Laura Leavitt M.A. Expertise: Saving, investing, insurance, loans, mortgages Title: Personal Finance Journalist Education: Appalachian State University, Miami University of Ohio Highlights Laura Leavitt is a freelance journalist who has covered personal finance since 2016She's passionate about explaining complex personal finance topics to help readers put them into practiceHer experience in higher education helps her balance clarity and precision Experience Laura Leavitt is a freelance writer for The Balance covering saving, investing, insurance, loans, and mortgages. Laura first began writing about personal finance with bylines on The Billfold, a personal finance publication that employed first-person perspectives to clearly explain complex concepts. She soon realized that personal finance was for everyone, even so-called "creative types" like herself. Since then, she's written for NextAdvisor, MoneyGeek, Personal Finance Insider, The Financial Diet, and others. Along the way she's interviewed scores of experts and deepened her knowledge and understanding of personal finance.Prior to her career as a personal finance journalist, Laura coached student writers in a university setting. There she put into practice her ideas about clear and precise writing in the service of capturing and explaining complex topics.Laura has a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in Spanish and English, as well as a master's degree in English from Miami University of Ohio. Education Laura has a bachelor's degree from Appalachian State University in Spanish and English, as well as a master's degree in English from Miami University of Ohio. 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.