St. Mark’s Student Gets Head Start on Financial Career

Rishab Siddamshetty runs website, podcast, blog to educate others

After losing his house and other necessities during the tornado that tore through Preston Hollow neighborhoods in 2019, St. Mark’s School of Texas student Rishab Siddamshetty decided to start Finance4Scholars.

The website with a podcast, blog, and college advice is dedicated to the people that helped Siddamshetty, now a senior, during his toughest time.

“When the tornado in Dallas destroyed my house, there was very little for me and my family to salvage,” Siddamshetty said. “In addition, we experienced financial hardship. We lost a lot of our belongings, but the surrounding community and St. Mark’s families gave us shelter and provided us clothing. They did whatever they could to put a smile on our faces, so when we recuperated, I realized that I should pay it back and help the people who helped me.”

With 43% of the country being financially illiterate, Siddamshetty decided he could tackle that gap.

“In other countries, the financial literacy rate is a lot higher,” Siddamshetty said. “Israel, for instance, a country that has far less resources, had a financial literacy rate of 68%. So, when I created Finance4Scholars, I hoped that all the users would be able to effectively learn and utilize the content I put on the site.”

Siddamshetty contends that Finance4Scholars stands out its vast amount of information on one website.

“What makes Finance4Scholars different is that it’s more of a one-stop shop for anyone and everyone interested in finance,” he said.

Siddamshetty found inspiration for his venture from the Invest Like the Best podcast but wanted to offer more on his site. 

“I figured that if I wanted to make a difference, I should have multiple tools and multiple sources of content,” he said. “In the long run, I hope people will be able to manage their money, which in turn, will help our economy in any kind of way. So, by partnering with organizations and interviewing people in the financial world, my main goal is for viewers to have a basic understanding of finance.”

Siddamshetty aims to major in finance in college and hopes giving finance tips to people who don’t know much about finance will prove a big steppingstone for his financial career.

He also hopes to find a younger finance enthusiast at St. Mark’s with strong leadership skills to continue the website after Siddamshetty graduates.

“It’s my way of leaving a legacy and giving back to those who help me,” Siddamshetty said. “After receiving help from so many people, it feels really good to pay it forward and know that my work is making a difference in the lives around me.”