Inspiration

Investing can feel confusing when you’re just starting out. There's tons of unfamiliar words, crowded charts, and advice that assumes you already know the basics. We built ClearVest to give beginners a friendlier place to learn and ask questions.

What it does

ClearVest helps people understand their investments with Scout, a friendly AI companion.

Users can:

Ask questions by text or voice.
Explore their portfolio and research companies.
Try simple “what if” scenarios.
Learn through short lessons and quick checks.

How we built it

We built the website with React and TypeScript, with a Python backend on AWS. We connected financial data sources, added AI through Amazon Bedrock, and used ElevenLabs for voice.

We focused on clear explanations and a layout that works on phones and computers.

Challenges we ran into

The biggest challenge was making financial information simple while keeping it accurate. We also had to handle missing data and keep conversations working as users moved between different parts of the website.

Accomplishments that we’re proud of

Someone can ask a question, explore an example, and check what they learned in one place! We also made the website lighter to load and kept Scout’s conversation available across pages.

What we learned

Small details matter. A familiar word, a helpful example, or a clear next step can make a difficult topic easier to approach. We also learned that feeling confident and understanding something are different, which is why we added learning checks.

What’s next for ClearVest

We want to test ClearVest with real beginners, improve explanations based on their feedback, and add more examples around fees, inflation, and long-term goals. Our goal is to help people feel comfortable asking questions and understanding their money.