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Our Financial Expert Review Board

At Bankrate, we take the accuracy of our content seriously. Many of our articles are reviewed for accuracy and relevancy by a panel of financial experts. They hold us accountable for publishing content that’s objective, balanced and worthy of your trust.

Financial information you can trust

The Bankrate Financial Review Board is a group of experts who evaluate our content for accuracy and trustworthiness. Each article is written by an expert in that given subject matter. The board’s obectives are to identify inaccurate or misleading information and suggest corrections. They also point out omissions and propose messaging enhancements that would provide better clarity.
 
Our board consists of wealth managers, financial planners, investors, compliance experts, insurance educators and other financial professionals. The depth of their experience — and thoroughness of their reviews — should give you confidence that everything you read on our site is of the highest quality and integrity.
THE PROCESS

How does the review board work?

01

Article submission

Our Bankrate editorial team submits articles to the board for expert review.
02

Expert review

Board members review the work and suggest corrections or modifications.
03

Content updates

Bankrate reporters and editors consider the feedback to improve the piece.
04

Publication

After approval, the final content is published with the reviewed information.
OUR FINANCIAL REVIEW TEAM

Meet our panel of experts

Our board members are carefully selected based on their credentials, experiences and reputations as experts in their financial field.
Bankrate Financial Review Board

Review board members

Allyson Johnson

Head of investor relations, Gateway Partners

Allyson Johnson leads marketing and fundraising for Gateway Partners. She is a CAIA charter holder and has passed the CFA Level II examination. She is a former member of Bankrate’s Expert Review Board.

Casey Fleming

Mortgage advisor and author

Casey Fleming is a former member of Bankrate’s Expert Review board who helps clients understand how the mortgage industry and loan products work, and how to get the best mortgage for their specific needs.

Chloe Moore, CFP®

Founder, Financial Staples

Chloe Moore, CFP®, is the founder of Financial Staples, a virtual, fee-only financial planning firm based in Atlanta and serving clients nationwide.

Chris Birk

Vice President of Mortgage Insight, Veterans United Home Loans

Chris Birk is a former contributor at Bankrate. He is the Vice President of Mortgage Insight for Veterans United Home Loans and author of “The Book on VA Loans: An Essential Guide to Maximizing Your Home Loan Benefits.”

Erica Sandberg

Contributor, Credit Cards

Greg McBride, CFA

Chief financial analyst, Personal Finance

Greg McBride, CFA, is the Chief Financial Analyst for Bankrate.com, leading a team responsible for researching financial products, providing analysis, and advice on personal finance to a vast consumer audience.

Jason Steele

Former contributor, Credit Cards

Jason Steele is a professional journalist and credit card expert who has been contributing to online publications since 2008. He was one of the original contributors to The Points Guy, and his work has been appearing there since 2011. He has also contributed to over 100 of the leading personal finance and travel outlets.

Jeffrey Beal

President, Real Estate Solutions

Jeffrey L. Beal, president of Real Estate Solutions, has 40 years’ experience in multiple phases of the real estate industry.

John Stearns

Senior mortgage loan originator, American Fidelity Mortgage

John Stearns, CMC, CRMS is a Senior Mortgage Loan Originator with American Fidelity Mortgage.

Kenneth Chavis IV

Senior wealth advisor at Versant Capital Management

Kenneth Chavis IV is a senior wealth counselor at Versant Capital Management who provides investment management, complex wealth strategy, financial planning and tax advice to business owners, executives, medical doctors, and more.

Maggie Klokkenga

Maggie Klokkenga is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CPA, AFC® candidate and the founder of Make a Money Mindshift, a financial coaching firm in central Illinois.

Malcolm Ethridge

Fiduciary financial advisor, CIC Wealth Management

Malcolm Ethridge, CFP®, is a former member of Bankrate’s Expert Review Board. He is an executive vice president and fiduciary financial advisor with CIC Wealth Management, based in the Washington, D.C. area.

Malik S. Lee

Founder of Felton & Peel Wealth Management

Malik S. Lee, CFP®, CAP®, APMA®, is a financial expert with nearly two decades of experience and is the Managing Principal and Founder of Felton & Peel Wealth Management.

Mark Friedlander

Director of corporate communications, Insurance Information Institute

Mark Friedlander is director of corporate communications at III, a nonprofit organization focused on providing consumers with a better understanding of insurance.

Mark Hamrick

Washington Bureau Chief, Senior Economic Analyst

Mark Hamrick is Washington Bureau Chief for Bankrate. He is a national award-winning business and financial news journalist.

Mark Kantrowitz

Nationally recognized student financial aid expert

Mark Kantrowitz is an expert on student financial aid, the FAFSA, scholarships, 529 plans, education tax benefits and student loans.

Robert R. Johnson

Professor of finance, Creighton University

Robert R. Johnson, Ph.D., CFA, CAIA, is a professor of finance at Creighton University and chairman and CEO of Economic Index Associates, LLC.

Sally Herigstad

Contributor, Personal Finance

Sally Herigstad is a personal finance writer, columnist, author and retired CPA. She wrote a CreditCards.com column called “To Her Credit” for 10 years, answering readers’ questions about credit, debt, finances and family relationships, and more. With a background in public accounting, she joined the personal finance team at Microsoft in 1998. She has been working to help people take control of their finances ever since.

Shashank Shekhar

CEO, InstaMortgage

InstaMortgage (formerly Arcus Lending) CEO Shashank Shekhar is a top 15 loan officer and has been named the No. 4 broker in the country.

Stephanie Zito

Contributor, Personal Finance

Stephanie Zito is a professional traveler, self-employed humanitarian consultant and collector of credit card points. She shares savvy travel tips that she’s learned firsthand circling the globe for more than 25 years. She’s a backpacker, expect and premium traveler who’s visited more than 130 countries and all seven continents. Her life motto is “See the world, change the world, have fun doing it!” and her mission is to inspire others along the journey.

Steve Ellis, CPCU, AIC, MBA

Assistant Vice President & Claims Field Manager

Steve Ellis, CPCU, AIC, MBA, is a 30 year veteran of the insurance industry. His experience extends into training, operations, quality improvement, audit, compliance, claims technology, and data & analytics.

Suzanne Hollander

Director of Real Estate and Asset Management, City of Miami; Professor of Real Estate Law, Florida International University

Suzanne Hollander is the City of Miami’s Director of Real Estate & Asset Management and a former member of Bankrate’s Expert Review Board.

Thomas Brock

Expert Reviewer, CFA, CPA

Thomas is a well-rounded financial professional, with over 20 years of experience in investments, corporate finance, and accounting. His investment experience includes oversight of a $4 billion portfolio for an insurance group. Varied finance and accounting work includes the preparation of financial statements and budgets, the development of multiyear financial forecasts, credit analyses, and the evaluation of capital budgeting proposals.

In a consulting capacity, he has assisted individuals and businesses of all sizes with accounting, financial planning and investing matters; lent his financial expertise to a few well-known websites; and tutored students via a few virtual forums.

Thomas Nitzsche

Financial Educator, Debt and Credit

Thomas Nitzsche is 15-year veteran at Money Management International (MMI), the leading provider of nonprofit financial counseling and education in the United States.

Tim LaMere

Expert Reviewer

Tim LaMere has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years.

Todd Christensen

As an author, speaker, financial educator, and education manager for the Money Fit Academy, Todd Christensen develops financial education programs and provides credit and debt counseling for individuals and groups around the country.

Additional information

At Bankrate we strive to help you make smarter financial decisions. While we adhere to strict editorial integrity, this post may contain references to products from our partners. Here’s an explanation for how we make money.