When Naseema McElroy was 25, she owned five rental properties. It was how she thought she was going to build her wealth.

By taking advantage of subprime lending practices that allowed borrowers with weak credit histories to easily obtain high-interest mortgages in the early 2000s, McElroy figured she would borrow as much as she could to purchase multiple properties and it would all work out in the end, she tells CNBC Make It.

Then about a year later, in 2008, the housing market crashed.

“I was really naive,” McElroy says. Suddenly, she owed lenders more than what her properties were worth. To avoid foreclosure, she says she was forced to sell two of the investments for less than what was left on their mortgages. Two other properties were foreclosed on, and eventually she says she had to declare bankruptcy.

Since then, the now 44-year-old labor and delivery nurse has grown her net worth to over $1 million, according to documents reviewed by CNBC Make It. She owns her primary home, but the majority of her wealth comes from investing in the stock market through broad-based index funds, documents show.

The biggest lesson she says she’s learned from the experience: “Real estate is one form of investing, but it’s not the only form.”

While there can be upsides to investing in real estate, it’s significantly riskier than investing in the stock market and can require a lot more work than many investors anticipate, says Alex Caswell, a certified financial planner and founder of Wealth Script Advisors in San Francisco, California.

On social media, “there’s been a popularization of the idea that real estate is somehow a silver bullet in terms of building wealth,” Caswell says. However, in reality, becoming a successful real estate investor requires extensive research and dedication, he says.

Before purchasing a property, Caswell says investors should consider a swath of variables, including how much it could appreciate, property taxes, maintenance costs, insurance expenses and the best way to finance the purchase.

All of these variables rely on assumptions, and adding all of your assumptions together can create “a lot more of an unpredictable investment experience,” Caswell says.

Additionally, becoming a landlord like McElroy may not be as easy as collecting a monthly check, Caswell says.

“I just remember how hard it was to be a landlord,” says McElroy, who was also working full time as a health-care administrator at the time.

On top of constant costs associated with maintaining her homes, she says collecting rent and dealing with tenants became a constant struggle.

McElroy says she never generated as much revenue from the venture as she expected, and looking back, McElroy says her failure to understand the true costs associated with real estate before taking on so much debt became the biggest money-related mistake she has ever made.

If you’re not looking to commit to becoming a full-time real estate investor, Caswell says you’re probably better off prioritizing financial security by investing in the stock market through retirement and traditional brokerage accounts.

If you want to “dabble” in purchasing property, only do so once you’ve saved enough to retire comfortably, he says.

“The risk and the level of dedication to succeed in a real estate venture is going to be so great that if you fail at it, it could really set you back financially,” Caswell says.

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A majority, 65%, of singles feel hopeful about dating in 2026, according to a January survey of 1,000 U.S. singles, ages 18 to 79, by DatingNews.com.

They’re looking to meet other singles in multiple ways: 73% use dating apps, 48% meet through friends and coworkers, and 24% through interest-based or lifestyle events.

If you’re single and looking to meet someone, there are green flags you can look out for during your search, says Sabrina Romanoff, a New York-based psychologist and relationship expert for Hily, a dating app.

“The biggest thing in dating is that we have no idea who the person on the other end of the table is,” she says. The goal is to get a sense of that. Here are five traits she recommends looking for.

“Almost anyone can put up that facade of being the perfect partner for the first month of dating,” says Romanoff. But someone who’s really interested will continue to show that interest over time.

That could mean active listening and following up on elements of your life, for example, like asking about a problem at work after you brought it up or arranging a date around an activity you’ve told them you love.

The key is to make sure that care and focus continue — not just during dates but between them, too.

Everyone makes mistakes or messes up in life. We’re human.

But a good partner can take accountability, apologize and know they’re not inherently a bad person; they just have room to grow, says Romanoff.

In a situation where someone is 20 minutes late to a date, the difference is between saying “you’re being ridiculous” or “you’re being so rigid,” says Romanoff, and simply saying, “I’m so sorry I’m late.”

You want a partner who believes “we’re allowed to mess up, and we’re allowed to evolve from our flaws together,” she says.

A lot can go wrong in a day and there’s very little we have control over. But how the person you’re dating reacts in these moments is very telling. “How do they treat wait staff?” says Romanoff. “How do they deal with slight inconveniences?”

Are they patient? Can they see things from another perspective? Do they get angry quickly?

Everyone has moments of frustration, but if they’re consistently “very rude, very rushed, very aggressive,” she says, that’s an indication of how they handle stress, and that will show up frequently in a potential future life together.

In any relationship, it’s important to feel calm and safe. That’s where a potential partner’s clear intent comes in.

Dating someone who can communicate what they want in a relationship and follow through on those declarations can help. If they say they’re interested in a long-term partner, for example, are they slowly integrating their life with yours? Are they introducing you to people that matter to them and exposing you to some of their favorite activities?

“How we feel in dating is a big reaction and reflection of what our partner is showing us,” says Romanoff, adding that, “when your partner is uncertain or ambiguous about what they want, it inevitably breeds anxiety.”

It’s easy to mistake sparks and chemistry for a genuine connection. But those signs can actually be an indication that a former, unhealthy relationship dynamic is at play for you, maybe something you experienced with a parent. You’ll want to steer clear of that, says Romanoff.

Instead, check in with yourself during your dates and see if you felt a sense of ease and a natural flow of conversation. And after your dates, consider if anything they said gave you pause or if you feel like you have to perform for them every time you get together by buying a new outfit, for example.

“If you feel grounded and at ease rather than anxious after seeing them,” says Romanoff, “that’s your gut instinct telling you that you can trust them.”

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While progress toward gender parity remains slow, several career paths offer above-average representation of women as well as high pay, according to a report from Resume Genius published Mar. 3.

Resume Genius, an online career platform and resume builder, identified the top 10 careers with high median salaries and projected job growth in which women make up 50% or more of workers, using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“All of these roles are very high-paying, and require specialized knowledge and skills,” says Resume Genius career expert Eva Chan. “For women who are very ambitious [and] want to go up the career ladder, those are very good roles to aspire to.”

Chan notes that many of the jobs are in the health care industry, including roles like physician assistant and nurse practitioner. Historically, women have been drawn to jobs in health care because they can be “a little bit more flexible” with scheduling, according to career coach Colleen Paulson, which “helps to keep women in the workforce through life changes like having kids.”

Health care roles often come with well-defined advancement opportunities and attractive salaries and benefits, Chan says, making it easier for women to make long-term plans. These jobs also offer “very stable” career paths due to the rising demand for health care professionals, she says.

According to Resume Genius, these are the top 10 highest-paying, women-led careers, as well as each role’s median salary, the percentage of women in the field, its estimated growth between 2024 and 2034 and the educational requirements associated with it.

Median annual salary: $161,700

Proportion of women: 53%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 15%

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Median annual salary: $140,030

Proportion of women: 76%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 5%

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Median annual salary: $137,480

Proportion of women: 60%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 5%

Education: Doctor of Pharmacy

Median annual salary: $133,260

Proportion of women: 73%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 20%

Education: Master’s degree

Median annual salary: $132,870

Proportion of women: 70%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 5%

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Median annual salary: $132,050

Proportion of women: 88%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 35%

Education: Master’s degree

Median annual salary: $125,510

Proportion of women: 69%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 10%

Education: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

Median annual salary: $117,960

Proportion of women: 74%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 23%

Education: Bachelor’s degree

Median annual salary: $98,340

Proportion of women: 88%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 14%

Education: Master’s degree

Median annual salary: $95,410

Proportion of women: 95%

Estimated job growth 2024–2034: 15%

Education: Master’s degree

The report also identified several high-paying careers in which women’s representation is low but rising, including roles like mechanical engineer and surgeon. Still, occupational segregation remains a concern, Paulson says.

For example, while the percentage of women in mechanical engineering has nearly doubled — from 6% in the 1980s to 11% in 2024, according to Resume Genius’ data — women are still vastly underrepresented in the field, says Paulson, who previously worked as a mechanical engineer.

In Paulson’s experience, woman are often deterred from pursuing these career fields by the prospect of being the only woman in a male-dominated environment. “While it’s great to see that representation is increasing, it’s still probably not where we really want it to be,” she says.

Part of the solution is for companies to prioritize an inclusive workplace culture, she says. That could mean sponsoring internships for early-career women, creating mentorship groups or hosting networking events.

“It starts with welcoming younger women in a real way and making it so that they want to stay in the field,” Paulson says.

Chan is encouraged to see more “leadership, influence and progress” for women in these high-paying but historically male-dominated roles, she says. But “there is always going to be more work to be done.”

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After 20 years of treating heart disease, clogged arteries and metabolic dysfunction, I began to notice a less discussed driver of cardiovascular health: what happens in the hours after the workday ends.

Heart disease develops over years through repeated signals, including blood pressure patterns, inflammation, glucose regulation and sleep quality. Many of these are shaped by routine evening behaviors. Nighttime choices determine whether the body shifts into repair or stays in stress mode.

Here are seven things I consistently avoid after 7 p.m. as a cardiologist.

Metabolic function follows circadian rhythms. In the evening, insulin sensitivity declines and the body becomes less efficient at processing glucose and fats. Late meals are associated with higher post-meal blood sugar levels, impaired lipid metabolism and increased inflammatory signaling.

Research on time-restricted eating shows that earlier meal timing supports healthier blood pressure, glucose control and cardiovascular risk markers. Nighttime digestion also competes with the body’s overnight repair processes, which are critical for vascular health.

Exposure to bright, blue-heavy light after sunset suppresses melatonin release. Melatonin plays a role in sleep regulation, blood pressure control, and antioxidant activity within the cardiovascular system.

Studies have linked nighttime light exposure with increased risk of coronary heart disease and disruption of normal nighttime blood pressure patterns.

Opt for warm bulbs and eye level lamps to mimic the lighting conditions of sunset. I even use red lightbulbs in my bathroom to brush my teeth and get ready for bed.

Your nervous system doesn’t know it’s just a show. Whether it’s a political debate, a reality TV meltdown or a high-stakes playoff game, psychological stress activates the sympathetic nervous system, increasing heart rate and blood pressure.

Decades of research show that both acute and chronic stress contribute to endothelial dysfunction — the earliest stage of cardiovascular disease. In people with underlying risk, intense emotional stress can even trigger real cardiac events.

Personally? I love a good series as much as anyone. I just don’t watch it at night. I’ll save other people’s crazy drama for the weekend, when my nervous system can afford the hit. Revving your stress hormones right before sleep is like flooring the gas pedal as you pull into the garage.

Exercise is one of the best things you can do for your heart, but timing matters.

Hard workouts late at night keep cortisol elevated and delay the shift from fight-or-flight into rest-and-repair mode. That can delay sleep onset, raise overnight heart rate and reduce heart-rate variability (an important marker of cardiovascular resilience.)

Yes, some movement is always better than no movement. But high-intensity training at 9 p.m., for example, often compromises recovery, which is where the real cardiovascular benefits actually happen. Your heart needs a runway to slow down, not one last sprint before midnight.

Alcohol feels relaxing. Physiologically, it’s doing the opposite. Even moderate evening drinking disrupts sleep architecture, suppresses REM sleep and interferes with melatonin production.

It also raises resting heart rate and blunts the normal overnight drop in blood pressure, a pattern strongly associated with increased cardiovascular risk. Poor sleep amplifies inflammation and worsens metabolic regulation, compounding long-term heart risk.

Anger and emotional stress have very real cardiovascular consequences. Acute stress spikes cortisol, lowers heart-rate variability, and can trigger arrhythmias or cardiac events in vulnerable individuals.

Evening arguments with the wife don’t just ruin the mood; they flood your system with stress hormones at the exact time your body should be powering down. Some conversations matter. They just don’t all need to happen tonight. 

Phones, tablets, and televisions emit blue light that delays melatonin release and shifts circadian timing. This leads to later sleep onset and reduced sleep quality.

Chronic sleep disruption is independently associated with hypertension, insulin resistance, inflammation, and elevated cardiovascular risk. Protecting sleep consistency supports long-term cardiac function.

Of course, I always recommend consulting with your physician before making any drastic changes to your routine. For me, after 7 p.m., my rule is simple: Reduce circadian disruption and sympathetic stress, and let your heart recover.

Dr. Sanjay Bhojraj, MD, is a board-certified interventional cardiologist and certified functional medicine doctor. A pioneer at the intersection of precision cardiology and lifestyle medicine, he is the founder of Well12, a wellness program helping individuals reverse chronic disease through nutrition, breathwork, and genomic insights. Dr. Bhojraj is also a national educator for the Institute for Functional Medicine. Follow him on Instagram.

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Anyone who’s spent time around Gen Z — or watched news stories about them — has heard the stereotypes: They are more anxious, fragile, and coddled than previous generations. 

As a developmental psychologist at Harvard, I study the experience of growing up across generations and I’ve heard every variation on this theme. To be sure, Gen Z is struggling: Research shows that they’re more likely to report mental health challenges and face greater obstacles to job security than previous generations. 

But I’ve also documented how narratives about generational differences can be wildly exaggerated. While conducting research with my co-author Nancy Hill, we studied interviews with college students from the class of 1975. We then re-interviewed those participants, now in their seventies. What we discovered stunned us. 

Fifty years later, they remembered triumphal narratives of their experiences navigating college and career. They told stories about the certainty they felt in their choice of profession. They described how they navigated obstacles with confidence and recalled the warmth of friendship and community they felt when they struggled. But listening to the tapes, it turns out that, at the time, they felt just as uncertain and lonely as students today. 

This gap between our memory of lived events and reality is a predictable human phenomenon. According to the peak-end rule, we recall the most emotionally intense moments and the endings of experiences, while the messy middle fades.

Forgetting the messy middle — the hard, confusing parts of our experiences — isn’t a problem in itself. It becomes an issue when we leave out the parts young people most need to hear. Each time we tell these incomplete stories, we risk building barriers, leaving them thinking: I guess I’m the only one struggling. Everyone else had it figured out.

There’s a better way to help when we’re talking with young people. Try these four things: 

It’s tempting to say: “Why can’t they just figure it out? I did!” 

Instead, ask yourself: How did I feel the first time I met a roadblock — before I had it all figured out? What was it like to fail for the first time? The first heartbreak or rejection letter lands harder when you don’t have the lived experience to put it into a broader context.

By tapping into the emotion of those experiences, you can enter the conversation with empathy instead of judgement.

Don’t assume that your outcome or your uncertainties mirror those of the Gen Zer you’re talking to. Ask questions before you jump in with advice. Probe for emotional details of what they are going through by asking: “What are you most worried about?” 

Help them identify the emotions behind those concerns, like embarrassment over failure, fear of the future, or grief over the loss of what they had hoped for. 

Then give them the space to process those feelings. Each of those emotions calls for a very different kind of response, and you can meet them where they are by allowing them to frame the conversation.  

It’s tempting to tell stories about the past when we want to help inspire young people. But we can also connect with them based on our current experiences. Rather than telling a story from when you were their age, lean into stories about the present day.

Share a more recent challenge at home or work that relates to what they’re experiencing and how you’re thinking about solving it. It’s helpful for them to see the emotion of a puzzle still in process and to know that you can relate to what they’re going through. 

If you do have a good example to share from the past, you can overcome the peak-end framing so that it can genuinely help. 

Before sharing your own story about the class you barely passed in college or the job you had your heart set on that didn’t work out, take some time to think back and tap back into the emotions you felt. 

Lead with that part of the experience to connect with what young people are feeling in the moment. You can still tell them how everything worked out in the end, if that’s the case, but make sure your story doesn’t make the answer seem quick and easy — since it’s unlikely to have been either. 

By sharing a more authentic version of our own stories, we’re far more likely to build connections with young people and help them develop the skills they need to overcome obstacles on their own journeys. In fact, that’s the part young people most need to hear when they’re struggling and doing the hard work of trying to figure things out.

Alexis Redding is a developmental psychologist and leading expert on young adulthood. She is faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Education where she runs the Transition to Adulthood Lab and is the Faculty Director of the Mental Health in Higher Education program. She is coauthor of ”The End of Adolescence″ and the editor of ”Mental Health in College.”

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