
Lisa Gerstner
Lisa has been with Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine for more than 15 years and became editor in June 2023. She started with Kiplinger as an American Society of Magazine Editors intern in 2006, was hired as a copy editor in 2007 and later began reporting and writing on a range of personal-finance topics, including credit, banking and retirement. For several years, she compiled the magazine’s annual rankings of the best rewards credit cards and the best banks, and she assembled the survey and results for Kiplinger’s first Readers’ Choice Awards in 2023.
Lisa has shared her expertise as a guest with many media outlets around the nation, including the Today Show, CNN, Fox, NPR and Cheddar.
Lisa was an Honors College student at Ball State University, in Muncie, Ind., and graduated summa cum laude with a degree in magazine journalism and history. During her time as a student, she was editor-in-chief of the campus magazine and an intern at the Indianapolis Business Journal as well as her hometown newspaper, the Wapakoneta Daily News. She received Ball State’s “Graduate of the Last Decade” award in 2014.
A military spouse, Lisa experiences firsthand the financial challenges and opportunities for military families. Born and raised in Ohio, she has moved around the U.S. - from Washington, D.C., to Las Vegas to southern New Mexico – and currently lives in the Philadelphia area with her husband and two sons. When she finds free time, she loves to travel (especially to national parks), hike, try new recipes in the kitchen, and get on the mat to practice yoga.
Latest articles by Lisa Gerstner
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The Best Financial-Planning Options for Families Saving for Retirement and CollegeFinancial Planning When you have competing priorities, you may need more assistance sorting through your financial picture.
By Sandra Block
Financial Planning -
Money-Market Funds Offering Juicier Yieldsmutual funds Beware, however: They are not protected from losses by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
By Lisa Gerstner
mutual funds -
How to Make a Complaint and Get Resultsspending Keep your cool, create a paper trail and take it all the way to the top if you need to.
By Lisa Gerstner
spending -
3 Upsides of Rising Interest RatesEconomic Forecasts The Federal Reserve is slowly turning the volume back up on interest rates. For some, there's a silver lining.
By Lisa Gerstner
Economic Forecasts -
Did You Freeze Your Credit? Watch Out for These Pitfallscredit & debt If you put your credit reports on ice, watch out for these slippery spots.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
New Ways to Foil Hackers and Protect Your IdentityScams These tools guard your smart gadgets and your identity.
By Lisa Gerstner
Scams -
A Great New Travel Rewards Card -- Without an Annual Feecredit & debt PenFed Pathfinder Rewards American Express is a good new option of no-fee travel rewards cards.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Financial Tools for Savers With Big Balancescredit & debt Workarounds for when your bank isn't passing on higher yields to you.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
What to Expect From the New Fed ChiefEconomic Forecasts By and large, Jerome Powell will move along the path set by his predecessor.
By Lisa Gerstner
Economic Forecasts -
5 Keys to Keeping Your Data SecureTechnology Protect yourself from would-be identity thieves.
By Lisa Gerstner
Technology -
How to Tame Your Student Loanscollege Don't let the burden bar you from saving for your future.
By Lisa Gerstner
college -
Fighting Financial Fraud and Identity TheftScams Learn what it's like on the front lines on our ride along with the scam police.
By Anne Kates Smith
Scams -
Airline Rewards Cards Without the Feecredit & debt You can take advantage of new no-fee card offerings from Delta and United to buy plane tickets with miles or credits.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Are Your Bank Accounts at Risk?credit & debt You can get a free ChexSystem report every year to check.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Fighting Identity Theft on the Dark Webcredit & debt To prevent ID theft, credit card issuers monitor the dark web for your personal information.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
A Premium Travel Credit Card -- With a Catchcredit & debt If you're a frequent flier, this rewards card may be worth your while.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Best Financial Services at Warehouse Clubsspending The last time you visited your favorite warehouse club, you may have picked up a 15-pack of paper towels, 40 pounds of dog food and, no doubt, several items that weren’t on your list.
By Lisa Gerstner
spending -
Customers Get a Break on Medical Debtcredit & debt Consumers get more time to settle a medical bill before it harms their credit.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Best Values in Streaming TV Services for Every Type of Viewerspending Whether you’re looking for big games, grand finales, Hollywood premieres or trending events, these live TV streaming packages allow you to tune into whatever programs you desire.
By Lisa Gerstner
spending -
New Strategies to Cut the Cable CordTechnology Next-generation strategies for getting rid of cable once and for all.
By Lisa Gerstner
Technology -
Easier Ways to Send Cash Fastcredit & debt More banks and credit unions are offering peer-to-peer payments.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Best Bank Accounts for RetirementFeature These checking accounts offer attractive perks to retirees.
By Lisa Gerstner
Feature -
Miles or Cash Back: Which Is the Better Credit-Card Reward?credit & debt MileCards.com can help you decide whether an air-miles reward card or a cash-back card will be a better deal for you.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt -
Online Bill Paying Isn't Foolproofcredit & debt Using your bank's bill-payment service is convenient, but the process isn't a slam dunk.
By Lisa Gerstner
credit & debt
