We are so excited to welcome Manisha Thakor CFA, CFP to Iowa to present her “Own Your Finances. Own Your Life.” keynote at the Iowa Insurance Division’s (IID) inaugural SmartHER Money Conference Aug. 19.
Manisha is the founder of MoneyZen and is a nationally renowned speaker and women’s financial literacy advocate. When it comes to personal finance, Thakor shares that her parents impressed upon her early in life that “a man is not a plan” and that financial literacy is essential for all women.

With an MBA from Harvard Business School, Thakor has authored two critically acclaimed personal finance books for women and is currently writing her third book.
She serves on the board of The National Foundation for Financial Education, is a faculty member at the Omega Institute’s Women’s Leadership Center and a member of the Wall Street Journal’s Wealth Experts’ Panel. Thakor has been featured on national media shows such as “The Today Show” and CNN’s “Your Bottom Line” and in publications like Real Simple, Women’s Health, Glamour and the New York Times.
We’re thrilled for our attendees to hear from a speaker of the caliber of Manisha Thakor, not only because of her stellar educational credentials, publishing success and national media appearances, but because she is a wonderful, down-to-earth and approachable woman who can simplify the most complicated investment scenarios for anyone to understand.
Manisha strives to change the vernacular around money and investing to language that more resonates with women: Simplicity, Abundance and Freedom. She’s leading the charge to make financial well-being a priority for women and desperately wants to drive change, including the fact that two-thirds of women over age 65 rely on Social Security as their primary source of income.
The IID also strives to provide Iowans with the resources and educational curriculum for a secure retirement through our Save4Later and SmartHER Money programs. Also, through our Iowa Fraud Fighters program, we aim to help Iowans shield their hard-earned retirement savings from scammers.
Manisha’s “Own Your Finances, Own Your Life.” keynote address will focus on three core areas:
- MoneyZen: The art & craft of financial well-being
- Money Relations: Understanding your own relationship and emotions with money and how to talk about money with significant others in your life, such as spouses, children and parents
- InvestmentZen: Simplifying the complex to become clear, confident and calm about investing
We hope you can join us at the Bien VenU Event Center in Cedar Falls on August 19 from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. for the free brunch and conference. Capacity is limited and the RSVP deadline is Thursday. We’ll also be live streaming the conference from our Facebook page.
By: Sonya Sellmeyer, Iowa Insurance Division Consumer Advocacy Officer