About Us
Principal Coaches
Rhonda Sherwin, MBA, AFC®
Financial Coach, specializing in services to US Veterans.
Rhonda has extensive experience as a business leader in retirement plan services, trust and estate administration, and investment operations. Rhonda is a graduate of NYU, with a BS and MBA from the Stern School of Business, is an Accredited Financial Counselor (AFC) and a member of the Association for Financial Planning and Education (AFCPE) .
Rhonda began her financial career as a banking officer with a large Japanese bank based in NYC, continuing on to senior positions with Merrill Lynch, Guardian Life Insurance and Franklin Templeton.
While building her professional career, Rhonda was a volunteer for several organizations that offered free personal finance education to NYC public school students, taught English as a second language to adults in community centers and provided financial education to clients of social service organizations.
Continuing her commitment to “pay it forward”, Rhonda took a new turn in her life and became a full time Veterans Financial Coach, representing NYC through a federal program funded by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Through that program, she developed and still maintains strong partnerships with providers servicing veterans and their families.
Rhonda is a Financial Liaison at Services for the Underserved under a new program to increase housing stability for veterans receiving federal assistance, and is also a Financial Coach for student veterans at several CUNY campuses under a grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation.
She is dedicated to passing on her knowledge gained through academic, work and life experiences so all of her clients can build confidence to make informed financial decisions.
In her free time, Rhonda is an avid pro sports enthusiast, original member of the NYC chapter of the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition, and dedicated patron of NYC theater.
Carol O’Rourke, MBA, CFP®
As the Executive Director of the Coalition for Debtor Education, she helped thousands of low and middle income consumers to better manage their personal finances. The programs at the Coalition focused on practical topics ranging from student loans and credit repair to smart shopping and basic investing.
She has always been passionate about financial education. Prior to her ten years at the non-profit, Carol was an Investment Information Specialist at Merrill Lynch where she won a Silver Anvil award for a campaign that introduced women to investing through a nation-wide seminar program. As Sr. VP at Smith Barney, she focused on programs to help individual investors understand and stay informed about investing choices. She taught classes for novice investors at The New School and has written financial information columns for women’s newspapers and for the NYCHA Journal.
A graduate of Emmanuel College in Boston, she also holds an MA from Boston College, and an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business. Carol is a Certified Financial Planner®. She volunteers in the RSVP program at Community Service Society and teaches classes on a pro bono basis at Career Gear and at Non-traditional Employment for Women.
Carol grew up in Providence, RI, where she taught at Classical High School before moving to New York. She’s a member of the Financial Planning Association and SHRM, and serves on the Board of Encore Community Services, a non-profit in the Times Square, that feeds and houses the elderly.
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