Holly Manning
Holly is the Country Manager for Financer US. Having come most recently from the Employer of Record (EoR) industry, Holly is now delving deeper into the world of personal finance where her true passion lies. Holly's goal is to teach people how to make the most of their money, simplifying complex topics, so that everyone has access to helpful information about finance and their economy.
Biography
My name is Holly and I have been the Country Manager for Financer US since October 2025.
After studying Finance and Small Business Management as part of my Events Management (BA Hons) degree, my interest in these topics grew widely. Key topics of personal interest include budgeting and saving strategies, helping educate young people about finance, and how to make the most of your money through investments.
Experience
- Financer: US Country Manager - October 2025 > Present
- Omnipresent: Support Operations Manager - June 2024 > October 2025
- Omnipresent: Customer Support Team Lead - August 2023 > June 2024
- Omnipresent: Customer Success Coordinator - August 2022 > August 2023
- Kpax Marketing: Quality Assurance Manager - June 2020 > June 2022
- Kpax Marketing: VIP Manager - March 2019 > June 2020
- Marriott International: Sales & Events Executive - June 2017 > August 2018
- Howard Kennedy LPP: Events Assistant - July 2015 > April 2016
Best Dividend ETFs
Building a portfolio that generates passive income while you sleep? That's the promise of dividend ETFs, and it's why they've become a **go-to choice** for investors looking to create steady cash flow without the hassle of picking individual stocks. Dividend ETFs are [exchange-traded funds](/invest/what-is-an-etf/) that bundle together dozens or even hundreds of dividend-paying companies, giving you instant diversification, professional management, and better [tax efficiency](/invest/tax-advantages-of-etfs/) than you'd get buying stocks one by one. Whether you're [planning for retirement](/invest/top-5-tips-tools-for-retirement-planning/) or supplementing your income, this guide breaks down the best high dividend ETFs, best dividend growth ETFs, and specialized options to help you make smart decisions in 2026.
Best International ETFs
[International ETFs](/invest/what-is-an-etf/) offer a **simple** way to gain exposure to thousands of companies outside the United States through a single investment. These funds track stock markets across developed and emerging economies, giving investors access to regions and industries that are underrepresented in U.S. portfolios. In 2025, international equities delivered their strongest year since 1993, outperforming U.S. stocks by over 15 percentage points. The MSCI All Country World ex-USA Index gained **29.2%** for the year, while top international ETFs returned between **7.77%** (emerging markets) and **35.17%** (developed markets). Despite this, many U.S. investors continue to exhibit a strong **home-country bias**, allocating a disproportionately large share of their portfolios to domestic stocks, even though international markets account for a substantial portion of global economic activity. This guide breaks down five international ETFs covering developed markets, emerging markets, and small-cap international stocks, all with expense ratios under **0.10%**.
Best S&P 500 ETFs
An S&P 500 ETF is an **investment fund that tracks the 500 largest U.S. companies.** Think of it as buying a tiny piece of Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and 497 other top companies with one simple purchase. The S&P 500 represents about [80% of the total U.S. stock market value](https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/indices/equity/sp-500/#overview), with an aggregate market cap exceeding $61 trillion as of late 2025. These funds give you instant access to **America's biggest winners** without having to pick individual stocks by yourself. Choosing the right S&P 500 ETF can save you **thousands** in fees over decades of investing. This guide compares the best S&P 500 ETFs available on the market in 2026, including the newest low-cost contender.
Best REIT ETFs
A REIT [ETF](/invest/what-is-an-etf/) bundles dozens (or hundreds) of publicly traded real estate investment trusts into a single ticker you can buy on any stock exchange. Instead of picking individual REITs and managing concentrated bets, you get **diversified real estate exposure in one trade** - with full liquidity and no property management headaches. Most REIT ETFs hold **equity REITs**, which own physical properties like apartment buildings, data centers, cell towers, and warehouses. Some include **mortgage REITs** (which hold real estate loans rather than property directly). One fund on this list, REET, adds international exposure across Japan, Australia, the U.K., and more. The practical advantage mirrors buying an S&P 500 index fund instead of picking 10 stocks yourself: automatic diversification, automatic rebalancing, and a small annual fee for the convenience.
Best Vanguard ETFs
Vanguard ETFs are **low-cost [exchange-traded funds](/invest/what-is-an-etf/)** that track market indexes, giving you instant diversification without breaking the bank. Vanguard slashed fees across 53 funds (84 share classes) in 2026, **saving investors nearly [$250 million](https://corporate.vanguard.com/content/corporatesite/us/en/corp/who-we-are/pressroom/press-release-vanguard-to-deliver-more-than-half-a-billion-in-expected-savings-to-investors-since-2025-020226.html)** in annual costs. Here's the kicker: **84% of Vanguard funds beat their competitors** over the past decade. This guide covers the most popular and best-performing Vanguard ETFs to help you decide which ones belong in your portfolio.
Where To Buy ETFs
ETFs are [investment funds](/invest/what-is-an-etf/) that trade on stock exchanges like individual stocks. They combine the diversification of [mutual funds](/invest/what-is-mutual-fund/) with the trading flexibility of stocks. The U.S. ETF market now holds [$14 trillion in total assets](https://am.jpmorgan.com/us/en/asset-management/adv/insights/etf-insights/etf-monitor/) as of early 2026, with over 4,490 listed products. A record 1,167 new ETFs launched in 2025 alone, and [active ETFs now outnumber passive ETFs](https://www.morningstar.com/funds/6-etf-investing-predictions-2026) on a fund-count basis (2,741 vs. 2,187). You can purchase ETFs through various brokerage platforms, each offering different features and benefits for investors. This guide will introduce you to the **best brokerage platforms** available in the U.S., compare them side by side, and help you decide which one you should use for your next ETF investment.
Forex Scams Guide
[Forex](/invest/) is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily trading volume above **$7.5 trillion**. It's a real, regulated market used by banks, corporations, and millions of individual traders. But around this legitimate market, a whole ecosystem of fraud has developed. Unregistered brokers, Ponzi schemes disguised as "forex investments," self-proclaimed "account managers" who drain your balance, and signal groups that profit from your subscription fees rather than actual trading. In the U.S., the **CFTC** (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and the **NFA** (National Futures Association) have issued dozens of warnings about fraudulent entities operating under the cover of forex. This article shows you how to tell a legitimate platform from a scam and how to protect your money.
ETF vs Mutual Fund vs Index Fund
Picture this... You've opened your first brokerage account and you're ready to start investing. But then you see it: thousands of funds with confusing acronyms and overlapping names. ETFs, mutual funds, index funds: Which one do you pick? Here's where it gets tricky. These aren't completely separate products. An index fund can either *be* a mutual fund *or* an ETF. That is the source of most confusion. The U.S. investment landscape in 2026 is honestly incredible. Back in the 80's, if you put $1,000 into a typical fund, you might pay $20 or more every year just in fees, whether the fund made money or not. Now, thanks to the massive rise of ETFs and Index Funds, the price tag for investing has collapsed. You can now invest in funds with annual management costs that are effectively zero percent. That's not a typo. **Zero**. Making this the best time in history to be an ordinary investor. But the low-cost revolution only pays off if you pick the right vehicle. In this article, we are going to present the main differences between ETFs, mutual funds, and index funds. We provide a comparison side by side which will help you make the best decision for your individual financial goals.
Poorest Countries in Europe
Europe, despite being considered a prosperous continent, conceals dramatic economic disparities between its nations. In 2026, the GDP per capita differences between Europe's wealthiest and poorest countries are staggering–from over $100,000 in Luxembourg to just $6,380 in Ukraine, which holds the unfortunate title of Europe's poorest country. This position is largely due to the devastating war that has raged on Ukrainian territory for four years. For Americans, understanding European poverty matters for several critical reasons: geopolitical stability, U.S. foreign aid investment, humanitarian context, and business opportunities. Economic desperation in these regions fuels migration crises, political extremism, and instability that affects American strategic interests. This detailed analysis examines the 11 poorest countries in Europe, including both EU member states and nations outside the bloc. The data presented is based on GDP per capita in U.S. dollars and reflects complex structural challenges: communist legacy, armed conflicts, systemic corruption, and political instability. Let's explore the economic reality of these nations and the factors keeping them at the bottom of the European rankings.
Financer Partners Launch
[Financer Partners](https://financer.com/partners/) is how financial companies get listed on our platform, and make sure that listing actually represents them well. We run comparison pages across 23 countries. Millions of people use them to research loans, credit cards, savings accounts, and other financial products before they sign up. The program gives providers a direct say in how they show up in those comparisons. It covers:
Gold ETF vs Physical Gold
Gold just had a *monster* year: The yellow metal smashed through **53** all-time highs in 2025, delivering [roughly 65% returns](https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-outlook-2026) for the full year. Gold prices have continued climbing into 2026, recently trading above $5,100 per ounce. If you're looking to jump in, you face a fundamental choice: **Gold ETFs** or **Physical Gold**. Both give you real gold exposure, but they suit different people. ETFs win on cost and convenience. Physical gold wins on tangible ownership and systemic risk protection. **We have written the go to [Beginners Guide to Gold ETF Investing](https://financer.com/invest/gold-etf-investing/). ** This guide specifically breaks down costs, liquidity, security, taxes, and practical considerations for gold ETFs compared to physical gold, so you can make the call that fits your situation.
Crypto Scams
Crypto scams have become increasingly sophisticated in 2026, with fraudsters using AI-generated deepfakes, automated phishing networks, and long-term psychological manipulation to deceive investors. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), nearly 150,000 complaints involved digital assets in 2024, amounting to $9.3 billion in losses, a 66% increase from the previous year. Blockchain analytics firm Chainalysis estimates that scammers received at least $14 billion on-chain in 2025 alone. In this article, we break down the most common types of crypto fraud targeting US investors today, including the devastating "Pig Butchering" scams, widespread Bitcoin ATM fraud, and a new wave of AI-powered impersonation attacks. We'll show you how to recognize these schemes and, most importantly, how to protect your assets. We also cover exactly how to report crypto scams to federal authorities like the FBI and FTC.
ETFs vs Mutual Funds
You've probably heard that building a diversified investment portfolio is crucial for long-term wealth. **Both ETFs and mutual funds offer you an easy way to own hundreds or even thousands of stocks** without the pressure of picking individual companies. But here's the thing: as of the end of 2025, global ETF assets hit a record [$19.85 trillion](https://etfexpress.com/2026/01/21/assets-in-the-global-etf-industry-hit-record-usd19-85-trillion-in-2025-etfgi/), showing a massive shift in how Americans invest. U.S. ETFs alone pulled in a record [$1.49 trillion in net inflows during 2025](https://www.etf.com/sections/monthly-etf-flows/us-etfs-pull-record-149-trillion-2025). The gap between ETFs and mutual funds keeps narrowing: * **2021:** Cumulative net flows (new money invested) into ETFs since their launch first [surpassed those of mutual funds](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/graphic-global-etfs-saw-record-141738555.html). * **2024:** Passive mutual funds and ETFs combined captured 51% of total AUM, with the ETF component (29%) surpassing the mutual fund component (22%) within the passive category. * **2030:** PwC projects global ETF AUM could [reach $35 trillion by 2030](https://etfexpress.com/2026/03/02/etf-assets-under-management-set-to-reach-usd35trn-by-2030-pwc/), more than doubling from current levels. Some analysts expect U.S. ETF AUM to overtake mutual fund AUM even sooner. This guide breaks down ETFs vs mutual funds across costs, taxes, trading flexibility, and performance. You'll learn which option fits your specific goals, whether you're investing a set amount each month, actively managing your portfolio, or building long-term wealth. By the end, you'll know exactly which investment type delivers better after-tax returns for your situation.
Invest in Index Funds
Investing in [index funds](https://financer.com/invest/index-fund/) is one of the simplest and most effective ways to build **long-term wealth**. Since Vanguard launched the first index fund in 1976, these passive investment vehicles have democratized investing for average Americans. Learning how to invest in index funds for beginners has never been easier. Index funds offer **automatic diversification**, dramatically **lower costs** than actively managed funds, and have consistently **outperformed most active managers**. Over the past 20 years, [94.1%](https://www.spglobal.com/spdji/en/spiva/article/spiva-us/) of all domestic funds underperformed their index benchmarks. You can start with as little as a few dollars, and you only need **30-60 minutes** to open an account and make your first investment.
Gold ETF Investing
Gold ETF investing involves purchasing [exchange-traded funds](https://financer.com/invest/what-is-an-etf/) that track the price of physical gold, giving you exposure to gold prices without owning physical metal. These funds trade on stock exchanges like regular stocks during market hours and typically hold physical gold bullion in secure vaults. Gold prices topped [$5,000 per ounce](https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/global-research/commodities/gold-prices) in early 2026, continuing a historic rally that saw approximately 75% gains over the prior 12 months. Global gold ETF inflows hit a record [$89 billion in 2025](https://www.gold.org/goldhub/research/gold-demand-trends/gold-demand-trends-full-year-2025), with total assets under management reaching an all-time high of $559 billion. This comprehensive guide covers what gold ETF investing is, how to get started, and whether it's a good investment strategy for your portfolio.
Active ETFs
An active ETF is **an Exchange-Traded Fund that is managed by professional portfolio managers**. They make specific investment decisions to try to **earn more money than the market normally would**. In contrast, a passive ETF copies market indices (like the S&P 500) without trying to beat it. When you compare an active ETF vs passive ETF, the core difference is human decision-making versus mechanical index replication. Actively managed ETFs are popular as not only do you get professional active management, you get: tax efficiency, the ability to trade throughout the day, transparency, and typically lower costs than traditional mutual funds. It's no wonder active ETFs have become so mainstream. Let's look at what active ETFs are, how they work, and which ones might be right for you.
Index Fund
An index fund is a type of [mutual fund](https://financer.com/invest/what-is-mutual-fund/) or [exchange-traded fund (ETF)](https://financer.com/invest/what-is-an-etf/) that tracks a specific market index, like the S&P 500, aiming to match its performance rather than beat it. Think of it this way: instead of picking individual apples, oranges, and bananas at the grocery store, you're buying the entire pre-made fruit basket. When you buy shares in an index fund, **you're buying a small piece of hundreds or thousands of companies all at once.** Here's something that might surprise you: passive index funds now hold more assets than actively managed funds in the U.S., crossing that milestone in late 2023. These funds have [transformed how regular people invest](https://www.investor.gov/introduction-investing/investing-basics/investment-products/mutual-funds-and-exchange-traded-4) for retirement and other long-term goals. This is the **ultimate beginner's guide** to understanding what index funds are, how they work, and why everyday investors use them to build wealth. By the end of this guide, you'll understand exactly how index funds work and whether they're right for your financial situation.