The modern world may not be perfect, but there are some components that are infinitely better than in the past. Communication is better, healthcare is better, entertainment is better — we tend to take these things for granted, but imagine how poorer your life would be without them?

Investing also falls into this category. While modern investing may not be perfect, it’s much better — at least in terms of the key metrics — than it was in yesteryear. And there’s also reason to hope that it’ll be even better in the future.

The cause of this advancement? Technology, both the internet and the hardware we use to access it, has rewritten the investing rule book, making it easier than ever for both newcomers and professionals to make better decisions, wherever they happen to be.

Buying and Selling Straight From Your Device

We won’t bore you with the details of how investing worked in the pre-Internet era, but needless to say, the process was more laborious and time-intensive than most people could stomach. 

The internet — especially high-speed internet — showed the pathway out of that investing reality. The smartphone made it come true. With your smartphone, you can do in an instant what might have taken 30 – 60 minutes in the past, wherever you are. You can also get real-time updates, which leads to better decision-making. The leading investing apps also come with an intuitive interface, too, ensuring that even beginners can get in on the action. 

Robo-Advisers Are Becoming More Advanced

In the past, anyone wanting to invest had two options — they could do it themselves, or they could hire someone else to do it for them. The latter approach might be effective, but it was also prohibitively expensive for most people.

Technology has allowed for a third option: the robo-advisor. Robo-advisors allow for a hands-off investing approach that delivers results, and though they’ve been around for a while, the concept has made significant progress in the past few years. 

Today, you can “recruit” robo-advisors that’ll make personalized decisions based on your risk tolerance, financial situation, and your goals, and you can do so cheaply. You can find robo-advisors that charge as little as 0.25% a year, which equates to $2.50 per $1000 invested.

Cryptocurrency Is a Major Player

If, 15 years ago, you’d asked an experienced investor if they had any crypto holdings, they would likely have answered with something along the lines of “No, what are you talking about?”

Cryptocurrency is the ultimate tech-era investment. After all, the asset itself is technology. In the past ten years, cryptocurrencies have gone from left-field investments to strong players, and that’s in large part due to their unique asset characteristics. There aren’t many investment assets that offer such profound gain potential, and despite being slightly more technical than other asset types, it’s also generally considered to be accessible. After all, this is a truly cross-border market that’s open around the clock. 

It’s Easier Than Ever to Track Markets

Good investing depends on having reliable, up-to-date data and insights. In the pre-Internet era, getting access to that information was a struggle. Staying informed about a single market, let alone multiple markets, required significant time and effort.

Fast forward to 2025, and things are very different. Not only is it possible to stay up-to-date, but you can also get the information you need quickly and conveniently. Investors can get snapshot overviews of multiple markets at the same time from most platforms, as well as use tools for tracking E-mini futures or other specialized indices. The end result? Better information, which can be used to make better decisions. 

Anyone Can Learn Advanced Strategies 

Didn’t grow up in an investor-friendly culture? In the past, that would likely spell an end to an investing career. Only truly determined people managed to break into a sector that depended on knowledge to succeed, yet offered limited access to that knowledge.

That’s not the case today. There are thousands of online courses that can guide beginners through every step on their way towards becoming investing experts. It’s also easier than ever to get in-depth, up-to-date information — in fact, it’s debatable whether it even could be faster than it is today. 

Costs Are Lower

People may not always love technology and the internet, but it has provided one often overlooked benefit — it’s made things cheaper. You’re paying less for everyday items, travel, and entertainment than in the pre-Internet era, even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

The same principle applies to investing. The internet has helped bring down virtually all investing-related costs, especially commissions. You’d have paid a fair amount for each trade in the past, which, if you’re making a lot of trades, would quickly eat into your profits. Plus, not having to factor in the cost of a trade — they’re free or nearly-free to make — allows you to experiment a little more. And let’s not forget that time is the greatest wealth, and modern investing tools have helped to save significant time compared with the past. 

It’s Led to A More Level Playing Field

It’s nearly always been possible for everyday people to begin trading, but doing so at the level of the financial powerhouses? That was very much beyond the reach of everyday investors — in essence, the big players and the casual players were playing two different games.

Technology has helped to level the playing field. Today, even investor newcomers can quickly rise through the ranks and generate an income or long-term wealth, even if they don’t have the power of an institution behind them. 

Into The Future 

OK, so that’s how technology has shaped the investing landscape of today. What about tomorrow? As you might expect, technology will continue to redefine and reshape investing. It’s not unrealistic to think that AI advisors could manage every facet of an investor’s portfolio, allowing for a truly hands-off experience while still retaining the investor’s ethos and personality. And if you do want to continue making trades yourself? You might just do so by slipping on a VR headset that’ll help you to visualize markets in more detail than ever before.