Diana Isern
Educator, Author, Presenter & Financial Empowerment Advocate
Welcome! I'm Diana Isern, author of Money Talks: An Educator's Guide to Teaching Financial Empowerment out now from Beacon Press. I’m an Accredited Financial Counselor® and NYC school leader with 20 years in education and over a decade of experience transforming how we teach financial empowerment. I love this work because young people deserve financial education that builds on their strengths, honors their diverse experiences, and empowers them to build wealth in ways that matter to them.
And I believe educators deserve that same support: practical tools, community, and encouragement to confidently teach financial literacy, even while learning alongside their students and families. That's what this work is for. Pa'lante.
Early Praise for Money Talks
Let’s empower together.
I create relevant and engaging curriculum rooted in the RICH Framework (Representation, Inquiry, Connection, Holistic thinking) from Money Talks. My materials emphasize wealth building through an asset-based teaching that honors the wealth our students already bring and amplifies diverse voices in financial spaces.
In Money Talks, I share what I've learned teaching financial literacy to thousands of NYC students—from examining our own money stories as educators to building values-based budgets with young people. You'll find the RICH Framework, classroom-tested strategies, and tools to help learners move from 'I'm bad with money' to 'we’re learning about money.'
I bring an interactive, educator-to-educator approach to every session because I believe in honoring the professionalism and lived experiences of everyone in the room. You'll leave with practical tools you can use immediately and the confidence to learn alongside your students.