Banking On Girls: Recent Episodes
Marina Batliwalla
This podcast is for people raising and educating girls and young women, and explores the importance of early financial literacy. What should we be teaching girls so that they can gain skills and confidence in their own financial journey? Marina Batliwalla, a mother of three and a financial professional for over 20 years, uncovers the human experience of raising, educating, and inspiring girls financially, one story at a time.
Dr. Jayne Greenberg has spent a career building healthier futures for young people — as a health and physical education executive, curriculum developer, author, and organizational leader. Her résumé includes developing Sports Science curriculums, moderating a Congressional briefing, coordinating Olympic Committee education programs, and serving as an advisor to President Obama's Council for Fitness, Sport and Nutrition.
But long before any of that, Jayne was a young teacher figuring out how to make her first paycheck work for her future. In this episode, she trades the whistle for a wallet and joins me to talk about the habits, mistakes, and mindsets that shaped her financial life — and what she believes it takes to raise girls who are truly self-sufficient.
In this episode, we cover:
- How Jayne's path into physical education began, and the career highlights that followed
- The money lessons (and money silence) she grew up with
- The people who most shaped how she thinks about money
- A $50-a-paycheck decision, made at the very start of her teaching career, that changed everything
- A costly early investing mistake — and the homework she wishes she'd done first
- Practical advice for anyone starting out or managing on a modest budget
- The real link between financial well-being and overall well-being
- What Jayne sees as the biggest threat to youth health today, in the U.S. and globally
- Her advice for anyone raising kids in today's world
About This Episode
Tracy Hall is an author, financial wellness speaker, and fierce advocate against scams and relationship fraud. Her book The Last Victim chronicles her own devastating experience being defrauded by notorious Australian conman Hamish McLaren — the subject of the podcast Who the Hell is Hamish? Tracy now channels that experience into helping others recognize and resist financial exploitation.
In this episode, Tracy and Marina cover the psychology of fraud, who's most vulnerable, and — in a deeply personal turn — what happened when Tracy's own daughter became the target of sextortion.
What We Cover:
- Tracy's story: how she became a victim of one of Australia's most prolific conmen
- What she knows now that she didn't know then
- The profile of fraud victims — it's not who you think
- Sextortion: what it is, how it works, and why AI is making it exponentially worse
- How Tracy discovered her daughter was being targeted — and what she did next
- How kids typically react when sextortion happens to them
- What parents should do if their child is targeted
- Tracy's quiz — Marina scored 5/15, so there's plenty to learn! Take the quiz here: http://tracyhall.com.au
TRACY'S TIPS:
- Do a reverse image search
- Meet friends and family quickly
- Don't let money be a taboo topic - silence allows nefarious people to operate in silos
Romance scammers are getting bolder — and more convincing. In this episode, Marina sits down with Becky Holmes, author of Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love with You and the sharp wit behind the viral Twitter account @deathtospinach. What started in 2020 as a personal mission to waste scammers' time has turned Becky into one of the most recognized experts on online relationship fraud, sought out by media and professionals alike.
This is a must-listen for every woman — and every mom raising a daughter — navigating the digital world.
What We Cover:
- What online relationship fraud actually is, and how Becky went from target to expert
- Whether women are more vulnerable than men — and what the data shows
- The staggering sums of money that can be lost to romance scams
- The personas scammers use most often: doctors, pilots, and other high-status disguises
- Whether there's a "type" who falls for these scams — or whether anyone can be fooled
- Solo bad actors vs. organized crime networks: what's really behind these schemes
- The red flags to watch for before you get in too deep
- Practical steps to protect yourself online
- What moms — especially those with teenage daughters — can do right now
About Becky Holmes
Becky Holmes is the author of Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love with You, a no-nonsense guide to exposing online relationship fraud. She is also the creator of the popular Twitter account @deathtospinach, where she publicly outs romance scammers and documents her encounters with them. Since 2020, Becky has become a go-to voice on romance fraud for media outlets and professionals around the world
In this personal episode, I recount an extraordinary evening at the Manhattan brownstone of iconic feminist and activist Gloria Steinem — the very home where Ms. Magazine was founded in the 1970s. The dinner was organized as part of the Milken Women's Financial Security Initiative, led by Cheryl Evans, and brought together 20 remarkable women from across the United States to discuss one of the most pressing issues of our time: women's financial security. To learn about Banking On Girls Mother Daughter Workshops: Mother-Daughter Financial Literacy Workshop
For the referenced Architectural Digest feature on Gloria Steinem's Brownstone: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/gallery/visiting-gloria-steinem-in-her-longtime-manhattan-brownstone
To celebrate Mother's Day, I surveyed six college women on the best financial advice their moms gave them, the worst financial advice they had received — and what they still wish they knew. The results are honest, eye-opening, and full of heart. This one is for every mom and daughter ready to take the next step together.
What We Cover
- Why budgeting and credit are the lessons moms teach the most often
- The $27.40/day compound interest rule every teenager needs to hear (David Bach, Mel Robbins Podcast)
- Why investing is the conversation most moms aren't having — and why it matters
- The "money comes and goes" mindset and why it can quietly cost young women their financial agency
- Small, confident first steps any young woman can take today
This Week's Challenge: Moms — start the investing conversation, even if you're still learning. Daughters — pick one thing and do it this week. One step is all it takes.
Learn more about Banking On Girls Mother Daughter Workshops: https://mom-daughter-workshop.lovable.app/
This podcast does not provide financial, tax, legal or investment advice. It is for educational purposes only.
Why Women Are Better Investors Than They Think — And The Data That Proves It | With Professor Saumitra Jha
Most of us have heard of the gender wage gap. But there's another gap that gets far less attention — the gender investing gap. And according to new research from Stanford, the fix might be simpler than anyone expected. In this episode, we sit down with Professor Saumitra Jha, Associate Professor of Political Economy at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Affairs. He joins us to share findings from his groundbreaking study published in The Economic Journal (January 2025), co-authored with Moses Shayo, which reveals that simply participating in stock trading — even in a study setting — measurably closes the gender confidence gap in finance.
WHAT WE COVER
— How the gender gap shows up in investing: lower participation, lower confidence, and less financial risk-taking — even among women with strong educational and career credentials.
— Why the confidence gap may matter more than the knowledge gap. Confidence, participation, and knowledge are mutually reinforcing — and breaking into any one of them can shift all three.
— The surprising findings from the study: women who participated in the trading experiment were more engaged, answered more factual questions correctly, and ended up with at least comparable — if not slightly better — investment returns than men.
— Why men in the study actually became more reserved in their self-assessments over time, while women grew in confidence.
— How women can take their first steps into investing: practical, low-pressure ways to build familiarity, knowledge, and confidence with markets.
Access Professor Jha's paper here: https://siepr.stanford.edu/publications/working-paper/trading-stocks-builds-financial-confidence-and-compresses-gender-gap
Learn more about Banking On Girls Mother-Daughter Workshops here: https://mom-daughter-workshop.lovable.app/
This podcast does not provide financial, tax, legal or investment advice. It is for educational purposes only.
This International Women's Month, we're zooming out and looking at the bigger picture of where women stand financially, what's holding them back, and what each of us can do about it.
The numbers are sobering. The World Economic Forum estimates it will take 123 years to close the gender economic gap at the current pace. Women are expected to accumulate just 74% of the wealth men do over a full working lifetime. And yet — when women do invest, research shows they can achieve better returns than men. The gap isn't ability. It's access, knowledge, and confidence.
In this episode, we explore:
- Why financial literacy is the lever — and why the gender gap in investing is one-third a confidence problem, not just a knowledge problem
- The age-seven finding — research from the University of Cambridge showing that many money habits form before age seven, and what that means for how we raise financially capable children
- The silence that has a cost — why money being treated as taboo in so many households hits girls hardest, and what happens when we break that silence
- The generational ripple effect — why financial literacy in one woman doesn't stay with one woman
This episode is for anyone who believes the 123-year timeline is unacceptable, and wants to understand the role they can play in shortening it.
For more information on Banking On Girls Mother-Daughter Workshops go to: https://mom-daughter-workshop.lovable.app/
In This Episode * What I've been up to and what's coming this season * Why moms and daughters learning together makes all the difference * The moment teen girls realize time is their biggest financial superpower * The emotional side of money nobody talks about * How a shared financial language turns conflict into connection
Stay Connected * Learn more about the workshops: https://mom-daughter-workshop.lovable.app * Subscribe wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts
In this REWIND episode, I speak with Josina Kamerling from the CFA Institute and discuss how parents can help their kids, especially girls, think critically about the financial advice they encounter on social media. We cover essential conversations that empower children to evaluate information effectively and build a solid understanding of money management.
For those interested in more on this topic, this episode references Josina Kamerling from the CFA Insitute's paper The Finfluencer Appeal: Investing in the Age of Social Media.
In this episode of Banking on Girls, I sit down with Dr. Darla Bishop—author of How to Afford Everything, Madeline’s Money Adventure (for ages 4–8), and How to Afford College and Grad School. Darla brings her signature mix of humor, wisdom, and real talk to help people of all ages build a healthier relationship with money.
From being a doula to a military spouse, healthcare consultant, and now a voice in financial education, Darla shares her own money journey—and how she’s raising her daughter to be money-smart and confident.
We talk about: 💸 Why so many people are afraid to look at their finances 🎓 Smart ways to pay for college and grad school (especially if you have more than one kid heading there!) 👩👧 The impact your words have on your child’s money mindset 💡 How to build financial habits that feel good—not guilt-ridden
Resources:
Where to find Darla Bishop: darlabishop.com/social
Darla's free resources:
https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhowtoaffordeverything.com%2Fresources&data=05%7C02%7C%7Ca888a0777ec54dbc07b708ddc5b713ef%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C638884112292568888%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=rPrYolv3WmXgnV2V1IoWEShfWQmRj%2FcHDyLHBlr7aPU%3D&reserved=0
In this follow-up to Episode 61, I return with Part 2 of my reflections from the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW69), where I served as a delegate with the FEZANA NGO. This episode dives deep into the intersection of gender, technology, and financial inclusion.
💡 In this episode, you’ll hear about:
- The dangers of AI bias—from credit access to deepfakes targeting women
- Why women must be involved in developing ethical AI frameworks
- Global examples of regions building inclusive AI models (Canada, EU, Singapore)
- What questions we must ask to ensure AI equity
👉 Subscribe to the newsletter at www.bankingongirls.com 👉 Follow and share to keep the movement growing.
In this powerful episode of Banking on Girls, I take listeners inside the 69th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women in New York, where I attended as a delegate with the FEZANA NGO.
From Kyrgyzstan to Latin America, the stories shared at the UN revealed a deep and urgent truth: climate change is not just an environmental crisis—it’s an economic and gender justice crisis.
You’ll hear:
- Why microfinance matters more than ever for women in climate-affected regions
- The problems with loan-based aid—and the need for grants and true financial partnerships
- Insights from global leaders like Bridget Burns (WEDO) and Young Hee (Adaptation Fund)
- How programs like Agro-Mujer empower women without land ownership
- Why women and girls must be seen as agents of change, not just aid recipients
🎧 Listen now and stay tuned for Episode 62, where we explore how AI and tech are impacting women and girls globally.
In this special episode recorded live at the 2025 Milken Global Conference in Los Angeles, I sit down with Adam Mendler, entrepreneur, keynote speaker, and host of the top-rated podcast Thirty Minute Mentors, where he's interviewed more than 500 of America's most successful leaders.
Together, we discuss:
- Highlights from Milken 2025
- What Adam has learned about leadership from hundreds of top CEOs and changemakers
- The difference (if any) in how women and men rise to the top
- Why starting early and staying the course is the secret to building real wealth
- What parents and mentors can do to raise confident girls in a shifting economic landscape
- And the one piece of advice Adam gives to every future leader: “Be a good person.”
🎧 Tune in and share with someone raising the next generation of changemakers.
For more information on Adam and Thirty Minute Mentors:
https://adammendler.com/podcast/
In this special recap episode of Banking on Girls, Marina Batliwalla takes you inside the Milken Global Conference 2025—a gathering of world leaders, innovators, and investors—to uncover what the future of finance, technology, and equity means for women and girls.
You’ll hear takeaways from thought leaders like Tony Blair, Jensen Huang, and top minds in retirement, caregiving, and Gen Z finance. From the rise of AI to the realities of caregiving and generational inequality, this episode unpacks the conversations that matter for building financial power and confidence in the next generation.
In This Episode, We Cover: 💡 How AI is reshaping every job—and why digital fluency is now essential to financial literacy 💸 Why young women should front-load their savings early in life 👩👧👦 How caregiving affects women’s financial futures—and how to plan for it 📉 The broken “social escalator” and what Gen Z and Millennials are up against 💰 Why the average woman’s portfolio is still 70% cash—and how we can change that 🌍 The role women will play in the largest wealth transfer in history
Take Action: ✔️ Share this episode with a girl, young woman, or parent in your life ✔️ Talk to your kids about AI, investing, and debt—early and often ✔️ Download a budgeting app together or set up a mock investment account ✔️ Subscribe to Banking on Girls for more conversations on raising financially fearless girls
Links & Resources: 🔗 Milken Institute: milkeninstitute.org
On Tuesday, January 7, 2025 at 10 a.m., everything changed.
In this powerful episode of Banking on Girls, we sit down with three mothers who lived through the terrifying Palisades fires in Los Angeles—watching the flames reach their homes in real time through security cameras and dash cams left behind. As smoke filled the sky and evacuation orders came fast, for some, their neighbors stepped in to protect what they could. What followed was a test of emergency planning, emotional resilience, and financial preparedness.
We talk about:
- How it felt to watch the embers ignite their homes remotely as they raced to safety
- The critical role of having a plan to avoid panic-driven decisions during an emergency
- Why community support matters not just in the moment, but months later during long-term recovery
- The unexpected financial lessons born from loss
- And how the way we handle crisis teaches our kids—especially our daughters—what strength really looks like
Thank you Elaine Paul, Lynne Weaver and Brooke Crane for sharing your stories.
This episode is a testament to friendship, preparedness, and the quiet optimism of women rebuilding from the ashes. As one mom says, “The kids are watching. Take care of yourself first.”
Resources:
www.ready.gov
https://www.ready.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/ready_emergency-financial-first-aid-toolkit.pdf
Today, we're thrilled to welcome back Melanie Mortimer, President of the SIFMA Foundation — the nation’s leader in youth investor and financial education. Melanie holds a Master’s in International Management and an MBA from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, and a BA in English from Agnes Scott College in Georgia.
In this episode, we dive into the findings of a brand-new survey conducted by the SIFMA Foundation on U.S. parents' views about financial education for kids. Melanie shares eye-opening insights, including the surprising statistic that nearly three-quarters of parents would consider moving their child to a different school if it offered financial education!
We also discuss:
- The fact that women often feel less confident than men when it comes to teaching kids about investing (and how we're working to change that!)
- How the SIFMA Foundation is supporting families, schools, and communities in building financial literacy from an early age
- Practical ways parents can get involved and start teaching money concepts at home
If you're passionate about preparing the next generation — especially girls — for financial success, you won’t want to miss this conversation!
https://www.sifma.org/about/sifma-foundation/
Click here to receive the free Banking On Girls newsletter for actionable tips and inspiration on raising kids to be money-smart
In this episode of the Banking on Girls podcast, we are excited to feature Wendy Teleki, the Head of the Women Entrepreneurs Finance Initiative (We-Fi) at the World Bank.
We-Fi plays a crucial role in supporting women entrepreneurs in over 60 developing countries by enhancing their access to finance, markets, skills, and technology.
Wendy has been recognized as one of Forbes’s “50 Over 50” women in finance for her outstanding leadership in advocating for women's economic empowerment and entrepreneurship. She is also the co-author of "Rebalance: How Women Lead, Parent, Partner and Thrive," where she shares her personal journey and insights on finding purpose in one's career.
In this episode, Wendy discusses the valuable support the We-Fi project provides to women entrepreneurs, addressing the challenges they face at every stage of the entrepreneurial process—from launching their businesses to accessing necessary funding.
As a bonus, she offers advice for young women beginning their educational and career journeys, emphasizing the importance of choosing a purposeful path, a journey which she herself, outlines in her book.
Tune in for an inspiring conversation about empowering women in business and the steps we can take to create a more inclusive financial landscape.
Click here to receive the free Banking On Girls newsletter for actionable tips and inspiration on raising kids to be money-smart
In this episode of Banking on Girls, we’re joined by Professor Hal Hershfield, a distinguished expert in marketing, behavioral decision-making, and psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. As the author of Your Future Self: How to Make Tomorrow Better Today, Professor Hershfield explores how understanding and connecting with our future selves can transform the way we make long-term financial decisions.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- How Professor Hershfield’s research helps people visualize and emotionally connect with their future selves to improve saving behavior.
- How Professor Hershfield learned about money as a child and how he is raising his own children.
- Practical strategies for parents to teach children about saving, spending, and giving.
Key Takeaways:
- Building a connection with your future self can inspire actionable change in the present.
- Early financial education is crucial for instilling lifelong habits of thoughtful saving and spending.
- Simple, relatable techniques can help children and adults alike envision a more financially secure future.
In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Maura Cunningham, founder of Rock the Street, Wall Street—a groundbreaking non-profit organization dedicated to empowering high school girls by teaching them the fundamentals of math, investing, and finance. Maura brings over 25 years of Wall Street experience in finance and wealth management, as well as insights from her journey as a mother to a successful trial lawyer.
Together, we discuss Maura’s mission to shatter the math barrier for girls in the U.S. and foster financial literacy from an early age. Maura explains how Rock the Street, Wall Street has been creating transformative impacts for young women, particularly those in high school, preparing them for financially independent futures.
In This Episode, We Cover:
- Maura’s Motivation: What inspired Maura to leave her successful Wall Street career and start Rock the Street, Wall Street.
- The Lifecycle of Girls in Math: Maura outlines the typical "math journey" for girls in the U.S. and why many are discouraged from STEM at an early age.
- Breaking the Cycle: How her high school programs are designed to build confidence in finance and investing, cultivating the next generation of women leaders in finance.
- Raising Financially Savvy Girls: Insights from Maura's personal experience raising her daughter, with advice for parents raising girls in today’s fast-paced, complex world.
Connect with Rock the Street, Wall Street:
Learn more about Maura’s organization, their programs, and ways to get involved:
https://rockthestreetwallstreet.com/
In this episode, we discuss how parents can help their kids, especially girls, think critically about financial advice they encounter on social media. We cover essential conversations that empower children to evaluate information effectively and build a solid understanding of money management.
For those interested in more on this topic, this episode references Ep 42 with Josina Kamerling from the CFA Insitute, and her paper The Finfluencer Appeal: Investing in the Age of Social Media.
My guest today is Cheryl Evans who leads the Lifetime FInancial Security Program at the Milken Institute and recently released the paper Shifting the Retirement Paradigm: Moving Towards Financial Security. As a mom herself to a teen daughter Cheryl cautions, “No one's coming to rescue you - be your own hero!”
Listen here to learn:
- Why you need to make saving money a priority from a young age
- Where you can start on your own financial knowledge journey
- How you can overcome biases to make conscious choices to help save for your future-self
Learn more here:
https://milkeninstitute.org/content-hub/research-and-reports/reports/shifting-retirement-paradigm-moving-toward-lifetime-financial-security
Today's epsiode is a rewind of my conversation with Rasa DiSalvo, a business and high-performance coach, transformational speaker, and athlete. Rasa has coached founders, pro-athletes, Hollywood celebrities, corporate executives, and CEOs.
Rasa’s passion for human potential and high performance has been uniquely shaped by a career as an athlete, where human beings are tested to the limits of their mental, physical and technical abilities. In her coaching, she unites the concept of training our mind, body, and spirit.
Prior to starting her own coaching business, Rasa spent 15 years as a Strategy & Transaction Consultant where she led multinational transactions all at the same time competing on a Pro-Beach Volleyball tour on the weekends.
In this episode, Rasa helps us understand that whether we feel wealthy or not depends a lot on our internal state of mind and our attitude towards abundance in life.
Her number one piece of advice is that parents should avoid telling children that “I can’t afford it” but rather to question “how can I afford it?”, as this ultimately opens up resourcefulness and creativity.
Learn more about Rasa's work here:
https://www.rasadisalvo.com/
Today’s episode is a rewind of my converstion with Kylie Hargreaves, Chair of the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity and Deputy Chair for Regional Development Australia.
Kylie is an experienced diplomat and is passionate about water, waste and energy. She has over 25 years experience in Federal and State Governments, including as Australia's Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner in the US, UK and Spain and as former Deputy Secretary for several portfolios (including resources and energy) in the New South Wales State Government, Australia.
In this episode Kylie gives us a glimpse into her early life traveling the world as the daughter of a diplomat, and later as a diplomat herself.
As a former Australian Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles, and as one of the founders of the G’day USA program, she transformed the way Australia conducted public policy in the US and around the world.
For Kylie, early lessons in self-reliance have led to a lifetime of financial discipline and ultimately the freedom to pursue career and personal goals.
This episode is a rewind of my conversation with Dr. Marlene Kanga. Dr. Kanga who lives in Sydney, Australia and is an outstanding leader and engineer. She was the second female President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), from 2017-2019. In that capacity she represented over 30 million engineers around the world.
She holds non-executive director positions on Boards in Australia including Sydney Water Corporation and Air Services Australia. Marlene is also the Co-Chair of Elevate, an Australian government program to increase the participation of women in STEM.
Dr. Kanga was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2022 when she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia “for distinguished service to engineering, as a global leader and role model to women”.
In this episode Dr. Kanga tells us about the impactful moments in her youth that changed the trajectory of her life, the importance of women learning to manage their own money, and why mathematics is vital for girls. She is a passionate advocate for women understanding how they can make a difference in engineering and STEM fields.
You can find the UNESCO article "I'd blush if I could: Closing gender divide through digital skills in education" that Dr. Kanga references below:
https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000367416.page=1
Today’s epsiode is a rewind of my converstion with Darline Llamas Llopis, the Vice President of Finance and Retail of the Miami Dolphins football team and the Florida Formula 1 Grand Prix. Prior to joining the Dolphins, she was the Director of Finance and Controller of the Los Angeles Rams football team. She has an MBA from UCLA and Masters of Accountancy from the University of Southern California (USC). She is a native of Los Angeles, and she and her husband, Devin, now reside in Miami.
Darline is a first generation American whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. From a young age she was encouraged by her parents to become financially independent and to seek opportunities through hard work and self-reliance. After beginning her working life in accounting, through a series of coincidences, and propelled by her strong work ethic, she found her career path in the world of sports.
Darline talks openly about the influences of her childhood and how they have translated into her sense of financial responsibility in adulthood, and gives advice that is so relevant for young women today.
This episode is a rewind episode of my conversation with Mayor Paige Cognetti, the first female Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Prior to becoming Mayor, Mayor Cognetti advised the Pennsylvania Auditor General on the oversight of public school districts and care for older adults. Mayor Cognetti also served in the Obama administration as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department and prior to that she worked as an investment advisor in New York City.
Mayor Cognetti holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in English Literature from the University of Oregon Clark Honors College.
In this episode Mayor Cognetti gives us a candid view into the world of politics and how her financial skills have guided her through several career changes. She emphasizes the importance of early financial education, especially for girls.
This episode is a rewind of my conversation with entrepreneur Berenice (“Bere”) Giannini. Giannini is not a typical venture-backed founder. She’s a Mexican immigrant and solo entrepreneur who launched and exited her first venture-funded company, eTailPet, after a 20-year-long career outside the tech ecosystem in only four years. After earning an MBA from the University of Southern California while working full-time for Citigroup, followed by JP Morgan, she joined Dogswell in 2007, a pet company. As its COO, she exited Dogswell to private equity providing a +10x return to its original investors. In 2014, she founded a 10-store, omni-channel, pet store chain in Southern California, Protein for Pets. She was nominated for CFO of the Year, and Women Making a Difference by the Los Angeles Business Journal before she turned 35. Berenice Giannini is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She is a top operational mind in the pet industry. Bere is starting a Masters of Science in Analytics at the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC in the Fall of 2023. Bere lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 5 kids, and 2 dogs. In this episode Bere shares what spurred her childhood determination to become financially independent, the money lessons she learned living near the border of Mexico and the US and why it’s important for women to retain their earning and professional skills as they get older and have families.
This episode is a rewind of my conversation with Judy Herbst, the Executive Director of Savvy Ladies, a non-profit organization that offers a FREE financial help line and financial planning education to women. Savvy Ladies is completely independent from any financial institution or organization and its resources are provided free of charge.
You can find out more about Savvy Ladies here:
https://www.savvyladies.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkY2qBhBDEiwAoQXK5fjb_fKialF8MS2rIlt6tJ7n3QYX1qIMsdVXxy9CLSjo6kE1CgvuuxoCeEgQAvD_BwE
This is episode is recorded at the 2024 Milken Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. My guest is Nicole Valentine, the director, Fintech at the Milken Institute with over a decade of financial services and innovation experience. Nicole's work engages policymakers to improve access to capital and financial inclusion. She is frequently featured in the media including CNBC, Forbes, USA Today and Fox. Nicole earned her JD from University of Virginia School of Law and her BA from American University.
In this episode we discuss what the future of finance looks like, the importance of financial inclusion in a digital world, and Nicole gives us her advice for raising girls in today's world.
In this episode of Banking on Girls, I reflect on my experience at the United Nations 68th Commission on the Status of Women, highlighting the urgent need for gender financial inclusion. From the grandeur of the General Assembly Hall to intimate panel discussions, the event showcased global efforts to address disparities in economic empowerment.
Insights from Nordic countries underscored persistent gender pay gaps despite advancements in equality measures. Discussions on innovative solutions, such as Austria's focus on financial literacy and Australia's data-driven approach, offered hope for progress.
From India's panel on women's empowerment to the World Bank's sobering statistics, the episode reveals a shared commitment to fostering change.
In this episode I speak with Josina Kamerling, the Head of Regulatory Outreach for the Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region for the CFA Institute, about their recently released paper The Finfluencer Appeal: Investing in the Age of Social Media.
Josina tells us that financial regulatory systems around the world are not fit for purpose for dealing with this new way of marketing financial advice on social media.
She explains why Gen Z is very fragile and predisposed to harms as it pertains to online advice, and the conversations we, as parents, need to be having with our children to protect them.
The CFA Institute is a global not for profit organization that provides investment professionals globally with finance education and promotes standards in ethics and professional excellence.
https://www.cfainstitute.org/
This is a REWIND EPISODE where my guest is Karina Montilla Edmonds an aeronautical engineerr and leader in the field of innovation and technology transfer.
Karina has a distinguished career spanning from the Obama Administration to tech companies such as Google. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Academies and University Alliances at SAP, a multinational software company.
Karina has been a life-long advocate for women and historically underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
She is a member of the Board of Directors for Dragonfly Energy and also serves on several non-profit boards including, the Pasadena Educational Foundation and the University of Rhode Island. Karina holds a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Caltech, the California Institute of Technology.
In this episode Karina explains how very early exposure to math and engineering inspired her path to aeronautical engineering, she tells us about the flexibility that advanced degrees have given her in raising her three daughters and the money lessons she is passing on to future generations.
My guest today is Elizabeth Rossiello the CEO and founder of AZA Finance, a fintech company which is accelerating global access to frontier markets through an innovative infrastructure.
In this episode Elizabeth tells us how she became one of the 1.5% of female fintech founders globally.
Elizabeth also gives us a lesson on cryptocurrency, and tells us the most important money lessons she is tecahing her young daughters.
Before founding AZA, Elizabeth was a rating analyst for microfinance institutions across sub-Saharan Africa, consulting for the Grameen Foundation and the Gates Foundation, as well as working with regulators and on legislation for financial innovations.
She previously co-chaired the World Economic Forum's Council on Blockchain, and been a guest lecturer and keynote speaker in digital assets and fintech for Uni California Berkeley, Oxford University, and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.
She holds an M.A. in International Business and Finance from Columbia University.
My guest today is Melanie Mortimer the President of the SIFMA Foundation. SIFMA is the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, and the SIFMA Foundation is the nation’s leader in youth investor and financial education that ensures all young people, regardless of background, have access to transformative knowledge and tools to prepare for their financial futures.
Melanie has a Master’s in International Management and an MBA from Aoyama Gakuin University in Tokyo, and her BA in English from Agnes Scott College in Georgia.
In this episode Melanie talks about the ways the SIFMA Foundation's programs are impacting both students and teachers, and her own advice for people raising girls.
Melanie tells us how we can contribute to and access the Foundation's programs.
https://www.sifma.org/about/sifma-foundation/
My guest today is Martine Ferland, the Chief Executive Officer of Mercer, a $5 billion global leader in redefining the world of work, reshaping retirement and investment outcomes, and unlocking real health and well-being. She also serves as Vice Chair of Marsh McLennan, Mercer’s parent company, the leading global professional services firm in risk, strategy and people.
In this episode Martine tells us how her financial education as an actuary and comfort with navigating uncertainty successfully guided her leadership response to the pandemic and beyond.
Martine gives us a glimpse into her own childhood and the most important money lessons she learned which she has now passed down to her own children.
Financial literacy Financial literacy for women Financial literacy for kids Financial literacy for girls
In this episode we discuss some of the early learning concepts for children that are thought to lead to adult money behaviors and habits.
We discuss ways in which parents can think about engaging children to develop their concepts and skills in some of these areas.
My guest today is Rebecca Maxcy, the Director and Principal Investigator at the University of Chicago Financial Education Initiative, where she has led the research and development of finEDge, a single-semester financial education course for high school students and Talking Cents, conversation cards developed to engage people in conversations about money.
She is also an author of Everyday Mathematics. Rebecca has a Master’s in Education from Lesley University, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bates College.
She is a mother of two teenagers.
In this episode Rebecca talks about the importance of talking openly to kids about money and your values as early as possible. Conversations don't have to include numbers and can be about values, behaviours and attitudes.
Learn more about Rebecca's work here:
https://financialeducation.uchicago.edu/
Today I speak with Farnoosh Torabi, bestselling Financial Author and creator of the So Money Podcast, which has had over 25 million downloads.
Farnoosh holds a degree in Finance and International Business from Pennsylvania State University and a Masters in Journalism from Columbia University. As one of the US’s favorite money experts, she’s been featured in countless publications and on TV, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, NBC, and CNN. Farnoosh’s latest book is called A Healthy State of Panic, Follow your Fears to Build Wealth, Crush Your Career and Win at LIfe.
In this episode we talk about raising children, especially our girls, to not fear money, and some of the best ways to give them healthy money habits from a young age.
Today is a REWIND Episode where I speak with Lacey Filipich, the Founder of Money School which helps people become financially independent and raise financially capable kids.
Money School is also the title of her award-winning book which was the winner of the best book 2022 at the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards.
Lacey graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland in Australia with an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering She is the winner of a 2019 Business News "40 under 40" Award in Australia.
In this episode Lacey tells us how she became financially independent at age 31 and is now able to live a life pursuing her passions.
Lacey learned from her mum what to do, and from her dad what NOT to do! Her mum taught her that it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep - and Lacey has always saved 50% of what she's earned.
Lacey tells us that in its simplest terms, financial literacy comes down to: (i) save; (ii) buy assets that generate an income; and (iii) avoid bad debt.
Resources:
Lacey encourages all parents of girls to take the Harvard Implicit Associations Test, which uncovers unconscious biases:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Lacey's FREE course Debt101 to help you get out of debt
https://courses.moneyschool.org.au/page/2AdMj
Hear Lacey's story on her TED Talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/lacey_filipich_why_you_should_think_about_financial_independence_and_mini_retirements
This episode is a Rewind Episode of my conversation with Entertainment Industry CEO Sarah Harden who leads Reese Witherspoon's company Hello Sunshine.
Sarah has led Hello Sunshine’s rapid growth as a premium content studio and direct-to-consumer media brand. Prior to her time with Hello Sunshine, she was President of Otter Media, and spent 10 years at News Corp/Fox, serving as Group Director at News Corp Asia.
Sarah holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA (Hons) from The University of Melbourne.
In this episode, Sarah discusses the genesis of Hello Sunshine as a media company centered around story-telling that has been structurally marginalized.
In building her company, Hello Sunshine, she talks about the convergence of her own Aussie values and Reese Witherspoon’s Southern values.
Sarah talks about her mother’s early influences on the way she learned about money and financial responsibility, and the importance of talking about money openly with your children.
She reminds us that when raising children, it’s important to be aware of unintentional signaling due to decades of “baked in” gender bias and gives us simple steps to teach them about financial literacy.
My guest today is Lady Cherie Blair CBE KC, founder of the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, a leading international human rights lawyer, a passionate campaigner for women’s equality, and wife of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Cherie studied law at the London School of Economics, she’s a King’s Counsel, and a founding member of Omnia Strategy, a pioneering international law firm that provides strategic counsel to governments, corporates and private clients.
In 2008, Cherie established the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which partners with global organizations to support women entrepreneurs in low and middle income countries, and has touched hundreds of thousands of lives around the world by aiming to close the economic gender gap through entrepreneurship.
In this episode Cherie tells us about lessons from her childhood, financial education for girls, and the importance of gender-centered programing.
We learn about the life-changing impact of teaching women entrepreneurial skills through the mentoring program at her foundation.
As a graduate mentor from the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, Mentoring Women in Business Programme myself, I highly recommend getting involved if you have the opportunity!
You can learn more about the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women here: https://cherieblairfoundation.org/
My guest today is Mike Lanning, an attorney and scoutmaster extraordinaire!
Mike is the Scoutmaster at Troop 223 in the Pacific Palisades, a suburb of Los Angeles where he has been Scoutmaster since 1953. Mike is an Eagle Scout himself and has received numerous scouting awards including Distinguished Eagle and Scoutmaster of the Year. This past year Mike was recognized as Citizen of the Year in the Pacific Palisades for his nearly 70 years of dedication to helping raise generations of ethical young people.
Mike and his wife Carol have three children, six grandchildren and six great-grandsons.
In this episode Mike takes us down memory lane, and tells us how he learned about money, independence and scouting as a young boy. He reminisces about the mentors and influences in his youth, and the money lessons that have served him throughout his life.
Mike's advice for kids:
- go out and try things
- have a vision and a picture of future success
- help other people.
Finally Mike gives us his advice for parents raising kids in today’s world.
My guest today is Judy Herbst, the Executive Director of Savvy Ladies, a non-profit organization that offers a FREE financial help line and financial planning education to women. Savvy Ladies is completely independent from any financial institution or organization and its resources are provided free of charge.
You can find out more about Savvy Ladies here:
https://www.savvyladies.org/?gclid=CjwKCAjwkY2qBhBDEiwAoQXK5fjb_fKialF8MS2rIlt6tJ7n3QYX1qIMsdVXxy9CLSjo6kE1CgvuuxoCeEgQAvD_BwE
In this episode I speak with Will Rainey, the founder of Blue Tree, a blog on financial literacy which he started up to help as many parents as possible teach their kids about money.
In his blog Will covers some really great topics like the story of how basketball player Shaquille O’Neil went from poor to wealthy and the explanation for why diamonds are so expensive.
Will is also the author of Grandpa’s Fortune Fables, a book for parents and children ages 3-7 with fun stories to teach kids about money.
Will lives in Thailand with his wife and two daughters aged 9 and 11.
You can find Will's blog here:
https://www.bluetreesavings.com/blog
In this episode of Banking on Girls podcast I speak with Nick Stone, Founder of Bluestone Lane, the fastest growing premium cafe brand in the US. Nick has excelled in three vastly different careers, as a professional football player in Australia, an investment banker, and now as an entrepreneur.
Nick talks about the skills that helped him bridge 3 very different and succesful careers.
Nick tells us:
- How his parents raised him to be very, very responsible about money
- How his values are shaping the way he is raising his 2 young daughters and son
- His Top 3 tips for entrepreneurs
This episode is a REWIND of my conversation with Karen Holland, the Founder of GiftingSense.org.
If you’ve ever had a child come to ask you for something they want to buy and you’ve thought to yourself, if only they understood the value of money better, then today’s episode is going to be extremely informative.
Karen has created a FREE online quiz that is helping parents and schools teach kids to think before they buy - and create good money habits for the rest of their lives.
Giftingsense is a Canadian NPO dedicated to helping children prepare for all the personal financial decisions that lie in their future.
Karen has a Masters Degree in Economic History from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario. She was a Sovereign Risk Analyst for the Royal Bank of Canada before having a family. She has been working on the Gifting Sense project since 2015.
Gifting Sense was recognized as one of the best school-aged non-profit financial education programs available today at the 2022 Money Awareness & Inclusion Awards.
Resources:
https://giftingsense.org/
Teachers can go to the "Teacher Tab" on the website.
Parents can email info@giftingsense.org for workshops.
This episode is a rewind of one the most popular Banking On Girls episodes in which we learn practical tips and advice on raising kids with financial literacy from a Professor of Finance.
In this episode we speak with Professor Julia Plotts, the Academic Director of the Masters of Finance program and Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics at the USC Marshall School of Business- where she has been awarded the Golden Apple award for teaching excellence 12 times. She is the mother of two children including a teenage daughter.
Julia gives us a glimpse into her journey from liberal arts student to Professor of Finance at one of the top business schools in the US.
Julia was discouraged from a career in STEM early on, but through a series of career changes found her way to a fulfilling career in finance.
She tells us about the learning experiences in her own financial life and what she is teaching her teenage daughter now.
Julia is now a passionate advocate of financial literacy and is making a difference in the lives of her many students.
My guest today is Rekha Mody, a philanthropist and women’s activist based in Calcutta India. Rekha is the founder of 3 organizations:
Divya Chaya Trust (1984) -which rehabilitates and supports underprivileged children and destitute women.
Habiart Foundation to promote contemporary art, and spearheaded Sphote “A creative protest against terror” in 2001.
Sri Shakti (1998) - which translates as “the parallel force” to promote women’s networking for action as a catalyst for social change.
Rekha Mody has been working tirelessly for social change for over 40 years and is the mother of two daughters and wife of the Late industrialist Padam Pat Mody.
In this episode Rekha talks about the work her organizations are doing to teach women, who otherwise may have abandoned their children out of desperation, to understand their capacity to learn about money and digital literacy.
Learn more about her organisations here:
http://www.divyachayatrust.org.in/
This week was a billion dollar week for girl power in LA.
Barbie and Taylor Swift ruled LA this week, and with two teenage daughters it was hard for me to escape the fever, with one local radio station even renaming themselves to SWIFT FM.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie movie is estimated to have brought in $1b after just 3 weeks at the box office. This makes Greta Gerwig the first solo female director with a billion dollar movie.
And the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, (a retrospective of her 10 albums) and which wrapped up its US leg in Los Angeles, last night is set to gross over $1b making it the highest grossing tour of all time.
I don't know whether this means that glass ceilings are being broken for the next generation of girls but I do know that early education in financial literacy is critical in maximizing a girl's chances of building wealth over her lifetime.
Hear how the Australian state of South Australia is educating their next generation of students starting next year in 2024!
My guest today is Berenice (“Bere”) Giannini who is no stranger to innovation and success. Giannini is not a typical venture-backed founder. She’s a Mexican immigrant, solo entrepreneur who launched and exited her first venture-funded company, eTailPet, after a 20-year-long career outside the tech ecosystem in only four years. After earning an MBA from the University of Southern California while working full-time for Citigroup, followed by JP Morgan, she joined Dogswell in 2007, a pet company. As its COO, she exited Dogswell to private equity providing a +10x return to its original investors. In 2014, she founded a 10-store, omni-channel, pet store chain in Southern California, Protein for Pets. She was nominated for CFO of the Year, and Women Making a Difference by the Los Angeles Business Journal before she turned 35. Berenice Giannini is a Chartered Financial Analyst. She is a top operational mind in the pet industry. Bere is starting a Masters of Science in Analytics at the Viterbi School of Engineering at USC in the Fall of 2023. Bere lives in Los Angeles with her husband, 5 kids, and 2 dogs. In this episode Bere shares what spurred her childhood determination to become financially independent, the money lessons she learned living near the border of Mexico and the US and why it’s important for women to retain their earning and professional skills as they get older and have families.
My guest today is Zerbanoo Gifford, a human rights campaigner based in London, England, and founder of The ASHA Centre, a charity working for the empowerment of young people, sustainable development and peace & reconciliation worldwide.
Zerbanoo is the author of several books and holds countless awards including the International Woman of the Year Award 2006 for her humanitarian work, which spans over fifty years of grassroots and global activism.
A pioneer for Asian women in British public life. Zerbanoo made history in 1982 by being elected as a Liberal councilor in Harrow, London, and being the first BAME (Black/Asian/Minority/Ethnic) woman to stand for parliament. She was also elected to England’s Liberal Party’s Federal Executive.
She is married to human rights lawyer Richard Gifford and has two sons and 4 grandchildren.
In this episode Zerbanoo tells us about the unique upbringing she had as the child of Indian immigrants who ran a hotel in London, her desire to help the disadvantaged from a young age, a treasured letter from the great Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, what money now means to her, and how she is now striving to support women, end world conflict and create peace through her Asha Center.
Zerbanoo gives us all an open invitation to visit the Asha Centre in the Forest of Dean, outside London, England.
You can find out more about the Asha Center here: https://ashacentre.org/
My guest today is Katrina Johantgen who is the Executive Director of the California School Finance Authority where since 2000 she has overseen the development of the state and federal charter school grant and loan programs. Under her leadership The California School Finance Authority has disbursed over $4 and half billion dollars to non-profit borrowers for educational facilities and student housing.
Katrina is an innovative leader serving at the helm of this state agency housed within the California State Treasurer's Office. Prior to joining the California School Finance Authority, Katrina worked eight years in the public finance sector. Katrina graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Government from the University of California, Los Angeles, and has three sons.
In this episode Katrina talks about her upbringing as the daughter of immigrants, responsibility to the planet, the values she has given her sons in relation to money, and the importance of giving back.
My guest today is Karina Montilla Edmonds an aeronautical engineerr and leader in the field of innovation and technology transfer. She has a distinguished career spanning from the Obama Administration to tech companies such as Google. She currently serves as the Senior Vice President and Global Head of Academies and University Alliances at SAP, a multinational software company.
Karina has been a life-long advocate for women and historically underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.
She is a member of the Board of Directors for Dragonfly Energy and also serves on several non-profit boards including, the Pasadena Educational Foundation and the University of Rhode Island. Karina holds a PhD in aeronautical engineering from Caltech, the California Institute of Technology.
In this episode Karina explains how very early exposure to math and engineering inspired her path to aeronautical engineering, she tells us about the flexibility that advanced degrees have given her in raising her three daughters and the money lessons she is passing on to future generations.
My guest today is Marie Myers the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for HP Inc. where she serves as a strategic advisor and is responsible for all aspects of financial operations.
Marie is committed to education and to helping ensure STEM for Girls and advancing the Digital Agenda in education, serving on the boards of the University of St. Thomas in Houston and the University of Queensland in Australia.
A native of Australia, Marie earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Economics from the University of Queensland, in Brisbane, Australia. She also earned an MBA from the University of St. Thomas, Houston, Texas.
In this episode Marie discusses her idyllic childhood in the sugarcane fields of Northern Australia and the impact of AI and social media on our children’s futures. Learn how she incentivises her teen daughters to work and take responsibility for money!
In this episode I speak with Greg Creed, former CEO of Fortune 500 company Yum! Brands Inc.,(parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell).
Greg retired in 2019 after a successful 25-year career with the company, and now runs his own marketing & branding firm, and serves on several boards including Delta Airlines and Girls Inc.
Greg graduated from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia and was awarded an honorary doctorate in 2019.
Greg gives us a rare glimpse into his family life, and tells us how corporate America is helping address financial literacy.
He explains that formative childhood experiences are so important because habits from childhood stick with you for life, and why being transparent with his family about money is about empowering the next generations.
In this episode I share some of the lessons I’ve learned in the 6 months since launching Banking On Girls.
Many women find the thought of money stressful, but women also know that it is also the key to freedom. So what are some of the practical steps we can take towards that freedom, for ourselves and our girls?
This month I’m starting a mailbag, so please email your questions to podcast@bankingongirls.com and they may get addressed on the show!
https://bankingongirls.com/
My guest today is Sonya Ottaway, a Chartered Accountant and Director at one of the world's big 4 accounting firms. She is also the Founder of Netball America and its unique Be An Inspiration® program which provides opportunities to children for leadership, teamwork and physical fitness -all while helping improve self-esteem with a focus on anti-bullying & cultural understanding.
Sonya’s career has led her to speak all over the world: at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy in Sth Africa, alongside the US Ambassador in Uganda, and in Europe, Japan, & Australia. She has competed in Sth Korea's World Hapkido Self Defence Championships, trained with monks in the Sth Korean mountains, swum with Great White Sharks, ridden Arabian horses in Egypt, Driven Formula 1 cars in Las Vegas and even cascaded down 300 foot waterfalls in the Mexican Sierras.
Sonya graduated with a Bachelor of Business with Honors from Central Qld University in Australia, and has spent over 25 years in the field of Audit and Risk.
In this episode Sonya tells us how lessons in sport translate to lessons in life and how failing math never deterred her from becoming a chartered accountant!
Resources: https://netballamerica.com/
In this episode I speak with Robin Taub, author of the award winning book, The Wisest Investment: Teaching Your Kids to Be Responsible, Independent and Money-Smart for Life, a book that gives parents the information and skills they need to teach their kids about money.
Robin has held professional positions in audit and tax at two of Canada’s largest accounting firms, and spent five years in the complex financial world of Derivatives. She lives in Toronto, where she and her husband have raised two (mostly) money-smart young adults.
Robin advises parents to start talking to their children about money starting from the age of 5. She tells us how to teach the 5 pillars of financial literacy: earning, saving, spending, sharing and investing, in an age appropriate way.
Resources:
https://www.thewisestinvestment.com/
Robin also offers here a free Financial Role Model quiz for parents.
https://robintaub.com/
Robin also offers here a free Values Validator Quiz for parents.
My guest today is Rasa DiSalvo, a business and high-performance coach, transformational speaker, and athlete. Rasa has coached founders, pro-athletes, Hollywood celebrities, corporate executives, and CEOs.
Rasa’s passion for human potential and high performance has been uniquely shaped by a career as an athlete, where human beings are tested to the limits of their mental, physical and technical abilities. In her coaching, she unites the concept of training our mind, body, and spirit.
Prior to starting her own coaching business, Rasa spent 15 years as a Strategy & Transaction Consultant where she led multinational transactions all at the same time competing on a Pro-Beach Volleyball tour on the weekends.
In this episode, Rasa helps us understand that whether we feel wealthy or not depends a lot on our internal state of mind and our attitude towards abundance in life.
Her number one piece of advice is that parents should avoid telling children that “I can’t afford it” but rather to question “how can I afford it?”, as this ultimately opens up resourcefulness and creativity.
Learn more about Rasa's work here:
https://www.rasadisalvo.com/
My guest today is Lacey Filipich, the founder of Money School which helps people become financially independent and raise financially capable kids.
Money School is also the title of her award-winning book which was the winner of the best book 2022 at the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards.
Lacey graduated as valedictorian from the University of Queensland in Australia with an Honours degree in Chemical Engineering She is the winner of a 2019 Business News "40 under 40" Award in Australia.
In this episode Lacey tells us how she became financially independent at age 31 and is now able to live a life pursuing her passions.
Lacey learned from her mum what to do, and from her dad what NOT to do! Her mum taught her that it's not how much you make, it's how much you keep - and Lacey has always saved 50% of what she's earned.
In its simplest terms Lacey belives that financial literacy comes down to: (i) save; (ii) buy assets that generate an income; and (iii) avoid bad debt.
Resources:
Lacey encourages all parents of girls to take the Harvard Implicit Associations Test, which uncovers unconscious biases:
https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/takeatest.html
Lacey's FREE course Debt101 to help you get out of debt
https://courses.moneyschool.org.au/page/2AdMj
Hear Lacey's story on her TED Talk
https://www.ted.com/talks/lacey_filipich_why_you_should_think_about_financial_independence_and_mini_retirements
My guest today is Karen Holland who is the Founder of GiftingSense.org.
If you’ve ever had a child come to ask you for something they want to buy and you’ve thought to yourself, if only they understood the value of money better, then today’s episode is going to be extremely informative.
Karen has created a FREE online quiz that is helping parents and schools teach kids to think before they buy - and create good money habits for the rest of their lives.
Giftingsense is a Canadian NPO dedicated to helping children prepare for all the personal financial decisions that lie in their future.
Karen has a Masters Degree in Economic History from the University of Toronto and an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Queen’s University at Kingston, Ontario. She was a Sovereign Risk Analyst for the Royal Bank of Canada before having a family. She has been working on the Gifting Sense project since 2015.
Gifting Sense was recognized as one of the best school-aged non-profit financial education programs available today at the 2022 Money Awareness & Inclusion Awards.
Resources:
https://giftingsense.org/
Teachers can go to the "Teacher Tab" on the website.
Parents can email info@giftingsense.org for workshops.
My guest today is Dr. Marlene Kanga. Dr. Kanga lives in Sydney, Australia and is an outstanding leader and engineer. She was the second female President of the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), from 2017-2019. In that capacity she represented over 30 million engineers around the world.
She holds non-executive director positions on Boards in Australia including Sydney Water Corporation and Air Services Australia. Marlene is also the Co-Chair of Elevate, an Australian government program to increase the participation of women in STEM.
Dr. Kanga was included in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List in June 2022 when she was made an Officer of the Order of Australia “for distinguished service to engineering, as a global leader and role model to women”.
In this episode Dr. Kanga tells us about the impactful moments in her youth that changed the trajectory of her life, the importance of women learning to manage their own money, and why mathematics is vital for girls. She is a passionate advocate for women understanding how they can make a difference in engineering and STEM fields.
My guest today is Mayor Paige Cognetti, the first female Mayor of Scranton, Pennsylvania.
Prior to becoming Mayor, Mayor Cognetti advised the Pennsylvania Auditor General on the oversight of public school districts and care for older adults. Mayor Cognetti also served in the Obama administration as a senior advisor to the Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department and prior to that she worked as an investment advisor in New York City.
Mayor Cognetti holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA in English Literature from the University of Oregon Clark Honors College.
In this episode Mayor Cognetti gives us a candid view into the world of politics and how her financial skills have guided her through several career changes. She emphasizes the importance of early financial education, especially for girls.
In this episode, financial historian Mark Higgins takes us back to the Gilded Era where he explores Henrietta (Hetty) Green’s childhood and how she became such an astute investor.
Mark Higgins is an author and historian with many years of experience in the financial services industry. He is working on a complete history of the US financial system titled “Becoming an Enlightened Investor” and recently published an article in the Financial History magazine about Hetty Green and why he says she was the best investor in US History.
Hetty’s intriguing and often misunderstood story holds many lessons which are still relevant today.
Today’s guest is Kylie Hargreaves, Chair of the Australian Alliance for Energy Productivity and Deputy Chair for Regional Development Australia.
Kylie is an experienced diplomat and is passionate about water, waste and energy. She has over 25 years experience in Federal and State Governments, including as Australia's Senior Trade & Investment Commissioner in the US, UK and Spain and as former Deputy Secretary for several portfolios (including resources and energy) in the New South Wales State Government, Australia.
In this episode Kylie gives us a glimpse into her early life traveling the world as the daughter of a diplomat, and later as a diplomat herself.
As a former Australian Trade Commissioner in Los Angeles, and as one of the founders of the G’day USA program, she transformed the way Australia conducted public policy in the US and around the world.
For Kylie, early lessons in self-reliance have led to a lifetime of financial discipline and ultimately the freedom to pursue career and personal goals.
Today’s guest is Darline Llamas Llopis the Vice President of Finance and Retail of the Miami Dolphins football team and the Florida Formula 1 Grand Prix. Prior to joining the Dolphins, she was the Director of Finance and Controller of the Los Angeles Rams football team. She has an MBA from UCLA and Masters of Accountancy from the University of Southern California (USC). She is a native of Los Angeles, and she and her husband, Devin, now reside in Miami.
Darline is a first generation American whose parents immigrated to the United States from Mexico. From a young age she was encouraged by her parents to become financially independent and to seek opportunities through hard work and self-reliance. After beginning her working life in accounting, through a series of coincidences, and propelled by her strong work ethic, she found her career path in the world of sports.
Darline talks openly about the influences of her childhood and how they have translated into her sense of financial responsibility in adulthood, and gives advice that is so relevant for young women today.
Mira Mehta is co-founder and CEO of Tomato Jos – a fully integrated farming and processing agribusiness in Northern Nigeria that produces tomato paste and other agricultural products for the domestic market. Before founding Tomato Jos, Mira worked in the financial services and healthcare sectors in New York and Nigeria, respectively, where she gained valuable technical skills, developed an empathetic worldview, and built a strong network that would empower her to launch a business at the base of the pyramid. She is a graduate of Brown University and Harvard Business School and has lived in Nigeria since 2008.
In this episode, Tomato Jos CEO, Mira Mehta, talks about the unique challenges of founding and growing her agribusiness in Nigeria. She discusses the key influences in her personal and business life and how early experiences and responsibilities formed the foundation of her financial literacy.
From a young age Mira has been focused on saving and avoiding debt- these are behaviors she has carried through to adulthood and into her business.
Finally, Mira challenges parents to encourage their girls to explore all fields, especially those that are not “traditionally feminine” and in particular to enjoy and be good at math.
In this episode we speak with Professor Julia Plotts, the Academic Director of the Masters of Finance program and Professor of Clinical Finance and Business Economics at the USC Marshall School of Business- where she has been awarded the Golden Apple award for teaching excellence 12 times. She is the mother of two children including a teenage daughter.
Julia gives us a glimpse into her journey from liberal arts student to Professor of Finance at one of the top business schools in the US.
Julia was discouraged from a career in STEM early on, but through a series of career changes found her way to a fulfilling career in finance.
She tells us about the learning experiences in her own financial life and what she is teaching her teenage daughter now.
Julia is now a passionate advocate of financial literacy and is making a difference in the lives of her many students.
My guest today is Elaine Paul, the Chief Financial Officer of Lyft, where she oversees their finance, accounting, and treasury functions. Prior to joining Lyft, Elaine served as the Chief Financial Officer of Amazon Studios and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.A. in Economics and History with Distinction from Stanford University.
In this episode, Elaine discusses her childhood influences, and the mindset that she has always held, to not rely on others for her own financial security. She emphasizes how important it is to have an appropriate dialogue around money with your children at the family table and advises us to make money an unemotional topic, in a non-gender biased way. When it comes to role models, children should ideally see both parents as financially literate.
Elaine’s important money lessons include: living within your means, saving, and giving back according to your values.
She provides a timely warning that if you are not talking about money at home, your children are potentially being influenced in adverse ways through social media.
In wrapping up the conversation, Elaine cautions us that we must prepare our girls to be able to provide for themselves and that women MUST be financially articulate because it is a critical life skill.
Sarah Harden has led Hello Sunshine’s rapid growth as a premium content studio and direct-to-consumer media brand. Prior to her time with Hello Sunshine, she was President of Otter Media, and spent 10 years at News Corp/Fox, serving as Group Director at News Corp Asia.
Sarah holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA (Hons) from The University of Melbourne.
In this episode, Sarah discusses the genesis of Hello Sunshine as a media company centered around story-telling that has been structurally marginalized.
In building her company, Hello Sunshine, she talks about the convergence of her own Aussie values and Reese Witherspoon’s Southern values.
Sarah talks about her mother’s early influences on the way she learned about money and financial responsibility, and the importance of talking about money openly with your children.
She reminds us that when raising children, it’s important to be aware of unintentional signaling due to decades of “baked in” gender bias and gives us simple steps to teach them about financial literacy.
Welcome to the Banking on Girls podcast - I’m a mother of three, and a financial professional for over 20 years.
I’ve lived on three continents, and met so many incredible women, but recently it’s struck me that no matter how accomplished some women may be, they still may not have confidence in their ability to look after their own finances. And these women are not alone.
What should we be teaching girls so that they can gain the skills and confidence in their own financial journey?
Economic gender inequality is a global issue, but the good news is that early financial education can help build a more equitable economy.
Join me on the Banking on Girls podcast, to uncover the human experience of raising, educating, and inspiring girls financially, one story at a time.