Meet NerdWallet's Editorial Team

Our knowledgeable writers and editors help people lead richer lives by making complex financial decisions easier to understand.

Senior editorial team leadership

The content team is managed by a VP and two directors with a combined 60-plus years of writing and editing experience, both in consumer news and traditional journalism. All three have been leaders at NerdWallet since 2015-16.

Hanah Cho — Vice President of Content
Hanah Cho led multiple NerdWallet teams focused on personal finance before being promoted to director and then vice president. She originally joined NerdWallet as a writer, covering small business. Before that, she covered business and startups at The Dallas Morning News, and previously was a business writer for The Baltimore Sun. She also was treasurer of the Texas Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association.

Marcus Chan
Senior Director of Content

Marcus Chan joined NerdWallet as an editor of data-driven content before being promoted to deputy director and then director. Previously, he was technology editor for Bloomberg.com. Before that, he was the San Francisco Chronicle's business editor, technology editor and database editor, as well as the newsroom's first multimedia editor.

Jennifer Mulrean
Director of Content

Jennifer Mulrean joined NerdWallet as a senior assigning editor in 2016. Before that, she spent 16 years at MSN in various editorial roles, including writer, editor and producer on MSN Money and managing editor of several sites. Previously, she covered the arts, business and real estate for a daily newspaper in Aspen, Colorado. At NerdWallet, she works most closely with the investing, insurance, banking, credit cards and travel rewards teams.

Editors

NerdWallet editors ensure high-quality content that helps all readers make financial decisions with confidence.

Rick VanderKnyff
Senior Assigning Editor

Rick VanderKnyff leads the team responsible for expanding NerdWallet content to additional topics within personal finance. Previously, he has worked as a channel manager at MSN.com, as a web manager at University of California San Diego, and as a copy editor and staff writer at the Los Angeles Times. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in communications and a Master of Arts in anthropology.

Kirsten VerHaar
Senior Assigning Editor

Kirsten VerHaar is an editor for loans and personal finance, with an English literature degree from the University of Colorado Boulder. In her previous roles, she was a lead editor with eBay, where she managed a team of writers who produced coverage for the site's global content team. She has also written for Yahoo. Since joining NerdWallet in 2015, she has covered topics as wide-ranging as vacuums (yes, really), budgeting and Black Friday.

Chris Hutchison
Lead Assigning Editor

Chris Hutchison helped build NerdWallet's content operation and has worked across banking, investing and taxes. He now leads a team exploring new markets. Before joining NerdWallet, he was an editor and programmer at ESPN and a copy editor at the San Jose Mercury News.

Tony Armstrong
Lead Assigning Editor

Tony Armstrong began his NerdWallet career as a writer and worked his way up to assistant assigning editor and then to lead assigning editor on the banking team. His work has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, Mashable, Money, Nasdaq.com, USA Today and VentureBeat. He has appeared on Minnesota Public Radio. Tony earned a bachelor's degree in English literature and creative writing from Macalester College.

Paul Soucy
Lead Assigning Editor

Paul Soucy has led the Credit Cards content team at NerdWallet since 2015. He was an editor with USA Today, The Des Moines Register and the Meredith/Better Homes and Gardens family of magazines for more than 20 years. He also built a successful freelance writing and editing practice with a focus on business and personal finance. He was editor of the USA Today Weekly International Edition for six years and received the highest award from ACES: The Society for Editing. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. He lives in Des Moines, Iowa, with his fiancée, his two sons and a dog named Sam.

Arielle O'Shea
Lead Assigning Editor

Arielle O’Shea leads the investing and taxes team at NerdWallet. She has covered personal finance and investing for 15 years, previously as a researcher and reporter for leading personal finance journalist and author Jean Chatzky. Arielle has appeared as a financial expert on the "Today" show, NBC News and ABC's "World News Tonight," and has been quoted in national publications including The New York Times, MarketWatch and Bloomberg News.

Samantha Allen
Lead Assigning Editor

Samantha Allen leads the insurance team at NerdWallet. Previously, she was the digital managing editor for the publications Financial Planning and On Wall Street. She attended Northwestern University's certified financial planner program and has been covering personal finance and wealth management for more than 10 years.

Kathy Hinson
Lead Assigning Editor

Kathy Hinson leads the Core Personal Finance team at NerdWallet. Previously, she spent 18 years at The Oregonian in Portland in roles including copy desk chief and team leader for design and editing. Prior experience includes news and copy editing for several Southern California newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of Iowa.

Mary Flory
Lead Assigning Editor

Mary Flory leads NerdWallet's growing team of assigning editors at large. Before joining NerdWallet's content team, she had spent more than 12 years developing content strategies, managing newsrooms and mentoring writers and editors. Her previous experience includes being an executive editor at the American Marketing Association and an editor at news and feature syndicate Content That Works.

Amanda Derengowski
Lead Assigning Editor

Amanda is a longtime personal finance editor. She leads the international expansion content team at NerdWallet, providing guidance to audiences in the U.K., Canada and Australia. Previously, she helped lead the mortgages and small-business teams. Before her time at NerdWallet, Amanda spent 10 years as a content and communications manager in the mortgages and real estate industry. Before that, she was a copy editor for the Contra Costa Times. She has a master’s degree in journalism and is a Dow Jones News Fund alum.

Kim Lowe
Lead Assigning Editor

Kim Lowe leads the personal loans editorial team. She joined NerdWallet after 15 years managing content for MSN.com, including travel, health and food. She started her career as a writer for publications that covered the mortgage, supermarket and restaurant industries. Kim earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Iowa and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Washington.

Tim Manni
Lead Assigning Editor

Tim Manni is a lead assigning editor at large, providing him the opportunity to work with various teams across NerdWallet's content. Prior to becoming an editor at large, Tim spent over five years as an editor on the home/mortgages team. Before joining NerdWallet, Tim was a writer and editor with HSH.com, a financial publisher, where his work was quoted and featured in numerous publications and broadcasts coast to coast.

Robert Beaupre
Lead Assigning Editor

Robert Beaupre leads the SMB team at NerdWallet. He has covered financial topics as an editor for more than a decade. Before joining NerdWallet, he served as senior editorial manager of QuinStreet's insurance sites and managing editor of Insure.com. In addition, he served as an online media manager for the University of Nevada, Reno.

Jeanette Margle
Lead Assigning Editor

Jeanette Margle leads the home loans content team at NerdWallet, where she has worked since 2019. Previously, she led NerdWallet's travel rewards content team and spent three years editing for Upgraded Points while self-employed as an editor and writing coach.Jeanette earned bachelor's degrees in journalism and Plan II Honors from the University of Texas at Austin and has a Master of Education from the University of Houston. A lifelong Texan, Jeanette grew up in a small town in the Hill Country and lives in the Houston area with her husband and daughters.

Kevin Berry
Lead Assigning Editor

Kevin Berry leads the travel rewards team at NerdWallet, and has traveled extensively for over a decade using points and miles. His favorite travel destinations are Las Vegas and the beaches of Mexico. Previously, he managed the content and social media teams for NBC Sports in Portland for eight years. His prior experience also includes time as a financial analyst (Comcast) and business system analyst (Nike).

Karen Gaudette Brewer
Acting Lead Assigning Editor

Karen Gaudette Brewer joined NerdWallet with 20 years of experience working in newsrooms and leading editorial teams, most recently as executive editor of HealthCentral. She launched her journalism career with The Associated Press and later worked for The (Riverside) Press-Enterprise, The Seattle Times, PCC Community Markets and Allrecipes.com. Her writing has been honored by the Society for Features Journalism and the Society of Professional Journalists. In addition, she’s written two books about the Pacific Northwest.

Alice Holbrook
Assigning Editor

Alice Holbrook joined NerdWallet in 2013 and is an editor on the home/mortgages team. Previously, she was an editor on the banking team, covered insurance and banking as a writer, and did a stint on the copy desk. Her work has been featured by USA Today, MarketWatch, Newsweek and The Washington Post.

Lacie Glover
Assigning Editor

Lacie Glover spent more than five years covering health care costs and all types of insurance as a NerdWallet writer before being promoted to assistant assigning editor in 2019 and later to assigning editor. As a writer, her work was featured in The Associated Press, The Motley Fool and U.S. News & World Report. Lacie is a NerdWallet authority on insurance products and loves data, analytics and solving SEO mysteries.

Claire Tsosie
Assigning Editor

Claire Tsosie is an assigning editor for NerdWallet. Her areas of expertise include research and strategy. She’s edited articles on a variety of topics, including business software, Medicare and home improvement. Previously, she was a credit cards writer at NerdWallet for over five years. Her work was featured by Forbes, USA Today and The Associated Press. She's been a speaker at both CardCon (2017, 2018) and FinCon (2019).

Courtney Neidel
Assigning Editor

Courtney Neidel is an assigning editor for the core personal finance team at NerdWallet. She joined NerdWallet in 2014 and spent six years writing about shopping, budgeting and money-saving strategies before being promoted to editor. Courtney has been interviewed as a retail authority by "Good Morning America," Cheddar and CBSN. Her prior experience includes freelance writing for California newspapers.

Kenley Young
Assigning Editor

Kenley Young directs daily credit cards coverage for NerdWallet. Previously, he was a homepage editor and digital content producer for Fox Sports, and before that a front page editor for Yahoo. He has decades of experience in digital and print media, including stints as a copy desk chief, a wire editor and a metro editor for the McClatchy newspaper chain.

Mary Makarushka
Assigning Editor

Mary Makarushka is an assigning editor on the Home/Mortgages team at NerdWallet, with a mission to create clear, engaging, actionable content to help consumers navigate an increasingly challenging homebuying market. She was previously managing editor of Bloomberg Personal Finance and has also held editing positions at Entertainment Weekly, The New York Observer and Manhattan, inc. For the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she was in charge of health communication strategy for the campus throughout the H1N1 influenza pandemic.

Beth Buczynski
Assigning Editor

Beth Buczynski is an assigning editor on the international expansion team at NerdWallet. Previously, Beth spent four years covering mortgages and homeownership for NerdWallet, first as a writer and later as an editor. As a writer, her work was featured by The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and Money magazine, among others. Beth holds a master’s degree in public communication from Colorado State University.

Ryan Lane
Assigning Editor

Ryan Lane is an editor on the small-business team and a NerdWallet authority on student loans. He spent more than a decade as a writer and editor for student loan guarantor American Student Assistance and was a managing editor for publisher Cell Press. Ryan’s work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch, and he previously co-authored the U.S. News & World Report Student Loan Ranger blog.

Lisa Green
Assigning Editor

Lisa Green was an insurance writer at NerdWallet before being promoted to editor. Previously, she spent more than 20 years as an editor at The Tennessean in Nashville, where she was part of a 2011 Pulitzer Prize finalist team. Her work has won awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the Society of Professional Journalists.

Pamela de la Fuente
Assigning Editor

Pamela de la Fuente joined NerdWallet after 17 years as a writer and editor at companies including Sprint and The Kansas City Star. She is a thought leader in content diversity, equity and inclusion and a two-time winner of the Kansas City Association of Black Journalists' President's Award. Most recently, she was an editorial director at Hallmark Cards. Her work has been featured on Hallmark.com, Motherly.com and KansasCity.com.

Megan Lee
Assigning Editor

Megan Lee joined the travel rewards team at NerdWallet with over 10 years of SEO, writing and content development experience, primarily in international education and nonprofit work. She has been published in U.S. News & World Report, USA Today and elsewhere, and has spoken at conferences like that of NAFSA: Association of International Educators. Megan has built and directed remote writing teams and strategies for websites like GoAbroad and Go Overseas.

Sally Lauckner
Assigning Editor

Sally Lauckner joined NerdWallet with more than 10 years of experience in digital media. Most recently, she was the editorial director at Fundera, where she led a team focused on small-business content. Her prior experience includes two years as a senior editor at SmartAsset, where she edited a wide range of personal finance content, and five years at the AOL Huffington Post Media Group, where she held a variety of editorial roles. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Columbia University and a master's degree in journalism from New York University.

Sheri Gordon
Assistant Assigning Editor

Sheri Gordon is an assistant assigning editor on the Core Personal Finance team at NerdWallet and has edited financial content for more than 20 years. Before joining NerdWallet, Sheri was on the business and metro copy desks at the Los Angeles Times, where she worked on stories that won the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news. Sheri has edited publications on arts, culture, food, education and activism. She has also edited books on water policy, healthy living and architecture. Sheri earned a Bachelor of Arts in history at the University of California, Los Angeles.

Laura McMullen
Assistant Assigning Editor

Laura McMullen assigns and edits financial news content. She was previously a senior writer at NerdWallet and covered saving, making and budgeting money; she also contributed to the "Millennial Money" column for The Associated Press. Before joining NerdWallet in 2015, Laura worked for U.S. News & World Report, where she wrote and edited content related to careers, wellness and education and also contributed to the company's rankings projects. Before working at U.S. News & World Report, Laura interned at Vice Media and studied journalism, history and Arabic at Ohio University. Laura lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @lauraemcmullen.

Tina Orem
Assistant Assigning Editor

Tina Orem is an editor at NerdWallet. Prior to becoming an editor, she covered small business and taxes at NerdWallet. She has been a financial writer and editor for over 15 years, and she has a degree in finance, as well as a master's degree in journalism and a Master of Business Administration. Previously, she was a financial analyst and director of finance for several public and private companies. Tina's work has appeared in a variety of local and national media outlets.

Meghan Coyle
Assistant Assigning Editor

Meghan Coyle has been writing about travel since 2018. She covers travel industry news, airline and hotel loyalty programs, and how to travel on points. Her work has previously appeared in The Washington Post, NPR, PRX, KPCC, KCRW and YR Media. She is a graduate of the University of Southern California with a degree in journalism. Twitter: @inkwaves.

Chris Davis
Assistant Assigning Editor

Chris Davis is an assistant assigning editor on the investing team. As a writer, he covered the stock market, investing strategies and investment accounts, and as a spokesperson, he appeared on NBC Bay Area and was quoted in Forbes, Apartment Therapy, Martha Stewart and Lifewire, among others. His work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, MSN, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Newsday and TheStreet. Previously, he was the content manager for the luxury property management service InvitedHome and the section editor for the legal and finance desk of international marketing agency Brafton. He is based in Longmont, Colorado.

Erin Hurd
Assistant Assigning Editor

Erin Hurd is a credit card and travel rewards expert at NerdWallet. Her work has been featured in Yahoo, Nasdaq, TheStreet, International Living, the Daily Reckoning, Personal Finance and FinanceBuzz. Previously the director of strategic growth at a large financial publishing company, Erin is passionate about harnessing the power of credit card and loyalty rewards to travel the world. When she's not writing, she's planning the next adventure for her family of four using points and miles. Twitter: @ErinHurd1.

Athena Cocoves
Assistant Assigning Editor

Athena Cocoves joined NerdWallet's international expansion team in 2020 and has focused her efforts on content strategy and planning in the United Kingdom and Canada. Before that, she was the managing editor of publications at Adams Street Publishing Co., where she edited arts and entertainment magazines. Athena is a three-time winner of the Press Club of Toledo's Touchstone Award for Excellence in Journalism.

Erica Corbin
Assistant Assigning Editor

Erica Corbin joined NerdWallet in 2020 as an assistant assigning editor at large. She previously wrote and edited content at companies such as GOBankingRates and Nasdaq. Her work has been syndicated to USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN and more. She also has worked as a freelance writer and editor for over a decade for various clients and publications across industries. Erica holds a bachelor's degree in English literature from Seattle Pacific University.

Christine Aebischer
Assistant Assigning Editor

Christine Aebischer is an assistant assigning editor on the small-business team who joined NerdWallet in 2020, originally as a copy editor. Previously, she held editing roles at Fundera, Northwestern Mutual and LearnVest, where she covered a variety of personal and business finance topics. Christine earned bachelor's degrees in English and journalism from The College of New Jersey.

Caitlin Constantine
Assistant Assigning Editor

Caitlin Constantine is an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet, focusing on homeowners and renters insurance. Previously, she was the deputy managing editor at The Penny Hoarder. Her experience also includes a decade as a digital producer for a 24/7 news station based in the Tampa Bay area. She holds a degree in journalism and media studies from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

Johanna Arnone
Assistant Assigning Editor

Johanna Arnone helps lead coverage of homeownership and mortgages at NerdWallet. She has more than 15 years' experience in editorial roles, including six years at the helm of Muse, an award-winning science and tech magazine for young readers. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English literature from Canada's McGill University and a Master of Fine Arts in writing for children and young adults. Johanna has also completed coursework in Boston University’s Financial Planning Certificate program. She is based in New Hampshire.

Yuliya Goldshteyn
Assistant Assigning Editor

Yuliya Goldshteyn is a banking editor at NerdWallet. She previously worked as an editor, a writer and a research analyst in industries ranging from health care to market research. She earned a bachelor's degree in history from the University of California, Berkeley and a master's degree in social sciences from the University of Chicago, with a focus on Soviet cultural history. She is based in Portland, Oregon.

Dawnielle Robinson-Walker
Assistant Assigning Editor

Dawnielle Robinson-Walker spent 16 years as a college English instructor, teaching creative writing and African-American literature before she began writing and editing for various companies and online publications. Prior to joining NerdWallet, she was an editor at Hallmark Cards and a contributing writer at Forbes Health.

Holly Carey
Assistant Assigning Editor

Holly Carey joined NerdWallet in 2021 as an assistant assigning editor on the team responsible for expanding content to additional topics within personal finance. Previously, she wrote and edited content and developed digital media strategies as a public affairs officer for the U.S. Navy. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Mary Washington and a master’s degree in journalism from Norfolk State University.

Sara Clarke
Assistant Assigning Editor

Sara Clarke is a Banking editor at NerdWallet. She has been an editor and project manager in newsrooms for two decades, most recently at U.S. News & World Report. She managed projects such as the U.S. News education rankings and the Best States rankings. Sara has appeared on SiriusXM Business Radio and iHeartMedia’s WHO Newsradio and has been quoted in The Salt Lake Tribune, The St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer Press and other outlets. She is based near Washington, D.C.

Julie Myhre-Nunes
Assistant Assigning Editor

Julie Myhre-Nunes is an assistant assigning editor at NerdWallet. She has been working in the personal finance space for more than 10 years. Before joining NerdWallet, Julie oversaw editorial teams at NextAdvisor, Red Ventures and Quote.com. Her personal finance insight has been featured on Forbes, The Boston Globe and CNBC throughout the years. Julie's writing has been published by USA Today, Business Insider and Wired Insights, among others. Twitter: @jmyhrenunes.

Giselle Cancio
Assistant Assigning Editor

Giselle M. Cancio is an editor for the travel rewards team at NerdWallet. She has traveled to over 30 states and 20 countries, redeeming points and miles for almost a decade. She has over eight years of experience in journalism and content development across many topics. She has juggled many roles in her career: writer, editor, social media manager, producer, on-camera host, videographer and photographer. She has been published in several media outlets and was selected to report from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. She is based in Miami.

Writers

NerdWallet’s writers and spokespeople use skills and expertise from diverse career backgrounds to break down complex money topics.

Spencer Tierney
Senior Writer

Spencer Tierney is a consumer banking writer who joined NerdWallet full time in 2014 and is an expert on certificates of deposit. His work has been featured by The Associated Press, USA Today, MSN, SF Gate and the Los Angeles Times, among others. Spencer earned a bachelor’s degree in English at the University of California, Berkeley. Twitter: @SpencerNerd.

Erin El Issa
Senior Writer

Erin El Issa is a data studies writer who joined NerdWallet in 2014. She covers a variety of topics, including credit cards, travel, investing, banking and student loans. Erin earned her bachelor's degree in accounting and worked as a tax accountant before creating data-driven content. In her spare time, Erin reads voraciously and tries in vain to keep up with her energetic toddler.

Elizabeth Renter
Senior Writer/Spokesperson

Elizabeth Renter spends her time hunting for consumer takeaways in datasets and crunching numbers for all things personal finance. Her work has been cited by The New York Times, The Washington Post, the "Today" show, CNBC and elsewhere. When not playing with words and numbers, she enjoys traveling, powerlifting and restoring her Victorian home. Twitter: @elizabethrenter.

Anna Helhoski
Senior Writer

Anna Helhoski is a writer covering economic news and trends in consumer finance for the breaking news team. She is also a NerdWallet authority on student loans. Anna joined NerdWallet in 2014, and her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today. She previously covered local news in the New York metro area for the Daily Voice and New York state politics for The Legislative Gazette. She holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Purchase College, State University of New York. Twitter: @AnnaHelhoski.

Margarette Burnette
Senior Writer

Margarette Burnette is a savings expert who has been writing about bank accounts since before the Great Recession. Her work has been featured in The Associated Press, USA Today and other major newspapers. Before joining NerdWallet, Margarette was a freelance journalist with bylines in magazines such as Good Housekeeping, Black Enterprise and Parenting. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Twitter: @margarette.

Hal M. Bundrick, CFP
Senior Writer

Hal M. Bundrick is a personal finance writer and a NerdWallet authority in money matters. He is a certified financial planner and former financial consultant and senior investment specialist for Wall Street firms. Hal advised families, business owners, nonprofits and trusts, as well as managed group employee retirement plans in the South and Midwest. Hal now works to make financial topics understandable and jargon-free. Twitter: @halmbundrick.

Kelsey Sheehy
Senior Writer

Kelsey Sheehy is a NerdWallet authority on small business. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today and The Associated Press, where she writes a column about millennials and money. Kelsey has appeared on the "Today" show, NBC News and "ABC World News Tonight" and has been quoted by the Los Angeles Times, CNBC and MarketWatch, among other publications. Twitter: @KelseyLSheehy.

Barbara Marquand
Senior Writer

Barbara Marquand writes about mortgages, homebuying and homeownership. Previously, she wrote about insurance and investing at NerdWallet and has covered personal finance for more than a decade. Prior to that, she wrote for national consumer and trade publications on a wide range of topics, including business, careers and parenting. Her work has appeared in MarketWatch, MSN Money, USA Today, The Washington Post and many others. Twitter: @barbaramarquand.

Liz Weston, CFP
Senior Writer

Liz Weston is a certified financial planner, award-winning journalist and author of five books about money, including the bestselling "Your Credit Score." She has appeared on numerous national television and radio programs, including the "Today" show, "NBC Nightly News," the "Dr. Phil" show and "All Things Considered." Her columns are carried by The Associated Press and appear in hundreds of media outlets each week. Prior to NerdWallet, she wrote for MSN, Reuters, AARP The Magazine and the Los Angeles Times. Twitter: @lizweston.

Sean Pyles
Senior Writer

Sean Pyles is host of the NerdWallet "Smart Money" podcast and a debt writer who joined NerdWallet in 2016. His work focuses on helping consumers manage debt and has appeared in USA Today, The New York Times and elsewhere. When he's not writing about personal finance, Sean can be found tending to his garden and taking his dog for walks around beautiful Portland, Oregon. Twitter: @seanpyles.

Kimberly Palmer
Senior Writer/Spokesperson

Kimberly Palmer is a personal finance expert at NerdWallet. She has been featured on the "Today" show and in The New York Times. She is the author of three books about money: "Smart Mom, Rich Mom," "The Economy of You" and “Generation Earn.” Previously, she was a money editor at U.S. News & World Report and AARP. Kimberly's work also appears on NerdWallet Canada. Twitter: @KimberlyPalmer.

Holden Lewis
Senior Writer/Spokesperson

Holden Lewis is a mortgage reporter and spokesperson who joined NerdWallet in 2017. He previously wrote for Bankrate. He has written articles about mortgages since 2001. He has been president of the National Association of Real Estate Editors and has won writing awards from NAREE, the Society of American Business Editors and Writers, and the Society of Professional Journalists. Twitter: @HoldenL.

Sara Rathner
Senior Writer/Spokesperson

Sara Rathner is a credit cards and travel expert at NerdWallet. She's appeared on the "Today" show, "NBC Nightly News" and CNBC's "Nightly Business Report" and has been quoted in The New York Times, Yahoo Finance, Time, Reuters, NBC News, Business Insider and MarketWatch. Before joining NerdWallet, Sara worked at The Motley Fool for nearly 10 years. She also worked as a freelance personal finance writer and paraplanner and has a bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University. Twitter: @sarakrathner.

Sam Kemmis
Senior Writer

Sam Kemmis is a travel rewards expert at NerdWallet. He specializes in data analysis of travel programs, including NerdWallet's point and mile valuations. His work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, MarketWatch, The Points Guy and The Onion. He has presented at CardCon and the Altitude Conference. In 2017 he founded MyTravelNerd, a personalized travel deals newsletter. He is a nomad, meditator and apprentice potion maker. Twitter: @samsambutdif.

Melissa Lambarena
Lead Writer

Melissa Lambarena is a personal finance writer who joined NerdWallet in 2016. Her prior experience includes nine years as a content creator for several publications and websites. Her work has been featured by The Associated Press, The New York Times, Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, USA Today and Yahoo Finance, among others. Melissa has a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Twitter: @LissaLambarena.

Lauren Schwahn
Lead Writer

Lauren Schwahn is a personal finance writer who covers budgeting, saving and making money. She joined NerdWallet in 2016, originally writing product reviews and other shopping content, including holiday shopping reports. Lauren's work has been featured by USA Today, The Associated Press, The Washington Post and more. She has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California, Santa Cruz. Twitter: @lauren_schwahn.

Chanelle Bessette
Lead Writer

Chanelle Bessette is a personal finance writer at NerdWallet covering banking. She previously worked at Fortune, Forbes and the Reno Gazette-Journal. She is also a spokesperson for the banking team, and her expertise has appeared in The New York Times, Vox and Apartment Therapy. Twitter: @crbessette.

Annie Millerbernd
Lead Writer

Annie Millerbernd is a NerdWallet authority on personal loans. Before joining NerdWallet in 2019, she worked as a news reporter in California, a data reporter at the San Antonio Express-News and a digital content specialist at USAA. Her work has been cited by the Northwestern University Law Review and featured in The Associated Press, USA Today and MarketWatch. She’s also been quoted in New York magazine and appeared on NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast as well as local TV and radio. Twitter: @annieanyway.

Elina Geller
Lead Writer

Elina Geller is a travel rewards expert at NerdWallet specializing in airline and hotel loyalty programs and travel insurance. Her passion for travel rewards began in 2011 when she flew first class to London and Amsterdam on British Airways and used hotel points to stay in both cities. In 2019, Elina founded TheMissMiles, a travel rewards coaching business. Elina's work has been featured by AwardWallet. She’s a certified public accountant with degrees from the London School of Economics and Fordham University. Twitter: @themissmiles. Instagram: @themissmiles.

Alana Benson
Lead Writer

Alana Benson is an investing writer who joined NerdWallet in 2019. Since then, she has written extensively about socially responsible and ESG investing, financial advice and beginner investing topics. Previously, she wrote two books on identity theft and several young adult nonfiction titles. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, MSN, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch and others.

Kate Wood
Lead Writer

Kate Wood joined NerdWallet in 2019 as a writer on the homes and mortgages team. Her work on homebuying, renovation and FHA loans has been featured by USA Today, Yahoo, MSN and The Associated Press, among others. Kate previously wrote about home remodeling, decor and maintenance for This Old House magazine. With degrees in sociology from Vassar College and the University of California, San Diego, Kate is passionate about issues like housing inequality.

Andrew Marder
Lead Writer

Andrew Marder is a lead writer for NerdWallet focusing on insurance and data analysis. He has over a decade of experience in finance, with previous roles at Barclays, The Motley Fool and Gartner. His work has appeared in The Week, The Washington Post and other national news outlets. He has presented his work at the Gartner Marketing Symposium/Xpo and Accountex.

Ben Moore
Lead Writer

Ben Moore is an insurance writer and spokesperson who joined NerdWallet in 2020. His work has been featured in The Associated Press, The Chicago Sun-Times, MarketWatch, Nasdaq and Yahoo News. Ben has been quoted in Martha Stewart and Real Simple magazine, and he has appeared on local broadcast television at ABC Arizona. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Olivet Nazarene University.

Cecilia Clark
Lead Writer

Cecilia Clark is a writer and NerdWallet authority on student finance on the education team. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The New York Times and MarketWatch. She worked through college and took advantage of the U.S. Army's College Loan Repayment Program for undergraduate school and used the Army Tuition Assistance Program and GI Bill to pay for graduate school.

Georgia Rose
Lead Writer

Georgia Rose is a lead writer at NerdWallet. She focuses on personal finance, government policy, science and technology. Over the course of her career, Georgia has written for a wide range of newspapers, nonprofits and private organizations. Her work has been featured in The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Sarah Schlichter
Lead Writer

Sarah Schlichter is a NerdWallet authority on auto, homeowners, renters and pet insurance. She joined NerdWallet in 2020 after more than 15 years in digital media as a writer, editor and spokesperson. Her byline has appeared in numerous outlets, including The Associated Press, MarketWatch and SmarterTravel. She earned a bachelor's degree in English from Bryn Mawr College.

Funto Omojola
Lead Writer

Funto Omojola started writing for NerdWallet in 2020. Before joining NerdWallet, she covered personal finance-related topics for financial websites and organizations and has over five years of experience writing about money. Her writing has been featured in MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, Realtor.com, New York Post, and Nasdaq, among others. Funto earned a bachelor's degree in global and international studies and an MFA from Bard College. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Jackie Veling
Lead Writer

Jackie Veling covers personal loans for NerdWallet. Her work has been featured in The Associated Press, MarketWatch, MSN, Nasdaq.com and Yahoo Finance. Prior to that, she ran a freelance writing and editing business, where she partnered with a wide range of clients, including U.S. Bank and Under Armour. She graduated from Indiana University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.

Sally French
Lead Writer

Sally French is a travel rewards expert who joined NerdWallet in 2020. She previously wrote about travel and credit cards for The New York Times and its sibling site, Wirecutter. She also has worked for MarketWatch and The Orange County Register. She loves fitness, and her travels have included cycling up the coastline of Vietnam and over the sea ice in the Arctic Circle. Sally studied journalism at the University of Missouri. Twitter: @SAFmedia.

Randa Kriss
Lead Writer

Randa Kriss is a small-business writer who joined NerdWallet in 2020. She previously worked as a writer at Fundera, covering a wide variety of small-business topics including banking and loan products. Her work has been featured by The Washington Post, The Associated Press and Nasdaq, among others. Randa earned a bachelor's degree in English and Spanish at Iona College.

Kate Ashford
Lead Writer

Kate Ashford is a writer and NerdWallet authority on Medicare. She has more than 15 years of experience writing about personal finance, and her work has been published by the BBC, Forbes, Money, AARP and Parents, among others. She has a degree from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism. Twitter: @kateashford.

Hillary Crawford
Lead Writer

Hillary Crawford writes about small-business software at NerdWallet and is certified in QuickBooks Online and web design. Her work has been featured by The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Nasdaq and Entrepreneur, among others. She earned a bachelor’s degree with high honors in political science from the University of Michigan. Outside of work, Hillary enjoys long backpacking trips and surfing in Lake Michigan.

Rosalie Murphy
Lead Writer

Rosalie Murphy is a small-business writer at NerdWallet. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post, Entrepreneur and elsewhere. Previously, as a local news reporter, Rosalie won awards from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing and the National Association of Real Estate Editors. She studied journalism at the University of Southern California.

Katia Iervasi
Lead Writer

Katia Iervasi is an insurance writer at NerdWallet. She holds a bachelor's degree in communication and loves untangling complicated topics and answering readers' burning money questions. Her work has been quoted in outlets like Finder, Forbes, FT Adviser and Best Company, and she's appeared on the "Money Savage" podcast.

Shannon Bradley
Lead Writer

Shannon Bradley covers auto loans for NerdWallet. She spent more than 30 years in banking as a writer, creating educational content to help individuals and businesses with financial decision-making. Shannon has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Southern Indiana. She has two married (and financially independent) sons, a granddaughter with a 529 savings account and two rescue dogs with no financial concerns.

Lisa Anthony
Lead Writer

Lisa Anthony covers small-business software for NerdWallet's small-business team. She has a bachelor's degree in business administration and over 20 years of diverse experience in banking and finance. Prior to becoming a writer, Lisa held positions in customer care at Intuit, as a loan officer at Bank of America and as a marketing consultant at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage.

Amanda Barroso
Lead Writer

Amanda Barroso is a personal finance writer who joined NerdWallet in 2021, covering primarily consumer credit and debt. Previously, she wrote about social and demographic trends at the Pew Research Center, worked as a policy analyst at the National Women's Law Center — a leading legal advocacy group for women and girls — and taught college courses. She earned a doctorate from The Ohio State University. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press and The Washington Post.

Alex Rosenberg
Lead Writer

Alex Rosenberg is a NerdWallet writer focusing on Medicare and information technology. He has more than 10 years of experience researching and writing about health care, insurance, technology, data privacy and public policy. His research has supported lawmakers in the Wisconsin State Legislature as well as health systems and national health authorities in the United States and more than 10 other countries.

Andy Rosen
Lead Writer

Andy Rosen is a NerdWallet investing writer. He has more than 15 years of journalism experience as a reporter and editor at organizations including The Boston Globe and The Baltimore Sun. Andy has covered topics such as technology, business, politics and breaking news. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Twitter: @andyrosen.

Cara Smith
Lead Writer

Cara Smith is a lead writer at NerdWallet. Before joining the team in 2021, she wrote about commercial real estate, housing and general business for CoStar News, Houston Business Journal and other publications. She studied journalism and psychology at the University of Houston, where she served as the editor-in-chief of its student newspaper.

Tommy Tindall
Lead Writer

Tommy Tindall is a personal finance writer who joined NerdWallet in 2021, covering savvy spending and simple ways to plan for a prosperous financial future. Before NerdWallet, he worked on the marketing and communications team at Fannie Mae. Today, Tommy strives to clear up complex money matters for all. He’s also a consumer technology product enthusiast and always out for the best deal.

Alieza Durana
Lead Writer

Alieza Durana joined Nerdwallet as an investing and taxes writer in 2022. She has a decade of journalism experience covering housing, gender and public policy issues for the Eviction Lab, The Fuller Project for International Reporting, New America and Slate. Her work has appeared in USA Today, The Washington Post, The Atlantic and Harvard Business Review. Alieza has degrees from Washington University in St. Louis and the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. Twitter: @aliezadurana.

Ronita Choudhuri-Wade
Lead Writer

Ronita Choudhuri-Wade covers personal loans for NerdWallet. Before joining NerdWallet, Ronita was a freelance writer for the fintech company Wise (formerly TransferWise) on global money transfers and banking internationally. She was previously a senior internal wholesaler at MainStay Investments, holding her Series 6, 65, 63 and 7 licenses. Ronita graduated from New York University and has a master’s degree in globalization and development from the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. Twitter: @ronitacwade.

Jae Bratton
Lead Writer

Jae Bratton is a writer for the credit cards team. She has a bachelor’s degree in English from Wake Forest University and a master’s degree in English from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro. Before writing for NerdWallet, Jae spent 13 years teaching English and journalism. Her writing has been published in newspapers, blogs and an academic journal.

Sam Taube
Lead Writer

Sam Taube writes about investing for NerdWallet. He has covered investing and financial news since earning his economics degree from the University of Maryland in 2016. Sam has previously written for Investopedia, Benzinga, Seeking Alpha, Wealth Daily and Investment U, and has worked as an editor for Investment U, Wealth Daily and Haven Investment Letter. He is based in Brooklyn, New York. Twitter: @samuel_taube.

Tiffany Lashai Curtis
Lead Writer

Tiffany Lashai Curtis is a lead writer for the core personal finance team at NerdWallet. She was previously the health writer for Livestrong.com and a freelance writer for publications like Refinery29, Business Insider and MTV News, where she focused on issues that affect marginalized communities. As a wellness facilitator, she has led conversations for organizations like Planned Parenthood and Harvard University. She is based in Philadelphia. Twitter: @Sometlc_.

Abby Badach Doyle
Lead Writer

Abby Badach Doyle is a home and mortgages writer for NerdWallet. She is passionate about helping consumers understand the homebuying process and feel confident about their finances. Her work has appeared in The Associated Press, The Washington Post and others. Abby resides in Pittsburgh, a city known for its neighborly spirit and vibrant communities.

Jaime Hanson
Lead Writer

Jaime Hanson is a writer for the credit cards team at NerdWallet. Her work has appeared in The Chicago Tribune, Marketwatch and Yahoo Finance, among others. Jaime has a bachelor’s degree in theatre management from the University of Evansville. Before writing for NerdWallet, she spent six years as a freelance writer covering small-business finance, marketing and business organization. Previously, Jaime served four years as a broadcast news producer for two nationally syndicated nightly programs. Jaime is based in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Craig Joseph
Lead Writer

Craig Joseph is a NerdWallet lead writer and credit cards expert. He has degrees in geology from West Virginia University and oceanography from Oregon State University and has published in academic journals, newspapers and blogs. Craig is passionate about personal finance and wants to enhance the financial literacy of everyone he meets. He'll probably also try to convince you why rocks are cool.

Drew Gula
Lead Writer

Drew Gula is a NerdWallet authority on auto insurance. He previously worked as the senior content editor at Soundstripe and as the senior writer in Liberty University's marketing department. Drew is also a published author. He is based in Nashville, Tenn.

Eliza Haverstock
Lead Writer

Eliza Haverstock is a lead writer on NerdWallet's student loans team, where she focuses on loan repayment and alternatives to traditional four-year degrees. Previously, she reported on billionaires, investing, personal finance and fintech fraud for Forbes in New York, and she also covered private markets for PitchBook in Seattle. Eliza got started at her college newspaper at the University of Virginia and interned for Bloomberg, where she spent a summer writing a feature story about plastic straws. She is based in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @ElizaHaverstock.

Trea S. Branch
Lead Writer

Trea S. Branch is a lead writer for Nerdwallet focused on student loan refinancing. She holds degrees in economics, from the University of Michigan and business, from the University of Notre Dame. Federal and private loans almost entirely financed both degrees. Desperate to pay off her six-figure student debt, Trea embarked on an aggressive payoff journey that she shared through a blog. Her blog turned into a personal finance coaching business where she helped women from all walks of life confidently begin their six-figure debt-free journey. Trea is committed to empowering anyone overwhelmed by student debt by adding clarity and the power of choice to the college financing process. You can find her in Chicago, Illinois (likely stuck in traffic!).

Ryan Brady
Lead Writer

Ryan Brady is a lead writer at NerdWallet covering auto and home insurance. Before joining NerdWallet, Ryan was a senior writer and principal researcher at Gartner, covering digital marketing best practices and emerging trends. Ryan has also freelanced for various online publications, such as TechCrunch and Singularity Hub, where he wrote about digital trends and the impact of technology on modern society. He is based in Fort Myers, Florida. Twitter: @reallyryanbrady.

Olivia Chen
Lead Writer

Olivia Chen comes to NerdWallet with more than five years of experience in the community development financial institution industry, particularly working with minority- and women-owned business enterprises and low- to moderate-income small businesses. She is certified through the American Bankers Association in Business and Commercial Lending. Working closely with business owners across industries and communities, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic, Olivia gained perspective on the importance of small businesses in our economy and empathy for what small-business owners face every day. She brings that perspective to NerdWallet and the small-businesses team.

Taylor Getler
Writer

Taylor Getler is a home and mortgages writer for NerdWallet. Her work has been featured in outlets such as MarketWatch, Yahoo Finance, MSN and Nasdaq. Taylor is enthusiastic about financial literacy and helping consumers make smart, informed choices with their money.

Elizabeth Ayoola
Writer

Elizabeth Ayoola is a NerdWallet personal finance writer. She graduated from King's College London with a master's in environment, politics and globalization, and she has over 10 years of writing experience. Her journey to finance writing started with a goal to learn as much as she could about how to attain financial freedom and share information with others about how to do it, too. This led her to Debt.com, where she covered topics relating to mortgages, debt and credit. Her articles have appeared on platforms like The Associated Press, Essence, The Knot, MSN, Parents.com, Yahoo and PopSugar.

Whitney Vandiver
Writer

Whitney Vandiver writes for NerdWallet about ways car owners can save money on ownership and maintenance. She previously wrote in the oil and gas industry, where she was published in national journals and international magazines. Whitney became a writer out of enjoyment and finds stories that highlight or help the LGBTQ+ community the most rewarding to craft. When she's not writing, she enjoys reading and walking with her Irish wolfhound. She is based in Houston.

Kurt Woock
Writer

Kurt Woock started writing for NerdWallet in 2021. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Kurt taught people about retirement planning as an educator and writer, and before that he spent five years as an editor for the Colorado Legislature. Kurt earned a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Dalia Ramirez
Writer

Dalia writes about estate planning for NerdWallet. She has a Bachelor of Arts in science and technology studies and critical theory from Wesleyan University. Her work has been published in The Washington Post, Bloomberg and The Associated Press. She is based in Los Angeles.

Benjamin Din
Writer

Benjamin Din is a writer at NerdWallet. He previously was a technology reporter at Politico, where he wrote a daily newsletter covering tech and telecom policy. He has written for The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News and The Washington Post, as well as covered two Olympics with NBC Sports. Benjamin has a journalism degree from Northwestern University. In his free time, he enjoys traveling and learning new things. Twitter: @benjamindin.

Taryn Phaneuf
Writer

Taryn Phaneuf is a writer at NerdWallet. She previously worked as a data reporter and researcher for the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. She has reported on education, public policy and other topics for local news outlets in Minnesota, Washington and Kentucky. She has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota.

Nikita Turk — Video Content Creator
Nikita is a Video Content Creator for NerdWallet. She has produced video content for various digital platforms for nearly a decade. She enjoys taking complex, sometimes confusing subjects, and explaining them in clear, relatable ways. Nikita earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communications from Florida International University. She lives in Los Angeles, California, with her daughter and adorable, crazy three-pound Maltipoo.

Content Management Specialists

Content management specialists focus their content strategy, writing and editing skills on maintaining a library of content that's accurate and up to date.

Kayda Norman
Content Management Specialist

Kayda Norman is a NerdWallet authority on auto insurance. She previously worked in communications at The Walt Disney Co. and as a web producer and writer at several health and fitness publications, including Health magazine. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post and USA Today.

Phil Metzger
Content Management Specialist

Phil Metzger is a content management specialist focusing on mortgages, homebuying and homeownership for NerdWallet. He has been a journalist for many years. His work has appeared in print and online in major newspapers and magazines and on television and radio. As a homeowner and investor in income property, Phil has a keen interest in housing inequality and affordability.

Ruth Sarreal
Content Management Specialist

Ruth Sarreal is a content management specialist covering consumer banking topics at NerdWallet. She has over a decade of experience writing and editing for consumer websites. She previously edited content on personal finance topics at GOBankingRates. Her work has been featured by Nasdaq, MSN, TheStreet and Yahoo Finance.

Caitlin Mims
Content Management Specialist

Caitlin Mims is a content management specialist on the credit cards team at NerdWallet. Before joining NerdWallet, she was an editor at CreditCards.com and Bankrate. Caitlin has written about personal finance for seven years and has covered credit cards, credit scores, retirement planning and the financial challenges women face. She is based in Denver.

Steve Miller
Content Management Specialist

Steve Miller manages the content library for the travel team at NerdWallet. He specializes in communicating complex ideas and presenting actionable information in an accessible and engaging package. Before joining NerdWallet, he worked as a writer and editor in the legal and academic publishing industries. He's researched and written on topics in finance, business and economics in addition to covering subjects in the arts, humanities and medicine. Steve is based in Philadelphia.

Sabrina Parys
Content Management Specialist

Sabrina Parys is a content management specialist on the taxes and investing team. Her previous experience includes five years as a project manager, copy editor and associate editor in academic and educational publishing. She has written several nonfiction young adult books on topics such as mental health and social justice. She is based in Brooklyn, New York.

Karrin Sehmbi
Content Management Specialist

Karrin Sehmbi is a content management specialist on the small-business team. She has more than a decade of editorial experience in the fields of educational publishing, content marketing and medical news. She has also held roles as a teacher and tutor. Karrin is based in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Copy Editors

As advocates for the best possible user experience, copy editors ensure NerdWallet's content is clear, engaging and consistent.

Erica Harrington
Copy Chief

Erica Harrington manages the copy desk at NerdWallet. She has more than 20 years of copy-editing experience, including at the Chicago Tribune and CNN Digital. At those outlets, she edited content including business, city and state politics, arts and entertainment, and national and international affairs. Erica also has taught English as a second language at corporations in Santiago, Chile. She has produced white papers for the United Nations. She is based in Atlanta.

Doreen Simon
Deputy Copy Chief

Doreen Simon was one of the first copy editors hired for NerdWallet's content team. Previously, she worked as a newspaper copy editor and news wire editor at the Mercury News in San Jose, Pacific Stars and Stripes in Tokyo and the Tri-City Herald. She started her career as a reporter and staff writer at a small-town newspaper after earning her bachelor's degree in journalism at Eastern Washington University.

Jim McNett
Copy Editor

Jim McNett has worked as a copy editor for several newspapers, including The Palm Beach Post in Florida, the Mercury News in San Jose and The Oregonian in Portland. He earned his bachelor's degree in communications/journalism at the University of Washington.

Stephanie Harris
Copy Editor

Stephanie Harris has spent most of her writing and editing career working in digital content. As a freelance writer and editor, she worked with a wide variety of clients, from law publications to arts magazines, on multiple platforms. Prior to joining NerdWallet, she created content for Red Ventures and built a content team as managing editor for a digital marketing company.

Ashley Giacomini
Copy Editor

Ashley Giacomini was previously a content strategist at Google, where she focused on editing, training, overseeing style guides and improving content quality at scale. She also wrote and managed articles for the Google Account help center for two years. Prior to that, Ashley was an editor for trade book and professional development publishers. She has a bachelor's degree in English from Stanford University.

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Sandy Matke
Copy Editor

Sandy Matke is a copy editor at NerdWallet. Previously, she was a freelance writer and editor covering technology, education, entertainment and e-commerce. She spent 13 years running communications for online ticket seller Goldstar. Her prior experience includes magazine publishing, corporate and academic communications and classroom teaching. She has dual bachelor's degrees in English and French.

Nicole Diaz
Copy Editor

Nicole Diaz is a copy editor at NerdWallet. Previously, she worked in the news wire industry as an editor at Nasdaq. She joined NerdWallet with over six years of proofreading and copy editing experience, covering a broad scope of topics and high volume of corporate clients' press releases. Nicole earned a bachelor’s degree in English and a Master of Arts in rhetoric and composition from California State University, Long Beach.

Warner Sabio Sr.
Copy Editor

Warner Sabio Sr. worked as a print journalist for over 13 years before coming to NerdWallet. His prior experience includes stints at New York Newsday and amNewYork. Warner’s work has earned him recognition from the New York City Society of Professional Journalists. He attended the University of Pittsburgh, where he pursued a doctorate in jazz studies and earned a master’s degree in history. He is also a jazz percussionist who enjoys playing Latin jazz and music from across the African diaspora.

Josh Swearngin
Copy Editor

Josh Swearngin is a copy editor at NerdWallet. For over 21 years, he was a copy editor and page designer at two newspapers/media companies: The Colorado Springs Gazette and the Tampa Bay Times. In 2000, he was a Dow Jones News Fund intern at The Colorado Springs Gazette. He has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Don Kirkpatrick — Senior Director, Projects and Initiatives
Don Kirkpatrick has held key roles on NerdWallet's content team since 2015, first as the lead assigning editor for banking and later as deputy director, director and senior director. He also led the personal finance team during a portion of his eight years at MSN. From 1983 to 2006, he was an editor at The Seattle Times, The Arizona Republic and other newspapers. He holds a journalism degree from Western Washington University.

Jessica Cano — Content Operations Coordinator
Jessica Cano is the operations coordinator for the team. She manages team communications and meetings, maintains internal resources, promotes morale and connection across the distributed team and provides direct administrative support to the vice president of content. She previously worked at Twitter supporting the diversity and inclusion team.

Media Partnerships team

Driving content strategy and consumer insights for our nationally syndicating stories, this team oversees pitches and pickups across a growing roster of media partners, including The Associated Press, MarketWatch, MSN and more.

Sharon Yep
Head of Media Partnerships

Sharon Yep joined NerdWallet at its early stage as a copy editor. She later transitioned to our media partnerships team and was promoted to lead it. Her team partners with media organizations to educate consumers and expand the reach of NerdWallet's expertise in content coverage. She previously worked as an editor at The Motley Fool, connecting investors to their goals and to each other. She also served as a copy editor at The Arizona Republic.

Imani Jasmin
Communications Specialist

Imani Jasmin is a communications specialist and works with the editorial team and media organizations to expand NerdWallet's content coverage. Prior to joining NerdWallet, Imani was an account executive at SourceCode Communications and an assistant account executive at FleishmanHillard, where she used her expertise in media relations to support a range of clients. She earned a bachelor's degree in public relations from St. John's University and a master's degree in public relations and corporate communications from Georgetown University.

Jackie Perini
Communications Specialist

Jackie Perini is a communications specialist and works closely with media partners to syndicate NerdWallet content. She previously worked as an account executive at Ketchum, a global public relations consultancy, where she led and executed thought leadership and earned media campaigns for health care clients. Jackie earned a bachelor’s degree in communication with a concentration in public relations from North Carolina State University.

What shapes our coverage?

As we work to provide clarity for all of life’s financial decisions, our team is committed to editorial independence. We've outlined the principles and practices that guide our sourcing, reporting, writing and editing.

LEARN MORE