Sonia Morrenda, Financial Services Professional with Nylife Securities LLC

05/28/2026

We all know that AI is a prominent part of the social conversation right now. I have been seeing it integrated into every tool or service. I’ve seen nothing but AI generated posters or pictures and images. It was about time I encountered a prospective client that brought me a very specific question.

“What do you think about using ChatGPT for advice on investments?”

Now, I’m rarely one to be without words. But I did take a minute to think about this. I am not a huge fan of AI. I am doubly not a fan of folks asking a chatbot that cannot think for advice on a very personal situation.

The majority of people cannot prompt these AI services in the most effective way. I truly do not think people connect how many little personal details need to be factored into any type of financial guidance.

In the Capital Region, including myself, there are so many fantastic Financial Educators holding workshops or collaborating on programming to bring education to the masses. The last place I want folks to be going is in a direction that leads to people losing their retirement savings because a chatbot scraped some language from an internet forum to tell you what product to invest in.

Please use your resources folks. And talk to a real person about it.

05/20/2026

Retirement is sometimes reduced to the question: “Do I have enough?” And while this is indeed important, it’s only a part of the story.

Review cash flow, withdrawals, debt and taxes before you retire. This guide shows how to strengthen your plan and avoid gaps that can strain your savings.

05/01/2026

AARP exclusive report: Family caregivers provided 49.5 billion hours of care in 2024, ranking among America’s largest workforces.

AARP exclusive report: Family caregivers provided 49.5 billion hours of care in 2024, ranking among America’s largest workforces

04/29/2026

Millionaire status is rising, but most are older. Here are strategies younger Americans may consider when building wealth.

Millionaire status is rising, but most are older. Here’s how younger Americans can build wealth.

04/22/2026

On Sunday, I had the pleasure of vending at the Albany Capital Center Bridal Show with Carrie Gallipo. We had a fantastic time! The attendees were high energy and the vendors all around us were super fun!

We had such engaging conversations with folks about joining their finances together, planning for a joint retirement, thinking about the expense of paying for the wedding, and timing!

I think it was the conversations about timing that stuck with me. Yes, the wedding is the big event they are racing towards, but that doesn't mean that we throw our other financial goals to the back seat for the next year or two. At this point, we can understand the impact that a single year can have on our financial journey.

So then how can we achieve that balance? Saving for a wedding, a house, a family? All while savings, investing, and planning for retirement? It's a lot to handle! That's why we have to make sure to enthusiastically engage with our money!

Keep the financial literacy high! Understand your income and your expenses. Know where your money goes. And make good decisions when the opportunity arises! And seek help. Stay curious and openminded folks!

04/13/2026

You’re working hard to build wealth — but are you making the most of tax-efficient opportunities along the way? Now’s a great time to review your tax return and explore strategies that could help you reduce your tax burden and strengthen your long-term financial goals. Message me if you’d like to schedule a quick review and see what’s possible.

04/10/2026

Here’s what you should know about the hidden economic value of unpaid work.

Stay-at-home parents' unpaid labor is worth thousands annually, yet most families underinsure them. Learn why life insurance should value their contributions.

04/09/2026

If you own a business, your estate plan has to do more than list who gets what. It needs to protect the company you’ve built, keep operations running smoothly if something happens to you, and give your family clarity instead of chaos. This article describes how the right trust can support privacy, continuity, and long-term planning for business owners. If you would like to explore how a trust can support your succession goals or safeguard your business for the future, let’s get together and walk through your options.

04/08/2026

Money questions every couple should ask. Learn how honest financial conversations can reduce stress, prevent conflict and build shared goals.

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02/16/2026

Good Morning Folks! This week’s spotlight spins over to Gwendolyn Brooks.

Brooks was born in Topeka, Kansas, but her family moved to Chicago when she was young. Her father was a janitor who had hoped to become a doctor; her mother was a school teacher and a classically trained pianist; both supported their daughter’s passion for reading and writing. Brooks was 13 when she published her first poem, “Eventide,” in American Childhood; by the time she was 17, she was publishing poems frequently in the Chicago Defender. After attending junior college and working for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), she developed her craft in poetry workshops and completed her first collection, A Street in Bronzeville (Harper & Brothers, 1945).

Gwendolyn Brooks is one of the most influential and widely read 20th-century American poets. The author of more than 20 books, she was highly regarded even during her lifetime and had the distinction of being the first Black poet to win the Pulitzer Prize. She was also the first Black woman to hold the role of Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress, a position now referred to as the Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, and served as the Illinois poet laureate for 32 years. Her body of work gave her, according to critic George E. Kent, “a unique position in American letters. Not only has she combined a strong commitment to racial identity and equality with a mastery of poetic techniques, but she has also managed to bridge the gap between the academic poets of her generation in the 1940s and the young Black militant writers of the 1960s.”

Because of the wide recognition of her service and achievements, several schools were named for her, and she was similarly honored in 1970 by the founding of Western Illinois University’s Gwendolyn Brooks Cultural Center. In 2017, the centenary of Brooks’ birth was celebrated at the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where her papers are held. “Brooks Day” is celebrated annually in her hometown of Chicago.

Did you learn something new today?