Study: The top 10 states for small businesses
Bankrate ranked all 50 states based on 18 different metrics related to how well they catered to small businesses.
8 min read
Nov 25, 2024
Alex Gailey
Lead Data Reporter, Personal Finance
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6Years of experience
EXPERTISE
- Personal finance
- Women's finances
- Income and wealth inequality
- Investing
- Workplace trends
- Debt management
- Economy
EDUCATION
- B.A. in Journalism, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
About the author
As a lead data reporter at Bankrate, Alex Gailey writes about the numbers behind consumer finance and economic trends. When she’s not crunching numbers together for broader money stories, she’s covering the economy from the perspective of financially vulnerable groups, including women, people of color and low-income families. As part of her beat, she analyzes how these groups navigate financial challenges, the workplace, building wealth and other emerging trends related to money. She’s covered consumer finance for five years and before that, she reported on economic development in Atlanta.
Alex has interviewed hundreds of personal finance experts, from certified financial planners and economists to career advisors and financial therapists. She believes in thorough reporting and interviewing experts to have a pulse on consumer finance trends and news. She also spends a lot of her time talking to everyday people to better understand their money experiences.
Before joining Bankrate, Alex worked for NextAdvisor in partnership with TIME Magazine, The Boston Globe, Atlanta Business Chronicle and Charlotte Business Journal. Her work has been cited by the Washington Post, the New York Times, CNBC, Bloomberg, CBS News and more. She’s a member of the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing (SABEW), Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and was selected as a Goldschmidt data fellow in 2024.
Alex beyond Bankrate
Alex wants you to know
Alex has found value-based budgeting to be an effective way to empower herself to stay on track and accomplish her financial goals. The beauty of value-based budgeting is the intentionality behind it. By intentionally aligning your saving and spending habits with what you value most, you’ll increase your chances of achieving your financial goals while still enjoying life.
“There's a vast gender gap in college majors that lead to higher pay”
Men are the overwhelming majority in lucrative college degrees
Nearly 4 in 5 of those who hold the top 20 most lucrative bachelor’s degrees are men, while only 22 percent are women, according to a Bankrate study.
Read more
Alex's latest articles
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Child tax credit: Here’s what to know for 2024 and 2025
For taxpayers with children under 17, the child tax credit is a valuable tool for reducing taxes.
2 min read Oct 30, 2024 -
Study: Care for one infant costs at least 10% of a family’s yearly income in 48 states
A new Bankrate study reveals where infant care is the most and least affordable in the U.S.
10 min read Oct 28, 2024 -
Study: Workers with STEM degrees are more likely to report higher salaries and lower unemployment rates
Engineering degrees claimed eight of the top 10 spots in Bankrate’s new ranking.
12 min read Sep 30, 2024 -
26% of working women are leaving free money on the table that could set back their retirement
Despite progress in recent years, there’s still a gender gap in retirement planning.
8 min read Sep 25, 2024 -
Survey: In a cooling job market, 48% of workers plan to look for a new job in the next year
The slowing job market isn’t completely deterring workers from looking for new jobs.
7 min read Aug 26, 2024 -
Study: Americans spend most on gas in unlikely places
Drivers in Indiana, Wyoming and Missouri spend the most on gas per year.
5 min read Aug 19, 2024 -
Will the Fed make an emergency rate cut? Here’s what financial experts are saying
Emergency rate cuts are rare, but some economists believe one may be coming soon.
5 min read Aug 05, 2024