Building Wealth
Ebony Smith says losing her job was a blessing in disguise. In 2008, the former investment banker was about one month into her dream job when Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy. Smith worked with the firm’s successor for five months. But, in January 2009, she was laid off with a severance of three months’ salary. By the summer of that year, Smith was back at work as a financial analyst with a major global consulting firm.