A Playbook for IR, Communications, and Leadership in the Age of Retail Investors
Ticker Shock examines how capital markets have been structurally and culturally transformed, and why many companies are still struggling to keep pace. As retail investors gained influence, executives became public-facing communicators, earnings calls evolved into media moments, and algorithms emerged as the first interpreters of corporate disclosure. Drawing on original research, expert interviews, and real-world case studies from GameStop to AI-driven earnings analysis, Katherine Perry brings years of firsthand experience at the intersection of markets, media, and investor communications to explain how narrative, credibility, and visibility now shape market behavior.
Written for executives, founders, and communications leaders, Ticker Shock offers a clear framework for leading and communicating effectively in a market where investors are also audiences.
About the Author
Katherine (Katie) Perry is a strategic marketer, financial news host, and advisor whose work spans corporate marketing, investor relations, and executive positioning. She has interviewed nearly 100 CEOs, CFOs, and founders as a host for SoFi, Stocktwits, Morning Brew, and other financial networks, giving her a front-row view into how leaders communicate and how narratives move modern markets. Her insights and commentary have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes, CNN Business, the New York Post, and other national outlets. Perry is also a seasoned speaker, with appearances at Money20/20, Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange, Advertising Week, and Benzinga, as well as academic institutions including Columbia University, Fordham Law School, UC Berkeley School of Law, and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
She began investing as a teenager, an early education that inspired the central question behind Ticker Shock: what happens when investing becomes accessible to everyone? Originally from Syracuse, New York, and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame, Perry serves as Chief Marketing Officer at the digital asset infrastructure company zerohash in New York City.
