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You may have seen the viral tweet that says, “Economics is astrology for dudes.” It’s easy to see that just as astrology is seen as feminine, economics and finance tend to be connected to masculinity.
MoneyGirls is a platform that aims to break that association by giving young women the tools for financial “confidence and independence.” The company isn’t aiming to make every woman a Wall Street financial whiz; rather, its mission is to help you feel smart about everyday life.
Founder and CEO Judy Zhu began MoneyGirls in May 2019. After working in the male-dominated tech environment for over a decade, Zhu saw a concerning pattern in her workplace: the strong, outstanding women in her field shared “a common secret of lacking confidence in finance” — all the way from the corporate level to personal finances.
“All these women who were exceptional and successful would bring their fathers or husbands whenever they would go talk to their wealth managers,” Zhu said.
Women were encouraged to enter STEM fields and fight for higher wages, but at the same time, many were confused when it came to the subject of money. Zhu realized that this lack of confidence had to be addressed before gender gaps in the workplace or wage disparity could be solved; she was thus inspired to start MoneyGirls.
“When you build a company – because building a company is damn hard – it better be for a mission that intrinsically motivates you,” Zhu said when asked about creating MoneyGirls.
MoneyGirls accomplishes its goal of spreading financial confidence to young women by providing direct answers to pressing questions they may have. Nothing goes unanswered and answers are never overwhelming. Once a week, MoneyGirls sends a quick and fun read through their Monday MoneyDrop newsletter. The newsletter addresses a variety of topics, ranging from credit cards to tax anxieties young women commonly have. You can send in questions directly to moneyQ@moneygirls.com and get answers to both your own questions as well as ones from other young women across the country. Signing up for the newsletter takes less than one minute and will bring weekly financial tips straight to your inbox!
The MoneyGirls team includes Penn alumnae Madison Visco (College ’19), who began working with the company in June. Visco originally stumbled upon the organization on Instagram (@gomoneygirls) and grew more interested after looking into it.
“It was something that really resonated with me because it’s something I wish that I had while I was in college, which is why I was so eager to get involved. A lot of the questions being addressed in the newsletters were questions I had at that time,” Visco said.
Intrigued by MoneyGirls’ mission? Then, you should not only sign up for the newsletter, but also save the date for Tuesday, January 21 from 5:45-7:30 PM. Judy Zhu will be speaking at an exclusive Her Campus at UPenn X MoneyGirls event in ARCH 108. She will be doing a live Q&A session for all of your questions from the world of money to working in the tech industry to starting a company. To attend, simply RSVP here!
You can get involved with MoneyGirls at any level. Don’t want a time commitment? Just sign up for the newsletter! Want a more active role in spreading the wealth of financial confidence to all women? Then join girls from other colleges across the country who have taken on roles as Campus Strategists and Brand Ambassadors for MoneyGirls!
We hope to see you at the Her Campus at UPenn X MoneyGirls event on Tuesday, January 21 from 5:45-7:30 PM in ARCH 108!