By Alex Sabbag, Guest Contributor I was sitting behind my apartment building in Chicago on a tiny iron fence enclosing a small patch of grass when I became aware of my life’s biggest earth-shattering truth: I had hit the bottom and this moment, this season of my life, was as Read more…
Connection is one of our Fearless core values. We strive to connect our audience with new thoughts and perspectives in our weekly e-newsletter. Guest contributors are key to this. In 2024, we published columns about barriers to homeownership for women, mental health care in Iowa, investing and reaching financial success, Read more…
BY SARA HOPKINS Homeownership is a dream for so many people, and helping more people achieve that goal is something I’m very passionate about. Everyone deserves the opportunity to become a homeowner, but as a realtor, I see too often how that dream is out of reach, particularly for women. Read more…
BY CALAN SMIDT Editor’s note: This essay discusses suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. As a parent, one of the most harrowing experiences imaginable is watching your child battle with any illness Read more…
SUBMITTED BY LISA GREFE When it comes to money stereotypes, women often find themselves on the receiving end of remarks like “women aren’t good with money” or “they don’t understand investing.” Such stereotypes stand in the way of financial empowerment for women. As a woman in the financial industry, I Read more…
BY ERIC RUCKER Fearless readers: This guest column by Eric Rucker frankly discusses miscarriage and mental health. For some of you who have experienced a pregnancy loss, whether that loss was recent or decades ago, this column might be painful to read. – Nicole Grundmeier, Business Record staff writer My Read more…
By Jackie Norris Editor’s note: When Jackie Norris reached out to me earlier this year with an idea to write about balancing caregiving while working full time, I asked that she take some notes to document the specific challenges she faced for a few weeks. While her perspectives are unique to Read more…
After her funeral in 2011 we opened her jewelry box. We found her watch, several copper bracelets to help with arthritis, tiny rings the circumference of a nail’s head, all different, with the birthstone of each grandchild. The jewelry paled in comparison to what I discovered next. – A couple Read more…
“Would you be able to pick Gloria Steinem up from the airport?” was one of the more memorable questions Peg Lonnquist asked me when I was a college student at Iowa State University. As executive director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Women’s Center, Lonnquist (“Peg,” as we called her) was Read more…
BY BRITTANY HEARD, LEAD ADVISER, FOSTER GROUP INC. I’m an introvert. Growing up, I was particularly shy and soft-spoken. Even though I was a good student and a good athlete, I lacked confidence. I was content to remain unnoticed. For years, I didn’t feel like this was a problem. It was just who Read more…