Dahna M. Chandler, MPS

Career development is a process and is comprised of multiple steps. But there are two tactics that can be deal-breakers; if not done well, they could undermine the success of other efforts. They include nurturing your professional network and learning constantly.
Below are specific actions you can add to your career development plan related to those two tactics. Whether you’re angling for your first job or the corner office, these two tactics will help you thrive in your career..

Organizational skills and career planning go hand-in-hand. Together they help you achieve the outcomes you want in your career. Being organized also gives you a sense of control and accomplishment, which can enhance your emotional well-being. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your career plan, it could be that you’re just suffering from disorganization. Use the methods here to help you monitor, track, document and revise your career development plan.

If you’re ready to move ahead in your professional life, it might be time to revisit your career development plan. Your manager may be able to offer some amount of help. However, you are ultimately responsible for positioning yourself for success . Let this guide help you start and continue on your path to career achievement.

Car accidents, even just fender benders, are an unfortunate fact of life. Even though fewer cars are on the road during the pandemic—16% fewer according to Zendrive, a smartphone-based driving analytics app provider—drivers might be more distracted. Phone use while driving was up 38% after lockdowns started. So, it's essential to know what to do after an car accident.

Being a part of the sandwich generation means you are the caregiver of kids and aging parents, or a “sandwich caregiver.” It’s the toughest job you may ever have. The role of caring for two generations of loved ones comes with many challenges. Frequently, the weight of this point in your life can feel crushing. You are not alone, though. Here are 13 tips to help you manage this role.

Have you been thinking that you want to start a business? So much planning goes into following your dream, and we know it can be a struggle to finance its startup and daily operations. We also know that finding funding opportunities for your enterprise can be harder during a global pandemic. You may not be eligible for small business loans. You also may not be open to additional loan debt to manage or want to max out your credit cards because you may want to conserve cash. That's why you need grant money. Here's how to get yours.

Frequently, questions about diversity in fintech center on gender diversity, and that gender diversity means “white women.” When any organization is predominantly white, it tends to focus on attracting customers who look like its employees and leadership—white ones, though that’s often not deliberate. Here's what Betterment is doing to change that.

Launched in 1968 as Unity Bank & Trust Company in response to calls for Black economic empowerment, OneUnited Bank’s mission remains being Black America’s first choice for banking. Here’s how OneUnited is working to achieve that goal.

(Forbes Advisor adds editor names under contributor names for SEO purposes. However, I authored this story entirely.)

Black-owned banks and credit unions provide a real opportunity for the Black community to overcome the racial wealth gap, and BankBlackUSA is an organization that is helping to lead that charge.

[This is a *ghostwritten* blog post based on an interview transcript between Mr. Pirker and eMoney Advisor.]

"A few months ago, I would have given a different answer to the question, “What do you see influencing the future of advice in the next 5 to 10 years?” But the coronavirus pandemic has permanently shifted priorities for most people, including investors and financial professionals." Here's how a crisis makes more holistic planning and education for clients essential.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought with it trying economic times for clients and their advisors. Like during the Financial Crisis of 2007-2009, clients are rethinking their money decisions, monitoring their investments and rebalancing their portfolios to weather the current economic storm. Clients now depend widely on technology to reassess their financial positions and goals. Here's what opportunities that presents advisors.

Every new year, 51% of Americans resolve to get their finances in order. But, like all New Year’s resolutions, making them is only the first step. It’s not enough for clients to say what they want to do financially—they have to know what steps to take to achieve those goals. In this episode, get insights into how to help clients reach their financial goals no matter what time of year it is.

Consider these statistics on marriage and money. In a 2013 survey by National Center for Biotechnology Information, almost 36% of couples cited financial problems as the reason for their divorce, making money the fifth leading cause of divorce in the study. The same year, in an Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts study, 22% of advisors said financial difficulties were a root cause of divorce among their clients. Here's how to talk to clients--and get them talking about--money in marriage.

In recent years, advisors have learned that there’s a strong connection between the head, the heart, and the hand when providing financial guidance. eMoney’s Heart of Advice Study identified ways the most successful advisors are using these concepts to deliver a great client experience. Getting to the core of what matters to your clients requires the right knowledge, technology, and personal connection. Here's how. (This project required turning a podcast transcript into a blog post.)

The Tenth Fidelity® Plan Sponsor Attitudes Study, released in 2019, found that an all-time high of 93 percent of sponsors work with advisors, but that what sponsors want from a retirement advisor is changing. That’s because retirement is just one aspect of an employee’s overall financial health picture. This ghostwritten blog post shows advisors some other ways they can differentiate themselves to provide the support plan sponsors now expect advisors from them.