5 questions on financial literacy for FinLit Tech’s Mac Gardner

In a new episode of the Financial Planning Podcast, FinLit Tech founder Mac Gardner explains how technology could help boost Americans’ declining financial literacy.

Since starting his career as a bank teller, Gardner has worked for 25 years in financial services with wealth managers, insurers, asset managers, credit unions and other firms. The author of “Motivate Your Money!” and “The Four Money Bears” works as a consultant and brand ambassador with Fidelity Investments-owned fintech firm eMoney Advisor. Gardner’s firm, FinLit Tech, develops tools and resources to build financial literacy, such as eMoney’s education and wellness platform. He also hosted the third season of the firm’s podcast, “That Makes Cents.”

Mac Gardner

As critics point out that lack of access to wealth acts as a major deterrent to understanding money, and regulations from decades ago can often stifle innovation due to compliance concerns, more financial advisors and industry professionals are discussing how best to remove barriers to building generational wealth. In the podcast, FP Chief Correspondent Tobias Salinger asks Gardner five questions about his children’s book on money, his firm’s strategic partnership with eMoney and a new app coming out soon, among other topics:

1. What is the story of the Four Money Bears?

2. When did you launch FinLit Tech, and how does your company work with eMoney?

3. Your firm is launching an app of its own in 2022. What can you share about it right now, and how do you think clients and advisors could make best use of it?

4. Financial literacy is getting much more attention lately. In addition to the concerns about having enough investable assets to begin with, many Americans just don't have much financial literacy. How can financial advisors and wealth managers get involved in disrupting this continuing cycle?

5. We know there are many problems with financial literacy in our country. So how do you assess whether the growing number of efforts aimed at attacking this problem have been successful?

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