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2 min read
Jul 29, 2026
Katie Kelton, CCC
Lead Community Reporter
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9Years of experience
CREDENTIALS
- NACCC Certified Credit Counselor™
EXPERTISE
- Personal finance
- Homebuying
- Credit cards
- Credit scores
- Debt management
EDUCATION
- Texas A&M University, Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing
About the author
Katie Kelton is the lead writer on Bankrate’s community team and Certified Credit Counselor™, helping everyday people solve problems and make good money decisions. She’s tuned in to topics like homebuying, credit scores and making ends meet — while trusting that Americans do the best they can with the tools they have.
Before Bankrate, Katie wrote for Capital One, where she gained insight on the credit world. And her career began in marketing, where she learned how to make life’s decisions a little more fun.
Katie is from the Austin area and lives in Colorado Springs. Off the clock, you’ll find her heading outdoors with her fiancé and pup, overbooking her social calendar and haunting thrift and bookstores.
If you have a question about money or a story to tell, send her an email at kkelton@bankrate.com.
My favorite money tip
A budget is the best tool to have in your back pocket. All of your financial goals, from paying off debt to saving to buying a home, start here. By keeping tabs on your income and expenses, you’ll know where your hard-earned dollars go — empowering you to move money around and reach milestones sooner.
Katie beyond Bankrate
Americans have money problems. Some are systemic, while others come from everyday life — like having a job, paying bills, buying a home and raising a family. I listen to stories and answer questions to help us all get smart with our money.
— Katie Kelton, CCC
Katie's latest articles
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3 homeowners, 6 refinances: Lessons learned from the front lines of refinancing a mortgage
Three homeowners refinanced their mortgages six times combined — and learned some lessons the hard way.
6 min read Jul 31, 2026 -
Three homeowners who scored lower mortgage rates — and how they did it
Buying a home is as much about life as it is about math. Recent Bankrate research shows Americans overpay on mortgages by $65 billion a year. But three homebuyers — Maameefua Koomson, Sean Stoyanowski [...]
5 min read Jun 30, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: Her lender said she could borrow $250,000. She borrowed half of that
When a lender tells you how much you can borrow, it feels like permission to spend. But eligibility and affordability are completely different things. First-time buyer Khyrunnessa Rabbini learned this [...]
3 min read Jun 16, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: He spent nine months in court trying to buy an affordable probate property
Breaking into the Los Angeles housing market, 32-year-old Benny To found a creative path to homeownership by buying a multifamily probate property. Despite being told the sale would be easy, a family dispute [...]
2 min read May 20, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: Priced out of her hometown, she boosted her purchasing power
For Ebony Martin, southern New Hampshire is home, but the housing market made it feel impossible to stay. Facing fierce competition as the region became one of the country’s hottest real estate hubs, [...]
2 min read May 06, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: She wants her son to be able to say, “I grew up here”
The path to homeownership is growing longer, with the median first-time buyer age now reaching a record high of 40. For Asia Ore, a 28-year-old widow and new mother, the journey requires a disciplined [...]
2 min read Apr 22, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: “Everything I made at my second job went toward my down payment”
At 24, Jocelyn Becerra ditched the rental grind for a mortgage in Bentonville, Arkansas.
3 min read Apr 08, 2026 -
Homebuying in America: “You can have what you want, you just got to really work for it”
Philadelphia housekeeper Ayesha Garnett is defying the housing market’s grim math.
3 min read Mar 27, 2026