Welcome!
I am Shelitha Smodic, the voice behind Meaning of Money. With over a decade of experience as a financial advisor, writer, speaker, and researcher, I founded Meaning of Money to demystify personal finance and make quality financial education available to everyone. In this community, we aim to build your financial confidence, align your money decisions with your values, and pave the way for lasting financial well-being.
My Story
When I started my first job after college, I was completely unprepared for the number of financial decisions I had to make. The online advice was confusing, and most financial advisors weren’t interested in working with someone who didn’t have significant assets. So, I dove into learning everything I could about personal finance and something interesting happened. Friends and family started coming to me with their questions.
That’s when I realized the gap: most people don’t feel equipped to make decisions confidently, and accessible, trustworthy professional guidance is hard to find. I decided to change that.
Over the past decade, I’ve become a certified financial planner, earned a master’s degree in personal financial planning, and worked with high-net-worth clients as a financial advisor and director of financial planning. While these experiences deepened my expertise, they didn’t bridge the gap for the people I care most about. There is more work to do.
I  began pursuing a doctorate in personal financial planning with a research focus on family financial well-being and launched Meaning of Money, a financial education platform for individuals and families. Through these endeavors, I aim to translate my years of study, client experience, and financial research into actionable guidance for people who’ve been overlooked or underserved by the financial industry for far too long.
Meaning of Money is a space to learn about personal finance to live with more ease and well-being.
Our Mission
Our mission at Meaning of Money is to make quality financial education available to everyone. We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to build financial well-being, where they feel in-control of their financial life and are free from constant financial anxiety.
Community Goals
Our community has 4 core goals: knowledge, confidence, behavior, and well-being.
Knowledge
Financial knowledge is your general understanding of financial concepts and skill in applying them.
Confidence
Financial confidence is having confidence in your financial knowledge and your ability to use that knowledge to make decisions.
Behavior
Financial behavior drives financial outcomes. At meaning of money, we focus on building positive financial behaviors to build financial well-being.
Well-Being
Financial well-being is when a person can meet current and ongoing financial obligations, feel secure in their financial future, and make choices to allow them to enjoy their life.
Want to stay up to date with events and posts from Meaning of Money?
Join our mailing list and we will keep you in the loop on upcoming events and offerings.
You're safe with me. I'll never spam you or sell your contact info.