Down to Earth Finance

What Down to Earth Finance does

Down to Earth Finance is an independent personal finance education company founded in 2019 by Galia Gichon, operating as a solo-practitioner business (1-10 employees, founder-led). The company provides hourly financial planning consultations, group seminars, workshops, and online courses covering budgeting, retirement planning, home finance, insurance, college savings, and cash flow management. Critically, the firm operates on a non-commission model: it does not sell investments or manage client money, positioning itself as an unbiased alternative to commission-driven advisors. The founder brings 20+ years of financial services experience including nearly a decade on Wall Street at Bear Stearns and Nomura Securities, and an MBA in Finance from Fordham University.

The product portfolio is diversified across formats and delivery channels. Core offerings include hourly consultations (via Zoom, phone, or in-person in Westport CT / NYC), the 3-month Woman's Compass Forum course priced at $395, a self-paced video course on CreativeLive for artists and freelancers, the Fiscal Firecrackers weekly podcast launched in March 2022, in-person workshop series, and corporate speaking engagements at institutions such as Yale School of Management, Barnard College, PNC, Freelancers Union, and the Massachusetts and Pennsylvania Conferences for Women. Supporting products include a pitch deck consulting service for startups and the 'My Money Matters' book/kit featured on the TODAY SHOW. There is no proprietary technology platform; delivery relies on standard video conferencing, event registration (Eventbrite), and third-party course hosting (CreativeLive).

The business model is a mix of professional services fees (hourly consulting, speaking), one-time course/license revenue, and adjacent advisory revenue from angel investing activities across multiple networks (Pipeline Angels, Astia, Next Wave Impact, Portfolia, Her Corner, Refinery CT, Topstone Angels). The primary customer segments are women, freelancers and entrepreneurs, artists and creatives, and college students/young adults. GTM is community-led and event-driven: reach is built through media appearances (NYT, Newsweek, CNN, Today Show, Glamour), university and conference speaking circuits, podcast distribution, and social media. The firm is bootstrapped with no disclosed venture capital funding and is based in the United States, with the Woman's Compass Forum having attracted participants from across the US and three countries.

Name

Down to Earth Finance

Legal name

Down to Earth Finance

Website

https://downtoearthfinance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Down to Earth Finance is an independent, founder-operated personal finance education company offering hourly consulting, courses, workshops, and a podcast to women, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and creatives. It operates on a non-commission model without selling investments or managing money.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Financial Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (EDAAAJAA), Budgeting & Cash-Flow Management (FSAGADAA)

Keywords

• Personal finance education
• Financial planning consulting
• Retirement planning advice
• Women finance coaching
• Freelancer financial guidance

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Hourly Consulting Sessions: Independent financial planning consultations billed by the hour. Services include budgets, retirement planning, home finance, insurance, college savings, cash flow management. No investments sold or money managed.
2. Speaking Engagements: Corporate, organizational, and conference speaking engagements on personal finance topics for women, entrepreneurs, and freelancers.
3. 3-Month Course (Woman's Compass Forum): Comprehensive 3-month course covering personal finance, legal, and self-care topics with live webinars, accountability, templates and community support. Price: $395 for the course.
4. Video Class (CreativeLive): Online video course for artists and freelancers on personal finance fundamentals, available through CreativeLive platform.
5. In-Person Workshop Series: 3-class series on personal finance topics (Personal Finance Overview, Investing at All Levels, Retirement Planning) held in-person, limited to 20 people per class.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Down to Earth Finance is an independent personal finance education and consulting practice that provides hourly one-on-one financial planning consultations covering budgets, retirement planning, home finance, insurance, college savings, cash flow management, and investing fundamentals. The firm does not sell investments or manage client money, billing purely on an hourly professional-services basis. It also delivers live seminars, workshops, multi-week courses, an online video class, a weekly podcast, and a published financial education book/kit.

Product overview

Down to Earth Finance is an independent personal finance education company founded by Galia Gichon. The company operates on an hourly-fee, non-commission model, neither selling investments nor managing client money. Its core offerings center on personalized hourly financial consultations and live seminars on topics ranging from basic budgeting to retirement planning. The product portfolio includes a weekly podcast (Fiscal Firecrackers), a 3-month comprehensive course (Woman's Compass Forum covering finance, legal, and self-care), Creative Live video courses for artists and freelancers, and pitch deck consulting for startups. The company also publishes the 'My Money Matters' book/kit and maintains a free blog. The firm positions itself as independent and unbiased, serving individuals across wealth levels from $0 to $1,000,000+.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Fiscal Firecrackers Podcast: Weekly personal finance podcast co-hosted by Galia Gichon, Susan Yeagley, and Jill Leiderman covering specific personal finance topics with entertainment and education.
• Woman's Compass Forum

Products and services

• Hourly Financial Consultation Independent, hourly-based personal financial planning sessions covering budgets, no-load mutual funds, retirement planning, home finance, insurance, college savings, and cash flow management. The firm does not sell investments or manage money and charges purely by the hour. Sessions are delivered via Zoom, phone, or in person in Westport, CT, with limited NYC availability. Targeted at individuals across all wealth levels seeking unbiased advice.
• Fiscal Firecrackers Podcast Weekly personal finance podcast co-hosted by Galia Gichon with actress Susan Yeagley and executive producer Jill Leiderman. Each episode covers specific personal finance topics with an entertainment-and-education blend, targeting women and freelancers on the path to financial independence. Available on Apple Podcasts and other major podcast platforms.
• Personal Finance Seminars Customized live seminars on personal finance topics delivered for corporations, organizations, national conferences, universities, and freelance groups. Topics include Women/Empowerment and Money, Personal Finance for Entrepreneurs, Finance Fundamentals for Entrepreneurs, Investing for Freelancers, Money Mindset for Entrepreneurs, and Keep Your 20s in Your 20s for college students.
• Woman's Compass Forum A 3-month comprehensive online course covering personal finance, legal, and self-care topics for women. Includes 4 live webinars per month, weekly emails with templates, built-in accountability, and community support. Course fee: $395. Has served nearly 100 women from across the US and 3 countries.
• Personal Finance for Artists & Freelancers (CreativeLive) A 3-day video course on CreativeLive teaching a seven-step plan for personal finance for freelancers and working artists. Covers financial goals, budgeting, savings habits, retirement planning, and investing basics tailored for variable-income creatives.
• Pitch Deck Consulting Startup consulting service for developing compelling pitch decks for investor meetings. Covers defining the problem, market opportunity, business model, marketing strategy, financials, and use of funds. Targeted at early-stage startups and women-led or social-impact founders.
• Angel Investing Advisory Advisory services for women-led and social-impact startups delivered through angel investor activity with groups including Pipeline Angels, Astia, Next Wave Impact, Portfolia, Her Corner, Refinery CT, and Topstone Angels.
• Personal Finance for Women Series A 3-class in-person workshop series limited to 20 attendees covering Personal Finance Overview (Oct 26), Investing at All Levels (Nov 16), and Retirement Planning (Dec 7). Available as individual class registration or full series registration.
• My Money Matters A book and financial education kit authored by Galia Gichon that combines emotional and practical aspects of money management. Includes colorful affirmation cards and workbooks designed to help readers conquer money fears, erase debt, organize finances, and retire successfully. Featured on The Today Show, The New York Times, and Newsweek.

Quantifiable outcome

• Thousands of women helped make positive financial changes over 20+ years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• CreativeLiveminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnership to host and distribute the Personal Finance for Artists & Freelancers online video course on CreativeLive platform.
• It Will BloomminorGTM or Marketing PartnerAdditional contact point for startup pitch deck development services; co-marketing relationship.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ramit Sethi / I Will Teach You To Be Rich: Large-scale personal finance education brand selling books, courses, and premium programs. Comparable course/education product mix and direct-to-consumer GTM, but at substantially greater scale.
• SmartAsset: Financial education and advisor-matching marketplace serving consumers across wealth levels. Comparable content + matching-to-advisor model, but at significantly greater scale.
• Personal Capital / Empower: Hybrid financial advisory and wealth management platform offering fee-based advisory alongside free tools. Comparable fee-only advisory positioning but with broader AUM scale and integrated technology.
• NerdWallet: Large personal finance media and advisor-match platform. Comparable educational content and consumer finance focus, but operating at much greater scale and with an advisor-referral business model.
• Dave Ramsey / Ramsey Solutions: Dominant personal finance media brand offering courses, books, podcasts, and tools around budgeting and debt. Comparable content/education product mix, though operating at a vastly larger scale with a distinct Christian-finance audience.

Direct peers

• Clever Girl Finance: Personal finance education platform founded by Bola Sokunbi focused on women. Comparable niche focus, course products, book, and community-driven GTM to Down to Earth Finance.
• Money with Katie: Independent personal finance media brand and podcast by Katie Gatti Tassin covering budgeting, investing, and financial independence for millennials. Comparable solo-founder content brand with course/community monetization.
• LearnVest: Originally a fee-only financial planning service for individuals, closely aligned with Down to Earth Finance's hourly, advice-only model. Comparable consumer target and educational curriculum, though LearnVest has since been integrated into Northwestern Mutual's broader offering.
• Ellevest: Financial services platform purpose-built for women, combining education with investing and planning tools. Overlaps with Down to Earth Finance's women-focused value proposition, though it operates as a tech-enabled fintech rather than a personal consultancy.
• Her Money (Farnoosh Torabi): Personal finance media brand and podcast hosted by Farnoosh Torabi targeting women and similar underserved audiences. Closely mirrors Down to Earth Finance's content-and-education model with course, podcast, and book monetization.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/simplymoney
• Facebookfacebook.com/Downtoearthfinance
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/galia-gichon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Down to Earth Finance