Good for You Awards 2024: Meet the Experts

For our inaugural Good for You Awards, our team of Commerce editors and writers populated our list of contenders with a combination of the products we’ve already used and trusted for years, and products that were new to us to test over course of three-plus months. But to tell you about the products that are truly worth your dollars, we knew we had to bring in the big guns, too.

To that end, we recruited a panel of experts in each category to vet our chosen products. They took note of the products they personally back, high-performing products, and any products that they don’t trust — and those products were thrown out of the running. Plus, we tapped our own, in-house experts from the Well, Parenting, and Finance teams to round it out. Here are the outside experts who cosigned the products.

Vivian Tu

Vivian Tu is a former Wall Street trader, personal finance educator, public speaker, entrepreneur, and bestselling author. She is the founder and CEO of “Your Rich BFF,” which she developed as a passion project to make the rules of personal finance accessible to non-experts and marginalized communities. She’s earned 7 million followers and counting across social media platforms and earned honors on both the Forbes “30 Under 30 – Social Media” (2023) and “Top Creators” (2022 + 2023) lists, the “MarketWatch 50,” “PureWow’s” 24 in ’24, and “Bankrate’s” 2024 Visionaires. Vivian’s debut book, "RICH AF: The Winning Money Mindset That Will Change Your Life" (Portfolio/Penguin Random House) became an instant “New York Times” bestseller in December 2023.  Vivian also hosts a top-charting podcast, "Networth and Chill", and writes a Substack, "enRICHed with Your Rich BFF".

TikTok: @yourrichbff

Instagram: @your.richbff

Rianka R. Dorsainvil, CFP®

Rianka R. Dorsainvil is a Certified Financial Planner and co-founder and co-CEO of 2050 Wealth Partners, a virtual, fee-only comprehensive financial planning firm dedicated to serving first-generation wealth-builders, entrepreneurs, and thriving professionals. Rianka serves as a member of CNBC's Digital Financial Advisor Council and CFP Board’s Diversity Advisory Group, is a Forbes Personal Finance Contributor, and has been recognized for her accomplishments and leadership within the industry by leading publications and organizations such as Investment News’ inaugural 2017 Women to Watch Rising Star and Wealth Management’s Ten to Watch in 2018. She has been published in PBS NewsHour, “Forbes,” “USA Today,” “Black Enterprise,” CNBC, “Women’s Health,” and more.

Instagram: @rianka_d

Ashley Feinstein Gerstley, CFP®

Ashley Feinstein Gerstley is a personal finance expert, CFP®, speaker, and the author of “Financial Adulting” and “The 30-Day Money Cleanse.” She founded The Fiscal Femme, a feminist money platform, and has helped thousands of people feel financially confident, achieve major financial goals, and destress their relationships with money. She has appeared on or been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, the TODAY Show, CNBC, “Forbes,” NBC, “Glamour,” and the “The New York Times.” Ashley has worked in the financial services industry for over fifteen years: first as an investment banker, then in corporate finance, and most recently running The Fiscal Femme. She graduated with a Bachelor's in Finance from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.

Instagram: @thefiscalfemme

Miriam Fried

Miriam Fried is the founder and head trainer at MF Strong, an NYC-based coalition of personal trainers operating out of locations in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Midtown Manhattan, as well as offering remote online training to clients across the globe. She has worked in the fitness industry for 10 years and holds a BFA from NYU, is a certified personal trainer through the American Council on Exercise, and has advanced certifications in pre/postnatal exercise, functional movement, nutrition, and size inclusive training. 

Instagram: @miriamfried

Sophia Reid, MD, FAAD

Dr. Sophia Reid is a board-certified dermatologist and certified integrative dermatologist who specializes in medical, surgical, and cosmetic dermatology, practicing in Bergen County, New Jersey. She completed medical school at Georgetown University School of Medicine in and her dermatology residency at Montefiore Medical Center. Her passion is combining medical and integrative therapies in science-backed health care and skin care to achieve best outcomes. 

Instagram: @dr_sophiaskin

Carolyn Rubenstein, PhD

Dr. Carolyn Rubenstein is a licensed psychologist based in Florida, where she runs her private practice. She focuses on treating anxiety, burnout, and self-sabotaging behaviors, including perfectionism. Dr. Carolyn is the author of the "Beyond Burnout Workbook," the inaugural release in a series of clinically-supported tools aimed at burnout recovery. She regularly shares practical tips on how to navigate the complexities of being perfectly human on her Instagram.

Instagram: @carolynrubensteinphd

May Zhu, RD

May Zhu is the Chicago-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist behind Nutrition Happens, where she helps busy women discover a healthier relationship with food by teaching sustainable eating habits for life. She holds a Bachelor's of Science in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Clemson University and a Master's of Business Administration from Dominican University. 

Instagram: @nutritionhappens