OUR STORY

Founded in January 2021, Sara Potter-Gittelson launched First at Finances as a way to expand upon her work in Higher Education and provide an inclusive and trusted hub for financial wellness, empowerment, and education. We partner with schools, universities, nonprofits, foundations, and businesses to develop impactful financial literacy programs and content. Our services include customizable workshops, curriculum development, keynote speaking, and participation in retreats and special events. We also offer personalized support through group sessions and one-on-one financial coaching.

Sara has worked with a wide range of communities including colleges students, young professionals, couples, new parents, foster youth, first-generation students, financial caregivers, women navigating separation or divorce, and individuals from low-income, middle-class, and affluent backgrounds.

Through this venture, Sara has collaborated with organizations such as Seattle Colleges, Cal State Fullerton, Loyola Marymount University, Rio Hondo Community College, UCSF, United Friends of the Children, The Jewish Federation LA’s Brawerman Fellows, Twinspire, the Partnership Scholars Program, and more.

Sara also serves as the Inaugural Program Director of UCLA Financial Wellness, a role she began in 2015 when she was hired to create the university’s first financial literacy program. Under her leadership, the program has served over 100,000 students to date. She has also contributed as a content specialist for several of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators’ (NASPA) first national conferences on collegiate financial well-being, and brings strategic expertise in cultivating partnerships between financial institutions and universities.

Sara is a certified professional financial coach through The Center for Financial Social Work. She holds an M.Ed. with a focus in Student Affairs from UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, and earned her undergraduate degrees in Art History and Sociology with a minor in Black Studies from UC Santa Barbara.

As a proud first-generation college student and professional raised in Los Angeles, Sara believes that our social class stories and identities are crucial elements in understanding and teaching financial literacy. She is honored to witness the transformative impact of holistic financial education—helping individuals feel more confident, balanced, and equipped, whether they’re healing from financial trauma or grew up in financially stable households.