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Honoring veterans means more than saying thank you.
America has never had a shortage of ways to thank its veterans. It has holidays, ceremonies, standing ovations, and airport applause. What it hasn’t always had is a clear path from service to financial freedom.
That gap is what Siebert.Valor set out to fix.
Siebert Financial Corp. acquired Guild Financial, a fintech founded on Veterans Day 2021 by former Navy intelligence officer Sean Bonner and former Navy SEAL commander Kaj Larsen. The acquisition created the foundation for the military-focused platform.
A legacy built on breaking barriers
Shared values made the acquisition an easy match.
Siebert traces back to Muriel Siebert, who became the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange after nine sponsors refused her application.
It took two years before she finally earned her place in 1967. Opening the industry to people it had long overlooked became her life’s work, and the company has carried that forward ever since.
“Joining forces with Siebert reaffirms our commitment to the men and women who have served our country,” Larsen said in December 2024. “Under the Siebert.Valor initiative, we are not just maintaining our pledge to the military community but elevating it—ensuring that the tools, transparency, and knowledge for wealth-building are accessible to those who have dedicated their lives to protecting our freedom.”
The financial battle after service
The need is hard to ignore.
More than eight in 10 service members and veterans say their finances have caused them stress over the past year. They’re three times more likely than civilians to take out payday loans and more than 90 percent carry some form of debt.
For many military members, the toughest financial stretch begins after military service ends, when steady paychecks disappear and civilian financial decisions arrive all at once.
A new mission for financial readiness
Siebert.Valor was created to fix this.
Alongside its investing tools and financial education, the company has built a media arm that speaks directly to the military community. Through original videos, veteran storytelling, and Larsen’s Tactical Wealth podcast, it reaches more than 1.5 million monthly views and has a combined social following of more than 150,000.
Siebert.Valor has put serious muscle behind the mission. It kicked off with a run of events during Fleet Week in Miami, including financial literacy talks held on the flight deck of the USS Bataan.
Since then, retired General Laura Richardson, former Commander of U.S. Southern Command, has joined its advisory board, bringing close to four decades of military experience to the table.
“Through Siebert.Valor, we are set to redefine what it means to have equal access to the financial markets,” says John Gebbia Sr., the CEO of Siebert Financial. “It’s a fitting homage to Muriel Siebert’s legacy and a commitment to the future of inclusive finance.”
This post originally appeared at inc.com.
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