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Meet our authors

Helping millions of Americans one decision at a time.

Editors

Alexa Serrano Cruz is a senior editor at Finder, specializing in banking. As a personal finance expert, she helps Americans make informed decisions about their finances. Her expertise includes savings, budgeting, kids' banking, and more. Prior to joining Finder, Alexa worked as an editor in Miami and New York. Alexa is a certified anti-money laundering specialist and her personal finance expertise has earned recognition from reputable publications such as Nasdaq, Best Company, U.S. News & World Report, MSN, Yahoo, and Valuewalk. Alexa has also made notable appearances on platforms such as Winnie Sun TV, money podcasts like LifeBlood, and broadcast news publications like Fox News and NBC News. Alexa also served as an editor for ACAMS Today, a prominent publication dedicated to anti-financial crime detection and counter-terrorist financing.

"It's never too late to start building healthy financial habits and start saving. When building a savings plan, there's no amount that's too small to save. And remember: Don't focus on how much you think you should save, but rather on what you can save."

Megan B. Shepherd is a personal finance editor at Finder committed to helping Americans navigate the financial world of loans and insurance. Her personal finance expertise has been featured on Forbes, Nasdaq, MediaFeed, Fox News, Time, Reviews.com, and carinsurance.com, adding invaluable information related to personal loans, financial strategies, insurance and smart borrowing tactics. With a background working as an insurance specialist and a once-certified general lines insurance agent, Megan also specializes in helping consumers evaluate their insurance coverage options. Outside of her role as a personal finance loans expert, Megan has also earned certificates of completion from A.D. Banker & Company, enriching her expertise with HIPAA, personal auto insurance, ethics of insurance, personal lines, and life insurance plans and policies. Megan graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas with a BS in Business Administration with an entrepreneurial focus.

"My passion lies in cutting through industry jargon, confusing formulas and an ever-changing financial landscape to help people find the companies, loans or policies that can actually help."

Matt Miczulski is an investments editor at Finder. With over 450 bylines, Matt dissects and reviews brokers and investing platforms to expose perks and pain points, explores investment products and concepts and covers market news, making investing more accessible and helping readers to make informed financial decisions. Before joining Finder in 2021, Matt covered everything from finance news and banking to debt and travel for FinanceBuzz. His expertise and analysis on investing and other financial topics has been featured on CBS, MSN, Best Company and Consolidated Credit, among others. Matt holds a BA in history from William Paterson University.

"Whatever the amount, putting the money you save to work in reliable investments is critical for building wealth and an important component of any financial plan. At Finder, I'm in the unique position to help readers better understand their options for achieving their investment goals — and it's a job I take seriously and do with pride."

Richard Laycock is Finder’s NYC-based senior content manager & insights editor, spending the last decade data diving, writing and editing articles about all things personal finance. His musings can be found across the web including on NASDAQ, MoneyMag, Yahoo Finance and Travel Weekly. Richard studied Media at Macquarie University, including a semester abroad at The Missouri School of Journalism (MIZZOU).

"Data is a compelling storyteller."

Holly Jennings is an editor and updates writer at Finder, working with writers across all niches to deliver quality content to readers. She’s edited hundreds of financial articles ranging from credit cards to investments. With empathy at heart, she especially enjoys content that breaks down complex financial situations into easy-to-understand information. Prior to her role at Finder, she collaborated with dozens of small businesses to maximize the reach and impact of their blog posts, website copy and other content. In her spare time, she is an award-winning author for Penguin Random House, writing about virtual reality worlds, magical girls and lasers that go pew-pew.

"Working at Finder has been the best experience, because the staff here is truly passionate about what they do — helping you to make better financial decisions."

Writers

Bethany Hickey is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto. Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance and AOL. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt. Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others. Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine.

"I'm a firm believer that most of the world's problems can be solved with education."

Heather Petty is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in home and personal loans. After falling victim to a disreputable mortgage broker when buying her first home, she’s on a mission to help readers avoid similar experiences when managing their own finances. A self-proclaimed word nerd, her writing and analysis has been featured on MSN, Credit.com and MediaFeed, among other top media. Heather previously worked as a technical writer and editor for the casino systems industry and is an internationally published young adult mystery author. She earned a BA in English with a minor in journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno.

"It's great to work with a team whose goal is to help people avoid the pitfalls of home lending and give them the tools to find the right lender and mortgage for them."

Contributors

Frank Corva is a cryptocurrency writer and analyst for digital assets at Finder. Frank has turned his hobby of studying and writing about crypto into a career with a mission of educating the world about this burgeoning sector of finance. He worked in Ghana and Venezuela before earning a degree in applied linguistics at Teachers College, Columbia University. He also taught writing and entertainment business courses in Japan and worked with UNICEF in Namibia before returning to the US to teach at universities in New York City. Earlier in his career, he spent years working as a publicist and graphic designer for record labels like Warner Music Group and Triple Crown Records. During that time, he was also a music journalist whose writing and photography was in published in Alternative Press, Spin and other outlets.

"Life is what you make of it."

Kat Aoki is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in consumer and business lending. She’s written thousands of articles to help consumers make better decisions on their home loans, bank accounts, credit cards, cryptocurrency and more. Kat is well versed in working with leading brands in the real estate, mortgage and personal finance industries, and her expertise has been featured on Forbes Advisor, Lifewire and financial comparison sites like iSelect and realestate.com.au. She holds a BS in business administration from California State University, Sacramento and enjoys hiking and yoga in her spare time.

"I aim to provide honest, unbiased reviews of various financial companies and their products so readers can make more informed decisions with their hard-earned money."

Kimberly Ellis is a personal finance writer at Finder, specializing in banking and financial literacy. After teaching in public and private schools, Kimberly zeroed in on personal financial education to help families and kids develop lifelong money skills. She hails from New York City, graduating summa cum laude from Queens College with a BA in elementary education and mathematics, as well as a New York State teaching certificate. She’s also an aspiring polyglot, always in a book and forever on the hunt for the perfect classic red lipstick.

"We strive to arm consumers with real knowledge so that they can make powerful, educated decisions about their finances. I love being part of a team that's committed to thorough investigation and unbiased reporting — because we're shoppers too."

Cassidy Horton is a freelance personal finance copywriter and past contributing writer for Finder. Her writing and banking expertise have been featured in Forbes Advisor, Money, The Balance, Money Under 30, Insure.com, and other top digital publishers. She holds a BS in public relations and an MBA from Georgia Southern University.

"The best bank accounts have low fees, high APYs and the tools you need to stay in control of your money."

Publishers

Michael Bowley is the Head of Publishing at Finder, boasting a remarkable six-year journey at the forefront of digital content. First starting at Finder as an Assistant Publisher, he swiftly became the Publisher of Finder's shopping niche where he created gift guides and provided savvy shopping insights, helping readers save money and find the best deals. Before taking on the role of SEO Manager, he served as the Publishing Innovations Manager where he helped develop new products and services. His experience in SEO management led him to steer Finder's content strategy, driving remarkable organic growth. Today, as the Head of Publishing, Michael curates dynamic content, empowering users to make informed financial decisions.

"If you're gonna buy it, buy the best version of it."

Gabrielle Pastorek is an SEO strategist and publisher at Finder, specializing in banking. She's written more than 800 articles on the site and is a quoted expert in Best Company, HuffPost, Reader's Digest, MSN and MarketWatch. She's secured interviews with key stakeholders in the consumer insights industry, including a senior director at the National Retail Federation. Gabrielle has edited several creative manuscripts and holds an MFA from the University of Pittsburgh and BAs in English and French from Ohio University.

"Making financial decisions is a task on its own. I love that I can find ways to make it easier for readers to find what they're looking for quickly, and present our top-quality content in a way that's easy to navigate, so you can spend less time researching and more time living life!"

Louise Vinciguerra is cryptocurrency publisher at Finder. Her aim is to help make difficult topics simple, giving readers the information they need to make the best investment decisions. Born and raised in New York City, Louise has spent half her life living and working in Europe for Expedia and other international companies. Her passions lie in content, words, and wine.

"Choice can be paralyzing. The remedy to that is information combined with needs assessment. The only way to make a smart decision is to make an informed decision."

Mike Rheaume is publisher for loans and insurance, helping readers get the best deals on borrowing for major life events, debt consolidation and other needs, as well as protecting their assets and providing for their families. He previously worked in travel, helping to provide expert tips that can be seen on sites such as Cheapism and Nomad Paradise. Before Finder, Mike owned and operated online wedding photographer directory SnapKnot. Originally from the Boston suburbs, Mike now enjoys sunny, snowless winters in San Diego. Mike is passionate about personal finance, travel, and Boston sports.

"Finder sifts through all the good (and bad) out there and brings you the best options to fit your situation and needs. I believe we are able to help readers do more with their hard-earned money. Let us do the time-consuming research and analysis for you."

Zak Killermann is a technical publisher at Finder who’s specialized in cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology for seven years — covering everything from ICO booms, crypto winters, memecoins and more. He’s mined and minted cryptocurrencies, and geeks out over Ethereum upgrades. Zak’s focus is in breaking down technical concepts into approachable nuggets of information. While diving into all things crypto, Zak also contributes to Finder’s money transfers and stock trading verticals.

"What I do at Finder I do every day in my personal life — I help my friends and family make the best decisions on topics stretching as far as the eye can see."

Media partnerships

Laura Adams is a money expert and spokesperson for Finder. She's one of the nation’s leading personal finance and business authorities. As an award-winning author and host of the top-rated Money Girl podcast since 2008, millions of readers, listeners, and loyal fans benefit from her practical advice. Laura is a trusted source for media and has been featured on most major news outlets, including ABC, Bloomberg, CBS, Consumer Reports, Forbes, Fortune, FOX, Money, MSN, NBC, NPR, NY Times, USA Today, US News, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and more. She received an MBA from the University of Florida and lives in Vero Beach, Florida. Her mission is to empower consumers to live healthy and rich lives by making the most of what they have, planning for the future, and making smart money decisions every day.

"My mission is to empower consumers to live healthy and rich lives by making the most of what they have, planning for the future, and making smart money decisions every day."

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