources we power the web’s best advice on topics like
home buying, retirement planning, personal and student loans, credit card comparisons, taxes and more.
How is it different?
We are a product-focused company. We work with over 130 data sources and partners (various government websites, US Census Bureau, Zillow, Trulia,) and crunch the all numbers ultimately providing the most comprehensive answer to questions like, how much house can I afford? How much should I be saving up for retirement? And, which credit card is best for me?
How is this defensible?
Our advice is powered by our patent-pending automated financial modeling technology, and we can ensure the advice is transparent, customized and accurate.
What market are you attacking and how big is it?
Many companies offer money management. Though before people can get help managing their money, they need to know what they have the ability to do with it. How much money do I need to set aside each month for retirement? Does it make sense to take that student loan and go back to school? Is it smart to buy this house? These are the types of questions we’re addressing. And, we’re offering them comprehensive, and transparent advice so they can make the best decisions concerning their money.
We estimate advertising dollars in the financial services and real estate market will exceed $21 billion in 2015.
What is the business model?
We are free to our users and make money through advertising.
What inspired you to start this business?
When I was in the market to buy a house, it was frustrating reading through online information that was dense, hard to understand and not helpful… and I worked in finance! I could only imagine how people who were unfamiliar with the terms felt while navigating a similar decision.
I went home and created extensive financial models to help me figure out how much house I could afford. This was the birth of what would become SmartAsset’s patent-pending back-end technology known as our Automated Financial Modeling technology.
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
Increase our audience to 20 million unique monthly visitors
Why did you launch in New York?
For us the choice was simple. New York has an exceptional pool of talent and the city itself is incomparable.
What is your favorite fall activity in NYC?
Running in the park.
