Mariah Ackary

Former Editor, credit cards

EDUCATION

University of South Carolina

About the author

Mariah Ackary is a personal finance writer specializing in small businesses and credit. Her work has been cited by media including Fortune, The New York Times, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, and CNBC. Mariah is a lifelong writer. She hopes to make personal finance education easier and more approachable through her research and advice.

Education

Mariah earned her bachelor’s degree in public relations with a minor in business administration from the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of South Carolina in 2019.

Media mentions

Retailers Push Sales, and Normalcy, but Economic Uncertainty Looms — The New York Times
Stressed-Out Americans Plan to Buy Fewer Christmas Gifts, Donate Less to Charity — The Wall Street Journal
How marketers can win this holiday season — Forbes
Should you wait until closer to Christmas to get shopping done? — TODAY Show
Consumer Confidential: How to buy gifts while on a tight budget — TODAY Show
Almost 79% of 2022 travelers experienced problems during a trip, survey finds — CBS News
4 out of 5 travelers say they've hit snags like soaring prices, long waits, and cancellations in 2022 — Business Insider
Almost everything is getting more expensive, but these 3 things are getting cheaper — Fortune
More Americans are relying on side-hustle money to make ends meet — Fortune
Staycation, Again? — The New York Times
How to Make Your Staycation Feel Like a Getaway — WebMD
The pandemic ‘quickly eroded savings’ for Gen Z, millennials — CNBC
As Americans spend, credit card debt is ticking back up — Reuters
Small businesses using personal funds to stay afloat during coronavirus crisis, study finds — Fox Business
It’s Now Easier To Get A Credit Card; Consumer Borrowing Is Soaring — Forbes
40% of Americans with credit card debt don’t know their interest rate, survey shows — CNBC
This Week In Credit Card News: How Much Stimulus Money Will You Get? How To Earn 5% Cash Back On Groceries — Forbes
Small businesses relying more on credit cards to survive — Bloomberg
Consumers’ Debt Appears to Increase as Credit Purchases Grow — American Consumer Credit Counseling
Your Money Briefing podcast — The Wall Street Journal

Mariah's latest articles

Do young adults want credit cards?

Think all millennials are similar? Not so much with credit cards. Here’s my take.

3 min read Mar 04, 2022
Credit card originations continue at record-setting pace, even as sign-up bonuses dip

Americans are opening more credit card accounts than ever before.

3 min read Feb 25, 2022
‘Buy now, pay later’ is coming to credit scores—but key questions still must be answered

There will soon be a much tighter link between credit reporting and buy now, pay later (BNPL).

6 min read Feb 24, 2022
Aspiration Zero: Fighting climate change with every credit card swipe

Learn more about ways you can fight climate change with the Aspiration Zero card and other cash back cards.

2 min read Feb 11, 2022
Poll: Majority of subscribers experience unwanted charges

Poll: Over half of U.S. adults who have subscribed to a service or membership have gotten charged unexpectedly.

5 min read Feb 06, 2022
Contactless payments surge and approach 1 in 5 in-person card payments

Nearly 20 percent of all in-person credit or debit card transactions in the U.S. are now contactless, Visa reported.

3 min read Feb 04, 2022
What homebuyers and sellers need to know about Fair Housing

Here’s what individuals need to know about the Fair Housing Act to make sure they’re following the law.

5 min read Feb 04, 2022
How to put your unused gift cards to work

Chances are, you have at least one unused gift card laying around somewhere. And if you’re being honest—or if you search hard enough—you probably have two, three or more. Some 51 percent of U.S. [...]

2 min read Jan 28, 2022