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Varo Prosperity Podcast

Varo Prosperity Podcast

By: Colin Walsh
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Financial resilience is a continuous challenge for many because of the broken wealth ladder.

Join Varo Bank’s CEO, Colin Walsh, and other influential industry leaders, as they discuss breakthrough initiatives designed to help people live better lives. Explore how reimagined policy, regulation, and technology-first banking solutions are essential to providing financial access and inclusion.

Whether you are a financial industry influencer, investor, or regulator, this podcast is for you!

 Economics Personal Development Personal Finance Personal Success
Episodes
  • Special Episode: Supporting Veteran Families Living Paycheck to Paycheck

    Special Episode: Supporting Veteran Families Living Paycheck to Paycheck
    Nov 9 2023
    About Maj. Gen. Steven Lepper: Steven J. Lepper became the Association of Military Banks of America’s (AMBA) President and Chief Executive Officer in 2015 after serving for one year as the Acting Director and Deputy Director of the American Bar Association’s Rule of Law Initiative and for thirty-five years as an Air Force judge advocate culminating in his service as Deputy Judge Advocate General of the Air Force. A retired Air Force major general, Steve has spent most of his career as a legal advisor and counselor to senior U.S. government and military leaders.About Shannon Razsadin: Shannon Razsadin became the Military Family Advisory Network's (MFAN) president in 2020 after serving as executive director since 2015, a role she maintains to this day. She advocates for service members, veterans, and their families by translating their needs in an effective way for service providers to comprehend. A subject matter expert on the military-civilian divide, family well-being, and financial readiness, Shannon has contributed to major global media outlets and spoken at the White House Conference on Hunger.In this episode, Colin, Gen. Leper and Shannon discuss:- Collaborative solutions provided by AMBA and MFAN.- Unique financial challenges faced by military families and veterans in a post-pandemic world, navigating housing transitions in active duty and veteran life, and how military families can achieve financial stability and wealth equity.Key Takeaways:AMBA, with a history dating back to 1959, facilitates vital connections between military members and banks through initiatives like the Armed Forces Financial Network, ensuring global access to funds. Meanwhile, MFAN, in its decade-long journey, leverages data and collaboration to empower modern military families, addressing financial challenges in innovative ways.In a post-pandemic world, military families and veterans face unique financial challenges, including job instability, frequent relocations, limited credit options, and lack of financial education. These issues highlight the importance of programs like the Veterans Banking Benefits Program.Military families face uncertainties in long-term living due to frequent relocations, making homeownership decisions difficult. Banks can help by providing personalized advice and navigating sudden moves, offering crucial support beyond typical financial situations, and easing the burden on military families' financial lives.The future of military banking aims to provide veterans with a more interactive and comprehensive financial experience. The launch of VBBP 2.5, featuring a new platform called VetCents, offers financial education and guidance, all designed to help military families achieve greater wealth equity and financial stability."What we exist to do and what banks should all strive to do is simply to understand the financial challenges that their military and veteran customers face. That's really the first and most important way for the banks to be able to help them." — Gen. Steven Lepper"One of the things that we have really seen work and be successful is when the community and people who are serving this population are aware of the resources so that we can take a no wrong door approach." — Shannon RazsadinConnect with Maj. Gen. Steven Lepper:  AMBA website: https://ambahq.org/ VPPB website: https://veteransbenefitsbanking.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stevenlepperConnect with Shannon Razsadin:  MFAN website: https://www.mfan.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shannon-razsadin/Connect with Varo: Website - https://www.varomoney.com/LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/varobank/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/varobank/Twitter - https://twitter.com/varobankYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/varomoneyAudio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it. 
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    42 mins
  • Varo Prosperity Podcast: Funneling Capital Into Purpose-Built Brands

    Varo Prosperity Podcast: Funneling Capital Into Purpose-Built Brands
    Oct 17 2023
    About Roy Swan: Roy leads the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team, responsible for the foundation’s $1bn impact investing endowment. Roy also oversees the foundation’s $350 million program related investment fund and grantmaking dedicated to strengthening the global ESG and impact investing fields.He has had key roles at Morgan Stanley, including Co-Head of Global Sustainable Finance, CEO of Morgan Stanley Impact SBIC, and President of Morgan Stanley Trust savings bank. He also served as the founding Chief Investment Officer of the Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone and Chief Financial Officer of Carver Bank, a Harlem-based publicly traded financial institution and the nation’s largest African American managed bank at the time. Roy graduated from Princeton University and Stanford Law School, where he was an editor of the Stanford Law Review. About Maya Chorengel: Maya is Co-Managing Partner at The Rise Fund, a $7.7 billion global impact investing fund managed by TPG. Prior, Maya co-founded Elevar Equity, was Managing Director of the Dignity Fund, and invested for Warburg Pincus. Maya is a Director of TPG Inc., Little Leaf Farms, Benevity, Varo Bank, Nithio, SEO, and Kiva and serves on the Advisory Board of the Harvard Business School Social Enterprise Initiative. She co-authored “Calculating the Value of Impact Investing” published in the Harvard Business Review. Maya earned an A.B. in Social Studies from Harvard University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. In this episode, Colin, Roy, and Maya discussed:- The importance of people and purpose in mission-based investing- Transforming communities through human capital investment- Balancing financial returns and social impact in a polarized environment- The intersection of impact investing, corporate culture, and social change in contemporary businessKey Takeaways:- In the world of mission-based investing, the key lies in the authenticity and commitment highlighted by Roy and Maya. Whether it's the broad spectrum approach of the Ford Foundation or the focused commercial capital strategy of TPG's Rise Fund, success hinges on partnering with leaders deeply rooted in private enterprise to drive positive social and environmental impact.- Maya emphasizes the importance of focusing on data, evidence, and results while pursuing investments that deliver both financial returns and positive social or environmental outcomes to help combat the challenges of ESG and impact investing in a politically charged environment.- "Patriotic capitalism" combines profit and purpose to build a better future, fostering engaged employees and addressing social issues while generating substantial returns, all driven by a shared commitment to create a more equitable and sustainable world."We see human capital as the central element to any community's greatness, any state or any nation in the world." — Roy Swan"We fundamentally believe that there are many tools available to us, but the more people we can convince just to be good people and to do the right thing will help us get to the right place in the world and to create the society and planet that we all want to live in." — Maya ChorengelConnect with Roy Swan:  Website: https://www.fordfoundation.org/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/roy-swan-7394832/Connect with Maya Chorengel:  Website: https://www.tpg.com/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maya-chorengel-603b76/Connect with Varo: Website - https://www.varomoney.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/varobank/Twitter - https://twitter.com/varobankYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/varomoneyLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/varobank/Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
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    40 mins
  • Fintech Forward: Pioneering Product Development from Past to Future

    Fintech Forward: Pioneering Product Development from Past to Future
    Sep 19 2023
    About Shamir Karkal: Shamir Karkal is a visionary fintech leader who has helped to shape the fintech industry. As a Co-founder of Simple, the pioneering online bank in the US, he played a pivotal role in revolutionizing the landscape of digital banking. Building on this success, he assumed leadership of the Open Platform at BBVA, continuing his dedication to empowering small businesses. In 2018, he co-founded Sila, where he currently serves as Chief Strategy Officer, dedicated to driving financial innovation forward.About Wook Chung: Wook Chung is the Chief Product Officer at Varo Bank, the first all-digital, nationally chartered consumer techbank in the United States. As CPO, Wook plays a key role in VaroTech, the company's innovation hub that integrates product, technology, data, and design to create cutting-edge financial solutions aimed at giving consumers living paycheck to paycheck financial power. Wook was previously the VP of Product Design and Engineering at SoFi, and the Head of Product Management Leadership at Facebook.  In this episode, Colin, Shamir, and Wook discuss:- The evolution of fintech and the emergence of the techbank- The challenge balancing innovation and sustainable business models in fintech and banking- The impact of emerging technologies on a vast and regulated industry- Leveraging AI, ML, and fintech to transform financial servicesKey Takeaways:- By recognizing and addressing the changing financial needs of everyday people with intuitive product solutions, leaders in the fintech industry such as Shamir Karkal and Wook Chung, have transformed the way banking is perceived and experienced, ultimately striving to build customer-centric banks that empower individuals to manage their finances effectively.- In the quest to revolutionize the financial industry, breakthroughs have occurred through combining innovative product solutions with a sustainable business model. Disruptive change without financial viability will inevitably fail. Technology-driven, cost-efficient, customer-centric fintech companies hold the potential to reshape the future of finance.- In the ever-evolving world of fintech, real-time payment systems like FedNow and RTP are poised to transform the industry, but the vastness and complexity of financial services mean that even with rapid technological advancements, true disruption will take time to unfold.- Integrating AI and ML will redefine banks as personalized financial problem solvers, ushering in a future where technology continuously improves individuals' financial well-being. "What people don't quite realize sometimes is that the financial services industry globally is about a 20 trillion revenue industry out of a global GDP of about 100 trillion a year.....And when you think about it, that makes sense. It also means that it's not really possible to disrupt this industry and change it." — Shamir Karkal "I think really leveraging technology to help somebody across a long period of time is the only way I think that the industry can build financially inclusive products that truly help people progress in their financial lives." — Wook ChungConnect with Shamir Karkal:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shamirkarkal/Connect with Wook Chung:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wookchung/Connect with Varo: Website - https://www.varomoney.com/Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/varobank/Twitter - https://twitter.com/varobankYouTube - https://www.youtube.com/varomoneyLinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/varobank/Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
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    40 mins
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