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 objectives 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.
Experts in their field
Committed to integrity
Reliable accuracy
THE PROCESS
How does the review board work?
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Expert review
Board members review the work and suggest corrections or modifications.
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Content updates
Bankrate reporters and editors consider the feedback to improve the piece.
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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.
Review board members
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.
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.”
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 L. Beal, president of Real Estate Solutions, has 40 years' experience in multiple phases of the real estate industry.
John Stearns, CMC, CRMS is a Senior Mortgage Loan Originator with American Fidelity Mortgage.
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 is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CPA, AFC®, and the founder of Make a Money Mindshift, a financial coaching firm in central Illinois.
Malcolm Ethridge is a financial planner, speaker, author, and podcast host who is passionate about all things personal finance. As a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and IRS Enrolled Agent (EA), Malcolm’s areas of expertise include retirement planning, investment portfolio development, tax planning and more. He is the Managing Partner at Capital Area Planning Group, a boutique financial planning and investment management firm based in Washington, D.C.
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.
Nouri Zarrugh is a writer and editor for CreditCards.com and Bankrate, focusing on product news, guides and reviews. His areas of expertise include credit card strategy, rewards programs, point valuation and credit scores, and his stories on building credit have been cited by Mic.com, LifeHacker, People.com and more. Through his thorough card reviews and product comparisons, Nouri strives to demystify personal finance topics and credit card terms and conditions to help readers save money and protect their credit score.
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 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.
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 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, 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 is the City of Miami's Director of Real Estate & Asset Management and a former member of Bankrate's Expert Review Board.
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.
Tia Uzzell is an enrolled agent (EA), tax accountant and small business finance expert with over 10 years of experience helping individuals and business owners navigate complex tax regulations and financial planning. She is the founder of Tia Uzzell & Associates, a firm specializing in tax preparation, bookkeeping and financial strategy. She has saved clients hundreds of thousands in tax liabilities.
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.
