About Lindsay VanSomeren
Current Role
Personal finance writer
Expertise
- Mortgages
- Personal Loans
- Student Loans
- Auto Loans
- Banking
- Budgeting
- Debt
- Insurance
- Credit Cards
- Credit
Degrees
- Bachelor's and master's degree in wildlife biology and conservation from the University of Alaska Fairbanks
Personal Finance Experience
Lindsay doesn't come from a traditional personal finance background, having originally trained to be a wildlife biologist in Alaska. She changed course after being driven nearly to bankruptcy from a combination of poor money management skills, a low income, and buying a home that turned out to be a lemon.
Happily, she's turned her financial life around and recently purchased a new home (the right way) in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. Today she dedicates her time to helping other people learn how to manage their money better, too, whether that's through explainers, guides, company reviews, and more. Her work appears widely around the internet, and she's written more than a thousand personal finance articles for over 60 different websites.
Latest from Lindsay VanSomeren
6 Ways to Get Out of Your Timeshare Without Hurting Your Finances
Timeshare salespeople can be experts in psychological manipulation. It’s sometimes a wonder how anyone makes...
ISL Education Lending Review: Nonprofit Loans With Limited Benefits
Iowa Student Loan Liquidity Corporation, better known as ISL Lending, is an Iowa-based nonprofit that...
RISLA Review: What to Know About Its 2025 Student Loans and Refinance
RISLA—which stands for Rhode Island Student Loan Authority—is a nonprofit dedicated to helping students go...
EdvestinU Student Loans Review: Benefits in New Hampshire, Better Rates Elsewhere for Others
Rates (APR) 6.00% – 9.514% fixed, 7.14% – 10.199% variable, w/ autopay Loan amounts $2,001...
Western Union 2025 Review: Ideal for International Transfers, If You Don’t Mind the Price
Western Union is one of the original fintech companies, and we mean that quite literally—it...
What to Do If You Need $10, $20, or $30 Right Now
We’ve all run into tight spots where we just need a small amount of money,...
Tax Lien vs. Tax Levy: The Difference and How to Stop Them
Tax liens and levies are two different steps in the collection process for unpaid taxes....
What Happens If You Don’t File Taxes but Don’t Owe Anything?
Just because you don’t owe any taxes doesn’t mean you don’t need to file a...
Brazos Student Loan Refinance 2025 Review: Low Rates and No Fees for Texas Residents
If you live in Texas and you’re looking to refinance your student loans, Brazos is...
What Is the Maximum Personal Loan Amount You Can Get?
The maximum personal loan amount you can get depends on the lender itself and your...