About Alexa von Tobel

Alexa Von Tobel is the founder and CEO of LearnVest.com, an independent personal finance website for women.

Von Tobel came up with the idea for LearnVest in 2006 while a student at Harvard Business School when she realized and other women like her had never had any formal education about how to manage their personal finances.

Originally from Florida, Von Tobel received an A.B. in Psychology at Harvard College. After graduation, she worked as a trader at Morgan Stanley before leaving to be the Head of Business Development at Drop.io. She enrolled in Harvard Business School Fall of 2008 but took a leave of absence to launch LearnVest.

Von Tobel has been included in lists like Business Insider’s 2010 "Silicon Alley 100," Inc. Magazine’s "30 under 30: The Top Young Entrepreneurs of 2010," “Women to Watch” by Forbes, “18 Women Changing the World” in Marie Claire, and BusinessWeek’s annual list of “Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs.”

LearnVest offers online budgeting calculators, video chats with certified financial planners on the company’s staff, and free e-mail tutorials on topics such as opening an IRA.

Von Tobel likens LearnVest to an online version of "The Suze Orman Show", but with the goal of reinforcing positive finance habits early on. “Suze Orman helps 45-year-old women get out of debt,” she says. “Why not reach 20-year-olds to keep them from getting into debt?”

Alexa von Tobel feels passionately about making personal finance education fun and accessible to everyone. In addition to LearnVest, Alexa is the co-founder of L.W.A.L.A., a 501c3 focused on fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa.

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