Leadership in financial education is important to empower individuals and communities to make informed financial decisions. Effective leaders in this field impart knowledge and inspire and motivate others to take control of their financial futures.
A prominent leader in this industry is Marilyn Lydia Pinto, founder of KFI GLOBAL, who is an expert on the topic of financial education for teens and in teaching those topics in a way that’s most effective. She believes having financial skills and understanding will help the students take a stand on various social justice issues like income inequality, gender equality, poverty, and climate change.
The Inspirational Journey
Financial empowerment was something Marilyn wished she had been taught as a teenager. “It hurts to even think about the impact this would have had on my life. And I know most adults feel the same way,” elaborates Marilyn.
Determined not to take any chances with her daughters, she wanted to ensure that they possessed the skills and mindset necessary to be self-reliant and financially secure. This prompted her to establish KFI GLOBAL, which became a labor of love, not just for her girls, but for anyone who wanted their children to be financially empowered.
Achievements and Inspiration
Marilyn is a leader in the financial industry, an educator, and author of SMARTER RICHER BRAVER, and also launched a podcast by the same name. She has won awards for Most Empowering Financial Literacy Expert, as well as Most Impactful Financial Literacy Project and numerous other awards.
Her inspiration comes from stay-at-home moms who walk a tightrope as they try to balance their sanity with their family’s needs. She admires working women too, who often fight the urge to spend more time with their families and children, yet show up for work with dedication and focus. She also admires women activists who stand up against injustice and inequality and respects founders who commit themselves to ventures they believe in.
The Path to Financial Confidence and Independence
KFI GLOBAL is an education company that specializes in teaching youngsters how to make smarter money decisions. The company wants to see a world where these youngsters can step up, stand out, and live a life on their own terms. Being financially independent and understanding how money works does just that. Its mission is to provide youngsters with the understanding and confidence to make intelligent financial decisions.
The company is not only an expert in financial education for young people; it also excels at teaching this knowledge in a way that makes learning enjoyable. It ensures that children feel financially empowered and act accordingly.
The company is on a mission to bring this life-changing education to more youngsters around the world because they believe it will empower them to step up, play full out, and live lives on their own terms. It runs in-person financial empowerment workshops, specially curated for young people. Recently, it has also expanded its product offering to workshops for adults.
The Approach for Better Financial Education
The programs offered by KFI GLOBAL are curated to be relevant and relatable. By constantly updating its knowledge base and data, the company ensures that its programs are committed to the highest standards of delivery. It wants to extend its offering to blue-collar and low-wage workers. These are vulnerable sections of society and KFI GLOBAL believes that financial empowerment goes a long way toward building resilience and leveling the playing field.
The company’s workshops are pretty low-tech. It focuses on having deep, heartfelt conversations and honest discussions. It has purposely stayed away from incorporating too much tech, as it believes this subject of personal finance needs a very personal touch.
Overcoming Challenges & Achieving Success
When the company started, it had to educate the public on the need for financial education for youngsters and how much it impacted their lives. This was initially an uphill task, but over the years it’s become significantly less of a challenge. But Marilyn believes in the company’s ethics and integrity. KFI GLOBAL puts the kids’ interests up front and is very clear about not treating any workshop as a marketing opportunity for financial products. This helped the company to have a longstanding success. Its team of highly trained and dedicated educators is another key reason why it has been able to build on its success year after year.
Celebrating Women in Financial Education
KFI GLOBAL’s team is made up of a diverse set of women, each uniquely talented to bring out the best in the students they encounter. Marilyn always ensured that the team felt empowered to bring their best selves to the classroom with their own unique sense of identity and style of teaching. She sees her responsibilities toward her students as paramount. Their well-being and interest come before anything else. The team always holds themselves to the highest standards of ethical compliance and personal values.
According to Marilyn, feminism is the belief that gender inequality is a systemic issue that requires deep, structural, and policy-level change. She believes that individual efforts alone are not enough to solve this inequality. She strongly advocates for recognizing the unique perspectives and strengths both genders bring to the table, highlighting the importance of collaboration. Moreover, she strongly believes that financial empowerment is critical for achieving equality and independence, making it a key component of feminist efforts.
Work-Life Balance & Advice for Entrepreneurs
While discussing maintaining a work-life balance, Marilyn says, “I’m not sure I do, at least not on a day-to-day basis. I’m not entirely sure that’s even possible. I just lean into whatever issue needs me most at the time.”
If something is work-related, then that gets priority; if it’s a domestic issue that needs her urgent attention, then that’s what she will unabashedly focus on.
Her advice to aspiring women entrepreneurs is,
“To not be afraid that they don’t know all the answers, to understand that it’s okay to feel unprepared and be hit with ‘imposter syndrome’, that as long as they put in the work and continue to build their expertise, there is no losing.”
Marilyn’s passion for financial empowerment and her advocacy for gender equality underscore the importance of financial education in achieving societal change. With KFI GLOBAL’s expanding reach, she is leading the charge for a more equitable, financially aware future.
