Community
Founder
MOMENTUM
A community for building financial independence and deciding what you want that independence to make possible.
Independence. Opportunity. Shared purpose.
I build better ways
to navigate money
and life.
I’m Harlan Landes. Reaching financial independence gave me the freedom to choose work for its potential to matter. Today, I use that freedom to bring talented people together, create opportunities for ambitious work, and help build things capable of producing lasting change.
See what I’m building01 / In motion
Building now.
Fintech
Co-founder
Orchid Money
A different approach to personal finance, connecting everyday money decisions with behavior, well-being, and the life you want.
In development
Nonprofit
Founder & Executive Director
Plutus Foundation
Supporting financial educators and the communities they serve through connection, recognition, and opportunity.
02 / The through line
Selected work.
A record of turning possibility into something real.
CCFounded 2003
Independent publishing
Consumerism Commentary
What began as a personal money journal grew into an independent financial publication and a new chapter in my life.
Founder · ExitedPASelected project
Recognition & community
Plutus Awards
Recognizing the voices and projects helping people understand money, and bringing a community of financial creators together.
CreatorPVSelected project
Events & connection
Plutus Voices
Bringing financial educators together for conversations, shared experiences, and connections that continue beyond the event.
Organizer
Recognition creates possibility
People do more ambitious work when a community sees their potential.
The Plutus Awards were created to give financial creators visibility, connection, and a reason to keep raising the standard of their work.
03 / The thinking behind the work
Ideas.
Why I’m building MOMENTUM
Financial independence becomes more useful when people have the clarity, confidence, and community to decide what it should make possible.
04 / Why the work matters
What people can
build together.
Craft beyond the work
Music, drum corps, and photography have shaped how I think about discipline, composition, emotional impact, and contributing to something larger than myself.
Meaningful work gives people the confidence and support to contribute, grow, and pursue something larger together.
Writing publicly about my finances became Consumerism Commentary. Its growth showed me how honest ideas can help people see new possibilities for themselves.
The Plutus Foundation reinforced that lesson: recognition, opportunity, and community give talented people confidence to attempt ambitious work. MOMENTUM and Orchid Money carry that belief forward, helping people gain control and make choices that reflect who they want to become.
Leadership means clarifying purpose, bringing the right people together, maintaining high standards, and making room for others to shape what comes next. The measure is what the community makes possible.