The 15th Annual Plutus Awards ceremony was hosted on May 7, 2026 at the Plutus Impact Summit in Charlotte, N.C. the evening was hosted by Joe Saul-Sehy.
Each of our winners this year spans different media, channels, and projects, so we adopted a framework that doesn't rely on the categories of past years' awards.
View biography for Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox
Coach, Educator
Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, known as The Money Coach, is a personal finance expert, speaker, and author of 15 money-management books, including Zero Debt and Bounce Back. A former financial journalist, she co-owns financial education company TheMoneyCoach.net with her husband, Earl Cox.
Bill Yount is an emergency medicine physician and co-host of Catching Up to FI. After reassessing his finances at 50, he reached financial independence a decade later and became semi-retired. He now shares financial education and community support for people starting their financial independence journey later in life.
Jackie Koski is a CFP professional, Accredited Financial Counselor, author, and co-host of Catching Up to FI. She retired from corporate work in 2019 and focuses on financial literacy. Her books include Money Letters 2 My Daughter and F.I.R.E. for Dummies.
Joel Larsgaard co-founded How To Money with Matt Altmix in 2017. Previously a producer of The Clark Howard Show for 14 years, he shares personal finance education through podcasting, radio, a newsletter, and online resources, helping people develop money habits and make informed financial decisions.
Matt Altmix co-created How To Money with Joel Larsgaard in 2017. He discusses personal finance topics including debt repayment, insurance, investing, and real estate, with an interest in balancing financial security and an enjoyable life. Outside podcasting, he participates in his school and church communities.
Kevin L. Matthews II is an author and former financial advisor who founded BuildingBread in 2010. He teaches millennials about setting and pursuing financial goals. His advisory experience included retirement planning and managing more than $140 million in assets.
Jannese Torres-Rodriguez is a money educator, speaker, writer, and business coach. After founding the food blog Delish D’Lites following a job loss, she began helping others build online businesses. Her Yo Quiero Dinero podcast covers entrepreneurship, investing, and generational wealth for marginalized communities.
Jim Wang writes Wallet Hacks, a personal finance blog sharing strategies for improving finances and everyday life. His work has been featured in The New York Times, Baltimore Sun, Entrepreneur, and Marketplace Money.
Justin Brown-Woods is an Accredited Financial Counselor and co-founder of Price of Avocado Toast. He helps people pursue debt freedom and mindful spending while aligning money with their values. His approach emphasizes flexibility, sustainable habits, and community support rather than financial shame.
Haley Brown-Woods co-created Price of Avocado Toast with Justin Brown-Woods after confronting their own debt. She launched its financial counseling branch in 2021. Through counseling and podcast conversations, she helps people address debt and discuss money without shame.
Ellyce Fulmore is a financial educator, author, and founder of Queerd Co. Her work examines how identity and lived experience shape personal finance. A queer and neurodivergent creator, she wrote Keeping Finance Personal to help readers reconsider money expectations and shame.
Gerri Detweiler is a credit and small business educator, speaker, and financial writer. She has authored or co-authored six books and testified before Congress on consumer credit legislation. Her experience includes serving as education director for Nav and Credit.com.
Cameron Huddleston is a personal finance journalist and author of Mom and Dad, We Need to Talk, a guide to discussing finances with parents. Her work has appeared in Forbes, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, the Chicago Tribune, MSN, and Yahoo.
Dr. Preston Cherry founded Concurrent Wealth Management and is a Houston-based, flat-fee fiduciary financial advisor. Serving clients nationwide, he focuses on retirement, taxes, equity compensation, and major financial decisions for Gen X professionals, business owners, and oil and gas executives.
Gina Zakaria founded Saving Whiz after she and her husband paid off six figures of debt. A personal finance educator and savings expert, she teaches practical steps for managing money and saving while maintaining an enjoyable lifestyle, with a particular focus on women.
Dr. Darla Bishop is a speaker, health policy professor, and author focused on financial wellness. Through keynotes and workshops, she teaches students, faculty, and staff practical approaches to money, career readiness, and wealth building.
Rishi Vamdatt founded Easy Peasy Finance at age eight to explain money to children. He has created more than 1,300 videos and authored four books. He earned a Financial Planning Certificate from NYU and passed the CFP exam at 16.
Naseema McElroy founded Financially Intentional and hosts the Nurses on Fire podcast. A labor and delivery nurse and mother, she shares lessons from paying off $1 million in debt and rebuilding her finances. Her work introduces nurses and other readers to financial independence.
Tiffany Aliche, known as The Budgetnista, is a financial educator and author of the New York Times bestseller Get Good with Money. Her books also include The One Week Budget, the Live Richer Challenge series, and the children’s book Happy Birthday Mali More.
Alissa Krasner Maizes is an attorney, CFP professional, and founder of Amplify My Wealth. A fee-only fiduciary planner and financial educator, she also offers pro bono advising through Savvy Ladies. She received the 14th Annual Plutus Award for Best Financial Advisor Financial Literacy Content Creator.
Brian Page founded Modern Husbands to help couples manage money and household responsibilities together. He holds a master’s degree in education and is an Accredited Financial Counselor and Fair Play Certified facilitator.
Paula Pant founded the Afford Anything podcast and AffordAnything.com, covering personal finance, economics, and financial independence. A former newspaper reporter and Columbia University Knight-Bagehot Fellow, she also appeared in and served as a consulting producer for Netflix’s Get Smart with Money.
Steve Stewart edits podcasts for independent creators in personal finance and investing. He founded the Podcast Editors Club in 2017 as a community for people working in podcast post-production.
Nick Loper is an author, online entrepreneur, and host of The Side Hustle Show. Through his podcast and Side Hustle Nation, he explores part-time business ideas and strategies for earning income outside a day job.
Bob Lai writes Tawcan, a Canadian personal finance and dividend investing blog. Based in Vancouver, he documents his family’s financial independence journey, including investing in U.S. and Canadian dividend stocks and working toward a life supported by dividend income.
Jamila Souffrant founded Journey to Launch and hosts its podcast. Her financial story and advice have appeared in outlets including The New York Times, Business Insider, Essence, CNBC, and CBS. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and three children.
Paulette Perhach is a writer, writing coach, speaker, and author of Welcome to the Writer’s Life. Her essays have appeared in The New York Times, Vox, and The Washington Post. She also leads meditation-and-writing sessions through A Very Important Meeting.
Vivian Tu is a former Wall Street trader and founder of Your Rich BFF, a personal finance education brand. An author, speaker, and host of Networth and Chill, she explains financial topics for non-experts and marginalized communities.
Stefanie O’Connell Rodriguez writes about ambition, money, and power. She authored The Ambition Penalty and wrote, hosted, and co-produced REAL SIMPLE’s Webby-winning Money Confidential podcast. Through her writing and Too Ambitious newsletter, she examines gender, workplace culture, and barriers to women’s ambitions.
Angela Rozmyn works as a LEED Accredited Professional for a company building green, affordable urban communities. Her interests include financial independence, environmental sustainability, travel, and family life. She pursues financial independence as a way to gain more choice over how she works and lives.
Dr. Regina Moore is a community pharmacist and advocate whose interests include psychedelic medicine, cancer care, mental health, and digital health. Through The Frugal Pharmacist, she writes about topics relevant to pharmacists, healthcare providers, and working mothers, including financial pressures and family wellbeing.
Corey Fick is a money coach, financial independence creator, and co-founder of The Fioneers. With Jessica Fick, he teaches Slow FI and Coast FIRE, exploring how financial milestones can create more freedom before retirement.
Jessica Fick is a blogger, entrepreneur, speaker, and coach with The Fioneers. Her work combines financial independence and lifestyle design, encouraging people to make intentional choices and build an enjoyable life before reaching financial independence.
Sandy Smith started the personal finance blog Yes I Am Cheap in 2009. She began writing about her effort to pay down $120,000 in debt and move beyond living paycheck to paycheck.
Joe Saul-Sehy is a personal finance educator, author, and creator and co-host of Stacking Benjamins. His career includes wealth management, financial journalism, and podcast production.
Enterprise Awards recognize products and services separately from people and their publications. A historical win does not automatically make something a current recommendation.
