Welcome to the Tearsheet Podcast. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller.

Uneven market conditions nationally, rate volatility, economic uncertainty, affordability challenges, limited inventory, and soaring home prices are rendering a difficult home buying and refinancing market for Americans. BMO’s published a survey that reflects this strongly:

The survey reveals that 64 percent of Americans are delaying their homebuying plans due to mortgage rate concerns - they are waiting for mortgage rates to drop. Additionally, only 6 percent of Americans plan to purchase a home this summer, as elevated rates and home prices impact affordability.

Furthermore, among those planning to refinance, 81 percent are waiting for rates to drop.

On this episode of the podcast, I’m joined by Tom Parrish, managing director of consumer lending product management at BMO. We talk discuss the impact high interest rates and economic uncertainty are having on consumer home buying and financing decisions and how BMO is responding to help its clients and prospects.

Here’s my conversation with BMO’s Tom Parrish.

Looking deeper at mortgage demand and products with BMO's Tom Parrish

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Welcome to another episode of The Tearsheet Podcast, where we explore financial services together with an eye on technology, innovation, emerging models, and changing expectations. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller.

In this episode, we'll be diving deep into the world of customer experience (CX) transformation with Vanguard, one of the leading names in investment management. Joining us are Aaron Taylor, Chief Information Officer, and Marco De Freitas, Head of CX and Digital, two seasoned professionals who have been instrumental in Vanguard's CX modernization journey.

Throughout our conversation, we'll explore Vanguard's approach to modernizing its digital channels, client journeys, and service platforms. From laying down the foundational pillars to unlocking the potential of ‘CX Alpha’, Aaron and Marco share invaluable insights into how Vanguard is improving the way clients interact with their services.

We'll delve into the parallel advancements made by Vanguard, the impact of fintech innovations on their CX strategy, and how they measure the success of their initiatives both internally and with clients.

Stay tuned as we uncover the seminal steps behind Vanguard's CX transformation, explore the significance of data accessibility and personalized interventions, and discover what lies ahead in their journey towards even greater CX innovation.

So sit back, relax, and get ready to embark on an insightful episode into Vanguard’s CX modernization journey. Let's dive in!

Inside Vanguard's CX modernization journey

Welcome to another episode of The Tearsheet Podcast, where we explore financial services together with an eye on technology, innovation, emerging models, and changing expectations. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller.

Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with Dee Choubey, CEO of MoneyLion.

In our chat, Dee takes us on a journey through MoneyLion's evolution, from its early days as a venture-backed neobank to its current position as a headline fintech stock. With a blend of insight and humor, he shares the company's shift from a growth-at-all-costs mindset to a more sustainable position focused on distribution, strategy, and morale. Through market ups and downs, 

Dee underscores the vital role of staying mission-driven and the focused dedication of MoneyLion's team to empower Americans with better financial tools and literacy.

Looking ahead, Dee paints a vibrant picture of MoneyLion's future, where AI-driven search capabilities impact how consumers interact with their finances. MoneyLion isn’t the same company it was when I spoke with Dee almost 5 years ago. Since then, the firm has acquired two businesses which now function as an embedded banking product platform and an influencer content studio.

With a comprehensive product catalog, a dynamic consumer marketplace, and trendy media business capabilities, MoneyLion is poised to lead a charge in reshaping the future of finance.

So buckle up for an enlightening and entertaining conversation as we explore the past, present, and future of MoneyLion with the ever-insightful CEO, Dee Choubey.


The big ideas

Shift from Growth-At-All-Costs to Sustainable Strategy: "In 2019, we were a venture-backed, serious business. The expectation was continued growth of 100 to 150%. Keep burning. Don't worry about the burn."

Maniacal Obsession with Mission: "What got us through it was a maniacal obsession with mission. Our mission is to rewire the financial system, to give every American the right tools to make the best financial decisions."

AI-Driven Financial Search Capability: "Our search capability, AI-driven search across all of your financial institutions, you can talk to MoneyLion very soon and say, 'Hey, what happened this day, last year? This day, two years ago?'"

Empowering Americans with Financial Literacy: "Our ability to actually offer at scale, consumers the right financial basket, I think we're probably further ahead on that than most because we have the consumer in the marketplace."

Focus on Distribution, Strategy, and Morale: "My role has moved from being much more tactical and execution-oriented to much more focused on distribution, strategy, and morale, kind of like the vision and the mission."

Staying Mission-Driven Amid Market Volatility: "It's always better to multiply your options by a larger number than a lower number. We've had our days. At one point, the market cap had fallen below $100 million. But it's just owning your destiny."

MoneyLion's maniacal mission of rewiring finance with Dee Choubey

Welcome to another episode of The Tearsheet Podcast, where we explore financial services together with an eye on technology, innovation, emerging models, and changing expectations. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller.

I'm thrilled to bring you a special episode today. After doing this for over 10 years, it’s not often I’m on the other side of the mic, being interviewed. But that’s exactly what we have in store for you.

What you're about to hear is a recording from my recent appearance on Gusto's SMB Tech Innovators Podcast, hosted by Brian Busch. In this conversation, Brian and I explore the intriguing intersections of traditional financial institutions, technology, and innovation.

Throughout our discussion, I share insights drawn from over 15 years of experience in the industry, including my role in reporting financial services news and producing over 650 podcast episodes. 

Together, we unravel the complexities of the financial services landscape and shed light on the evolving role of technology in shaping its future.

Join us as we delve into key themes such as:

Tearsheet’s journey and our focus on incumbent innovation.
The importance of partnerships between traditional finance and fintech.
Regulatory challenges faced by fintech entrepreneurs.
The transformative impact of embedded tools on SMB technology.
Success stories like Intuit and QuickBooks' ecosystem.
My insights on AI, quantum computing, and crypto in finance.
How banks are adapting to embrace new technologies.
The evolving landscape of fintech acquisitions.

This recording captures an interesting dialogue that I'm actually quite proud to share with you. So without further ado, let's dive into the conversation and explore the fascinating evolution of the financial services industry.

Here’s my conversation with Gusto’s Brian Busch.

Here's a link to the original conversation: https://embedded.gusto.com/blog/financial-services-technology-podcast-with-zack-miller/

“We don’t use the word ‘disrupt’”: The future of financial services, starting with distribution

Tearsheet Editor-in-Chief Zack Miller hosted a LinkedIn Live session featuring two of our top reporters, Rabab Ahsan and Sara Khairi. It was a chance to go behind the scenes of our reporting and go deeper into what's happening at the intersection of financial services, new models, rising expectations, and evolving technology.

We explored the fascinating intersection of finance, Gen Z trends, and influencer culture, discussing how unconventional strategies like budgeting coloring books are reshaping financial literacy. We'll also dove into how some incumbent firms, like Bank of America and Capital One, are exploring unconventional methods to capture consumers’ interest in financial education as a starting point.

Deep Dive: Building for Gen Z, influencers, financial literacy, and a budgeting coloring book

Welcome to another episode of The Tearsheet Podcast, where we explore financial services together with an eye on technology, innovation, emerging models, and changing expectations. I’m Tearsheet’s editor in chief, Zack Miller.

Today, I invite you to join us as we uncover the story of Curve, a creative fintech that's a sort of operating system for money, impacting the way people spend, send, see and save money 

Step into the world of Shachar Bialick, founder and CEO at Curve, as we traverse the company's path from its humble beginnings in 2016 to its strategic expansion into international markets. It's a tale of resilience, grit, and determination, as Curve works to carve out its place in a competitive fintech space.

Along the way, we'll uncover five pivotal insights that shed light on Curve's approach to finance. From offering customers a real-time, panoramic view of their finances to navigating the complexities of international expansion with precision and foresight, Curve is reworking the way people interact with their money.

Shachar shares the intricacies of Curve's revenue model, where interchange fees, subscriptions, and platform revenue converge to create an ecosystem of financial empowerment. It's a model built on innovation, adaptability, and a pursuit of customer-centric solutions.

But beyond the numbers and metrics lies a deeper story of personal motivation and resilience. As Shachar shares insights from his own journey, we gain a glimpse into the driving force behind Curve's success—a shared commitment to empower individuals to take control of their financial destinies.

So, join us as we peel back the layers of Curve's story, uncovering the passion, vision, and sheer determination that have propelled this fintech to get to where it is today. 

Here’s my conversation with Curve’s Shachar Bialick

Looking deeper at mortgage demand and products with BMO's Tom Parrish

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