Young Alumni Financial Literacy

The Young Alumni Finance Committee Presents
Financial Literacy: Owning Your Future

March 19th | 6pm
Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side,
180 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY
Register: yu.edu/OwningYourFuture

Investing for the Long Term: What Kind of Investor are You?

Justin Hod, Co-Founder & Investment Advisor, Revel Wealth Management

Justin Hod ‘19YC is a wealth management professional and co-founder of Revel Wealth Management, which focuses on risk management, long-term investing, and identifying the trends shaping the future. He helps clients clearly understand what they are investing in and why, building lasting confidence across market cycles.

Penina Moisa, Financial Regulation and Litigation Attorney

Penina Moisa '14SB is an attorney whose practice has focused on investment fraud and financial regulation. She has worked on matters involving Ponzi schemes, hedge fund disputes, and crypto-related misconduct. Through her work in both private practice and government enforcement, she has seen firsthand how people can end up in risky or misleading investments and enjoys helping people approach investing more thoughtfully. Penina is also a dedicated yogi and the mom of two young children.

How Not to Go Broke

Shoshanah Ghanooni Consultant, FactSet

Shoshanah Ghanooni ‘23SB works as a consultant for FactSet, a financial data S&P company with over 40 years of sustainable growth powered by the entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up. This builds on her academic focus of Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Finance. In her free time, Shoshanah enjoys exploring New York City.

Stacey Zrihen, Certified Financial Planner, Senior Director of Coaching, Living Smarter Jewish

Stacey Zrihen is a Certified Financial Planner and the Head Coach at the OU’s Living Smarter Jewish (LSJ) and Achiezer’s Westwood Financial Management Program. She has led LSJ’s coaching initiatives, developed financial education content for both teens and adults, provided free financial coaching to thousands of clients, and spoken widely across the U.S., Canada, and Israel on personal finance within the Orthodox Jewish community. Stacey is the proud mother of three YU students.

Managing Debt: What to Do with Your Next Dollar?

Eli Saperstein, Accounting Associate, Deloitte

Eli Saperstein ‘23SB works as an Auditor at Deloitte. Eli is passionate about helping people stress less about money, and is committed to spending available free time helping others take control of their finances. Eli holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in accounting from Sy Syms.

Josh Saltzman, Partner, Audit Services, Grant Thornton and Principal, Grant Thornton Advisors 

Josh Saltzman ’07SB is an audit partner at Grant Thornton with 18 years of public accounting experience dedicated to serving private and public companies in numerous industries. His clients range from start-ups to mature international complex organizations.

He is responsible for managing all aspects of client engagements from planning and risk assessments, determining the nature, timing and extent of testing, and through report issuance. His public audit experience includes initial public offerings, registration statements, and auditing internal controls over financial reporting. He helps companies prioritize and elevate their financial reporting, enabling heightened levels of transparency and confidence with stakeholders.

Using Credit Cards the Right Way

Ken Book, Founder, Pointwise

Ken Book is the founder of Pointwise, a company that builds tools to help people with personal finance. Ken is originally from Fairfax, VA, and went to YU from 2019 to 2022. Ken  loves sharing how to use credit cards the right way to travel for free, as well as other practical tips to help you build wealth faster

Eliezer Gross, Partner, Wiss & Company

Eliezer ’06SB is a Partner at Wiss & Company LLP specializing in real estate taxation. He spends most of his time advising clients on how to effectively run their business in the present with an eye on the future. Eliezer takes the time to understand the business and personal objectives of each client in order to provide appropriate guidance. Eliezer works with a variety of clients spanning the real estate industry: family-owned businesses, fund sponsors, and RIETs. Eliezer also assists clients with their state, local, or international tax needs. Internally, Eliezer is involved with the firm’s campus recruiting efforts, proudly returning to Yeshiva University for their career fairs. Before joining Wiss, Eliezer worked at EY and started his career at FTI Consulting.

Eliezer is a licensed CPA in NY and NJ and a member of the AICPA and NAREIT. He lives in Bergenfield, NJ with his wife and 3 children.
 

Separating Feelings from Financial Reality

Travis Melamed, LMSW, Psychotherapist, Athena Psych

Travis ’23YC earned his MSW from the Wurzweiler School of Social Work in 2024 He currently works as a psychotherapist in New York City. In his clinical work, Travis has seen firsthand how financial stress fuels anxiety and emotional overwhelm. He believes financial literacy is not just about money management, but a powerful tool for reducing anxiety, increasing stability, and improving overall mental well-being. Travis is originally from Jacksonville, FL.

YU Counseling Center

Planning for Retirement in Your 20s?

Debbie Soufian, Senior Analyst, Global Credit, The Carlyle Group

Debbie Soufian ’21SB works as a Senior Analyst at the Carlyle Group in fund management within the private credit industry. She is a licensed CPA who majored in accounting, and worked as an auditor at PwC until 2025. Debbie currently lives in New Jersey.

Sheila Soufian, Financial Consultant, Equitable Advisors

Sheila Soufian is a financial planning and retirement specialist. She graduated from Boston University with a degree in Business. She enjoys her client service-oriented role and being able to help multi-generational clients reach their financial goals and plan for their future. She is the proud mother of a YU alumnus.