SoFi Blog

In our efforts to bring you the latest updates on things that might impact your financial life, we may occasionally enter the political fray, covering candidates, bills, laws and more.
Please note: SoFi does not endorse or take official positions on any candidates and the bills they may be sponsoring or proposing. We may occasionally support legislation that we believe would be beneficial to our members, and will make sure to call it out when we do. Our reporting otherwise is for informational purposes only, and shouldn’t be construed as an endorsement.

On September 25, 2019, SoFi’s general counsel, Rob Lavet, went to Washington D.C. as part of the DebtFreeTaxFree Coalition in support of the House of Representatives bill, H.R. 1043/Senate’s bill, S. 460. DebtFreeTaxFree is a consumer advocacy coalition aimed at supporting bills that will provide tax benefits for employers who help their employees pay down student loan debt.

Here’s some information on the bill this campaign supports and more about the DebtFreeTaxFree Coalition.

Part of what makes SoFi such a dynamic place to work is our commitment to our mission, culture, and company values.

In order to help our members get their money right, we need to remain hyper-focused on our 11 core values—which are at the core of how we think about hiring people, how we evaluate our own performance, and most critically, how we work day-to-day together.

It’s not just the what we do, but the how we do it. With that, SoFi’s core values are as follows.

Personal finance “gurus” and “experts” have taken to slapping mainly millennials on their proverbial wrists for their (alleged) lavish spending on specialty coffee beverages at the expense of investing in their futures, beyond that of previous generations. We think millennials have taken enough heat for this overplayed and simply inaccurate stereotype.

In honor of National Coffee Day later this week, all of you SoFi Invest members out there (and those that invest at least $5 on the SoFi Invest platform over the next month) will receive a free coffee drink at Australian-inspired hospitality and lifestyle brand, Bluestone Lane .¹

Earlier today, we announced that we’ve added crypto trading to our fast-growing SoFi Invest platform, as a response to demand from you! SoFi Invest is now the first platform to offer automated and active investing with stocks, ETFs, and crypto through a single app.

You can easily buy and sell several cryptocurrencies with straightforward, competitive commissions and no account minimums, as well as track the price movements of the world’s most widely-traded digital assets, with more cryptocurrencies to be added in the coming months. and rest assured, we secure all crypto holdings from fraud and theft.

“Feedback from our members has made it clear that a significant percentage are not only interested in learning more about cryptocurrencies but are also already buying and selling crypto,” said SoFi CEO Anthony Noto. “We’re very pleased to be adding this new product to SoFi Invest, as access, education, and keeping costs low for our members is at the heart of what we do.”

To understand Bitcoin, there are a few other definitions to clarify first, including that of digital currency .

This type of currency does not have a physical form, so it can’t be seen or touched, but theoretically, it can be used in the same ways as traditional money, including buying and selling goods and services. Digital currency can be used around the globe, as long as parties accept this type of payment, being exchanged among digital wallets.

Cryptocurrency is a type of digital currency, one that’s based on cryptography, using complex mathematical principles to create and analyze algorithms. Bitcoin is the most widely recognized form of cryptocurrency, but it isn’t the only option.

Bitcoin uses blockchain technology and a decentralized ledger to operate. In hypothetical terms, blockchain technology is like a spreadsheet duplicated across networks of computers with the technology creating the ability for people to regularly update the spreadsheet with transactions.

Records are public and easily verified, creating a sense of openness. Bitcoin has no primary regulating authority—and no centralized version of its record exists. Regulators are increasingly getting involved, but the regulatory structure is currently nowhere near the same degree as those imposed on securities or banking products.