Money Isn't Everything

Sure, some auto tariffs are softening. But the cost of car ownership is on the rise.

On the show today, Mary sits down with Jacob Zachs, founder and CEO of Fasten, to talk about how his startup wants to reward consumers for one of their biggest discretionary expenses – their cars. The new product, called Fasten Rewards, gives consumers rewards for their auto loans and leases, maintenance, gas and more. 

Jacob talks to Mary about his ambition, auto tariffs and what's it like building a startup in a chaotic year.

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Today on the show, Mary talks to Shreenath Regunathan about a fresh way credit unions can prove their value to members: unlocking government benefits.

Shree is a co-founder of Starlight, an early-stage fintech company that partners with credit unions. He talks to Mary about the shrinking middle class, misconceptions around financial health and how to make government benefits sound more approachable.

Show notes:

• Starlight
• Can fintech and banks truly help people build savings habits?

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Today on the show: Dr. Leda Glyptis, author, advisor, keynote speaker and former banker, talks about her newer book, "Beyond Resilience" with Mary. One spoiler? Her interviews with entrepreneurs for the book were weary of being labeled as successful. As Leda says on the show: "Most people are like, 'I'm not done yet.'"

She talks to Mary about the uglier realities of being an entrepreneur, what the duo noticed at Fintech Meetup (a large fintech conference held in March), and why it's important to ask mentors what they think you're good at even if you don't like the answers.

• Beyond Resilience
• Leda's Fintech Futures' Column

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On the show today, Mary talks to Sam Miller, co-founder and CEO of Kasheesh, about what he believes is a dangerous pattern with consumers payments: buy now, pay later.

They also explore what he’s building at Kasheesh, how to create a brand where customers don’t feel shame over their money patterns and how his company pursues talent in an AI era. As he says: “Talent is forever shifting. Now, obviously with the advances in AI, it's definitely a volatile market where you're looking at talent differently.”

Links:

Kasheesh! - Split Your Online Purchases

Girl Math: Inside the psychology of payments

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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) policies are under all kinds of political and regulatory scrutiny right now. On the show today: Mary chats with Elizabeth McCluskey, a managing director of TruStage Ventures' Discovery Fund, which is a fund geared at underrepresented founders who are building products and services to expand financial access.

They chat about the business case for investing in diverse founders, how credit unions are using fintech firms to attract Gen Z and the need for intergenerational financial services products.

Links:
TruStage Ventures Discovery Fund

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Among the industry’s many challenges is finding talent who understands COBOL, a programming language that is still critical for financial institutions and other companies worldwide.

Today on the show: Mary speaks with Bill and Eileen Hinshaw, the co-founders of Cobol Cowboys, a firm that sends in the pros who understand the "legendary language." They also talk to Mary about their work to help younger adults learn the older language.

Show notes:

• Bill Hinshaw featured in CIO TODAY
• Cobol Cowboys

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As Ryan Falvey sees it, 2025 will mark a very favorable period for fintech startups. Today on the show: Ryan, who is the co-founder and managing partner at Restive (a venture fund for early-stage fintech companies), talks to Mary about why. 

They also get into regulation wishes, productivity trends with startups and what interferes with innovating.

Show Notes:

• Restive's State of the Market 2025

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The Los Angeles-area wildfires have destroyed homes and businesses. On today’s show, Mary chats with Matthew Goldman, a Pasadena resident and serial fintech founder. They chat about the wildfires and how the industry can help. Matthew, who is the founder of Totavi, a fintech product management consultancy, also talks about cutting-edge card perks and what it takes to inspire someone to change banks.

Show notes:

• Pasadena Community Foundation's Eaton Canyon Fire Relief and Recovery Fund
• Canine Rescue Club
• One Voice Fire Relief
• Matthew Goldman’s newsletter, CardsFTW

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In August 2022, Bank of New Hampshire started issuing biodegradable cards to help reduce plastic waste. 🌽

Today on the show, Mary talks to Eric Carter, senior vice president of digital solutions and innovation officer at the bank, about what motivated him to make the card switch ahead of so many other financial institutions. They also talk about bank-fintech partnerships in a post-Synapse crisis era and compelling features for digital banking apps.

Show notes:

• Bank of New Hampshire

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Open banking, A.I. and President-elect Trump. … and that’s just the start. Today on the show, Jennifer Tescher, founder, president and CEO of the Financial Health Network, talks to Mary about her takes on the industry’s most heated topics. They also explore an opportunity for banks and credit unions: help improve financial outcomes to avoid just existing in a commodity business.

Show notes:

• Financial Health Network
• EMERGE Financial Health

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