What is FREE? Financially Resilient, Empowered Early
By Maia Monell | 2 July 2020
Independence Day is just around the corner. As your friendly, neighborhood money mavens of course that makes us think of achieving “financial independence” and the freedom to pursue happiness.
What exactly do we do here? Nav.it is a personal finance and banking app building an inclusive narrative and community around money.
Nav.it helps you pay down debt, automate savings, track spending and learn how to more optimistically navigate your financial future.
Nav.it changes our behaviors around money by providing a community of like-minded individuals and personalized finance tools that build confidence and eliminate shame.
Our Mission?To change the narrative around money to be gender inclusive, positive and practical.
Our Vision? A more in-powered* and financially-literate society.
Our Motto: Pragmatism is freedom.
When we say we don’t cry over spilled milk, we mean we know it’s not all sunshine and roses. We live in a system that doesn’t inherently have our best interest in mind. We know we have to pay attention to our finances, to the system and to ourselves if we want to be truly independent thinkers and doers.
*We don’t look externally for validation. We look internally, we check our minds and we check our hearts to find what drives us
About Our App
Using the best techniques in behavioral science, behavioral economics, and AI-driven technology, Nav.it has created an app and integrated platform designed to help us learn about our finances, organize and manage our money, and find a community that talks about what wealth means to them.
Not only does Nav.it offer a tangible service—better budgeting, a savings account, and daily money health checks—but also an empathetic service and community hub that promotes conversation and practical tools.
Nav.it helps us realize a new narrative: we are capable, we are in control, and—with the help of a financial friend—we are confident in our money moves.
Why Nav.It?
Nav.it stands for “navigate it,”, and “it” stands for all the ups and downs, injustices, barriers and challenges of life. Nav.it represents power, accomplishment, and that confidence you feel when you have successfully navigated a challenging situation—a money management issue, a salary negotiation, a break up, a cross-continent move, or just a basic conflict about dishes with your roommate. When you plunge into a crisis, navigate the waters and emerge successful, you’ve nav.ed it.
What We Provide
(The Technical)
We offer a three-tier banking approach to financial health with personalized budgeting, savings, and debt-minimizing tools. We help you set up your finances to achieve your lifestyle dreams through a beautifully-designed interface that considers your individual goals and income for saving, spending and growing wealth. And we add in some fun community stuff to keep you entertained.
Together, we tackle:
- Managing Money (Boost your financial health with personalized reports, a dashboard for every account and goals to help you spend less, save more and learn to trust your money roadmap)
- Building a safety net (With a kick-ass savings account feature that takes the anxiety around bill paying and savings goals)
- Getting Rid of High-Interest Debt (One-on-one coaches who will join you in saying ‘Buh-bye’ to soul-crushing credit card or student debt)
To meet all these goals, we also offer financial checklists, short and long-term goal trackers, trusty calculators, peer benchmarks, and automated expense reporting.
The Personal Part of Personal Finance
- A growth mindset—because it’s not just about band-aids and quick fixes, it’s about empowering behavior and creating new healthy habits.
- Community channels, custom coaching opportunities, life events and access to powerhouse women and allies from all financial life stages.
- The experience of having a financial friend to keep you accountable but also join you in some #realtalk.
- An empathetic and in-powering community that promotes education and owning your intellect.
- A judgment-free zone that also helps you get your sh*t together (because being that friend gets old sometimes).
Aspirational Goals Enabled By Personal Finance
Pressure → passion. Let’s put those voices in our head on mute and take ownership of our financial health. Money is not only a means toward living the life we imagine and deserve, it’s a tool for giving back and it does what we tell it to do. Together let’s take ownership of our relationship with money.
Uncertainty → confidence. Information = power…and the ability to say yes to brunch, take the vacation or pay it forward. With our personalized tools, you can embrace every money move with confidence.
Loneliness → belonging. Did you know that people would rather talk about their sex lives than money? Sure, sex is great, but how about mad confidence when you swipe that card and a healthy finance picture? We’re here to talk about it. We’re your wing(wo)man on this crazy financial journey.
Scarcity → abundance. No one’s out to get you, or your money. A scarcity mindset incites fear, sadness, jealousy and insecurity…a.k.a. a toxic inner dialogue that needs to stop a.s.a.p. Together, we’ll discover the power of embracing abundance—a deep inner sense of personal worth, security, positivity with major long-term benefits.
Together, we can be prosperous on our own terms…Because “life goals” is more than just a hashtag.
What Nav.it Money is All About
Practical personal finance + banking solutions. Bumps in the road and bouncing back. Laughing at ourselves. A no-such-thing-as-stupid-questions mentality. Releasing your inner low-key nerd. Throwing shade at scare tactics and rejecting shame. Coming as you are. Believing you can figure it out Giving back.Seeking joy.
And the Things We’re Not
We are not your mom or your mentor. We are not registered accountants or financial advisors—although we’d be happy to connect you with some. We are not subscribers to stereotypes like “money management just isn’t for me” or “I’m not a numbers person.” We’re not going to shame you or tell you there is a one-size-fits-all approach to money or life.
Built by women to eliminate the fear of finances for all.
We were over the wealth gap.
We’ve been there. In fact, we’re there right now—we are young professionals who sometimes don’t know where to start when it comes to taking charge of our financial health. For many of us, the term “finances” incites fear and uncertainty.
We were over it. We built Nav.it to change the narrative around money and eliminate fear around finances.
CEO Erin Papworth launched Nav.it Money in 2019. Maia & Erin met for what was scheduled as a 30-minute coffee intro. Three hours, four coffees and two missed—or partially participating in—phone calls later, and a start of a business partnership was born. Together they launched the Nav.it app.
How we can help each other nav.igate life and finance.
There are so many people who feel left out of the traditional financial system. Yet, we know money gives us the freedom to do the things we want to do, to stay healthy and pursue the dreams we dream up at night. And we also know it takes much more than deep pockets to define our life, worth, and experiences.
A lot of the anxiety and pressure we feel around our money results from the misguided notion that if you’re not a Wall Street Guy, you’re not going to be as prepared to save, earn or invest. We like to think about earnings and expenses a little differently.
We are motivated to change the system. We see the gaps, we see the opportunities, and we are both driven to create something that is sustainable and meaningful in the world.
How we’ll create change together…
With Nav.it, we created a dialogue that tackles financial wellness in a holistic way and adapted to your reality. We teach you the principles and best practice money moves, but you have the chance to navigate the app to fit your beautiful life. Our robust A.I. analytics help you stay on track toward a prosperous future and give you the information you need at the right time.
From personal wealth to the wealth of community, it’s our generation’s turn to redefine what wealth—and living a life of abundance—truly means.
The journey to wealth is not one-size-fits-all. Neither is Nav.it. Take control of your finances and join our community.
The Humans Behind the Nav.it Money App
Erin Papworth
Founder & CEO
Erin Papworth spent 12 years working in women’s development work abroad steeped in economic theory and program implementation. During her time abroad she help change the narrative around health access for women, sex workers and other marginalized groups and rewrite national level policies that opened up access to these demographics. Upon return to the States in 2015, she set out to tackle the lack of financial confidence and literacy amongst U.S. women after only achieving financial access in the 1970s. With a background in behavioral science and economic development theory, Erin brings both content expertise and C-suite management experience to Nav.it.
Lightning Round
Alternative Title: Chief Enthusiast Officer: Go team Nav.it!!
Mountains or Ocean: Can I please please have both?
Bob Marley or Beyonce: Beyoncé a la Lemonade all the way
Deserted Island Book Choice: The Secret Histories of the World by Mark Booth
Binge-Session Go-To: West Wing all day, its seems outdated now but the dialogue and CJ inspired a generation:)
Life Goal: Live meaningfully, joyfully and with abundance
Guilty Pleasure: A really good espresso with a piece of good dark chocolate
Personal tagline/ frequently heard saying: “In what world do we think xx is normal?”
Maia Monell
Co-Founder & CMO
Co-founder and CMO Maia Monell has experience in growth marketing and brand strategy for developing software firms as well as in global women’s development. Prior to Nav.it, Maia worked with sports technology brand BridgeAthletic and holds an M.S. in Marketing Strategy & Innovation from Cass Business School. Maia’s background in developing programs for professional female athlete campaigns and Brand Ambassadors gives her the unique skills set necessary to develop Nav.it’s authentic voice and brand promise. At Nav.it, she’s dedicated to building a new kind of relationship with consumers; one centered on friendship and trust, making Nav.it the most relatable and versatile money management app. You’ll most likely find her talking with Navigators or doing weird things with attribution tables and KPIs.
Lightning Round
Alternative Title: Chief Wellness Officer
Mountains or Ocean: Hawaii — mountains + ocean, I like to compromise
Bob Marley or Beyonce: Bey. Obviously.
Deserted Island Book Choice: How to Survive on a Deserted Island. Once I’ve learned the ropes, I’ll write my own book.
Binge-Session Go-To: New Girl — you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll learn the beauty of New Masculinity.
Life Goal: Have enough $$ to not think about needing more $$
Guilty Pleasure: New TV adaptations of old comics and novels. Preferably: Netflix’s Sabrina the Teenage Witch, the CW’s Riverdale or Nancy Drew. I’m a sucker for childhood nostalgia. Personal tagline: “What Would Apple Do?”
Join Us
Traditionally, Nav.it is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play as a free app with the option to upgrade to Premium ($6.99/month). Check out a comprehensive features list here, experience the app here, and start Nav.ing your life and finances by downloading the app from the App Store or Google Play.
