The Finance Compass is a youth-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to filling the critical gap in financial literacy, a vital skill that is often overlooked in school curriculum. It empowers youth to navigate the complexities of personal finance through impactful programs, advocacy, and community-driven education. Equipping them with crucial knowledge and skills, The Finance Compass enables young individuals to achieve financial independence and success, offering a powerful free platform to establish a solid financial foundation.
Neil Sekri founded The Finance Compass as a high schooler
Neil Sekhri, currently a high-school junior at Neuqua Valley, began teaching financial literacy workshops in February 2024. In June 2024, he formally founded The Finance Compass to scale these efforts after identifying a widespread lack of financial preparedness among young people entering adulthood. What started as a personal mission has since grown into a global movement. Joined by 20 like-minded high school students, Neil and his team drive the organization’s success.
Financial literacy at home and around the globe
The Finance Compass targets students across all demographics globally, with 52.5% of youth reached coming from low-income families or underresourced areas. It has taught over 2,450 youth from ages 3-25 in the United States, India, China, Canada, and Mauritius. Its national and international outreach continues to expand, with plans to partner with a greater array of organizations in 2026 to further its mission and reach an even wider audience.
The organization is dedicated to providing top-notch business and finance events for youth to foster leadership, professional, and financial skills. With a strong belief in leveraging the community to drive growth and change, The Finance Compass collaborates with schools, youth, and financial empowerment organizations to offer free financial literacy workshops, programs, and one-to-one mentoring catered to students of all ages. Last summer, The Finance Compass launched “Money Moves,” a unique program combining financial literacy and dance. In December, The Finance Compass partnered with the Aurora Financial Empowerment Center and East Aurora School District 131 to teach hundreds of freshmen students in their classrooms.
All programs incorporate games and activities for engaging learning. Rather than traditional classroom lectures, lessons are structured to help students apply financial concepts to practical scenarios, covering essential topics such as money management, budgeting, personal finance, investing, and financial math. The Finance Compass looks forward to expanding its programming, deepening community partnerships, and empowering more young people with the skills needed for lifelong financial success.
Spotlight Guest: Neil Sekhri, Founder & CEO
