This story was submitted by James Biglan, a Glenside/Cheltenham Township resident who is currently studying communications at the University of Pittsburgh

At first glance, 2023 Cheltenham graduate Joshua Grady seems like a typical college student. He enjoys hanging out with friends, taking trips to the beach, and playing soccer. Over the past six months, he’s also been building an app with the potential to revolutionize how people learn about their finances. 

The idea was simple enough: Grady noticed that his peers—although seemingly successful in most areas of their lives—were dangerously uninformed when it came to their financial futures.

“A lot of people around me were treating things like investing, budgeting, saving, and credit as more of a novelty, and not something included in their everyday plan,” he said.

Thus, the inspiration for his app, CentIQ, was born. 

While the idea was a no-brainer, building a functional app capable of reaching people initially seemed like a daunting task. Josh had little to no coding experience, aside from a high school class that, by his own admission, he didn’t pay much attention to. So he began teaching himself through free online resources. After weeks of trial and error, Josh discovered open-source language learning software—a key find in turning his idea into a working program. 

According to Josh, what makes CentIQ stand out is its “gamified” learning model.

“It’s not a boring, lecture-based app. Information is presented in bite-sized, game-like mini-lessons. I like to think of it as a replacement for scrolling on social media, with lessons formatted like an Instagram or Facebook story,” said Grady. 

While it’s true that quality financial information is widely available online, Josh understood that for Gen Z and others, sifting through dense paragraphs filled with financial jargon isn’t realistic. He realized that presenting financial information in a palatable, engaging way would be key. 

Another standout feature of the app is CentAI, a financial coach–style chatbot capable of answering money-related questions.

“It’s obviously not going to give you specific financial advice, like what stocks to buy, but it will be able to guide you along the way, break down complex topics, and provide answers,” Grady explained. 

Despite the frequent trials and errors of building an app from scratch, Grady said the support he’s received along the way has kept him focused.

“I’ve spoken to people in my network—financial advisors, teachers, and other professionals. I’d tell them what I was building, and they’d say, ‘Oh wow, people actually need this.’ It’s hearing stuff like that that has kept me motivated,” he said. 

Josh is excited for the culmination of his hard work to be available to the public. He told Glenside Local that we can expect to see CentIQ on the App Store this fall. To sign up for the app’s waiting list, click here. 

For more of Mr. Biglan’s contributions to Glenside Local, you can click here.

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Photos: James Biglan