Inside Invest Fest Where Education and Innovation Took Center Stage

Something very special happens when 25,000 people gather under one roof for a weekend with the common goals of financial education and empowerment. The power of possibility is unleashed, and an entire community is elevated. 

That’s exactly what happened last weekend at Invest Fest, the biggest wealth festival on the planet, created by the team at Earn Your Leisure. It was the fifth year of the festival, which is held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, and this year’s event set new records for attendance and excitement. Headline speakers included NBA legend and entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Steve Harvey, Issa Rae, Twitter and Block founder Jack Dorsey, 2Chainz, and Troy Millings and Rashad Bilal, the creators of EYL and Invest Fest. 

While there were plenty of celebrity entertainers and influencers holding court on the EYL main stage, investing and wealth building were the dominant themes playing out on the EYL University stage next door. Thousands of attendees gathered to learn about ETF investing and the latest innovations in portfolio construction and diversification from Invesco QQQ and other financial service firms. I was honored to lead a conversation with Paul Schroeder, the Invesco QQQ equity product strategist, on the history, the present, and the future of the Invesco QQQ ETF, the firm’s flagship fund. 

At 26 years old, Invesco QQQ is very well known to investors given its performance, its size, and its role as the official ETF of the NCAA. But the attendees were eager to learn more about its construction today, and the dominance of a handful of stocks like Apple (AAPL), Microsoft (MSFT), and Nvidia (NVDA). 

As Schroeder explained, “Invesco QQQ’s concentration of these companies reflects today’s market leaders in the areas of the economy that are growing the fastest.” Schroeder pointed to the evolution of the ETF from the early 2000s, when companies like Microsoft, Intel (INTC), and Cisco (CSCO) carried the most weight in the fund, and explained how the managers of the ETF manage that balance through the creation and redemption process. 

The learning didn’t stop on stage. Throughout the weekend, there were dozens of book signings and meet-and-greets with real estate experts like Quiana Watson, wealth-builders like Cedric Nash, and entrepreneurs, including Ash “Cash” Exantus. There were also pitch contests with emerging entrepreneurs and students with cash prizes and mentorship opportunities. And, of course, every few minutes, the crowds would part as celebrities like Magic Johnson, Keyshia Cole, DJ Charlamagne Tha God, and rapper Vic Mensa would stroll through the marketplace, greeting fans and taking pictures… so many pictures.

On Sunday, the conversation shifted to innovation and investing in sports. In partnership with Invesco QQQ, I led a panel of actual champions, including NCAA hoops legend Jay Williams, a two-time Duke All-American and national champion, Renee Montgomery, a two-time WNBA champion and part-owner of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream, and Chris Sain, the founder of Grand C.I.T.Y., Sports and a financial educator with hundreds of thousands of subscribers to his YouTube channel. 

The conversation covered everything from the impact of N.I.L. on college and professional sports, Renee’s transition from player to part-owner of the Dream, and platform building as Jay and Chris have done through their media properties. Innovation in sports—how we consume it, how it is distributed, player contracts, and the future of the professional leagues— has been moving at a breakneck pace in recent years, and this panel of experts covered every inch of the court. 

While the stars shone across the stages and the exhibit hall and marketplace at Invest Fest, the real magic is always in the attendees who come to learn and participate at this unique event. Everyone is gathered in one place to get smarter about wealth-building, investing, new opportunities, and networking, and the power of their positivity is infectious. It’s no wonder that Invest Fest keeps breaking records in attendance and engagement every year. As an innovator in the event industry, Invest Fest is changing the game and the conversations we need to have today around investing, building wealth, and taking control of our financial futures. 

I’m already looking forward to 2026.