Kali McFadden
Senior Manager, Research and Data Insights
9years covering personal finance
5+ articles on LendingTree
Develops methodologies to answer thorny questions around personal finance, from rating the quality of individual financial products to distilling the habits of people with great credit profiles
Specialties
Personal loans
Auto loans
Mortgage loans
Credit cards
Economic trends
Education
Bachelor of Science, Shimer College
Kali McFadden oversees LendingTree’s production of public-facing research. Her team publishes original analysis on LendingTree.com, ValuePenguin.com and DepositAccounts.com, as well as through media partnerships and academic collaborations.
Kali’s work focuses on turning complex data into clear, actionable insights that help consumers better understand financial products and make informed decisions. Her research has been widely cited by major media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, NBC, CBS, ABC, Fox News, Newsweek and USA Today.
She has a particular interest in how people interact with debt and credit in real-world situations. Before joining LendingTree, Kali spent a decade as an economic consultant on high-profile litigation and regulatory matters.
Balancing monthly expenses against long-term financial savings
We tend to think of monthly budgets when taking out loans, but borrowers should also think about the cost of a loan over its entire life. Smaller monthly payments usually mean a longer loan and higher rates and fees. Saving $100 a month on a car payment could cost thousands more by the time it's paid off. You can knock down that monthly payment with lower interest rates by shopping around and improving your credit score."
