This episode explores the mission of advancing financial stability and generational wealth for traditionally underserved individuals and families through the lens of founder and CEO of The Savings Collaborative Barbara Freeman. The conversation highlights her global career in finance, consulting, and development, and how her personal experiences with financial uncertainty and deeply held values around fairness shaped the founding of the Savings Collaborative. Barbara shares how her work bridges systems, education, and economic opportunity to address the everyday financial fragility faced by working families, ultimately reframing wealth not just as money, but as security, choice, and control over one’s life.

Bio:

Dr. Barbara Freeman is the founder and CEO of The Savings Collaborative. She combines her global experience in finance, education, and social impact to help people and communities expand opportunity. She is also a senior consultant to the World Bank, where she focuses on technology and innovation in education.

She was a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley and is a certified financial counselor. Barbara created award-winning digital learning tools for English learners and students with special needs, making learning more accessible and engaging for diverse students. Earlier in her career, she helped pioneer one of the first global derivatives portfolios as a currency options dealer with UBS and HSBC, and co-founded KPMG Consulting’s Risk Management practice in Asia, building it into a 400-person team.

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