November 2025: Diary of a CFP® Pro — This month we give thanks!
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Episode 104: Margaritas with Marguerita — Meet Cary Carbonaro, author, “The Money Queen’s Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear”
Friday, Aug. 4, 2023: What are the top things women need to know about money? We learn all about it this week thanks to our guest, Cary Carbonaro, author of "The Money Queen’s Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear." Don't miss it!
A Note from Marguerita Cheng, CFP® Pro, CEO Blue Ocean Global Wealth — Fall is my favorite time of year because giving it reminds me of the importance, and power, of giving thanks for all of our blessings. Regardless of what might be happening in the world around me, I can always find things — big and small — that I am grateful for: my children and family, my business, my ability to run marathons and write articles for national publications. I am living my best life, and I am on a mission to help others do the same.
To assist with that, each month: I have been sharing chapters of my newest book, Diary of a CFP Pro, where I offer monthly insights on how you can build financial independence. This month we shine a light on the precious grandparents who have helped many of us grow into successful adults. Click here to read our November chapter: Good news ladies! You Can have your Cake and Eat it Too with Impact Investing
Reality check: Since we all have many personal and professional responsibilities, any spare time we have is precious. We can use that time to volunteer for causes and organizations that align with our values or commit to giving charitable contributions that will positively impact our communities. A $10 bill donated to the local food bank at the local grocery store checkout will help families enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, and it’s certainly a great start.
Photo by Brian Wolfe, flickr.com creative commons
But what if there was a way to make that $10 bill double duty by investing it instead? It’s not always about return on investment – it’s about rethinking ROI as ‘return on impact.’ You can make a difference by exploring options beyond the traditional investment products and into the fascinating world of social impact investing.
Margaritas with Marguerita: I invite you the listen to the podcast interview that I did for Episode 104: Margaritas with Marguerita — Meet Cary Carbonaro, author of “The Money Queen’s Guide: For Women Who Want to Build Wealth and Banish Fear.” I know you’ll find it as useful as I do!
Click here to listen to more podcasts on my show, MargueritaChengRadio.com.
NOVEMBER NEWS YOU CAN USEJoin me Nov. 19-20: I will be a featured speaker at the 3rd Annual Caregiver Conference hosted by Jeannie Dougherty
Jenny asks: You’ve been taking care of everyone else… but who the hell is taking care of YOU? As the caregiver of the family, you’ve got to take care of someone who needs all the help they can get. But you have your day job. And whatever the rest of the people in your life want to pile on to you until you feel ready to snap.
None of this is fair, since you have to put your life on pause while everyone else takes advantage of you and leaves you behind.
First, as the nurturer of the family, they probably raised you to ignore your own needs and put everyone else first. That forces you to shut down your inner voice from telling you something’s wrong.
And that gives the manipulative, abusive people in your life the perfect opening to pull every bit of energy, time, and even money from you when you’re just trying to do right by someone. (Part of this is because they’re counting on you being the only one who can do the work the right way.)
Then you also have to juggle a thousand decisions on top of the decisions you already have to make when you’re working. You’ve probably tried reaching out for help, only to either get ghosted, get the wrong kind of help, or get it too late to be any good. What you’re dealing with is called Caregiver Syndrome, and it burns out every caregiver who goes through it. There’s good news, though. You don’t have to keep taking this.
At the upcoming Caregivers’ Conference, we’ll show you the two-part strategy to protect yourself from the manipulation and abuse without having to feel like the bad guy. Learn more and register here!
HERE’s MORE:
Check out the media interviews and articles that I am quoted in or have have penned for publications including Kiplinger, USNews, and CNBC: Marguerita In the News.
The “Top 100 Money Expert List is live!” Congratulations to Marguerita Cheng!
Money’s Best Women Planners 2025
Money’s Best: Marguerita Cheng is one of the Top Women Financial Planners 2025 — Marguerita Cheng CFP® Pro is one of Money’s choices for the top 30 women planners this year. The editors explain: “All highly qualified, customer-centric financial advisors who serve clients of all backgrounds. Whether you need comprehensive financial planning or niche expertise for a life transition, these financial experts are well-equipped to help you live a richer life. This list of the best financial planners is a collaboration between Money and the Financial Planning Association (FPA), a trade association and membership organization that represents more than 17,000 financial planners across the United States.” Click here to see the other CFPs who made the list.
Investment News named Marguerita Cheng one of its 2025 “Best Certified Financial Planners in the USA | 5-Star Financial Planners,”The news outlet reports “Americans are facing a growing need for guidance and support in their financial affairs and that trend doesn’t look like it’s going to end anytime soon. Not only are people wealthier, but their financial situations are more complex relative to previous generations due to more retirees relying on savings, an increase in the range of products available, and the explosion in alternative investments.
“Consulting giant McKinsey & Company estimates that “by 2034, at current advisor productivity levels, the advisor workforce will decline to the point where the industry faces a shortage of roughly 100,000 advisors.” The sharp demand for CFP services has pushed InvestmentNews’ 5-Star Financial Planners to stand out in a dynamic market by exemplifying excellence, integrity, and dedication in helping their clients. Marguerita was nominated and then benchmarked against others to determine the country’s best.
“While the winners have varying skill sets, a commonality is that the most successful financial planners specialize. They are serving a particular niche and have leveraged it to obtain a competitive edge,” the editors explain.
Blue Ocean Global Wealth headquarters:
9841 Washingtonian Blvd., #200
Gaithersburg, MD 20878
301.502.5306 / 888.731.3117 (fax)
mcheng@blueoceanglobalwealth.com
About Marguerita M. Cheng: Rita is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Ocean Global Wealth. She has also been a spokesperson for the AARP Financial Freedom Campaign and a regular columnist for Investopedia & Kiplinger. Previously, she was a Financial Advisor at Ameriprise Financial and an analyst and editor at Towa Securities in Tokyo, Japan.
Her certifications include: CFP® professional, Chartered Retirement Planning CounselorSM, Retirement Income Certified Professional® and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst. As a Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) Ambassador, Marguerita helps educate the public, policy makers, and media about the benefits of competent, ethical financial planning. She serves as a Women’s Initiative (WIN) Advocate and subject matter expert for CFP Board, contributing to the development of examination questions for the CFP® Certification Examination.
Rita volunteers for several organizations including: CFP Board Disciplinary and Ethics Commission (DEC) hearings, she has also served on the Financial Planning Association (FPA) National Board of Directors from 2013-2015 and is a past president of the Financial Planning Association of the National Capital Area (FPA NCA).
Her awards include: Ameriprise Financial Presidential Award for Quality of Advice and the prestigious Japanese Monbukagakusho Scholarship. In 2017, she was named the #3 Most Influential Financial Advisor in the Investopedia Top 100, a Woman to Watch by InvestmentNews, and a Top 100 Minority Business Enterprise (MBE®) by the Capital Region Minority Supplier Development Council (CRMSDC).
Click here to learn more about Blue Ocean Global Wealth and email Marguerita today!