Smart Money
Changes Everything
Empowering Hope and a Future
Through Financial Education
Meet Our Team
Donna Cirillo, MBA, APFI, CFEI, CFLP
Founder and Financial Educator
Turning financial knowledge into financial confidence.
Donna Cirillo founded Smart Money Changes Everything with a simple belief: financial education should empower people, not overwhelm them.
After spending 14 years in financial services, including roles as Second Vice President, Bank Officer, and Manager within Investor Services and Operations at U.S. Trust and J.P. Morgan Chase, Donna saw firsthand that financial challenges aren't always caused by a lack of information. Even highly successful people can lack the understanding and confidence needed to make informed financial decisions.
That experience shaped the way she approaches financial education today.
Rather than measuring success by how much information is covered, Donna focuses on creating learning experiences that help participants understand financial concepts, connect them to real-life decisions, build confidence, and take meaningful action.
Her programs incorporate clear language, stories, real-world case studies, discussion, activities, and practical next steps to make financial education relevant to the people in the room.
Donna works with organizations to deliver and design financial education for schools, libraries, workplaces, financial institutions, nonprofits, and community organizations.
Experience & Credentials
14 years of financial services experience
U.S. Trust and J.P. Morgan Chase
MBA & B.S. in Finance
St. John's University
Accredited Personal Finance Instructor (APFI)
Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI)
Certified Financial Literacy Professional (CFLP)
National Financial Educators Council
100+ Professional Development Credits
Finance and Economic Education through Next Gen Personal Finance and the Council for Economic Education
Advisory Board Member
New York Financial Educators Council
Board Trustee
Private Parochial Academy
Donna's Approach to Financial Education
Less information overload.
Prioritize what participants actually need.
More relevance.
Connect concepts to real-life financial decisions.
More engagement.
Use stories, case studies, questions, and activities.
More confidence.
Help participants feel capable of using what they've learned.
More action.
Make sure participants know what they can do next.
Michael Cirillo, MBA
Analytics and Impact Measurement
Turning program data into evidence of impact.
Michael supports Smart Money Changes Everything's commitment to ensuring that financial education is not only engaging, but measurable.
His work focuses on analyzing program data and participant feedback to help evaluate outcomes beyond attendance and financial knowledge, including changes in confidence, sentiment, intended actions, and behavior.
Michael also supports market research, data visualization, digital strategy, and business analytics, helping transform program results into clear insights and case studies that organizations can use to understand the impact of their financial education initiatives.
He holds an MBA in Marketing Analytics and a B.S. in Business Analytics from St. John's University and brings additional experience across marketing research, consulting, business analytics, and sports analytics.
Areas of Focus
Program Analytics & Measurement
Evaluating participant and program outcomes.
Data Visualization
Turning results into clear, understandable insights.
Case Study Development
Helping demonstrate measurable program impact.
Market & Business Research
Using research and analytics to support program and business strategy.
