Ella Ames Expertise: Personal finance, small business Title: Small Business and Personal Finance Writer Education: University of Dundee, Scotland Location: San Luis Obispo, California Highlights Covers small business finance, entrepreneurship, and startups for The BalanceBegan covering small business in 2015Has also written about small business and personal finance for LendingTree, ValuePenguin, EE Times, PolicyMe, and AllBusiness.comBackground in business journalism Experience Ella Ames is a freelance writer and editor with a focus on personal finance and small business topics. Her work has appeared in The Balance, LendingTree, ValuePenguin, EE Times, PolicyMe, AllBusiness.com, Promo.com, Cities of the Future, PopSugar, The Tribune, and more. Ames has a background in business journalism, and began covering small business in 2015. She enjoys helping readers broaden their financial knowledge and gain control over their finances. Education Ames graduated from the University of Dundee in Scotland. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.