JeFreda R. Brown DBA, CFEI Expertise: Investing, Corporate Finance, Financial Planning, Wealth Management, Personal Finance, Technical Analysis, Accounting, Tax Planning, Retirement Planning, Crypto Assets, Blockchain Title: CEO and Founder of Xaris Financial Enterprises Education: Walden University (Doctor of Business Administration with a specialization in Finance), Mississippi College (MBA with a Finance concentration), Mississippi State University (BS, Math); Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI) Location: Birmingham, AL Highlights Member of The Balance's Financial Review BoardFinance and business professorEntrepreneur for over a decadeHighly sought after speaker and media personality Experience Dr. JeFreda R. Brown is a financial consultant, entrepreneur, educator, and researcher with more than 20 years of financial and business experience. As Founder and CEO of Xaris Financial Enterprises, it is her passion and life goal to help others develop and maintain financial wellness. JeFreda educates her clients about various aspects of finance, including investing and trading, and she also provides them with guidance in developing their investing plans. She provides her clients with a detailed synopsis of various brokers and traders to help them in their investing decisions. Additionally, JeFreda has been invited by various organizations as a speaker and trainer for various events to teach different financial topics, including investing. As a professor for almost a decade, JeFreda has taught and facilitated undergraduate and graduate-level personal finance, corporate finance, financial accounting, managerial accounting, and financial planning at Cornell University, University of Alabama Birmingham, Oregon State University, and Indiana Wesleyan University. JeFreda has also developed curriculum, courses, and training workshops. As a Finance Subject Matter Expert, JeFreda has worked with colleges such as Western Governors University and Colorado State University Global to revise and create new investing courses, including enhancing revised courses with cryptocurrency/digital assets curriculum. A highly respected expert in personal and business finance, she has appeared on national, international, and local television and financial podcasts, radio shows, and various other traditional and digital media outlets. As one of the few Black female financial professionals in the nation with a doctorate in Finance, she is a role model for women, young girls, and minorities everywhere. "It is our responsibility to ensure that our future generations have a strong financial foundation to establish good financial health and wellness and to create and build wealth. We do this through financial education and planning." Education JeFreda earned a Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) with a finance concentration from Walden University. She also has an MBA with concentrations in Finance and Accounting from Mississippi College. JeFreda earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Math from Mississippi State University. She is also a Certified Financial Education Instructor (CFEI). About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.