Hint: investing in art.
Recently, more than three in four Americans report feeling nervous about their financial situation, according to Capital One Bank. That’s not surprising since we’ve just seen the highest inflation rate since 1982 and recently entered correction territory in the stock market.
And while most cash holders and stock investors are panicking, the ultra-wealthy are doing something different to protect themselves. Over 81% of ultra-high-net-worth clients, surveyed by Ernst and Young, are diversifying their portfolios with alternative investments, for a good reason:
Alternative assets are a growing $9 trillion market and are projected to be a $21.1 trillion market by 2025 according to PwC. Some alternative assets can have a low correlation to the stock market, and can be helpful hedges, in certain circumstances.
For example, an alternative asset like contemporary art prices appreciated 22.1% on average when inflation is at least 3%. And it outpaced the S&P 500 by 164% from 1995 to 2021.
However, in the past, some alternative assets, like art, were restricted for the ultra-wealthy.
Billionaire hedge fund manager Steve Cohen could afford to spend $100,000,000 on a Picasso, but most investors don’t have that kind of capital.
Luckily, due to recent legislation, Masterworks.io, a tech-enabled platform valued at $1 billion, allows everyday investors to access art in their portfolio...
Currently, the art investment platform has over 300,000 members and is quickly growing. Why are so many people using Masterworks.io to access this asset class?
First, Masterworks investors saw a 32% net price appreciation from selling a Banksy painting.
Secondly, investors can buy shares representing an investment in paintings by Picasso, Banksy, and Warhol for as little as $20. That’s much less than the $1,000,000 or more you’d need to invest in similar works.
Third, Masterworks is also the only art investment platform that allows investors to get a piece of whole artwork from famous artists without investing in the entire painting.
Scott Lynn, the CEO of Masterworks, has been a serial entrepreneur for over 20 years. In 2017, after collecting art for more than a decade, he realized the potential and high financial obstacle preventing everyday investors from participating in this market… he created Masterworks intending to democratize art investing.
Masterworks has since become the most prominent art investment platform for everyday investors. Signup is required to invest in the Masterworks platform.

The Lithium Gold Rush Just Minted a $1B Unicorn
General Motors already invested. Now, you have the chance to join them as an early-stage shareholder.
Demand for lithium is fueling a modern-day gold rush.
The industries that define our modern world, like AI, robotics, EVs, and energy, all depend on lithium. In fact, Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella believes that the AI race will be won based on energy costs, not on who has the best models.
That’s why lithium demand is projected to grow a staggering 5X by 2040.
That growth is an opportunity for investors. As Elon Musk bluntly put it, “Do you like minting money? Well, the lithium business is for you.”*
One company translated this demand into substantial valuation growth since 2018, officially reaching the $1B unicorn territory last year.
Meet EnergyX.
They have developed patented technology that can recover up to 3X more lithium than traditional methods. That breakthrough has already earned them over $150M in investments, including strategic investment and partnership from General Motors and POSCO, and a $5M U.S. Department of Energy grant.
Now, EnergyX is at a pivotal transition stage, moving beyond proving the technology and into commercial-scale deployment, just as global lithium demand accelerates.
After commissioning the largest lithium facility of its kind in Texas this year, they’re preparing to scale this breakthrough tech even further.
But that’s only the start of why people are paying attention to EnergyX’s limited-time investment window:
- $1.1B/yr revenue potential from 100k+ acres of Chilean land at projected market prices.
- Goldman Sachs is engaged as a financial advisor on the Chilean project.
- Nearly 50k gross acres of land secured for production in Arkansas and Texas
- An LOI for a $690M federal loan from EXIM Bank to help support large-scale builds is on the table.
- Project Lonestar’s demonstration plant is now commissioned in Texas, the largest direct lithium extraction facility in the U.S.
With proven tech and resources, mounting institutional support, a market poised for major growth, and new verticals emerging, the opportunity for investors today couldn’t be better timed.
This is your chance to claim your stake in a private unicorn alongside General Motors, POSCO, and over 40,000 everyday investors.
Get your piece in this modern-day gold rush before the deadline. Become an early-stage EnergyX shareholder at the current price while you still can.
Energy Exploration Technologies, Inc. (“EnergyX”) has engaged Benzinga to publish this communication in connection with EnergyX’s ongoing Regulation A offering. Benzinga has been paid in cash and may receive additional compensation. Benzinga and/or its affiliates do not currently hold securities of EnergyX.
This compensation and any current or future ownership interest could create a conflict of interest. Please consider this disclosure alongside EnergyX’s offering materials. EnergyX’s Regulation A offering has been qualified by the SEC. Offers and sales may be made only by means of the qualified offering circular. Before investing, carefully review the offering circular, including the risk factors. The offering circular is available at invest.energyx.com/.
Comparisons to other companies are for informational purposes only and should not imply similar results. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Market shortfall are forward‑looking estimates and are subject to substantial uncertainty.
Benzinga is compensated for publicizing this content. Please read 17b disclosures here.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that alternative investments carry a risk of monetary loss. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. All information contained on this website is provided as general commentary for informative and entertainment purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Benzinga will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on this information, whether specifically stated in the above Terms of Service or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.

The Demand for Rare and Precious Metals is Rising. This Web App Gives Investors Direct, 24/7 Access to Gold, Uranium, and More
The demand for rare earth and precious metals has intensified, driven on one hand by industrial applications and on the other by investors seeking portfolio diversification amid economic uncertainty.
The U.S. governmentʼs establishment of a U.S. critical mineral reserve has brought further attention to precious metals, which are essential to modern manufacturing and used in everything from smartphones to wind turbines and fighter jets.
Existing options to invest directly in these metals — such as ETFs, managed funds, company stocks, etc. — often have limitations, including regional restrictions, strict trading hours, high entry barriers, and minimum purchase requirements.
Investors are often provided only with indirect exposure and must depend on asset managers or specific platforms, exchanges, or brokerages to invest in each metal.
Metals.io removes those traditional barriers to investing in metals, providing individual investors 24/7 global access to rare earth metals, critical metals, gold, uranium, and more.
Why You Should Invest in Metals With Metals.io
Metals.io offers multiple advantages designed to improve accessibility and portfolio management for metals investments.
Tokenized metals
Metals.io enables direct ownership of physical metals through blockchain-powered tokenization.
Each token acts like a “warehouse receipt,” proving that you have ownership of physical assets stored on your behalf by a trusted provider, while removing many of the limitations of traditional commodity investments, such as high minimum purchase requirements, limited transparency, restricted trading hours, counterparty risk, and high management fees.
Metals.io has zero asset management fees, no minimum purchase requirement, reduced counterparty risk, and is independently audited.
Tokenized metals also offer the advantages of digital assets, including fractional ownership, divisibility, fungibility, and 24/7 global tradability.
A unified metals portfolio:
Metals.io enables investors to manage their metals portfolio within a single, unified view, providing real-time visibility.
Investors also get stronger risk management through simplified tracking and oversight and centralized portfolio management that empowers investors to manage their metals holdings with greater ease and control. Additionally, the platform helps investors discover, understand, and access new metals, supporting broader portfolio diversification.
Strong foundations
Each metal available on Metals.io is powered by industry-leading partners and an experienced team from the world of commodities, blockchain, and finance:
- The Tezos blockchain for efficient, secure transactions
- Curzon Uranium, a uranium trading company that has traded over $1 billion worth of uranium since its inception
- Archax, the UK's first regulated digital securities exchange
- The physical uranium backing xU3O8 is securely stored in a regulated depository operated by Cameco, one of the worldʼs largest uranium providers.
- Noemon Finance, a CySEC-regulated investment firm under MiFID II, for the custody management of strategic metals
- Strategic metals are stored with MetlockGmbH, a specialized, high-security storage provider in the European Union designed for strategic tangible assets
- VNX Commodities, a Liechtenstein-registered Trusted Technology Service Provider, tokenizing LBMA-certified physical gold
Invest Directly in Metals
Metals.io’s centralized portfolio management empowers individual investors to manage their metals holdings with greater ease and control, and gives them stronger risk management through simplified tracking and oversight.
Disclaimer:
Benzinga is compensated for publicizing this content. Please read 17b disclosures here.
Please be advised that alternative investments carry a risk of monetary loss. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. All information contained on this website is provided as general commentary for informative and entertainment purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Benzinga will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on this information, whether specifically stated in the above Terms of Service or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.

‘Scrolling To UBI’: Deloitte’s #1 Fastest-Growing Software Company Allows Users To Earn Money On Their Phones – Invest Today With $1,000 For Just $0.50/Share
You see a shocking number of ads daily – researchers estimate between 6,000 to 10,000 and 375 to 625 per waking hour. In the modern age, most of them come from social media apps whose entire business model revolves around constantly showing you ads and keeping 100% of the revenue. But what if users got a share? That company might just grow its revenue by 32,481% in three years, help users earn and save $1 billion and be named Deloitte's fastest-growing software company in North America. And that’s what Mode Mobile did. Now, investors can invest pre-IPO for just $0.50 per share with a $1,000 minimum.
Reaching Financial Stability One Tap at a Time
Most Americans can’t afford a $1,000 emergency bill. That means many are one car breakdown or ER visit away from serious financial trouble. There's no quick fix to such a big financial challenge that over 50% of Americans face. However, it's safe to assume that the masses will flock to good solutions. Mode Mobile created one such solution by allowing people to earn money doing what they already spend a third of their waking hours on – tapping, scrolling and looking at their smartphone screens.
Mode Mobile developed a smartphone called EarnPhone, which allows users to earn and save money by playing video games, listening to music and reading the news. With the phone priced at an affordable $99, the barriers to adoption are low. However, users can earn income on their existing devices as well. This extreme competitiveness has allowed Mode Mobile to attract over 490 million registered beta users. Launching the finalized version could potentially bring in millions more, helping the company reach its goal of $150 million in annual revenue within three years.
6,955,000,000 Users to Go
Currently, seven billion smartphones worldwide provide functionality or entertainment but take all the profits. Mode Mobile’s disruption offers the same benefits but allows users to earn money at a time when the prices of goods are skyrocketing. Just like Airbnb lets users earn extra cash by renting out their bedrooms and Uber allows users to make money on their rides back home from work, Mode Mobile wants to enable its users to make money just from using their phones. However, its total addressable market is much larger than Airbnb’s and Uber’s – currently at over $1 trillion.
If you use your phone every day (who doesn’t?)—you’ve already helped other companies make money. This time, you can be the one who profits.
Disclaimer: Please be advised that alternative investments carry a risk of monetary loss. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. All information contained on this website is provided as general commentary for informative and entertainment purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Benzinga will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on this information, whether specifically stated in the above Terms of Service or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.
*Please read the offering circular and related risks at invest.modemobile.com.
Mode Mobile recently received their ticker reservation with Nasdaq ($MODE), indicating an intent to IPO in the next 24 months. An intent to IPO is no guarantee that an actual IPO will occur.
The Deloitte rankings are based on submitted applications and public company database research, with winners selected based on their fiscal-year revenue growth percentage over a three-year period.
Benzinga is compensated for publicizing this content. Please read 17b disclosures here.

Rents Are Rising In These Low-Supply Markets. Now Investors Can Access Thesis-Driven Multifamily Investing Through Lightstone, a $12B AUM Operator
How should individual accredited investors approach private-market real estate investing in 2026? In a market with higher potential inflation and volatility, multifamily is once again in focus.
The multifamily opportunity in 2026 is best understood not as a broad call to apartments, but as a selective thesis built on pronounced dispersion across geographies, product types, and strategies.
For one, high mortgage interest rates and other factors have caused renting to be the more realistic housing option for many; CBRE reports a 105% monthly premium to buy versus rent, showing the renter pool continues to expand.
At the same time, the development cycle is cooling: per NAHB, multifamily starts are expected to fall to 392,000 units in 2026 and 367,000 in 2027, after completions reached a 38-year high of 608,000 units in 2024.
That combination supports a more selective investment strategy: favor markets where rent growth remains positive, supply is more metered, and rent growth potential is less exposed to luxury lease-up competition.
With a diverse national portfolio of more than 25,000 multifamily units and a 40 year operating history, Lightstone has earned a reputation for identifying innovative and untapped opportunities in multifamily real estate. Leveraging their footprint, Lightstone has unrivaled insights into macro fundamentals to inform underwriting decisions based on actual data.
What’s more, Lightstone coinvests a minimum of 20% in each Lightstone DIRECT deal, aligning their outcomes with investors.
Highly sought-after multifamily investments are now within reach.
Why Geography Matters More Than Ever
Effective asking rents posted consecutive monthly gains in February 2026, per RealPage, but performance was highly uneven across regions.
The Midwest led with 2.0% annual rent growth in February 2026 and the Northeast followed at 1.5%, while the South was flat and the West was down 1.4%.
That pattern is consistent across every major data provider: rents in high-supply markets like the Sun Belt and Western regions are expected to lag behind pre-pandemic levels, while low-supply markets like the Midwest and Northeast will see increases.
In practical terms, the Midwest’s current advantage means lower competitive pressure from new deliveries, fewer concessions, and a healthier balance between demand and available supply. For investors, those conditions can produce a more durable cash-flow profile than markets where new luxury products are still clearing.
Of Lightstone’s 25,000+ multifamily units under management, 14,304 units are in the Midwest and 10,325 are in Michigan*. This concentration directly aligns with the regions where first- and third-party data show healthier rent performance and less severe supply pressure.
The Lightstone DIRECT Advantage
In 2025, Lightstone’s multifamily portfolio averaged 94% occupancy, posted 2.7% year-over-year rent growth, and delivered 5.8% year-over-year NOI growth. Critically, Lightstone is a vertically integrated owner/operator, with asset management and property management team in-house. Individual investors on Lightstone DIRECT benefit from this approach when investing in the same multifamily opportunities Lightstone pursues with its own capital.
This operating record demonstrates Lightstone is already executing in the lane this market is rewarding: regional concentration, operating scale, renovation throughput, rent progression, and disciplined debt structure.
With Lightstone DIRECT, accredited individuals can access the same multifamily opportunities that Lightstone pursues with its own capital.
Investors work with a well-established real estate firm with $12B+ in assets under management and a four decade real estate track record that includes operating through multiple recessions, credit crises, and recoveries.
*As of 12/31/2025
All investments involve risk. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
For accredited investors only
Benzinga is compensated for publicizing this content. Please read 17b disclosures here.
Please be advised that alternative investments carry a risk of monetary loss. Neither Benzinga nor its staff recommends that you buy, sell, or hold any security. We do not offer investment advice, personalized or otherwise. All information contained on this website is provided as general commentary for informative and entertainment purposes and does not constitute investment advice. Benzinga will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation to, any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from use of or reliance on this information, whether specifically stated in the above Terms of Service or otherwise. Benzinga recommends that you conduct your own due diligence and consult a certified financial professional for personalized advice about your financial situation.


