Zach Teutsch

I founded Values Added Financial. We help progressives build financial lives they feel good about. By making smart financial decisions based on their values, clients can attain financial security, live lives of meaning, and make the world better. As a managing partner, I advise clients, lead a team of advisors, and participate in firm leadership and management. My perspectives have appeared in the New York Times, Vox, Forbes, Recode, GQ, Investment News, Barron's, the Washington Post, the Billfold, and Architectural Digest. To learn more about our work visit: http://valuesadded.com/ To connect and see if we are a fit, schedule an introductory call here: https://calendly.com/zteutsch/get-acquainted

I was a member of the CFPB's Office of Financial Empowerment where I helped measure, support, and optimize existing projects. I also worked on our Office's strategic planning, budget planning, coordination with the Office of Consumer Response, and responses to time-sensitive developments that have implications for low-income and economically vulnerable people. In the Office of Financial Empowerment we focus on improving the financial lives of low-income and economically vulnerable consumers by providing financial capability tools and resources, engaging in strategic collaborations with public and private programs that serve these consumers, and identifying and enhancing access to products and services that are effective in helping them meet their goals We work to empower low-income and economically vulnerable consumers to make informed financial decisions by providing them with tools and information and by promoting a more inclusive and fair financial marketplace. We work closely with social service providers, financial educators, and community-based organizations, to reach low- to moderate-income consumers where they are and get them information when they need it most. You can learn more about our work here: http://www.consumerfinance.gov/empowerment/

As a member of the CFPB's Office of Consumer Response, I investigated consumer complaints and rigorously analyzes cases to determine regulatory compliance/non-compliance. I identified patterns of unfair, abusive, deceptive, or otherwise problematic practices so that the Bureau could take action to resolve them. I focused on credit reporting, debt collection activities, mortgage products, especially delinquent debt servicing, errors in the credit reporting of mortgages, debt collection, misapplied payments, deed-in-lieu transactions, and loss mitigation more broadly. In cases where violations occurred, I directly recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars for consumers, contributed to millions of dollars worth of relief for consumers, and contributed to work that made markets more efficient and fairer in many ways and led to sanctions for problematic behavior. I most frequently worked with ECOA, UDAAP/DFA, TILA, RESPA, FCRA, and FDCPA. and other relevant regulations. I also:  Determined whether complex oral and written inquiries received from consumers and/or other agencies have a significant policy or legal implications, and if they did, initiated broader review with internal stakeholders.  Synthesized and documented complex fact patterns into understandable summaries for use in wide-ranging organizational oversight activities.  Performed independent research of existing consumer financial protection regulations to determine their correct application in ambiguous or complex consumer complaint scenarios.  Identified trends and patterns for use by supervision and enforcement.

I worked with the CFPB's advisory boards and councils to facilitate meaningful engagement between our members and CFPB subject matter experts. I partnered with committee chairs to set the agendas for the boards and council's committee work. As a member of the CFPB External Affairs team, I support the policy work of the CFPB's Advisory Boards and Councils, including: Consumer Advisory Board (CAB), Credit Union Advisory Council (CUAC), Community Bank Advisory Council (CBAC), and the Academic Research Council. I worked on policy matters including TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure, Know Before You Owe, HMDA Reporting, Student Lending, Mortgage Servicing, Small Dollar Lending, and many other issues in Consumer Lending, Mortgages, and Cards, Payments and Deposit Markets.

I worked with clients to help them understand how to increase their financial security and prosperity. In my private client coaching practice, I worked with people in a wide variety of circumstances but most commonly those between 25 and 50 with a net worth of up to approximately $2M (including people with negative net worth). I worked primarily with those who want to include their personal values in the process as they make financial decisions.

I built a financial literacy program for the American labor movement from its inception to reaching half a million union members in three years. To do it, I developed partnerships, led projects, managed web initiatives, wrote/edited print resources, developed curricula, managed volunteers, managed contractors, managed staff, and taught. • Created the AFL-CIO's response to the foreclosure crisis, including explaining HAMP processes to members, vetting institutional partners, and writing a script for the Federation's Executive Vice President. Conducted • Founded the joint National Labor College and AFL-CIO Investor Education Project. • Edited Introduction to Successful Investing handbook (2011). Distributed more than 25,000 copies to program participants. • Developed easily understandable, plain-English explanations for complicated financial and economic concepts. • Led workshops for thousands of union members. Mastered popular education techniques. • Trained trainers from dozens of unions to lead workshops in their home labor communities. • Managed comprehensive website design, content creation, and promotion process including online advertising, affiliate partnership communications, print advertising, and e-mail outreach to 350,000. • Managed simultaneous and complex work streams, including in-person instruction, materials development, materials distribution, online promotion, and many other aspects of the project, always balancing deadlines, lead times, and impact. • Developed and oversaw budget. Conducted ongoing reviews based on evolving needs and project performance. • Selected and directed outside consultants, administrative staff, and program staff (eight total staff and contractors). • Developed partnerships with AFL-CIO Community Services, United Way Worldwide, FINRA and AFGE that have already resulted in educating nearly 200,000 members facing unemployment. The materials include topics such as job-search fraud, 401(k) issues, UI, and COBRA.

I developed financial literacy programs for the Nation's only college dedicated to union-members and their families. I work with unions to help them financially empower their members by providing educational opportunities. I also manage our web projects, write/edit print resources, develop curricula and teach.

I have coordinated AFSCME's Investor Education program since its launch in 2007. The program teaches our members the fundamentals of financial literacy and investment so that they can insure their secure retirement and further empower themselves.

*corporate governance analysis *financial transaction analysis *corporate analysis

*corporate governance analysis *financial transaction analysis *corporate analysis

I worked at America Votes in PA during the 2006 elections. I worked under Paul Meade to develop and tighten our logistical and technological plans. I directed much of the turf cutting for the four eastern Congressional Districts and oversaw the process of printing and distributing over 100,000 turf packets statewide in the last two weeks. Anna Brelje, Paul Meade, and I bottom-lined the packet production to insure all volunteers had turf to walk.

I worked for economics professors Dennis Michaud and Paul MacAvoy to support their article writing and research. I analyzed current work in their fields of interests preparing executive memos detailing important developments and summarizing current research in need of more careful review. My area of concentration was how composition impacts the effectiveness of the board of directors of publicly traded companies. I also worked on social psychological variables impacting corporate governance and executive behavior.

Gilbane Research Fellow, Brown Corporate Governance Research Initiative. Senior Student Representative, Brown's Pres. Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investing. Executive Committee Member, The Brown Hillel Foundation. Teaching Assistant/Section Leader, Engineering 9: Management of Industrial and Non-Profit Organizations. Odyssey Fellow, partnering to design Sociology 221 a course on Graduate level research methodology. guest lecturer, Economics 134 the Economics of Governance and Management of the Large Corporation. Levi Adams Citation for Excellence in the Leadership of a Spiritual Community

I studied at Penn through their Young Scholars program while I was in High School.