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Speaker Testimonials

Zina served as a fantastic alumni participant during Media Career Day at The Media School on the IU Bloomington campus! Zina spoke with IU students about financial literacy and wellbeing as part of a professional wellness panel.

— Mallory Elver, Associate Director of Advancement, IU Media School

For the past two years, Zina has been kind enough to provide invaluable training for a citywide intern cohort, as part of summer training for emerging journalists. She takes complicated concepts and distills them down into easily understood information points, specifically tailored to young people just getting started in industry. She's thorough, but doesn't overwhelm, and she always provides opportunities for questions and individual follow up. Our cohorts routinely list Zina's talk as one of our highest-rated offerings provided, and we're grateful for her willingness to share her expertise.

- Lisa K. Renze-Rhodes, Free Press Indiana

I met Zina through Indy Maven and recently invited her to speak at Orangily’s Thursday morning series. She made compound interest fun, accessible, and memorable. Zina is polished, funny, and kind: the perfect mix for making finance feel approachable. I look forward to working with Zina again and recommend her to anyone seeking a great speaker or financial advisor!

— Andrea M. Simpson, Co-Founder of Orangily

Zina was a great guest speaker for my Professional Development Seminar class. She came and talked about student loans and financial wellness. She is very knowledgeable and gave students helpful information and answered all of their questions. It was a pleasure to have her speak to our class!

— Jazmin Atzhorn, LMHC, Adjunct Faculty at the University of Indianapolis

I asked Zina to speak about personal finance with a group of summer interns from news organizations across Indianapolis. She was the perfect fit as someone with who graduated from journalism school (like these students will) and is now a finance expert. She did a great job! Zina asked the students in advance for questions and made her presentation specific to their questions. It was super detailed and the students seemed to really love it.

- MJ Slaby, Bureau Chief for Chalkbeat Indiana

Zina always comes to the table with fresh content ideas that supplement our blog perfectly. You can expect quality articles delivered on deadline and as smooth a communication process as one could hope for. I recommend her work to anyone.

— Amy Backer, TaxAct

Why I Care About Personal Finance

I have a bachelor's degree in journalism with honors from Indiana University and have written for newspapers, magazines and wire services. My byline has appeared in Indianapolis Monthly, the Commercial Appeal and the Associated Press.

As a personal finance expert, my advice has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Nerdwallet, and Fortune. I'm also a three-time finalist for Best Personal Finance Contributor/Freelancer at the Plutus Awards.

In 2014, I paid off $28,000 in student loans in 3 years and chronicled the journey on my blog. In 2025, I received my Series 65 license and currently work as a financial advisor for an Indianapolis-based firm, C.H. Douglas & Gray Wealth Management.

Contact me

I'm a financial advisor, freelance writer, and speaker specializing in personal finance.

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Speaker Testimonials

Why I Care About Personal Finance