Neale Godfrey is the financial voice for women and multi-generations and a world-renowned speaker and author, who has inspired millions through her work. She motivates, trains, educates, and frankly, entertains by delivering her core message: Empower yourself to take control of your financial life. As the creator for the topic of "kids and money" and the preeminent thought leader for family financial literacy, Neale Godfrey has worked tirelessly over the last 35 years to connect the family around the topic of money. In 1972, Neale began her journey as one of the first female executives at The Chase Manhattan Bank (the world's largest bank at the time). She later became President of The First Women's Bank and founder of The First Children's Bank in FAO Schwarz. Neale was also involved with the Institute for Youth Entrepreneurship in Harlem. In 1989, Neale formed her own company, Children's Financial Network, Inc., with the mission of educating children and their parents about money. An author of 28 books empowering kids and their parents to have a healthy relationship with money, Neale is most recognized as The New York Times #1 Best-Selling Author of Money Doesn't Grow on Trees: A Parent's Guide to Raising Financially Responsible Children. Among her many accomplishments, Neale developed the first money curricula for children and young adults, Pre-K through High School, The One and Only Common Sense/Cents Series, as well as an interactive computer game called MoneyTown. More recently, Neale partnered with Tom Hester (Character Designer of Shrek) to give a facelift to her money characters. Those characters are featured in all three of Neale's #1 Educational mobile gaming apps in the App Store. Neale has represented global companies as a National Spokesperson; including Microsoft, UPS, Lincoln Financial, Fidelity, AIG, Nuveen, Aetna, Coca-Cola, among others. She has also appeared as a financial expert on programs such as; The Oprah Winfrey Show, Good Morning America, and The Today Show, on major news networks such as; CNN, CNBC, and FOX Business, and starred in the PBS Special, "Your Money, Your Children, Your Life." Neale is also a popular contributor for Kiplinger, a former contributor to Forbes.com and Huffington Post, and a former Nationally Syndicated Columnist for the Associated Press. Neale has served on White House and Governor's Task Forces, as well as on the Board of Directors of UNICEF, UNWomen, Young President's Organization -- YPO (Member since 1987), The NY Board of Trade, and Morris County Chamber of Commerce. Today, Neale serves the following organizations on their Board of Advisors: Greenlight Financial Technology, Inc., a debit card and investment platform for children; DriveWealth, LLC, a registered broker/dealer with a mobile investing platform; EarlyBird, an app for parents, family, and friends to make financial gifts to kids; and the National Urban League Guild. She is also an Executive in Residence and Innovation Fellow at Columbia Graduate School of Business and the Senior Mentor for the Think Bigger: The Innovation Method course. Neale is a popular contributor for Kiplinger, a former contributor to Forbes.com and Huffington Post, and a former Nationally Syndicated Columnist for the Associated Press. Neale works intensively with Wounded Warriors as a faculty member of Veteran Women Igniting the Spirit of Entrepreneurship (V-WISE), and Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV), which are both operated by The Institute For Veterans and Military Families at The Whitman School of Management of Syracuse University. As a leader in the financial literacy space, Neale has earned recognition from the White House for her program, LIFE, INC: The Ultimate Career Guide for Young People, sponsored by Deloitte Foundation, and honored with awards such as: ?Woman of the Year ?Banker of the Year ?Muriel Siebert Lifetime Achievement Award (for her trailblazing work on financial literacy) - NJBIZ Best 50 Women in Business Award ?Child Advocate of the Year - Femme Award of Excellence, UNWomen ?National Winner, w2wlink's Ascendancy Awards for Business Women ?Garden State Woman of the Year ?Awarded for Outstanding Service Toward Financial Literacy, United Negro College Fund - Women of Influence Award, Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey ?National Honoree, WomenInBusiness.org
