Money Tales

In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Rabbi Steve Leder. Rabbi Steve has had a remarkable career impacting the lives of many and he’s not done. In addition to being the Senior Rabbi of Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, he’s also known as being a modern, wise man who, as you’ll hear in this episode is warm, kind, funny, deep and nonjudgmental. All of this from a man who at age 14 was arrested for stealing Bob Dylan albums at Target. Luckily for all of us who have been blessed to be impacted by Rabbi Steve’s teachings, he found his way when his parents sent him to a Jewish summer camp to help him right his course.

Rabbi Steve is also the author of critically acclaimed books such as “The Beauty of What Remains”, “The Extraordinary Nature of Ordinary Things” and “More Money Than God: Living a Rich Life without Losing Your Soul.” He is a graduate of Northwestern University; studied at Trinity College Oxford; and was ordained at Hebrew Union College. The winner of numerous awards for his interdenominational and cross-cultural dialogue, Leder has been a guest on CBS, ABC, NPR, PBS and FOX, and has been featured in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times, among other places. He lives with his family in Los Angeles.

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In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Rebecca Macieira-Kaufmann. Rebecca has been leading a fast-paced, globetrotting life as a CEO of multinational businesses. She is publishing her first book titled the “Fit CEO” in September 2021. The book covers how to be the leader of your life: physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. Like most things in life, you can apply these principals to your personal financial health, which Rebecca talks about with us today.

Rebecca has broad leadership experience in sales and marketing, risk management and international business operations. Rebecca draws on deep expertise in the financial services industry and has a demonstrated track record of leading highly successful business turnarounds, scaling new businesses, and expanding operations globally. She also brings a strong background in governance through her corporate and non-profit board experiences.

In 2020, Rebecca started RMK Group, LLC to advise CEOs of start-ups in all phases of growth after spending more than 11 years at Citigroup serving in a range of CEO, Presidentand General Manager roles. In her last role, as Head of Citigroup’s International Personal Bank, Rebecca managed a full P&L line of business serving the offshore wealth needs of multi-national clients in more than 100 countries. From operations to sales and marketing, Rebecca was able to transform the business to avoid closure. She remediated issues, simplified operations, and digitized the customer experience — growing the business exponentially and leaving it strong and financially secure.

Previously, Rebecca served as President and CEO of Banamex USA, a subsidiary of Citigroup, Inc. and affiliate of Banco Nacional de México, the second-largest bank in Mexico. Rebecca was able to turn the business around by remediating a Consent Order while simultaneously meeting the cross-border needs of Mexican businesses and high-net-worth individuals. Rebecca then became chairman of the board and implemented a CEO succession plan. Prior to that, Rebecca held full P&L responsibility as President of Citibank California covering 400 retail stores in California and Nevada, contributing to more than 40% of Citibank’s revenue in the United States.

Before Citi, Rebecca spent 13 years at Wells Fargo, lastly as the Head of Small Business Segment running a multibillion-dollar P&L division serving the lending and cash management needs of more than 2 million customers. She grew the business from $300 million to $8 billion in lending and from $30 billion to $70 billion in cash management. She also held positions with Wells Fargo Insurance Services, Providian Financial, and Retail Solutions Management Consultants in London.

Rebecca has more than 25 years of experience on non-profit boards. She has served on executive, audit, finance, marketing, risk, and nomination and governance committees. She is currently on the Board of Governors of the San Francisco Symphony (audit and executive committees) and on the Senior Jewish Living Group Board. She has previously served on the boards of Congregation Emanu-El and CalChamber and is the former President of Jewish Vocational Services (JVS).

Rebecca is a frequently sought-after speaker on leadership and business transformation, culture change, and building high-performing teams. She has presented to business schools and organizations nationally. She has also been recognized for her leadership and accomplishments, including being named an Influential Woman in the Bay Area Business by the San Francisco Business Times for 12 years and a Forever Influential Woman in 2014. She was named the 2010 Financial Woman of the Year by the Financial Women’s Association of San Francisco, awarded with the 2007 Women Leading Change Award by the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, and honored with the Fulbright Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018.

Rebecca holds a BA in Semiotics from Brown University and was a post-graduate Fulbright Scholar at the University of Helsinki, Finland. She holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

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In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Naseema McElroy. Naseema found herself nearly a million dollars in debt, working as a nurse. She knew she couldn’t out-earn her financial ignorance. In less than three years, Naseema became financially smart and debt-free. She is now focused on making her finances work for her so that she can spend time on the things most important to her — ­raising and sharing amazing learning opportunities with her two daughters, without diverting progress toward her financial goals.

Naseema is a published author and the founder of Financially Intentional, a platform about personal finance and living life intentionally. She discusses how taking control of her finances has enabled her to overcome bankruptcy, divorce, and break the cycle of living paycheck to paycheck. She shares her lessons along her path to help others benefit from the freedoms of financial independence.

Outside of encouraging people to get their financial act together, Naseema is a mother and Labor and Delivery Nurse. Though making six figures for years, she struggled with money. By shifting her mindset around money, being consistent and intentional, she has paid off $1 million in debt and grew a six-figure net worth in three years without living in deprivation.

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In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Jenny Kassan. Jenny grew up with messages of rich people being evil, which created a chip on her shoulder about wealth. As Jenny created goals for her future, making money wasn’t on the list. But then she shifted her focus and as her career evolved, she interacted more and more with wealthy people. This allowed Jenny to realize that wealth doesn’t reflect a person’s heart, what they’re doing with the money reflects who they really are.

Jenny has over 25 years of experience as an attorney and advisor for mission-driven enterprises. She has helped her clients raise millions of dollars from values-aligned investors and raised over $1.5 million for her own businesses.

She is the author of “Raise Capital on Your Own Terms: How to Fund Your Business without Selling Your Soul” (Berrett-Koehler, October 2017).

Jenny earned her J.D. from Yale Law School and a master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of California at Berkeley.

She served on the Securities and Exchange Commission Advisory Committee on Small and Emerging Companies. She submitted the petition to the SEC that led to the passage of the 2012 JOBS Act and was present at the White House signing ceremony.

Jenny is also a fellow at Democracy Collaborative and the co-founder of the Force for Good Fund and Opportunity Main Street, an Opportunity Zone investment fund.

Jenny is the President of Community Ventures, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the economic and social development of communities. She also co-founded the Sustainable Economies Law Center, a nonprofit that provides legal information to support sustainable economies.

Jenny is on the board of directors for CfPA (Crowdfunding Professional Association) and formerly served as a director of Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

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In this episode of Money Tales, our guest is Steve Watts. Steve was a self-proclaimed workaholic until his early 40s when he experienced a religious awakening inspired by former pro football player, Rosey Grier, which led Steve to find Christ and redefine the purpose of his life. Steve no longer worked to earn money to spend on himself and began to tithe, learning that there’s much to receive from giving.

Steve has been a full-time real estate agent for over 35 years and has a passion for creative negotiations to get the most for his clients and to make every transaction a win-win for all involved. He is an incredible and thoughtful communicator and his clients know that Steve is there for them every step of the way. Steve is a proud husband and father who thinks money conversations should occur all the time, not just when buying your first home.

Steve works with his wife, Ceci. They are among the top 1% of agents nationwide and have been named Top Team at Sotheby’s International Realty for years.

Steve and Ceci also know there is more to life than just real estate. For several years, they have organized and sponsored the popular “Santa comes to Malaga Cove Plaza” and “Annual Pumpkin Run” events – bringing warmth, smiles and good cheer to parents and children. Despite their busy schedules, Steve and Ceci make time to be committed parents to their two daughters.

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