In 2005, no one was talking about Financial Health, including us.

Fast forward to 2019 and it is  Financial Health Matters Day! It’s exciting to see that there is a movement afoot that is tackling this large issue and bringing attention to the increased need to help those that experience financial challenges. And it’s about time.

In fact, it was at my very first CFSI Emerge Conference held in LA in 2015 that I first heard the term. And I had a very Oprah like Aha Moment. You see financial health is definitely at the core of our company and the work that my co-founder Dr. J. Michael Collins and I have been doing for our entire careers. We just didn’t have a name for it.

Today, we are celebrating that so many companies in diverse market segments are coming together to share that they too understand that if we are to do well, we must consider the financial health of our customers and our employees. With nearly half of Americans living paycheck to paycheck, it’s time to develop concrete strategies and solutions that can truly impact people’s financial lives in big ways. We have the research and technology to do so, now let’s develop the will.

As Jennifer Tescher, President and CEO of CFSI, so eloquently states in a recent American Banker piece, “What financially vulnerable people need is access to high-quality products and experiences built to help them succeed by people who truly understand their financial situations and foibles. They need real-time advice and guidance, tailored to their specific situation and immediately actionable. They need to be able to trust that financial institutions have their best interests in mind and are working with policymakers to eliminate systemic barriers that prevent them from achieving financial health.”

So today, ask yourself, “What does the future of financial health look like to you?” And I’d urge you to take the next step and ask, “What can I do to help further accelerate strategies at my company to bring solutions forward that deliver true impact to those that need it most?”

Because it can be done and the time is now.

We don’t have to go it alone. Partnerships allow us all to combine our strengths and resources to improve the financial lives of people across our country.

Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey

Co-Founder & CEO, SpringFour Inc.

I am a competitive person. I like to win. However, I have come to realize that sometimes winning isn’t everything. Being part of the “game” can be enough.

Recently, SpringFour was honored to be chosen as a Finalist for LendIt’s Partnership of the Year Award (recognizing the partnership between BMO Harris Bank and SpringFour). We were excited and proud to be named a Finalist. It’s a thrilling feat and huge validation for our small, but rapidly growing, social impact fintech company.

Having just returned last week from my first LendIt Conference, I have the insight and lens from which to gauge the Conference and the Award. It was spectacular. It was huge. It was networking on Red Bull. It was efficient and worthwhile. We made many valuable connections that I am hopeful will continue and prosper beyond the Conference.

5,000 people from over 2,500 companies attended LendIt.

SpringFour was one of six outstanding Fintech/bank partnerships to be nominated for LendIt’s Partnership of the Year Award. That in itself is a huge achievement. To break through the crowd, to see our work validated as one of the best of the best is encouraging and motivating for the SpringFour team.

Our business is built on the idea of cultivating long-lasting, high-impact partnerships. We do not offer direct to consumer products. Our strategy relies on building these partnerships with the financial services industry and others so that our products can create meaningful impact and scale. So to be recognized as one of the best partnerships with partner BMO Harris Bank means a great deal. Partnership truly is what SpringFour stands for and what our team strives to accomplish each day with our clients.

And the best part of receiving this recognition is that as we continue to grow and add banks to our client list, we are helping more people get back on track financially and that can mean big things for people. It can mean that they are finally able to buy the house they have been dreaming of or begin to build that emergency savings account because they now have actual savings to put into it. It means that they now have money in their monthly budget to pay for other household expenses because they now pay less for their necessary prescriptions.

We were not chosen as the winner in this category but that is okay.  We were a finalist for Best Partnership of the Year. And that’s pretty darn good.

Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey

Co-Founder & CEO, SpringFour Inc.

I had the opportunity to share my story as a woman entrepreneur and tech company founder at BMO Harris’s International Women’s Day event this year. It was an honor to be invited to participate in the panel “Trailblazing Conversations with Women Leading Innovation” along with Besty Ziegler, CEO of 1871 and Heather Holmes, founder and CEO of Genivity.  We each shared more about our involvement in the tech world, our challenges and successes,  and our experiences as women tech leaders. Moderator Leslie Anderson, Head of Treasury and Payment Services at BMO Harris helped guide the panel.

I believe that having the opportunity to share stories of our experiences, as well as our failures and mistakes along the way, helps to demystify the entrepreneur experience. Through these conversations, we show other women that anyone who has the desire can become an entrepreneur. The road to success as an entrepreneur is not something that comes fast or easy, and it requires hard work, patience, and resiliency. Those were the messages shared at this event. In sharing our stories, we also highlighted the need for increased attention and funding for women-led companies, and that with the necessary support and encouragement, more women will decide to become entrepreneurs. While the first step might be the hardest, it’s definitely worth taking. Gathering and sharing at events like this lets other women know that we don’t need to wait until everything is perfect before taking the jump, that bravery is rewarded with success.

Rochelle sharing her story on the panel.

Rochelle Nawrocki Gorey

Co-Founder & CEO, SpringFour Inc.