- May 9, 2025
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Kim Githler is reinventing her company — again.
Githler founded MoneyShow, which she describes as a content company focused on in-depth education for financial services, in 1981.
When she started out, the focus was on events. Today, the company still holds shows in major cities featuring financial experts for crowds of thousands. Githler also holds virtual events and uses social media, newsletters and her website to educate people about markets and investing.
“What we do at our show [is] reveal interesting tidbits,” says Githler of her Sarasota company. “It’s really about the people you can educate and raise the bar for. I bring them the best education possible. Knowledge is power.”
The 67-year-old entrepreneur has been in what she calls “the game” for more than 40 years, adapting through shifts like the dot-com bubble and the pandemic.
"I’m restructuring my business at this very moment because of AI and the way communities communicate,” Githler says, of yet another shift.
She founded MoneyShow when she was 22, after Terry McGraw, now retired CEO of the McGraw-Hill Companies, told her he was looking “very carefully” at investor education as a vertical. At the time, she was hosting an event for CEOs at a hotel in Coconut Grove, where she was the director of sales.
She believed in the idea so much she took $11,000 from selling her car and put it toward MoneyShow. Githler did not go to college, though she did earn her GED.
“I very much loved the event business, and basically started [it] with a think tank-type environment,” Githler says.
At one event, she met prominent financial journalist Louis Rukeyser, who she says opened doors for her and was “my greatest teacher.”
MoneyShow began with paid speakers drawing hundreds of attendees to its financial education seminars in the early ‘80s then grew to thousands with the introduction of free events in 1987. Today the company offers both free and paid events. About 50 to 60% of the people at its shows are repeat attendees, Githler says.
While she declines to disclose revenue, Githler says: “Margins are better because of the technologies of today.” She has a staff of some 20 employees, including remote workers.
In addition to educating people about finance, MoneyShow itself is an investor. “I love development,” says Githler, whose company invests in real estate, including One Park Sarasota, a luxury 18-story condominium building under construction in the Quay near the Sarasota Bay.
The best personal advice Githler has ever received came from legendary mutual fund investor John Templeton. “‘Never really retire,’” he told her. “Always make sure you've got something that keeps you fresh, keeps you motivated and keeps you in the game, because your mind is as important as your body.’”
Says Githler: “Now I train myself to do two or three things at a time.”
The best business advice she got was from Jack Vogel, CIO and CFO of Alpha Architect, a Pennsylvania-based asset management and consulting firm focused on investor education.
“‘It's all about distribution,’” Vogel told her. “You can create anything in the world, but if you don't distribute it, it doesn't mean anything.’”
“Experience is everything — and learning from mentors. That's how I did what I did. I found mentors, I listened to them, and they helped me get to where I am. They are still helping me to this day," Githler says.
“I can't advocate enough about acquiring knowledge through experts and through people that have had experience — and through books,” Githler says. “It is a very important part of my life.”
Adds Githler: “You have to understand history in order to make decisions.”
The hardest part of being an entrepreneur is needing to constantly evolve, according to Githler.
“It's how fast the world is changing,” says Githler, who estimates she used to have to reinvent her business every 10 years, then every five years and now the cycle is getting even shorter.
At one point, for example, the focus was on newsletters. In 2005, she added webcasts. In 2020, when the pandemic hit, she pivoted to virtual events.
Today she reaches her fans through a variety of channels. On YouTube, MoneyShow has more than 149,000 subscribers, and on X, her company has over 20,000 followers.
And then there's the Next Big Thing. “I've got to watch AI,” Githler says, “because it is basically an accumulation of knowledge that could or could not be right.”
She plans to use AI “as a tool,” for things like setting up sales calls. “But I don’t trust it 100%.”
The best part of being an entrepreneur is simple. Says Githler: “There is no limit.”
