WhyDRS

The U.S. capital markets are the largest in the world, and provide not only inspiration to growing markets in other nations but are appealing to investors of all counties. In America, although many households do not invest equity in stocks, there is still widespread exposure through vehicles like pensions and 401ks. All of these investors share the same basic goal - to delay gratification today in order to have a more secure and comfortable future tomorrow.

The common knowledge of this system's framework is limited. The American stock market uses a private centralized securities depository, the Depository Trust Company, to facilitate settlement and provide liquidity. The DTC has been exceptional in providing these services to end users, but that's not all of what a market is about. The DTC's monopoly is approved by regulators and unknown to most participants, which is what we'd like to change. Every investor deserves to choose for themselves whether or not they hold through the DTC.

Thankfully, there is a sanctioned alternative - the Direct Registration System, or DRS. Why DRS? You can invest in the public companies which are important to you or which you feel will appreciate in value, and you can be Directly Registered on their ledgers rather than having beneficial ownership through a broker. This allows more direct communication with the company, easier submission of shareholder proposals, and assurance of your vote being counted for shareholder democracy.

WhyDRS is not only a 501c3 public charity but is also America's first DUNA (decentralized unincorporated nonprofit association) and powered by open source. We provide free educational articles, outreach and advocacy tools, collected and collated public data, and linked primary sources for your further reading. Your monetary donation helps us maintain site resources, attend conferences, and sponsor developers to achieve further goals - and giving with your time and attention on our GitHub is also very appreciated.