Years of Experience
20+ years
Areas of Expertise
Retirement planning, taxes, investing strategies, and personal finance
Article Count
20+
Licenses / Credentials (if applicable)
Certified Consumer Credit Counselor; CFP candidate (UC Berkeley Extension)
Want to work with Andrea? Get in touch here.
Andrea Coombes is a former Senior Writer at AdvisorSearch.org (formerly investor.com). Andrea has 20+ years of experience translating complex personal finance topics into articles that help people reach their financial goals. Her work has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, MarketWatch, Forbes, NerdWallet, and many other financial publications. Andrea is a sought-after source in her own right, having been interviewed by many top-tier U.S. publications on matters of personal finance including NPR’s All Things Considered, the WSJ Money Matters Podcast, NASDAQ, and Marketplace.
Andrea covers topics ranging from retirement planning to taxes, investing strategies to how to stop fighting with your spouse about money. In the Roth vs. Traditional IRA debate, she's firmly on the side of: It depends.
Andrea is an experienced personal-finance speaker who has presented to groups on a variety of topics such as how to budget, improve credit, manage debt, and build savings. She's participated on and moderated panels discussing 529 college savings plans, how to invest for retirement, and more.
Andrea also has worked as a personal financial coach and certified consumer credit counselor, helping people navigate their money challenges, and for a time she was a volunteer tax preparer.
She's currently working on becoming a Certified Financial Planner, through the University of California - Berkeley Extension's Certificate Program in Personal Financial Planning.
Awards Andrea has won include the Excellence in Personal Finance Reporting Award from the National Endowment for Financial Education (2012) and The National Award for Outstanding Reporting on Consumer Issues from the National Association of Consumer Advocates.
Andrea has a bachelor's degree in sociology and a master's degree in journalism, both from the University of California - Berkeley.
Latest Articles
Does your financial advisor hold the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP) certification? Here's what to know about this designation.
- Andrea Coombes
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April 03, 2024
Does your financial advisor hold the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) certification? Here's what to know about this designation.
- Andrea Coombes
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April 03, 2024
Does your financial advisor hold the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification? Here's what to know about this designation.
- Andrea Coombes
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April 03, 2024
Does your financial advisor hold the Accredited Wealth Management Advisor (AWMA) certification? Here's what to know about this title.
- Andrea Coombes
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April 03, 2024
Does your financial advisor hold the Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA) certification? Here's what to know about this title.
- Andrea Coombes
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April 03, 2024
