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About Andrea Coombes

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Andrea Coombes

Senior Writer

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Andrea Coombes is a Senior Writer at 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, WSJ Money Matters Podcast, NASDAQ, and Marketplace.

At Investor.com 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.

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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 not a masochist -- she actually likes doing taxes.)

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.


Meet Andrea Coombes of Reink Media Group.

Some previously published work by Andrea


Wall Street Journal: Don't let stocks drive you crazy

Wall Street Journal: How couples can resolve their biggest fights over money

Wall Street Journal: How to pick a 529 plan

Associated Press / Boston Herald: 7 tax changes investors should watch for as they file

MarketWatch: With 401(k) disclosure, some fees still hidden

MarketWatch: How to retire early: A 5-step plan

MarketWatch video: For retirement savers, what now?

Nasdaq: Inherited a Roth IRA? Here's what to do now

Forbes: Millennials are good at saving, but investing? Not so much

NextAvenue: 4 retirement planning steps for women

NerdWallet: The pros and cons of a Roth IRA

An expert source

Andrea Coombes Nasdaq appearance

In addition to her research, writing and presenting, 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. Some highlights:

NPR's All Things Considered: Do annuities belong in your 401(k)?

Wall Street Journal Video: Tips for talking to the tax man

Wall Street Journal's Money Matters podcast: Mistakes executives make with retirement packages

NPR's "Talk of the Nation": Should you take the buyout?

Marketplace: Uncle Sam says, "Pay up!"

Nasdaq: Preparing for tax time

USA Today: What investors can learn from the stock market correction

US News & World Report: 10 years later, have this year's retirees recovered from the recession?

Real Simple: 4 smart ways to start growing your money, starting now

WTOP Radio: Job interview mistakes to avoid

Latest Articles

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Best IRA Accounts of July 2024

To choose the best brokers for IRAs, we put ourselves in the shoes of different types of IRA customers. Our winners stand out for best-in-class offerings

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 09, 2024
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Merrill Edge IRA Review

If you’re a Bank of America customer, it may be hard to find a reason not to open your IRA at Merrill Edge. Overall, the Merrill Edge IRA is absolutely fine.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 08, 2024
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Vanguard IRA Review

Our testing found that Vanguard works great for a no-frills, buy-and-hold investing strategy, but has drawbacks compared to some other brokers.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 08, 2024
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Best Roth IRA Accounts of July 2024

For your IRA, you want to choose the broker with the lowest fees, the best low-cost investments, a user interface that won’t make you batty, and planning tools that make it as fun as possible to stay on track for retirement. Here are our top picks, based on hands-on testing.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 02, 2024
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Ally IRA Review

Most reviews of Ally Invest (the brokerage side of Ally Bank) rave about the convenience of being able to manage all of your financial matters in one place. But is that convenience enough to justify setting up an IRA at Ally Invest? We tested it out.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 02, 2024
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Charles Schwab IRA Review

It’s pretty hard to find things to dislike about Charles Schwab. Its robust customer service, breadth of offerings and low costs make Schwab hard to beat.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 01, 2024
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SoFi IRA Review

SoFi has a lot to like, but after opening a SoFi IRA account and digging into the details, I found too few investment options for most long-term retirement savers.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • July 01, 2024
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Interactive Brokers IRA Review

Interactive Brokers does a phenomenal job serving active traders, and its fees are among the lowest among major brokers. Set-it-and-forget-it retirement savers, though, may find the website and apps to be too complex.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • June 28, 2024
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IRA vs. 401(k): The Best Way to Use Each Account

Both IRAs and 401(k)s are valuable tools in your retirement savings strategy. But there are notable differences in how they work. Read on to compare the differences between IRAs and 401(k)s.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • June 28, 2024
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What Is a 401(k)? Pros and Cons

A 401(k) is an employer-sponsored retirement plan offered by companies to the employees who work there. Read more and find out about their pros and cons.

  • Andrea Coombes
  • June 28, 2024
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