AJ Ayers
CFP®, EA, CEP

Co-Founder

Currently living in: Brooklyn, NY
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Ally Jane (AJ) is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Enrolled Agent, and Certified Equity Professional who co-founded BKFi with a unique background in publishing and communications. This rare combination of technical expertise and storytelling ability has established her as a thought leader in the financial planning industry.

She has unparalleled knowledge of equity compensation and how decisions impact the lives and tax returns of employees and founders. Her expertise is regularly featured in national outlets including The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. AJ is passionate about financial independence and redefining retirement.

In 2021, she launched BKFi Academy, the firm's employer education platform, which helps companies better support their teams through financial wellness and equity compensation training. As the co-host of The Liquidity Event podcast with Shane, AJ infuses her years of experience and anecdotal humor into weekly conversations about finance, tech, and modern life.

Get to know AJ:

When I'm not at Brooklyn Fi, you can find me cooking something delicious or exploring a new city—my favorite cities are Kyoto and London. I write Money Changes Everything, a Substack newsletter where I help people feel more comfortable with their money and financial planning. I'm currently working on a book about money, creativity, and relationships.

As a frequent speaker at industry events, I enjoy sharing insights on building a modern advisory firm and navigating the complexities of equity compensation. I am learning to golf and plan on turning pro by 65.

My Financial Advice Pieces:

Stretching Your Dollar: Simple Ways to Boost Your Credit Score, Cheddar.
NY Mag: “How Many New Yorkers Are Secretly Subsidized By Their Parents?”
It’s a video but this is a banger: The Money Behind 'The Sopranos' Family: Financial Expert Breaks It Down
The Creative Independent: Financial Planning for Creative People
New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/10/your-money/layoffs-finance-money-tips.html

On Substack:

Creative Money: New Financial Rules for Artists, Innovators, and Misfits

An essential guide to managing your money for artists, freelancers, tech workers, influencers, and innovators, from an irreverent financial advisor

There’s a good reason why so many people feel like the financial system doesn’t serve them: it wasn’t made for them. The system was built for a narrow version of adulthood with one high earner, one caretaker, maybe a couple of kids. For everyone else? They’re out of luck.

Too often, personal finance leaves the growing ranks of people who don’t fit this paradigm – the happily single, the freelance artist, the equity-compensated – feeling like money’s a language they don’t understand. Creative Money is not just their translation guide, but an entirely new approach to personal finance that’s anchored in how people actually live and work now. Through frank advice and actionable habits, this book teaches readers how to: