About Us: Meet the Authors

Lorraine Ell is the CEO of Better Money Decisions (B$D) and Better Insurance Decisions. As co-owner of B$D, she is excited to continue her long career as an investment professional which started when she worked in the 1980s as an advisor with Drexel, Burnham and Lambert and J.W. Charles and as Co-owner of a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm. “My extensive experience across decades of investing has highlighted the need for financial help for all phases of life.”

Her path to now took a long and winding road. From teaching in Saudi Arabia to co-founding a marketing company in Budapest, Hungary, her experience in dealing with multiple cultures and people gives her a unique perspective in creating a better financial services firm. “I want B$D to be responsive to what clients really need and that differs from person to person. Tired clichés and pat answers do not help most people make better decisions. We don’t preach we listen.”

Lorraine also lived in Tehran before and during the 1978 and 1979 revolution. “What I learned from that experience is that risk can change at any time. One moment the city streets are bustling with people living their daily lives and then, in a flash, there is chaos.” Managing risk is one of the firms’ focus points. “I enjoy helping clients understand that risk comes in many forms including longevity risk and lifestyle risk and these can have a major impact on a successful financial life.”

As a life-long entrepreneur, Lorraine has worked in a variety of industries including financial services, education and health & beauty. “I have had a life full of exciting adventures and I now want to help others manage their assets so they are able to live their dreams.”

An often quoted source in Investment News, Lorraine’s recent financial services experience started in 2008 when she designed and directed the centralized operations department for a new RIA firm which grew from zero to $200 million in assets under management in less than six years. She has a BA in Linguistics and a Master’s degree in Leadership from Michigan State University. In addition to her university degrees, Lorraine is a Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultant providing the in-depth knowledge needed to help federal employees plan for retirement.

You will find her cooking for friends and family on the weekends, especially Italian food and it should come as no surprise that she is a Past Chair and remains on the board of the Albuquerque Committee on Foreign Relations and is a member of a policy group called Wednesday’s Women. She visits her sons and grandchildren at every opportunity.

LORRAINE’S MONEY MISTAKE: Splitting the rent on an office space with another business owner. Guess who ended up paying for it all!

LORRAINE’S BETTER MONEY DECISION: Taking a trip around the world after working in Saudi Arabia despite the cost and time. An unforgettable experience!

You don’t need someone to pick stocks or time the market. Those activities, touted non-stop in the financial media, have absolutely nothing to do with your personal financial goals.

That’s why Kate Stalter founded Better Money Decisions: “People face any number of financial decisions these days. But with the financial media encouraging all kinds of bad behavior – like trying to predict market direction or gambling on what the Federal Reserve might do – the odds are stacked against the person just trying to make good financial decisions for the short and long-term.”

Before becoming a Series 65-licensed advisor several years ago, Kate wrote in-depth market analysis for Investor’s Business Daily. She hosted the Daily Stock Analysis and Market Wrap videos on Investors.com, and taught Investor’s Business Daily live seminars throughout the country.

She also hosted the Small Cap Roundup radio show on the Tiger Financial News Network, interviewed hundreds of asset managers for the “Daily Guru” feature on MoneyShow.com, and wrote mutual-fund analyses for Benzinga.com.

Although she still contributes to Forbes, US News & World Report and TheStreet, Kate’s primary focus is helping clients around the country who face decisions about portfolio allocation, Social Security strategies, insurance needs, estate planning, college funding and all manner of financial questions.

“Although financial decision-making becomes more complicated every year, many people still believe a financial advisor’s value comes from stock picking and timing the market. But that’s not the value. In fact, that’s speculating and gambling – exactly the opposite of good financial decision-making.”

Kate has a fiduciary duty to put clients first. It means being your coach throughout different market and economic cycles and helping you stay on track, even while the TV anchors and magazine writers tell you the world is coming to an end. “Investors continue to be hurt because some TV anchor says it’s time to panic. That TV anchor, meanwhile, has no responsibility for your well-being in retirement – or even if you are able to retire.”

A graduate of Saint Mary’s College in Notre Dame, Indiana, Kate spends fall Saturdays watching the Fighting Irish on the gridiron. Her MBA alma mater is Northwestern, so she also likes to see the Wildcats win, unless they are playing Notre Dame! She has a houseful of rescued animals, and is trying to get her 5K speed just a tiny bit faster.

KATE’S MONEY MISTAKE: Taking advice from someone who didn’t know how to properly close California limited liability companies – and ended up paying $2,400 in fees!

KATE’S BETTER MONEY DECISION: Opting against a “Pick-A-Payment” mortgage back in 2006. Something didn’t sound right – and those turned out to be horrible products that eventually blew up!