Alexis Glick

Alexis Glick is Vice President of Business News and an anchor of Money for Breakfast.

Prior to joining FOX, Glick served as a correspondent for the Today Show and co-anchored the third hour of that program. Before her stint at NBC News, she was the senior trading correspondent for CNBC and reported from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, providing live daily updates for Squawk Box. While at CNBC, Glick also contributed to Street Signs and Closing Bell.

Earlier in her career, Glick was an Executive Director at Morgan Stanley where she headed the New York Stock Exchange Floor Operations. A member of the New York Stock Exchange since 2002, she was the first and youngest woman to manage such an operation for a bulge bracket firm, and served as one of its top producers on the Listed Equity Trading Desk. She began her career as an analyst at Goldman Sachs in the equities division.

Glick is a graduate of Columbia University, where she now serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the College Alumni Association.

What was your first job?

My first job out of college was at Goldman. I was hired into the two-year analyst program, but I guess you could say I was a guinea pig. I was one of the first non-MBA's hired onto the Equity Sales Trading desk. What does that mean? We talked to the portfolio and hedge fund managers who were responsible for purchasing large blocks of stocks in the marketplace. It was about as big pressure cooker as you could imagine. As Wall Street insiders could attest..."No great idea is successful if you can't execute it in the marketplace." That was my job and that happened to involve trading hundreds of millions of dollars daily.

Are you a spender or a saver?

I'm a spender, but I'm smart about my money, too. I wish I could say that I was a better saver but I think I choose to live in the moment. As my dad says, "You never know when it will be your last." Most of my money is invested up in real estate. I bought my first home at 24 years old and several homes later, it's proven to be my best investment. (Other than my husband and my three boys.)

What was the one thing you regret buying?

No regrets! Every choice good or bad teaches you something about yourself. Mistakes are worth taking. Life without risk is not an option for me. Follow your passion, do what you think is right and trust your gut. Dream with your eyes open!

What was your biggest money indulgence?

My honeymoon in South Africa. It may have been more expensive than the wedding itself but boy was it worth it! I can't wait to go back.

What was the best money advice you received?

When buying real estate, never look at what's inside the four walls. Buy first and foremost for location, location, location. See potential. Don't be afraid to knock it down and rebuild. Know what it could be with the right direction. Two tear downs and four homes later, I still believe this is where you can get the greatest return on investment.

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Word of the Day

Profit Margin

Ever been to a clearance sale at a department store and wonder how a massive store like Macy's or Saks can have 50%, 60%, or even 75%-off sales and still remain in business? Ever wonder why that piece of cloth that an Italian designer calls a dress can be worth $2,400, and how much it really costs to make and sell?

Ladies and gentlemen, let's talk profit margin. Profit margin is the difference between how much it costs a company to manufacture, transport and sell its products, and how much it sells them for. If a company made $10 million in profit of sales of $100 million, the profit margin is 10%. You get that number by dividing the profit ($10 million) by the income ($100 million). Usually you'll hear profit margin as a percentage.

The profit margin is a great way to tell how well a company is run. If you have a high profit margin in a company, that means that the company's costs to make the product are low and it can withstand changes in price fairly well. Also you can use profit margin to tell how well a company is run when you look at similar companies.

Let's say you were looking a two candy companies. One has a profit margin of 15%, off $200 million in sales. The other company has a profit margin of 7% off $400 million in sales. The $400 million candy company's profit margin shows the company is having trouble keeping costs down. It might be spending too much money on their CEO's private jet, or their sugar suppliers aren't as good as they could be. Anyway, if investors were looking at the $400 million candy company, they would be asking some serious questions.