Credit Cards & Credit How Credit Scores Work, and What Moves Them
A credit score is a snapshot built from five factors, weighted unevenly, recalculated constantly.
Priya Raghunathan
Editor, banking and credit
Priya covers deposit accounts and consumer credit, and re-checks every published rate on a fixed schedule.
Background
Priya edits the banking and credit-card desks: savings and checking accounts, CDs, card APRs, balance transfers and the mechanics of how interest is actually charged.
Rates on these pages move weekly, so her rule is that a quoted APY or APR carries the date it was checked, and a figure past its re-check window is pulled rather than left to go quietly stale.
Latest work
- Credit Cards & Credit
Credit Cards & Credit Balance Transfers: When They Save Money and When They Do Not
A transfer trades an upfront fee for a temporary rate. Whether that trade wins depends on how fast you can actually pay it off.
Credit Cards & Credit Best Balance Transfer Credit Cards for 2026
Citi Simplicity is the default pick for anyone focused purely on the length of the interest-free runway, since it has historically offered one of the longest windows with no late fee to worry about. W
Credit Cards & Credit Credit Card APR: How Interest Is Actually Charged
APR only ever touches you if a balance survives the grace period, and how it is charged after that surprises most people.
Credit Cards & Credit Best Cash Back Credit Cards for 2026, Ranked
Chase Freedom Unlimited is the default pick for most people: one flat rate, no annual fee, nothing to activate. Citi Double Cash suits anyone who wants a rewards structure that lines up with actually
Banking & Savings Best Checking Accounts for 2026, Ranked by Fees
SoFi if you want checking and savings in one app with a rate on both. Chime if avoiding overdraft fees is the priority. Neither charges a monthly maintenance fee.
Banking & Savings Best Banks for Freelancers in 2026, Ranked by Fees
Novo for straightforward free business checking. Relay if you want separate accounts to hold tax money automatically. Keep the set-aside in a high-yield savings account rather than checking.
Banking & Savings Best CD Rates for 2026, Ranked by Yield and Term
Marcus and Ally both offer competitive rates with clear penalty terms. Discover is worth comparing on longer terms. Do not chase a rate on money that might become your emergency fund.
Banking & Savings CD Ladder Calculator: Rungs, Yield and Access
A little yield traded for a maturity every twelve months.
Banking & Savings Savings Goal Calculator: What to Put Away Each Month
A deadline and a target, solved backwards into one monthly number.
Banking & Savings Emergency Fund Calculator: How Many Months You Need
Essential spending, multiplied by the months your situation actually requires.
Credit Cards & Credit Credit Card Payoff Calculator: Months to Zero
It will tell you when the balance clears, or that it never does.
Banking & Savings Best High-Yield Savings Accounts for 2026
Marcus is the simplest good choice: no fees, no minimum, consistently near the top of the rate tables. Pick SoFi instead if you want checking in the same app, and Ally if you want savings buckets to s
Reviewed for accuracy
Pages Priya Raghunathan checked against the primary source before publication.
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