Meet Alejandra Lozano, a dedicated Financial Wellbeing Coach for Operation HOPE, located inside Wells Fargo’s HOPE Inside center in South LA. With over seven years of experience in the finance industry, Alejandra is passionate about uplifting black and brown communities and empowering their financial journeys. Alejandra shares how her childhood exp…

Hans Koch is the CEO of the augmented reality platform MyXR. Hans shares poignant memories of growing up in Southwestern Michigan, reflecting on his early money lessons and the influence of his father’s entrepreneurial spirit. He delves into the impact of his father's battle with ALS, which in turn shaped his outlook on life and business. Hans reco…

Tosin Mills is the product and growth strategy manager at Microsoft. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Tosin shares how her experience of moving from Nigeria to the United States played an important role in her understanding of the value of money, and what her…

In this episode, guest John Hill reflects on his childhood lessons in saving and the importance of compound interest instilled by his family in Western Pennsylvania. Transitioning to a career in asset management, John shares insights into founding Quorus, a technology-enabled asset manager aimed at personalizing investment portfolios. John also off…

Leslie Gillin is the Chief Growth Officer of Pagaya, a lending platform that uses artificial intelligence to improve credit decision-making. Leslie shares how her mother instilled the importance of financial independence early on, and the challenges she faced around unconscious biases as a woman in the C-suite. This is an archival episode from Octo…

A conversation with Michael Hershfield, CEO of Accrue Savings. From his humble beginnings in Canada to his entrepreneurial ventures and eventual founding of Accrue, Michael shares poignant insights into the importance of financial literacy, responsible spending, and the mission to revolutionize savings behavior in America. We talk about Michael’s l…

This episode originally aired on July 13th, 2022. As a new college graduate living in New York City, Aja Evans thought she had made it. She quickly realized, however, that the weekly bottomless brunches add up. Eventually, she took control of her spending habits. Today, Aja is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in financial wellness. S…

We talk to Caesar Sengupta, the founder of Arta, a technology platform revolutionizing the world of personal finance. We delve into Caesar's background and his journey from growing up in India to studying computer science at Stanford and eventually joining Google. Caesar shares his early money memories and the shift in his mindset towards money as …

Brian Barnes is the founder and CEO of the wealth management platform M1 Finance. Founded in 2015, the company uses digital tools to help customers automate the way that they invest and save. Brian shares how a stock pitch competition in school shaped his passion for investing, and how this experience later influenced his philosophy for M1. He also…

Eryn Schultz is the founder of pHERsonal Finance Day, a platform that offers courses and content tailored to high-earning women. Eryn is a graduate of Georgetown University and Harvard Business School. She discusses what inspired her to plunge into entrepreneurship, and answers your questions about student loans. This episode is an archival episode…

A conversation with Estelle and Stephen Cockcroft, the founders of Catamaran Guru, a boating business. They discuss their journey in yacht brokering, how their early childhood experiences in South Africa inspired them on their quest to sail around the world, and the key to a harmonious business and personal relationship.…

Nico Simko is the founder and CEO of Clair, a digital banking app that allows customers to access funds from their paycheck sooner. Nico built Clair on one simple premise; if you can send money instantly to your friends via Venmo, then why can’t you receive your paycheck as soon as you complete a job? Nico discusses how his multicultural Swiss upbr…

Drew Breneman is the founder and CEO of the real estate platform, Breneman Capital. Drew shares how his initial journey into real estate began with a successful online business in high school. A business which, over time, evolved into a $200 million portfolio. Drew discusses why he believes that real estate is still a meaningful tool for building l…

Leslie Gillin is the Chief Growth Officer of Pagaya, a lending platform that uses artificial intelligence to improve credit decision-making. Leslie shares how her mother instilled the importance of financial independence early on, and the challenges she faced around unconscious biases as a woman in the C-suite.…

Chase Allen is a South Carolina-based iron artist. He discusses his transition from real estate marketing to founding his artistic venture, Iron Fish Art. Raised by a single mother, he recalls early financial struggles and being inspired by creative trailblazers. In spite of skepticism, he dived into his passion for metalworking, even funding his b…

Joe Percoco is the CEO and founder of the wealth management fintech Titan, which aims to provide elite capital management for everyday Americans. Joe shares his upbringing in a small New Jersey town, his earliest money memory of receiving a bond as a gift, and how his experience as an outsider working on Wall Street inspired him to develop a soluti…

Steve Carlin is the CEO of AiFi, an AI platform that enables retailers to scale autonomous shopping solutions. Although Steve began his career working with consumer products, he eventually found his calling working with cutting-edge technology firms. Steve shares the financial lessons he has held onto along the way, and why it's never a bad idea to…

A 2021 study by the Human Rights Campaign found that LGBTQ+ individuals are 6 percentage points more likely to live in poverty and that they earn, on average, approximately 89 cents for every dollar earned by their non-LGBTQ+ counterparts. Money Memories is celebrating pride month and re-airing this conversation with the Berlin-based drag artist Ka…

Conversations around financial independence can often feel exclusionary. Much of the personal finance content that is available seems like it caters to people who haven't faced financial hardships. This week's guest, Alex Shapero, is a public high school teacher. Alex shares his emotional response to seeing large sums of debt and the importance of …

Today, 34% of Americans are "credit invisible;" They lack access to basic lending products such as credit cards. Upstart is on a mission to change that. The fintech platform uses AI models to improve access to affordable credit. In this conversation with CEO and co-founder David Girouard, we discuss how his humble upbringing opened his eyes to the …

Reem Kassis is an award-winning Palestinian writer whose work focuses on the intersection of food, history, and politics. Her cookbook, “The Arabesque Table,” has received rave reviews and was listed on the New York Times' Best Cookbooks of 2021. Reem talks about how she was able to overcome cultural taboos around money talks, and why she is teachi…

Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez is a personal finance writer and host of the Real Simple podcast "Money Confidential." She describes how her upbringing as a child of immigrant parents influenced her attitude around frugality, and made her realize that the common discourse around money didn't speak to her experience. Plus, we talk about why the common …

Chris Ramos is a personal finance aficionado. Chris received his undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech University, and proceeded to work in government for several years before deciding to pursue an MBA. He was admitted to the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and faced a conundrum: attend a prestigious school and take on debt, or forgo the op…

Miguel Fernandez is the founder of Capchase, a fintech platform that provides financing for software-as-a-service ("SaaS") companies. Miguel shares some of the biggest mistakes he made as a startup founder, and how those lessons helped Capchase raise almost $1 billion in financing. He also shares how growing up in Spain influenced his views on risk…

Did you know that 13% of US drivers are uninsured? This week’s guest, Murray Macdonald, is on a mission to change that. Murray is the co-founder of the insurtech company Just Insure, which aims to provide affordable coverage using advanced data analytics. Murray grew up in South Africa, and talks about how witnessing extreme income disparities infl…

Jake Blum is not only an esteemed host of his own podcast, called Quakers and Makers, he’s also a financial planner with Northwestern Mutual. Jake shares what his keys to financial wellness are, and his journey from investment banking on Wall Street to running his own business.

Elizabeth a recent college graduate and creator of the platform MyTwoCentsFinance. While she was a full-time student, Elizabeth saved more than $20,000 that helped her achieve her goal of living in Spain after graduation. She shares her strategies for financial planning, and why setting ambitious "stretch" goals is an important step in this process…

Shay Bloch is a serial entrepreneur from Tel Aviv, Israel. Currently, he is the CEO of Jobox.ai, which is a platform that connects individuals freelance home services professionals. Shay shares what his biggest financial obstacle was as CEO, the toughest decisions he has had to make, and why sometimes, even money isn't enough to solve your problems…

Pinaman Owusu-Banahene is the founder and CEO of Adjoaa, an online fashion marketplace that highlights African designers. A graduate of the London School of Economics, Pinaman spent her childhood between Ghana and New Zealand. Although she initially began her career in public policy, she has since pivoted into the world of entrepreneurship, where s…

According to the Wall Street Journal, housing affordability in the United States is at its lowest level since 1989. Prospective buyers are stuck on the sidelines, worrying about whether to pull the trigger or continue waiting on the sidelines. For many, the American Dream of home ownership has turned into the American Nightmare. Dave Rich is a real…

As a new college graduate living in New York City, Aja Evans thought she had made it. She quickly realized, however, that the weekly bottomless brunches add up. Eventually, she took control of her spending habits. Today, Aja is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in financial wellness. She shares how her personal journey informed her de…

Maria MacMullin is the Senior Director of Major Gifts for the Genesis Women’s Shelter in Dallas, Texas. Maria has played a key role in securing over $70 million in philanthropic gifts for a wide number of organizations, and we talk about the importance of giving back in the personal finance journey. She is also the host of the Podcast on Crimes Aga…

Oliver Tweddell's two greatest passions are sailing and investing. Tweddell has spent the majority of his life training to qualify for Australia's Olympic team. Although he just missed out on the Tokyo games, he pivoted into the world of investing and started Minted Millennials, an online financial literacy platform. We talk about how budgeting as …

Blockasset is an NFT platform and ecosystem that allows fans to buy tokens of their favorite athletes. Founders Ryan and Mike share how their humble roots inspired their entrepreneurial passion, and what's behind the NFT craze.

Celia Zhang has built an illustrious career as a performer and educator, having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in violin performance from the Juilliard School in 2014 and subsequently receiving her master's degree from the Yale School of Music in 2016. She recently started a music school called Village Youth Conservatory. Celia’s parents immigr…

Rebekah is a New York City-based student and blogger. She shares how her earliest money memory of choosing the lowest cereal as a child influenced her to think about the connection between money and health, and why it's important to reframe money mistakes into lessons.

Dr. Norma Reyes is a career mindset coach who helps successful Latinas overcome self-doubt and imposter syndrome while on their professional journeys. She is also the host of the "Manifest Your Career" podcast. We talk about how growing up in a non-traditional Mexican household shaped Dr. Reyes’ independence around money, and the financial lessons …

Tosin Mills is the product and growth strategy manager at Microsoft. She received her bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management. Tosin shares how her experience of moving from Nigeria to the United States played an important role in her understanding of the value of money, and what her…

Rod Griffin is Senior Director of Public Education and Advocacy for Experian.He leads Experian's national consumer education programs and works with consumer advocates, financial educators, media and others to help consumers increase their ability to understand and manage their personal finances and protect themselves from fraud and identity theft.…

This episode features Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, the co-founders of Esusu, a fintech platform that leverages data to bridge the racial wealth gap. Today, more than 7 million Americans are unbanked, and more than 20 million are credit invisible, meaning they lack credit history with one of the 3 credit reporting agencies. Esusu helps individuals b…

Mattias Tengblad is the Co-founder and CEO of Corite, a platform that allows artists and their fans to join forces. Corite allows people to invest in music they really love and get paid when it’s streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. Mattias and his founders have explained that Corite is the first platform to “truly enable fans to invest in artists …

Jenn Uhen loves to talk about money as the Founder/Community Organizer of The Pledgettes. The Pledgettes is on a mission to abolish the gender wealth gap by facilitating money conversations with womxn through expert-led events and an engaged membership community. Jenn talks about her biggest money mistakes, why it's important to empower women to be…

Jannese Torres-Rodriguez is the creator and host of “Yo Quiero Dinero,” a platform dedicated to connecting diverse change makers who are sharing their personal finance stories and inspiring others to take their dinero to the next level. She is also the creator of a food blog called Delish D’Lites. In our conversation, we talk about not playing smal…

Daniela Pierre-Bravo is a New York City-based booking producer for MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” She is also the co-author, alongside Mika Brezinski, of the best-selling book “Earn It! Know Your Value and Grow Your Career, in Your 20s and Beyond.” Daniela grew up in Ohio, as the daughter of immigrants from Chile. She found out that she was undocumented sh…

A conversation with award-winning personal finance podcaster and author Jen Hemphill. Jen is the host of the "Her Dinero Matters Podcast," which focuses on the advancement of U.S. Latinas to minimize the gender wage gap while creating a healthy, confident conversation around money. She has been featured in publications such as Forbes, Clark Howard,…

Kavya Ravikanti is a graduate of the University of Virginia, and one of the founders of Young, Not Broke, a personal finance community whose mission is to empower young people to manage their money through various content and events. Since launching the platform, she and her team have successfully expanded the platform to include a newsletter with …

Kim Bridges is the senior vice president and director of financial planning at BOK Financial. Kim shares how she found her way to personal finance after initially joining the marine corps, and how seeing her mother manage financially after divorce opened her eyes to the importance of financial empowerment for women.…

Carter Malloy is the founder of the farming startup AcreTrader. AcreTrader is a farmland real estate investment company offering low minimum, passive farm investments.. Carter grew up in an Arkansas farming family and has had a lifelong passion for investing, agriculture, and conservation. Prior to founding AcreTrader, he was part of an equity inve…

Everyday Finance Gal is on a mission to help people build generational wealth. She and her family immigrated to the United States from Armenia. Her earliest money memory was translating a rent increase to her parents. “That’s when I first realized we didn’t have money,” she recalls. This experience influenced her to become an expert saver. Eventual…

Latasha Peterson is a blogger, side hustle coach and creator of Arts and Budgets, a blog dedicated to side hustles. In our conversation, Latasha describes why her relationship to debt was like being in an arranged marriage, and how her early memories of her parents’ difficult relationship with money influenced her into adulthood. She shares how she…