Charlene Rhinehart CPA Expertise: Accounting, Banking, Investing, Personal Finance, Real Estate Title: CPA, Author, and Speaker Education: DePaul University Location: Chicago, IL Highlights Member of The Balance's Financial Review BoardMore than 15 years of experience in Accounting and FinanceAuthor of Debt-Free Before Graduation and Dividends Are a Queen's Best FriendFeatured in Nasdaq, Yahoo Finance, MSN, and Black EnterpriseFormer associate controller of community development banking at JPMorgan Chase Experience Charlene Rhinehart is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner, licensed real estate agent, and editor-in-chief of The Wealthy Women Daily, a website that offers practical advice to help women learn how to invest.Charlene has been in the accounting and finance industry for over 15 years, working primarily in real estate banking, commercial banking, and community development banking. She started her career as an auditor for a Big Four accounting firm and was later selected to join a financial analyst leadership development program at a global bank. The Illinois CPA Society has recognized Charlene as a 2019 Woman to Watch and she is a graduate of the AICPA Leadership Academy and Project REAP (Real Estate Associate Program).She is on a mission to help more people build a successful stock portfolio. Charlene frequently speaks at conferences and events and writes for multiple online publications. She is a best-selling author of Debt-Free Before Graduation and Dividends Are a Queen’s Best Friend. Success is not a secret; it's a strategy. By investing in your continuous education and growth, you'll unlock the best strategy to create the life you want. It takes courage to play the game, commitment to stay in the game, and consistency to win the game. You can achieve your financial freedom goals if you are committed to the process. Education DePaul University—Bachelor of Science. Double major in accounting and finance. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.