Our Financial Expert Review Board

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.

Anna N’Jie-Konte, MBA, CFP® is the President and Director of Financial Planning for Re-Envision Wealth. As President, Anna manages the firm’s financial planning, advisory, and operations strategies.

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

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.”

Erin Lowry is the author of the four-part Broke Millennial series, including: Broke Millennial, Broke Millennial Takes On Investing, Broke Millennial Talks Money and Broke Millennial Workbook: Take Control and Get Your Financial Life Together.

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

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

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

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.

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 has worked in the insurance industry for over 20 years.

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.

Tony Steuer, CLU, LA, CPFFE is an internationally recognized financial preparedness advocate, podcaster, and award-winning author. Tony developed the Get Ready Movement to empower and educate people on all areas of personal finance.