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According to a new CBS News poll, the outlook of Hispanic Americans on their lives, their family’s future, and their opportunities in the U.S., is markedly optimistic.

And in what has been a bitterly-divisive election season, a majority of the American public thinks Hispanics have a positive influence on American culture -- both on society overall (51%) and on the country’s food (78%) and arts and entertainment (57%).

Like Americans overall, Hispanics think immigrants make the U.S. a better plac

From a mostly white southern city devastated by the 1980s oil bust, Houston has transformed into a thriving international metropolis that in 2050 is projected to look more like El Paso, a predominantly Hispanic city on the Mexican border. An El Paso, that is, with Texas-sized shares of white, black and Asian residents.

It's the face of America's future - a stunning turnaround for a one-horse oil town built on a swamp by two New York City real estate promoters. Now the city is the bellwether for

You've heard that networking is the best way to land a job, but you still reject the idea. It's much easier to submit your resume online.

Instead of thinking about how much you dislike schmoozing and meeting people you don't know, be open to the idea of learning about companies and uncovering things you have in common with complete strangers.

There's no such thing as a bad networking contact. Shift your belief that networking is a waste of time. Every person you know (or meet) could potentially

Latinas in the United States are making progress in a number of areas, in fact, "extraordinary progress," according to findings presented at a gathering at the White House.

The graduation rate among young Latinas increased 15 percent from 2003 to 2013, and a greater number of Latinas are continuing on to college.

The report also found that Hispanic women-owned businesses are growing at a faster rate than all women-owned businesses and represent more than $71 billion in revenue in 2014, with expe

Like many other things, networking is a skill. To keep that skill fresh, here are four simple pieces of advice that follow a common theme: They begin with "be":

* Be consistent. Networking is not something you only do when you need new clients. You must be consistent about attending events. I have a few friends who network like crazy when their sales pipeline is dry, then stop networking so they can meet up with all the people they met at those events. And then they start the cycle all over aga

Hispanic Heritage Month, which is generally observed from September 15th-October 15th, is a time to celebrate the contributions and unique heritage of Hispanics and Latinos — except, according to many Latinos, in the workplace.

According to a new study published by the Center for Talent Innovation, Latinos at Work: Unleashing the Power of Culture, most Latinos in the U.S. do not feel that they can bring their whole selves to the office. We found the vast majority of Latinos (76%) repress parts o

On Wednesday, Biz2Credit released its annual study that revealed revenues at Hispanic-owned companies improve substantially in a year-to-year comparison. Hispanic entrepreneurs on the website notably grew by 68.7% in the past 12 months and Hispanic-owned companies had average annual revenues of $202,327, up from $68,540 the previous year while non-Hispanic-owned companies had average annual revenues of $206,855, an increase from $70,645 in 2015.

The study was conduction on over 25,000 small busi

An estimated 55 million Hispanics live in the U.S., approximately 17% of the country’s population, according to the Census Bureau. Further, there are more than four million Hispanic-owned businesses throughout the U.S., and their revenues have climbed to more than $660 billion, according to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. In fact, Hispanic entrepreneurs have been starting businesses at a pace 15 times the national average over the last decade. READ MORE AT FORBES

In 2012, I was working in the Park Avenue offices of BlackRock, investing in hedge funds. I managed a great, diverse team of people, and every day I got to chat with the most successful investors in the world.

But I felt an itch. I wanted to learn about a new industry. I wanted to be more creative. I wanted to tweet using my real name, and break out of my rotation of the same five Brooks Brothers slim-fit shirts.

Here’s where you might expect to hear about my big epiphany... READ MORE AT QUARTZ

Law school enrollment has decreased each year since 2010, according to numbers from the American Bar Association (ABA). That was the all-time high with more than 147,000 students at the 204 ABA-approved schools. But, there’s an interesting trend taking place amid this overall student reduction: more minority students are being admitted and attending law school.

Hispanics are applying to law school less frequently than in 2010, along with all other groups. The change is that more Hispanics and o

September 15 to October 15 is Hispanic Heritage Month. This is a good opportunity to reflect on the progress Latinas have made in the workplace. Compared to previous generations, today’s Latinas tend to be more educated, empowered, independent and comfortable putting themselves at the center of life decisions.

Nowhere is this more evident than in the workplace, where Latinas are making extraordinary advancements.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Latinas’ share of the labor forc

“Follow your passion.”

Perhaps you’ve been told this. It’s similar to that other simplistic slogan: “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

The biggest problem with these extremely popular pieces of advice is that they make the process of choosing and building a career look easy. Just follow your bliss, as the saying goes, and your life will fall into place as if by magic.

The fact is, however, that finding meaningful work that reflects our interests, values, responsibilities and, yes, pas

Mayra Navarro’s bank closed her account after a series of overdrafts. She wasn’t eligible to open another bank account because she had been blacklisted by ChexSystems, an agency that tracks consumers’ banking histories. Like many unbanked Hispanics, she turned to prepaid debit cards, check cashing services and money orders, which all came with fees.

“I felt like I had failed at life and lost all control,” says Navarro, an executive assistant in California.

She’s not alone. Recent data by the Fed

It makes sense for advertisers to target Hispanics, considering the continual growth of the segment.

But there is another advantage in focusing on the Hispanic audience: They’re great at passing along word of mouth brand endorsements.

That’s according to a study from Keller Fay Group, which looked at brand mentions per week over the course of a year.

It found the general public made an average of 62 brand mentions per week, both online and offline. That number was 58 per week for non-Hispanics.

Read feature guest biographies of the 2016 Fall Banking and Finance Networking Forum next Wednesday October 19 at the Dana Hotel and Spa Chicago.

Moderator

Nora Renteria, TV Host, Un Nuevo Amanecer, as featured on Telemundo Chicago

Nora Renteria is a professional Operational Risk manager at BMO Harris with more than a 10 years in corporate financial. She is a TV co-host for “Un Nuevo Amanecer” on Telemundo, as well as an author of “Today’s Inspired Latina” and public speaker at schools and corpo

If you sit at your desk, stare out the window, and wish for a job that actually makes you happy, then it may be time to move your career in a new direction. This is especially true if you've been at it for a few years and find that nothing ever gets better. While we all occasionally get stuck in a bad gig for money's sake, life is simply too short to spend your working hours doing something you find boring, tedious, or unfulfilling.

This is true long-term jobs, but it also applies to new jobs t

If you’re not working with Hispanic clients, you’re missing a huge market, as they remain one of the fastest growing homebuying demographics.

However, if you’re not Hispanic yourself, there are a few things you might want to know before you dive in. Below are some tips from the top two winners of NAHREP’s Top 250 award, Mario Negron, owner/broker associate, RE/MAX Prestige in Houston, Texas, and Claudia Restrepo, of Keller Williams Realty The Legacy Group in Spokane, Wash.

Don’t forget to liste

Jorge Gutierrez had a degree in business and a passion to own a company. His wife, Erika Gutierrez, had a degree and after working her way to the top position at an early child learning company was at a crossroads — continue as director or open her own school.

The Schererville couple chose the entrepreneurial route, joining a growing number of Hispanics in Indiana and across the country in owning their own businesses. READ MORE AT CHICAGO TRIBUNE

ABC 7 CHICAGO will highlight the rich culture and traditions of Chicago’s Hispanic community during Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15-October 15.  ABC 7 will celebrate Chicago’s diverse community with special news reports; the broadcast of the The 26^th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade; a half-hour edition of THE Ñ BEAT; a series of vignettes and special segment on ABC 7’s Windy City LIVE featuring a Latino Fashion Week fashion show. 

The 26^th Street Mexican Independence Day Parade, sp

Janeth Barrera Cantu has spent most of her 18 years living in a cramped trailer in rural North Carolina with her three siblings and parents. Eight years ago, her father was deported to Mexico, where he was shot and killed, a crime that remains unsolved. For several years afterward, her mother, Maria, was left as the sole breadwinner for the family of five.

The trailer is just down the road from Hickory, a town Reader’s Digest named one of the 10 best places in America to raise a family and that