Meet Our Editorial Staff

A 35-year expert observer of the mortgage and consumer debt industries, Keith has been cited in tens of thousands of articles covering a wide range of consumer finance topics. These articles have appeared in publications and outlets including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Money Magazine, The New York Times, Kiplinger publications, US News and World Report, BusinessWeek, Forbes, Bottom Line Publications and dozens of local newspapers. He has been a featured guest on NPR Radio and Oprah Winfrey's XM Radio program with Jean Chatzky, and has been seen on CNBC, CNN and the national news broadcasts for ABC, CBS and NBC television networks.

Keith has authored or co-authored a number of consumer guides on first mortgages, refinancing, home equity, mortgage prepayment and more, and is the primary researcher and writer for HSH.com's MarketTrends newsletter. He has contributed expertise to a number of books written by Jane White, Beth Kobliner, John Dorfman and others.

Working at the intersection of markets and people, and with a unique ability to explain today's complex consumer finance environment in simple human language, Keith helps writers and reporters better serve readers and viewers by providing practical, useful knowledge to these audiences as they struggle to understand the numerous choices they face when managing debt.

From the Federal Reserve's latest actions down to evaluating a local lenders latest offerings, Keith can help lend clarity and perspective to a confusing, difficult marketplace.

Jacqueline Leppla has been developing personal finance content for more than ten years; she has bought and sold homes in California, Illinois and Massachusetts. Along with a background in management consulting, Ms. Leppla has a bachelor’s degree from The University of California at Berkeley and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.

Gina Pogol has decades of experience in the mortgage industry as a mortgage loan officer and a mortgage underwriter. An acknowledged expert in mortgage and personal finance since 2008, Gina enjoys breaking down complicated subjects and helping consumers feel comfortable making financial decisions. You can find also her articles on MSN Money, Fox Business, Forbes.com, Motley Fool and other sites.

Craig Berry is a mortgage banking expert, helping thousands achieve their homeownership and refinancing goals since 1999. Mr. Berry advises on mortgage and real estate-related topics such as home buying, selling, refinancing and mortgage banking. His work is published across a wide range of media outlets.

Michele Lerner, author of “HOMEBUYING: Tough Times, First Time, Any Time”, has been writing about personal finance and real estate for more than two decades for a variety of publications and websites including the Friday Home Guide of The Washington Times, National Real Estate Investor magazine, the National Association of Real Estate Investment Trust's REIT magazine, Investopedia, Insurance.com, RefinancingRight.com, Urban Land magazine, the National Association of Realtor's Realtor magazine and numerous state and local Realtor associations.

She has been a guest on the National Association of Realtor's Real Estate Today radio program and appeared on MRIS Real Estate TV to give advice to first-time homebuyers. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, where they are active with the Latino Student Fund and the charter school movement. They spend time in New York City where their two daughters live.

Tim Manni is a former managing editor for HSH.com. Tim's work with HSH.com was featured in several other media outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and MarketWatch.com.

Constance Gustke is a New York-based journalist who writes about business topics. She was a Fortune reporter, Forbes.com contributor and Worth features editor. Gustke is also a regular contributor to CNBC.

Margarette Burnette is an Atlanta-based freelance writer who specializes in personal finance and real estate topics. In her 12 years of corporate and journalistic experience, she's written for dozens of publications, including Good Housekeeping, American Express, Essence, Black Enterprise and many others.

Ilyce Glink's Real Estate Matters newspaper column is syndicated nationally. She is the author of many acclaimed real estate books, including her latest, "100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask" (4th Edition). She is also the CEO of Best Money Moves, an app that employers provide to employees to reduce financial stress. Ilyce answers consumer questions on her media site ThinkGlink.com.

Chris Birk is the Director of Education for Veterans United Home Loans, and author of "The Book on VA Loans: An Essential Guide to Maximizing Your Home Loan Benefits.

Dan Rafter is a freelance writer with more than 20 years experience covering real estate and mortgage issues. He's written for the Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Business 2.0 Magazine, Consumers Digest and dozens of trade magazines.

Steve Cook is managing editor of Real Estate Economy Watch, which was recognized as one of the two best real estate news sites of 2011 by the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Before he co-founded REEW in 2007, he was vice president of public affairs for the National Association of Realtors. In 2006 and 2007, he was named one of the 100 most influential people in real estate.

Susan Ladika has been a writer and editor for more than two decades, getting her start at daily newspapers such as The Tampa Tribune and the St. Petersburg Times, and with The Associated Press. In recent years she’s focused on personal finance, business and HR topics, writing for such publications as Bankrate.com, CreditCards.com, Insurance.com, CarInsurance.com and Workforce Management.

Craig Guillot is a business and personal finance writer from New Orleans. He covers insurance, investing, real estate and debt. His work has appeared in such publications and websites as Entrepreneur, CNNMoney.com, CNBC.com, Bankrate.com, Better Investing Magazine and Investor's Business Daily.

He is a contributing editor to STORES Magazine (National Retail Federation) and Interest.com and is the author of "Stuff About Money: No BS Financial Advice for Regular People". Craig has also covered the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 for a number of national publications. In 2010, he covered the Gulf oil disaster for the National Wildlife Federation. You can read more about his work at Craigguillot.com.

Aaron is a homeowner in the Bay Area who spends too much time and money for the upkeep of his 1950s-era Cape Cod home, and wonders how large families once lived in such small houses. You can follow Aaron on Twitter at @aaroncrowe.

Marcie Geffner is an award-winning freelance reporter, writer, editor and blogger whose work has been published by MSNBC, CNBC, Yahoo! Finance, Fox Business, Bankrate.com, AOL Real Estate, ThirdAge.com, Fidelity.com and dozens of major U.S. newspapers. Previously, she was senior editor of California Real Estate magazine and then managing editor of Inman News, an online real estate industry news service.

Marcie has written about a wide range of financial topics, including homebuying, investing, banking, credit cards and mortgages. She earned a bachelor's degree with honors in English from UCLA and MBA from Pepperdine University. She lives in Los Angeles. You can follow Marcie on Twitter at @marciegeff or on her website www.marciegeffner.com.

Brian O’Connell is a freelance writer from Doylestown, Pa., with 15 years experience covering business news and trends, particularly in the financial, health care and career management sectors. His byline has appeared in dozens of top-tier national business publications, including The Wall Street Journal, CNBC, The Street.com, Yahoo Finance, CBS Marketwatch, and many more. The author of 14 books, O’Connell has appeared as an expert commentator on business issues for CNN, Fox News, CNBC, C-Span, Bloomberg, CBS Radio, The LA Times, and others.

April Dykman is a freelance writer, editor and blogger who specializes in personal finance, real estate, and entrepreneurship topics. Her work has been featured on MSNBC, Fox Business, Forbes MoneyBuilder, Yahoo! Finance, Lifehacker, Get Rich Slowly and The Consumerist. April holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a now-inactive real estate license.

Poonkulali Thangavelu is a financial writer who has covered real-estate finance topics for several years. Her work has appeared in leading industry publications National Mortgage News, National Real Estate Investor, Asset Securitization Report, Multi-Housing News and HousingWire. She has also been published on Seeking Alpha and Yahoo! Finance.

Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, The Money Coach®, is a personal finance expert, television and radio personality, and the author of numerous books, including the New York Times bestseller “Zero Debt: The Ultimate Guide to Financial Freedom.” A former Wall Street Journal reporter for CNBC, Lynnette has appeared on such national TV programs as The Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, The Today Show and Good Morning America. She can frequently be seen as a guest commentator on CNN, MSNBC, ABC and FOX Business Network. Follow Lynnette on Twitter @themoneycoach or visit her free financial advice blog at AskTheMoneyCoach.com.

Erik J. Martin is a Chicago area-based freelance writer whose articles have been published by the US Chamber of Commerce, AARP The Magazine, Reader's Digest, The Costco Connection, The Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times and other publications. He often writes on topics related to real estate, financial services, business, technology, health care and entertainment. He also hosts a podcast and publishes several blogs, including martinspiration.com and cineversegroup.com