Barbara Nefer has an MFA in Creative Writing and a Doctorate in Psychology, with a special interest in financial scams and online scammers. She’s written about a variety of topics, including personal finance, pets, and psychology, since 1987. She cut her teeth as a news stringer at the Daily Southtown Economist newspaper in Chicago before moving on to magazines like Grit, Bird Talk, Horse Illustrated, Twins, Celebration Life, and The Writer. As the internet exploded, she shifted her attention online, writing for various websites like Livestrong, CBS Local, The Spruce, and WebPsychology. She writes about an eclectic assortment of topics, from personal credit to mental health awareness to coverage of theme parks and other Florida attractions. She’s the author of a career guide, So You Want to be a Counselor, and is currently working on her first novel, a romance featuring a heroine grappling with an online financial scam. Barb fled her frigid hometown of Chicago for Orlando, where she currently lives with her husband and a menagerie of cats, dogs, birds, and guinea pigs. She’s an avid reader and distance walker who does virtual runs and local 5Ks and half marathons. Her happy place is the Fort Wilderness campground at Walt Disney World.