Money Isn't Everything

Gig workers make up a major share of the U.S. workforce—but many still face volatile income, constant cash-flow pressure, and financial systems that weren’t built for them.

Jay Millard, chief revenue officer at Ualett, joins Mary to discuss what banks and credit unions can learn from “some of the hardest-working people you will ever meet.” They also cover rising gas prices, the strain on gig workers, and where traditional underwriting falls short.

Show notes:

• Ualett

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Chapters
[00:00] Intro + Final episode announcement
[01:07] Meet Jay Millard (Ualett)
[02:00] Gig workers feeling the financial pressure
[03:00] Stress, uncertainty & working more hours
[04:30] How gig workers find income opportunities
[06:00] Why fintech is missing the mark
[07:30] The size of the gig economy
[09:00] Building for underserved workers
[12:00] The reality of gig work today
[14:00] The banking system’s blind spot
[18:00] Rewards, cash flow & new solutions
[33:30] AI, tech, and the future of gig work

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Financial advice hasn’t changed too much, but how people learn and build wealth has. Ronnie Green, CEO and co-founder of AlgoPear, talks about what’s different now in engaging younger consumers, how agentic AI is reshaping the space and where credit unions may be falling behind.

Show notes:

• AlgoPear

 Subscribe to the Money Isn't Everything podcast here:
https://qrco.de/bgfV82

Chapters
[00:00] Intro
[00:35] From Living in His Car to Starting Over
[01:30] Learning How to Invest From Scratch
[03:47] Turning $5K Into $100K
[05:07] The Mindset That Changed Everything
[07:18] Why Saving Isn’t Enough
[10:01] Fixing Financial Education for Gen Z
[11:30] How AlgoPear Engages Young Users
[13:25] AI in Finance: Hype vs Reality
[16:13] Why Messy Data Kills Innovation
[20:17] Building Faster With AI
[31:33] TikTok & The Future of Learning

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Banks and fintech brands are missing opportunities to build real connections largely because of how they communicate.

On the show today: Mary chats with Allison Netzer about the second edition of her book, “Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank." They explore what it takes for a brand to pop in a commoditized industry. Hint: jargon, complexity, and “busy” messaging aren’t the answer.

Show Notes:

Allison's Book: Think Like a Brand, Not a Bank

🔗 https://brandthnk.co/book/

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here:

🔗  https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything

Connect with Mary on LinkedIn: 

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-wisniewski-3a7578b/

Connect with Allison on LinkedIn:

🔗 https://www.linkedin.com/in/allisonnetzer/

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People with disabilities are often treated as a niche. In reality, more than 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. live with some kind of a disability.

Today on the show, Mary chats with father-son founders Amit and Angad Sahgal of LetMeDoIt about why financial services miss this market and how their startup is using technology to support independence and design financial tools that work for more people.

Show notes:

• LetMeDoIT
• People With Disabilities: An Underserved And Untapped Market For Banks

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here: 

https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything

 Chapters
[00:00] Meet the Father–Son Founders of LetMeDoIt
[01:03] “Disability Is Not a Niche” — The 62–70 Million Market
[04:01] The School Story That Sparked the Idea
[06:09] What Is Supported Decision-Making?
[08:36] Where Financial Services Gets Disability Wrong
[11:13] Support vs. Supervision: Why Autonomy Matters
[13:05] Why Credit Unions Are Key to Financial Inclusion
[18:11] From Financial Education to Real Access
[22:29] The Caregiver Perspective & Financial Safety Nets
[27:06] What’s Next for LetMeDoIt?

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It’s January, and people are thinking about their money habits again. Mary talks with Andy Bandyopadhyay, PhD, founder and CEO at Attune Insights, about why financial institutions ought to seize the moment and encourage consumers to make financial health appointments at their branches. They chat about how financial health isn’t a tool or a tab and why PFM rarely changes behavior.

Show notes:

• Attune Insights

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here: 

https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything

Chapters:
[00:00] Welcome to Money Isn’t Everything + Introducing Andy Bandyopadhyay
[01:05] New Year, New You: Why Financial Health Starts With Looking
[03:23] Financial Health Appointments & Using the Branch Differently
[05:32] How Credit Unions Can Pilot Financial Health Centers
[07:17] Why Personal Financial Management (PFM) Tools Failed
[10:57] Knowing vs Doing: Why Information Alone Doesn’t Change Behavior
[12:31] Access Barriers: When Financial Help Is Hard to Reach
[16:05] Measuring Outcomes, Not Just Engagement Metrics
[22:50] The Myth: Finance Employees Are “Fine” Financially
[31:49] The Future of Financial Health, Trust & AI

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Slowing down payments could be a selling point. On the show, Mary talks with Erik Beguin, CEO of Austin Capital Bank, about why friction can be a feature, not a flaw. Plus, they unpack the rising wave of fraud, how security and convenience clash and why it’s time to measure success by protection, not just profits.

Show notes
- Austin Capital Bank

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here:
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything 

Chapters:
[00:00] Fraud Is Exploding
[02:10] Why Fraud Numbers Are All Underreported
[04:45] The Emotional Trap: Denial & Embarrassment
[07:20] Seniors and the Bitcoin ATM Scam Surge
[10:15] Why “Education” Isn’t Stopping Fraud
[14:00] Pig Butchering: The Scam You Don’t See Coming
[18:30] Why Victims Stay Silent
[22:40] How Fraudsters Stay Ahead of Banks
[26:50] What Consumers Actually Need to Stay Safe
[30:30] Erik Beguin’s Call to Action

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Consumer Reports has a new playbook for fairness in digital finance and fintech app developers might want to take notes.

Mary sits down with Delicia Hand, senior director, digital marketplace at Consumer Reports, to talk about building apps that are transparent, inclusive and designed for real financial well-being.

Plus, they get into AI’s role in scams and why now is the moment for stronger consumer protections (not fewer).

Show notes
- Fairness by Design Playbook


Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here:
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything 

Chapters:
[00:00] – Intro: What the Fairness & Design Playbook Is
[01:00] – Why Consumer Reports Built a Fintech Playbook
[03:00] – Filling the CFPB Gap in Consumer Protection
[06:00] – AI Scams and Voice Cloning Threats
[08:30] – Building with Consumers, Not for Them
[11:00] – How Financial Apps Can Be Designed Responsibly
[16:30] – What “Financial Well-Being” KPIs Should Look Like
[22:00] – Making Financial Health Part of Product Success
[26:30] – Designing for Inclusivity and Accessibility
[29:40] – Advice for Fintech Developers + What’s Next from CR

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“The checking account hasn't had meaningful innovation in a decade,” says Christian Widhalm, CEO of Bloom Credit.

 In today’s show, Mary talks to Christian about what it takes to make the product stand out, the open banking pricing debate and the case for why it’s time for BNPL payments to show up on credit reports. 

Show notes

• Bloom Credit
• Insights from Finovate 2024
• Credit Score Management: The $110 Billion Deposit and Payments Magnet

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here:
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything 

Chapters:
 [0:00] Welcome & Intro to Bloom Credit
 [1:10] Reinventing Credit Reporting
 [4:00] Turning Checking Accounts Into Credit Builders
 [6:30] Why Gen Z and Millennials Want This
 [9:50] The 64 Million “Thin File” Problem
 [13:00] How Credit Karma Changed the Game
 [18:40] Doing Good and Doing Well in Banking
 [20:50] The Data Access Debate: Plaid vs. Banks
 [26:30] Should “Buy Now, Pay Later” Count Toward Credit?
 [29:40] What’s Next for Fintech & Credit Innovation

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Debt collection doesn’t have to mean fear and shame. Gwyneth Borden, Remynt’s founder and CEO, joins Mary to explore a friendlier way for financial institutions to collect debt. Among the newer approaches: offering financial therapy, building credit while paying down debt and turning delinquency into long-term loyalty.

Show notes:

• Remynt

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here: 

https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything 

Chapters:
[0:00] Intro – Meet Gwyneth Borden of Remynt
[0:31] The Mission to Rethink Debt Collection
[2:05] Why Fear and Shame Don’t Work
[5:30] Gwyneth’s Personal Debt Story
[7:19] Why Debt Collection Is Stuck in the Past
[9:42] Building Credit While Paying Off Debt
[14:00] The Psychology of Money & Financial Therapy
[22:15] How the Industry Mislabels People in Debt
[27:55] Gen Z and the Debt Crisis
[30:18] The Future of Credit Recovery

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Financial health checks on transactions? It’s happening.

James Neville, the CEO of Yaspa, chats with Mary about how open banking enables greater transparency and control to the high-risk sector of gambling. They also talk about where AI hits its limits and why Yaspa recently set up shop in Atlanta.

Show notes:
- Yaspa

Chapters:
[0:00] Intro – Meet James Neville
[0:54] Fintech’s Role in Gambling & Overspending
[5:55] Why Europe Leads on Responsible Payments
[9:51] Moving Operations to Atlanta
[11:41] Open Banking Under Pressure in the U.S.
[16:01] Can Fintechs Survive New Data Fees?
[17:12] Startup Life vs. Corporate Life
[19:06] AI in Banking – Missing the Personal Touch
[23:10] Stablecoins: Hype or Game-Changer?
[26:55] Final Thoughts & Lock Screen Surprise

Subscribe to the Money Isn’t Everything podcast here:
https://www.crnrstone.com/gritty-insights/podcasts/money-isnt-everything 

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