Living with credit (120)  |  New, interesting products (48)  |  Research, regulation, industry reports (134)  |  Rewards (16)  |  Protecting yourself (65)  |  The fine print (24)  |  Credit card miscellany (108)

Daniel P. Ray

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I'm Daniel P. Ray, CreditCard.com's editor in chief, and I've been writing and editing consumer-oriented stories about personal finance -- especially debt-related issues -- for about 10 years. Before joining CreditCards.com in July, 2007, I was an editor at Bankrate.com, including six years as editor in chief. During my tenure there, I was fortunate enough to win some nice plaques for my wall, including three "Best in Business" awards from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW).

I also had 10 years in various reporting and editing roles at the Miami Herald, and five years as an editor for the music magazine, Country Weekly, where I learned to love Merle but failed miserably at the Electric Slide.

My first credit card came at the University of Missouri, where it was at first just a piece of plastic that came with a free hat. The debt that I eventually racked up with it lasted far longer than the hat. Now, except for occasional splurges on music, I handle them much more responsibly, though I have not yet worked up the guts to try credit card arbitrage.

Emily Starbuck Gerson

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I'm the editorial assistant at CreditCards.com, and no, I don't like coffee (it's a family name). Upon finishing college, I was horrified to learn how little my friends and I knew about credit and personal finance. It seems our dear parents forgot to mention a few things, so I have made it my mission to help those in the dark understand the ins and outs of credit, debt, identity theft and other vital issues.

I graduated from the University of Texas with a degree in Radio-TV-Film, and with what I like to call "an unofficial major in journalism." I convinced the J-school to let me take a news writing and editing course, I interned at two magazines, was the editor of a student newspaper for over a year and have done lots of freelance writing and editing. Before joining the CreditCards.com team, I had a brief stint in public relations and marketing.

I am also a published photographer and classical and rock cellist. I reside in Austin, Texas, the live music capitol of the world, with a mischievous Min Pin and a jerk of a cat.

Jeremy Simon

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As a full-time staff reporter at CreditCards.com, my writing focuses on the payment card and debt trends impacting consumers.

After graduating from Vassar College with a bachelor's degree in English and just one economics class under my belt, I gained a real world education in business and finance over several years spent working for Thomson Financial in New York, where I wrote on U.S. and foreign equity markets. Following a move to Austin, Texas, I interned in the editorial department at Texas Monthly magazine while paying the rent with an exciting stint editing technical documents. I have written freelance pieces for several local Austin publications and have been a member of the CreditCards.com staff since June 2006.

If I could offer just one piece of personal debt advice to friends and family members, it would be to try and pay off their credit card debt before making investments or extravagant purchases.

Connie Prater

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My official title is senior writer at CreditCards.com. In fact, I consider myself a savvy consumer, a mom, a penny-pincher/tightwad and an above average Scrabble player.

I have been a reporter and editor for print and online news organizations for more than 22 years. I was on the team of Miami Herald journalists that won the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for investigative reporting in a series of articles on voter fraud in the Miami city elections.

As a journalist, I have written about consumer affairs, social services for the working poor and health and medicine. Over the years, I've developed a knack for explaining complex topics in simple terms "that my mother can understand."

I found out firsthand what identity theft victims go through in protecting their good names and credit ratings when my purse was stolen a few years ago. I can share my tips on protecting your privacy and what not to haul around in those big purses and handbags.

I have bachelor's degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a master's in business administration from Barry University in Miami Shores, Fla. In addition to the Miami Herald, I have been fortunate enough to work at the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News and iVillage.com.

What's in my wallet? A Visa credit card is on the top of the pile as the most frequently used plastic in my wallet.

David Munns

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It occurred to me a few years ago, when I was working as a journalist in Washington, D.C., that words alone -- no matter how useful, interesting or informative -- were not enough to grab an online audience.  Internet readers want to consume information using the wealth of media facilitated by the World Wide Web.

I'm happy to oblige.

As multimedia editor and producer for CreditCards.com, I constantly look for new ways to make the topics we write about here jump off the screen, grab your attention and give you more than just a good story. My job is to make you part of the story by enabling you to interact with the Web, so our credit card news and advice is the news you want and the advice you need.

Before joining the team here, I wrote about emerging technologies, politics and government for a national magazine and freelanced as a multimedia artist and designer.

In my wallet today is my health insurance card, driver's license, about $12 and a pizza coupon. I'm on restriction from the plastic stuff.

Julie Sherrier

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I clearly remember my first credit card purchase. I was a fresh-faced editorial assistant for HOUSING magazine at McGraw-Hill in New York with a hand-me-down wardrobe from my stepmother who worked on Wall Street. The problem? Our mismatched shoe sizes. So I applied for an American Express card and went shopping up and down 34th Street, happily lugging multiple shoe boxes home. Thus began my relationship with credit and debt (and shoes) and the ensuing lessons learned about managing both.

I am the assistant managing editor at CreditCards.com. I've worked as a writer and editor for trade publications, both print and online, in New York and Austin, Texas. In New York, I was managing editor of The Hudson Review and an editor for Ca-A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and HOUSING magazine. In Austin, I've worked for three trade associations as communications director and editor, covering the banking, retail and hospitality industries. In my free time, I've done freelance work for PC World, edited numerous books and taught journalism to students at the University of Texas. I'm a graduate of the journalism program at the University of Missouri-Columbia.

The number of credit cards in my wallet has been on the decline over the years as I got smarter. I am now down to one Visa, a Home Depot card, a Sears card for emergency appliance purchases and a Best Buy card in case of electronic meltdowns.

Matt Schulz

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I'm an Assistant Managing Editor at CreditCards.com, and as I neared my first day on the job, it dawned on me just how massive an impact credit cards have had on my life since I began college.

First, there were the ignorance-is-bliss years of overspending on things like bootleg CDs and Italian dinners. Those good times led to the shocked-into-sobriety years of using every spare cent I had to pay off my debt. That difficult but necessary time eventually gave way to the making-them-work-for-me years during which we financed several trips by paying for virtually everything with a credit card just to get the miles and then -- usually -- paying the balance off at the end of each month. I'm still in that phase, though having a young son means the trips are much less frequent and much less exotic.

I have a journalism degree from the mighty University of Texas and have reported or edited for such publications as American Banker and the Houston Chronicle. Most recently, I've focused on the web, helping lead news sites like KXAN.com and Austin360.com and helping clients' businesses while at a high-tech marketing agency.

Most of my spare time is devoted to my son, though I still make time for date nights with my wife and obsessing about everything from politics and movies to writing and fantasy sports.