Christy Rakoczy JD Expertise: Student Loans, Budgeting, Financial Planning, Personal Loans Title: Freelance writer Education: UCLA School of Law, University of Rochester Location: Pennsylvania and Florida Highlights Has over 12 years of experience writing thousands of articles about loans, budgeting, financial planning, and moreWork has appeared on Credit Karma, LendEDU, Nasdaq, LendingTree, The Motley Fool, and moreEarned her JD at UCLA School of Law Experience Christy Rakoczy has over 12 years of experience as a personal finance writer covering student and personal loans, budgeting, financial planning, and more. She has been published by well-known finance sites including Nasdaq, LendingTree, LendEDU, Credit Karma, The Motley Fool, USA Today, and more. Christy has researched and written thousands of articles during her career.Christy began her online writing career focusing on legal subjects after earning her law degree from UCLA. However, she quickly transitioned into the personal finance sphere, writing for Money Crashers, Money Talks News, Mic, and Student Loan Hero. She has been writing for The Balance since January of 2020. She has also worked as an adjunct professor teaching both English classes as well as paralegal studies. And in addition to writing for the web, she has served as a subject matter expert overseeing the development of online courses on a variety of finance and business-related topics. While she grew up in New York, she now splits her time between Pennsylvania and Florida. She and her husband have one son, as well as two very loud dogs. Education Christy has a JD degree from the University of California (UCLA) School of Law and a bachelor's in English, media, and communications from the University of Rochester. She also has a certificate in business management. About The Balance The Balance, a Dotdash Meredith brand, makes money easy to understand. We give people tools they need to not only make smart financial decisions but also prepare for the experiences they will have along the way. Our team of expert writers and editors have extensive qualifications in the topics they cover, and many of them have MBAs, PhDs, CFPs, and other advanced degrees and professional certifications. We require our writers to use primary sources in their articles, which are also approved by our Financial Review Board and fact-checked. You can learn more about the standards we follow in producing accurate, unbiased content in our editorial policy.