Alexa Von Tobel - Financially Forward: How to Use Today’s Digital Tools to Earn More, Save Better, and Spend Smarter

My life has changed and grown immeasurably since the publication of Financially Fearless in 2013. In the past few years, Northwestern Mutual purchased LearnVest; I took on the role of Chief Innovation Officer for the company, and, most significantly, I became a mom to beautiful children, which truly grounds you in the most unimaginable and humbling of ways.

I now know the importance of It takes a village, and the value of having a whip-smart executive assistant in Ashley Greenberg, who helps keep me on track. I am incredibly grateful to the many people in my life who support, challenge, and inspire me every day.

To the Penguin Random House teamI owe a debt of gratitude to Talia Krohn for pushing my ideas forward, editing with clarity, and bringing joy to the book process.

Tina Constable, Campbell Wharton, Ayelet Gruenspecht, and Megan Perritt, thank you for believing in me and being such a pleasure to work with on Financially Fearless and now Financially Forward.

To my team at William Morris EndeavorAndy McNicol, Suzanne Lyon, Bethany Dick, Julie Leventhal, Strand Conover, Jason Hodes, and Marissa Hurwitzthank you for believing in me over the years and helping me share this mission of financial literacy and empowerment with the world.

To Annie Shapiroyou are a joy! Meeting you nine years ago as the first LearnVest intern and working so closely together has been one of the most fulfilling parts of my career. I relish our partnership and look forward to a lifetime of many more exciting projects. Thank you for always diving into work with positivity and your brilliant mind!

To Sunshine SachsDani Dalesandro, youre phenomenal to work with and an even better friend. I am so lucky for our decade of friendship. Shawn Sachs, you are a remarkable strategist and sounding board. Thank you both for being such a special part of my journey.

To the Northwestern Mutual familythank you for the incredible partnership, not only for our marriage to LearnVest but also for sharing the sincere belief in empowering Americans to take control of their wallets. In particular, John Schlifske, you are a visionary, unyielding in your commitment to reimagining a clients financial life but also in your unwavering effort to accomplish the best for your policyholders. A special thanks to Christian Mitchell, who has been a best friend and the rock behind the LearnVest acquisition; to Ron Joelson and Sheldon Cuffie for letting me tap their brains; and to the entire Northwestern Mutual senior leadership team: Mike Carter, Jo Eisenhart, Tim Gerend, Aditi Gokhale, John Grogan, Ron Joelson, Ray Manista, Christian Mitchell, Beth Rodenhuis, Tim Schaefer, and Emilia Sherifova.

To Ann Kaplan, Theresia Gouw, John and Maria Chrin, and Lee Barbamy passion for financial literacy has deep roots, and you have been tremendous cheerleaders and mentors from the beginning. Youve shared such wisdom with me, not only about running a business but also about living a rich and fulfilling life. Thank you!

To all of the experts who so generously gave their time and wisdom on where the future of money might take usI value our relationships and am so grateful youve shared your perspectives. Thanks to, in alphabetical order, Ryan Alfred, Jake Anderson-Bialis, Marla Blow, Jason Brown, Stacy Brown-Philpot, Michael Carvin, Wences Casares, Liana Douillet Guzmn, Jennifer Hyman, Kim Kingsley, Spencer Lazar, Sam Lessin, Ken Lin, Blythe Masters, Rebecca Minkoff, Max Motschwiller, Michael Norton, Daphne Oz, David Pakman, Matt Salzberg, Daniel Schreiber, Ken Seiff, Jon Stein, Danielle Weisberg, Melanie Whelan, Tyler Winklevoss, Carly Zakin, and Randi Zuckerberg.

To Mark Batsiyan, Dan Wagner, and Natasha Dur for your incredibly thoughtful and diligent feedback on my many drafts of this book. I value each of you so much.

And last but most certainly not least, to my best friends (you know who you are!!!) and family for driving me forward in every inch of my life. To my mom, stepdad, and brothers, Travis and Brandon, for believing in me and continuing our family legacy of service to others. To Mike, Patricia, Bonnie, and James for being wonderful in-laws and grandparents. To Cliff, thank you for your continual and tireless encouragement as a partner, husband, and now father to our beautiful children, Toby and Cashel.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexa von Tobel, CFP, is founder and managing partner of Inspired Capital and the New York Timesbestselling author of Financially Fearless.

Prior to Inspired Capital, Alexa founded LearnVest in 2008 with the goal of helping people make progress on their money.

After raising nearly $75 million in venture capital, LearnVest was acquired by Northwestern Mutual in May 2015 in one of the biggest FinTech acquisitions of the decade. Following the acquisition, Alexa joined the management team of Northwestern Mutual as the companys first-ever chief digital officer, overseeing digital strategy. She later assumed the role of chief innovation officer, through which she oversaw Northwestern Mutuals venture arm.

Alexa has appeared on the cover of Forbes, been interviewed on NPRs How I Built This, and been featured in a wide variety of publications, ranging from the New York Times to Vogue. She is a member of the 2016 Class of Henry Crown Fellows and an inaugural member of President Barack Obamas Ambassadors for Global Entrepreneurship. Alexa has been honored with numerous recognitions, including Fortunes 40 Under 40, Fortunes Most Powerful Women, Forbess 30 Under 30, Inc.s 30 Under 30, and the World Economic Forums Young Global Leader.

Originally from Florida, Alexa attended Harvard College and Harvard Business School before settling in New York City, where she currently resides with her husband, Cliff Ryan, and their soon-to-be three children.

When I think about the shape our future will take, I love to imagine whats possible.

As someone who cares deeply about helping everyone in America and across the globe live better and more financially secure lives, I could not be more excited to see how the next decade unfolds. And while I dont claim to be able to see into the future, I think its safe to assume that over this next decade, a few big things will happen:

The major trends transforming our wallets will continue to touch all of our lives. We will start to take more advantage of these new modes of living, working, earning, and spending that are now available to us.

As our working years extend beyond the traditional retirement age (and full retirement becomes more rare), the gig economy will become a critical tool in supplementing our income and increasing our earning potential.

Ownership will continue to decrease as the ultimate financial priority. By embracing the sharing economy, well hold on to more money and shift how we save and invest toward other goals.

Everyday tools are popping up to help us get better clarity in our wallets and control over our money (see for the best current apps to download). As consumers, we will continue to have more choice than ever to use technology to effect positive change.

Going cashlessand even cardlesswill become less of a preference and more of the norm as our smartphones become our wallets.

Because money is just a tool to reach our goals, our ability to put our finances on autopilotand still stick to a smart financial planwill improve. Just as generations used to stash money under their mattresses, well take advantage of the myriad places to stash our money online and keep it working for us.