Credit Karma Editorial Guidelines: Transparency & Independence

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Editorial Note: Credit Karma receives compensation from third-party advertisers, but that doesn’t affect our editors’ opinions. Our marketing partners don’t review, approve or endorse our editorial content. It’s accurate to the best of our knowledge when posted. Advertiser Disclosure

We think it's important for you to understand how we make money. It's pretty simple, actually. The offers for financial products you see on our platform come from companies who pay us. The money we make helps us give you access to free credit scores and reports and helps us create our other great tools and educational materials.

Compensation may factor into how and where products appear on our platform (and in what order). But since we generally make money when you find an offer you like and get, we try to show you offers we think are a good match for you. That's why we provide features like your Approval Odds and savings estimates.

Of course, the offers on our platform don't represent all financial products out there, but our goal is to show you as many great options as we can.

Credit Karma’s editorial team works on your behalf, so we’d like to share a bit about the process and guidelines that inform our content.

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• Our mission
• Editorial principles
• Data journalism
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• About us

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Our mission

Our mission is to empower our readers to make financial progress, one step at a time. We believe progress is a journey made easier with help, so we root our content in trusted sources and independent research to give you the knowledge to reach your goals.

Editorial principles

• Accuracy. We all have our opinions, but facts come first. Our editors rigorously fact-check and review every piece of content we publish because everyone deserves accurate information. We also review articles for accuracy post-publication and regularly update content as we receive new information.
• Independence. Editorial content is not influenced by our marketing partners, and we draw a clear line between editorial and the rest of our business.
• Authority. All information included in our content is corroborated by authoritative and reputable sources and/or publications. If a statement or fact can’t be corroborated by a legitimate source, we don’t publish it. If we reference any statistics or research conducted by an organization not associated with Credit Karma, we identify and/or link out to the original source.
• Real talk. If we suggest a product, it’s because we’ve thoroughly reviewed it and believe in its value. We’re open about our enthusiasm for certain cards or products, and we’ll tell it like it is when something doesn’t smell right.
• Empathy. We’ve been there. We aren’t here to judge your financial situation or scold you for carrying a credit card balance. Our goal is to help you take the positive next step, not to dwell on any bumps or missteps.
• Perspective. We know your finances are important to unlocking life goals like paying for college or saving for retirement. We want to help you understand all of your options when it comes to day-to-day financial decisions, so that you can make the best choices for you on your financial journey.

Data journalism

Credit Karma’s data journalism articles are dedicated to finding and shedding light on the human stories behind personal finance statistics and news.

Often cited by top-tier media such as USA Today, Marketwatch and Yahoo! Finance, our studies are a cooperative effort led by our independent in-house writers, editors and consumer research team — illuminating everything from how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected financial behaviors to the ways our finances impact relationships.

While we frequently survey the general public to identify trends in consumer finance, we also tap into Credit Karma’s 100 million-plus members in the U.S. for a broader range of data and information. This unique capability allows us to give our readers more enriched perspective on their financial situations.

Diversity, equity and inclusion

We recognize that people’s relationships and experiences with financial systems and institutions can vary greatly depending on an individual’s background. We know that institutional racism and discrimination within the financial sector is real. And we’re committed not only to acknowledging and highlighting those realities in our content — but to helping you navigate them.

We have pledged to …

• Champion diversity on the Editorial team
• Audit existing processes — for both hiring and development of editorial content — with a goal of identifying and correcting biases 
• Promote inclusion and racial justice in the information we provide
• Produce content that addresses race- and income-based discrimination in personal finance

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About us

Our editors and writers come from a variety of backgrounds. We’re career journalists, content marketers and editorial lifers with a (mostly) healthy obsession with all things personal finance.

We also bring our real-life experiences to the articles you read on Credit Karma. We’re parents with college expenses looming. Caretakers balancing family and career commitments. Young adults looking to buy our first homes and put down roots.

Many of us have navigated rough credit histories and even rougher financial waters, and we’re open about our own financial journeys (yes, even the rockiest parts). We hope our experiences can help you better understand your own.

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Meet our team

Amy Kalin is a copy editor at Credit Karma with a special interest in helping people understand and take control of their financial behaviors. A former journalist, Amy primarily reported on high-profile criminal and civil legal affairs in Los Angeles before transitioning to broadcast news as an investigative segment producer, line producer and script writer. Most recently before joining Credit Karma, Amy was a director of communications at a global law firm and content editor for a legal tech startup. Amy earned her bachelor’s degree in journalism from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Brad Hanson is a senior editor at Credit Karma. His 30 years of experience in print and digital media includes work for the Los Angeles Times-Washington Post News Service, Trucks.com and Polyvore. Before joining Credit Karma, Brad was copy chief/multiplatform editor for the Business section of the Los Angeles Times and a journalism instructor at the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California. Brad earned his bachelor’s degree in communications at Cal State Fullerton and a master’s in management from the University of Redlands.

Casey Hollis is a managing editor at Credit Karma, specializing in credit card reviews and education. Throughout her career in writing and editing informational content — from health news and advice at Healthline.com to kindergarten and first grade math curriculum at Pearson Education — her goal has always been to inform, engage and inspire readers who are seeking help and answers for their questions. Casey earned a master’s degree in English and modern history from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.

Claire Diver is a copy editor at Credit Karma. Previously, she managed web content at an e-commerce startup. Claire’s literary arts background and detail-oriented style inform her focus on providing clear and accurate information for readers. Claire earned her bachelor’s degrees in English and art history from the University of Iowa, where she served as an art editor on the undergraduate literary review.

Eric Freeman is a writer and editor at Credit Karma, specializing in credit cards and credit scores and reports. He strives to make personal finance relatable for readers and to ground complicated issues in everyday experiences. Prior to working for Credit Karma, he covered sports for publications such as GQ Magazine and Yahoo Sports and coauthored a book on the history of professional basketball. Eric earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from Stanford University.

Erin Dunn is a senior editor at Credit Karma who specializes in personal loans and is passionate about financial literacy and budgeting. She’s an award-winning business journalist and editor whose work has appeared in Business North Carolina magazine, Reuters and The Augusta Chronicle.

She’s written about topics such as the Great Recession and economic recovery, retailers and consumer goods, and real estate. Erin has worked in marketing for several startups in Charlotte, North Carolina, leading content marketing, public relations and social media efforts. Erin is a first-generation college graduate from the University of North Carolina with a degree specializing in financial news.

Gaby Lapera is a content strategist at Credit Karma and a personal finance expert. Besides writing, Gaby spends a lot of time drinking tea, investing, and learning about biological anthropology. She studied at William & Mary, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and history.

Mónica Camargo is a managing editor at Credit Karma with a background in print, digital and broadcast media. She considers herself an advocate for readers, aiming to make complicated topics clear and approachable. Before joining Credit Karma, Mónica was a managing copy editor in advertising, as well as a co-founding producer for a video production startup focused on community-service sectors. Mónica has a bachelor’s degree in English literature from the University of Texas at El Paso.

Rebecca Giantonio Moran is a senior editor at Credit Karma with a focus on auto. She has nearly 20 years of experience in brand development, content and website strategy, copywriting, marketing and public relations. Throughout her career, Rebecca has worked with a range of financial institutions, from startups to Fortune 100 companies, developing award-winning content, campaigns and online tools along the way.

Her writing has appeared in a variety of publications, including Connecticut magazine, Gawker, Glamour, PR Daily and regional newspapers across New England. Rebecca’s passion for teaching is clear in all she does, from helping readers understand complex personal finance topics to leading seminars on content and social media strategy. She earned a bachelor’s in magazine journalism and English and textual studies with a psychology minor from Syracuse University – S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

Tim Devaney is a personal finance writer and credit card expert at Credit Karma. He’s a longtime journalist who prides himself on being a good storyteller who can explain complex information in an easily digestible way. Prior to Credit Karma, Tim wrote about financial regulations for The Hill and covered business for The Detroit News and The Washington Times. Tim has been featured on Business Insider, CBS, C-SPAN, MarketWatch, TheStreet and Yahoo! Finance. He has a bachelor’s in journalism from Cornerstone University.