Cindy Lamothe

As the US Latino population booms – and with it, their economic impact – Spanish is becoming an essential tool for workers and businesses alike to get ahead.

During her first couple years in the advertising industry, Dani Herrera says colleagues asked her questions like, "Should we schedule this meeting for later in the afternoon? I know you people like to take a little siesta after lunch" and "How come you speak English so well?"
When Herrera moved from Argentina to New York City for work ...

Illustration: Benjamin Currie/HuffPost; Photo: Chuck Hodes/FX
It takes me weeks to trudge through each episode of “The Bear” — not because I dislike the subject matter, but because it’s unbearably familiar. The acclaimed Hulu show has plenty of fans, but for those of us with firsthand experience of suicide loss, it is particularly poignant.
The story follows main character Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), a young chef who begins managing his family’s Chicago restaurant after the suicide of his bro...

For National Hispanic Heritage Month, we're celebrating the contributions of Hispanic and Latinx Americans in the financial space. And we're empowering others in the Hispanic community to pursue avenues of financial independence and security. Let's take a closer look at some of the challenges that Hispanic communities commonly face when it comes to credit—as well as some financial empowerment strategies.

Money management is not traditionally talked about in many Hispanic households, presentin...

My Tiny Love Story "Always Swinging Open" was published in The New York Times Modern Love series

[published August 20, 2023 in Sunday Print Edition]

Long before my first memory is the story of the monkey and the parrot who were madly in love. My first home as an infant was in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, and the way my family tells it, our pet monkey fell out the window attempting to kiss our parrot.
In one of my favorite pictures of my mom, she is pregnant with me and has the monkey nestled on one shoulder, with the parrot perched on her other hand as she gives it a peck on its beak. Here, both creatures sit together in perfect harmony.
Gro...

Since lockdowns began in March 2020, many of us became experts at surviving: hoarding food and Clorox wipes; ordering an excess of takeout to ward off the burnout of caregiving; and overspending just to feel something. It’s safe to say that most employees’ lizard brains have been on high alert for the past year and a half.

Now, as we begin our descent into a post-pandemic world, this mindset isn’t so easily switched off. But as organizational psychologist and leadership keynote speaker, Nick ...

“Are you sure this sounds okay? Not too harsh?” I handed my husband my phone, my hands clammy with sweat. “It looks great!” he smiled back, trying to reassure me that the work email I’d spent the past hour painfully crafting wouldn’t in fact result in the end of the world.
After I hit send, a wave of nausea overtook me as if I’d run a mile and had to stop to catch my breath. For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a laundry list in my head of everything that could go wrong: disappointing a cl...

[published in September 7, 2020 print newspaper]

How do you make plans when it’s impossible to make plans?
The ground beneath our feet is constantly shifting. Planning for anything more than a week out can feel futile — almost silly — since no one knows what the next week, much less the next month, will bring. A surge in coronavirus cases in your area? More lockdowns? Worrying about natural disasters? And concerns about health and financial well-being make matters even worse.
“The questions are endless. And the answe...

[published in May 20, 2019 print newspaper]

Back in college, I was always the first to raise my hand in class (a behavior that didn’t win me many friends, let me tell you). Now as a freelance writer, I’m no stranger to that same overeagerness when it comes to work — translated in prompt replies and more than the occasional emoji. Emails, tweets, Slack messages — you name it — being affable and amenable is kind of my thing.

And while conventional wisdom tells us we should eagerly embrace every opportunity that comes our way, playing a l...

How to write holiday cards that won't get tossed in the trash. (scroll to bottom)

Last November, Kristi Pahr felt both shock and denial after learning that her online friend of over four years, Amy, had died suddenly. She says she still cries remembering those initial days of grief. Amy, she said, “was a better, more ‘real’ friend to me than most people I know in person.”
Ms. Pahr, 41, a freelance writer from South Carolina, first met Amy through mutual friends in an online Star Wars game back in 2013. She fondly recalls a similar “geekiness” and love of fantasy novels qui...

How ‘Intellectual Humility’ Can Make You a Better P...

I remember the first time a stranger openly gawked at my bare legs. It was the summer before I turned 11; I was at a small convenience store near our home. The man stood behind my mother and me at the checkout line, staring me up and down. He looked the same age as my father. But it wasn’t friendliness I detected in his eyes.

As a young girl who developed early and looked older than my age, my mind struggled to catch up with the rapid changes taking place in my body. The stares from older men...

Laura Kiesel was only six years old when she became a parent to her infant brother. At home, his crib was placed directly next to her bed, so that when he cried at night, she was the one to pick him up and sing him back to sleep. She says she was also in charge of changing his diapers and making sure he was fed every day. For the majority of her early childhood, she remembers that she tended to his needs while her own mother was in the depths of heroin addiction.
From as early as she can reme...

Many people come from households where money was never talked about. In fact, many of you may hardly ever discuss your finances openly — if at all.
That’s why “loud budgeting,” a new social media trend where you vocalize your financial goals, is trying to dismantle this hush-hush mindset.
Be Aware: 4 Red Flags as You Check Your Bank Statements Every Month
Learn: Pocket an Extra $400 a Month With This Simple Hack
“It’s essentially just being more open and vocal about your financial situation, ...