Katie Lowery, CFHC

About the author

Katie Lowery is a Senior Editor on Bankrate’s Home Lending team, where she helps shape coverage that makes borrowing decisions clearer so readers can understand costs, compare options and move forward with confidence. With 13 years of personal finance experience and a NACCC Certified Financial Health Counselor credential, she specializes in translating the fine print — APR, fees, credit requirements and repayment terms — into practical guidance on mortgages, home equity loans and HELOCs, with a secondary focus on personal loans, auto loans, student loans, small business financing and overall financial wellness.

Before joining Bankrate, Katie edited personal finance content at LendingTree and CNN Underscored Money, and spent more than a decade as a developmental and copy editor across finance, business and economics. She’s especially proud of serving as the sole editor on multiple award-winning books, an experience that sharpened her commitment to accuracy and plain-English explanations. Katie lives outside Austin, Texas, where she unwinds by knitting, tending to her growing plant collection, collecting vinyl records and traveling with her family.

Katie wants you to know

If your finances feel harder to predict right now, you’re not imagining it — higher prices and interest-rate shifts tied to Federal Reserve decisions have made budgeting and borrowing feel like a moving target. Even the experts don’t have a crystal ball for what the economy will do next, so it’s okay to focus on what you can control. Start with one steady step: know your numbers, protect your cash flow, and ask questions until a decision feels clear, not rushed. Progress counts, even when it’s slow.