Nela Richardson joined Edward Jones in 2018 and was named an Edward Jones principal in 2020. Today she serves as the firm’s investment strategist, analyzing and interpreting economic trends and market conditions, identifying risks and opportunities, and recommending strategies to help clients reach their long-term financial goals.

Prior to joining Edward Jones, Nela was the chief economist at Redfin Corp., a national real estate brokerage and technology company, where she led a team of data scientists, economists and writers to track trends in the housing market. Nela also served as a senior economist for Bloomberg, L.P., covering housing and financial markets, and has held research positions at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies and Freddie Mac. She also worked as an adjunct finance professor at the Carney School of Business at John Hopkins University.

Nela earned a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland-College Park with concentrations in financial economics, international finance and economic development. She obtained a master’s degree in economics from the University of Pennsylvania and a bachelor’s degree from Indiana University in Bloomington, where she was a triple major in mathematics, economics and philosophy.

Nela regularly provides insight on the market, the economy, real estate trends and public policy to policymakers, consumers and media. She is a regular contributor to Marketplace from American Public Media and has frequently appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg, CNN, Yahoo Finance, the Wall Street Journal, FORTUNE magazine, The New York Times and other national and local media.

Nela serves on the foundation board for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Conference of Business Economists. She is married and has two sons.

Nela is regularly featured in the media and is a contributor to Edward Jones Market Insights.