Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez
- Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez is personal finance expert with some tips for car buyers.
- She said shoppers often overlook ownership costs, which include maintenance and insurance.
- Here's O'Connell Rodriguez's advice for buying a car, as told to Insider's reporter.
This as-told-to essay is based on a transcribed conversation with Stefanie O'Connell Rodriguez, a 37-year-old personal finance expert, public speaker, and writer based in New York. She hosts Real Simple Magazine's "Money Confidential" podcast.
O'Connell Rodriguez has built her brand around "ambition, money, and power." She has contributed to outlets like Bloomberg, Newsweek, USA Today, and more. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.