Brian Portnoy, CFA, PhD
Founder
Brian is one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of money. He has written multiple bestselling books, including The Geometry of Wealth, and has 20+ years of experience as investor and educator in the hedge fund and mutual fund industries. He is a CFA Charterholder and earned a PhD at the University of Chicago.
Neil Bage
Co-Founder
Neil is an expert at bridging complex behavioral science with practical, tech-enabled application. He has served as a Chief Behavioral Officer for a UK-based financial planning firm and was the founder of an award-winning behavioral technology business. He has presented to thousands of business professionals around the world on human evolution, human biology, and behavioral psychology.
Joy Lere, PsyD
Co-Founder
Joy is a licensed clinical psychologist and an expert in human behavior. She has held research and clinical positions at Penn Medicine Princeton Health, Children's National Medical Center, and the Department of Defense and has served as an Assistant Clinical Professor in Clinical Psychology at George Washington University. She earned her PsyD at George Washington University.
Dr. Megaan Lurtz
L&D Specialist
Dr. Meghaan Lurtz is a leading global expert on the psychology of financial planning. A dedicated educator, she is a Professor of Practice at Kansas State University teaching in the Advanced Financial Planning and Financial Therapy Certificate Programs. She is also a lecturer at Columbia University, where she teaches Financial Psychology. She currently serves on multiple financial technology boards bringing together finances and mental health. She is an active researcher, writer and an ongoing contributor to the Kitces platform, writing about the intersection of money, advice, and wellbeing.
Hal Hershfield
Advisory Council Member
Hal Hershfield is a professor of marketing, behavioral decision-making, and psychology at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he has won numerous awards for his teaching and research. His research on future selves has received widespread attention in outlets such as NPR, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic. Hershfield's research has been published in prestigious business, psychology, and general science academic journals, as well as in the Harvard Business Review, Scientific American, and Psychology Today.
Andrew Smith Lewis
Advisory Council Member
Andrew Smith Lewis, founder and CEO of Alai Studios, is a pioneer at the crossroads of brain science, AI, and industry innovation. With over 20 years of experience, he holds nine patents, authored two booked on learning and memory, and has launched a leading learning platform. Andrew has collaborated with diverse entities from educational institutions to major corporations and the US military. As the Founding Chief Innovation Officer of a leading alts-focused fintech, he created an AI learning platform called CAIS IQ. He’s a regular speaker at prominent events like SXSW and has been acknowledged as a U.S. Army TRADOC Mad Scientist, reflecting his contributions to the fields of AI and brain science.