Linda Bell

About the author

Linda Bell is a Bankrate lead insights analyst, producing content on homeownership, home affordability, mortgages, home equity, and more. Before joining Bankrate in 2024, she spent more than 20 years as a business and personal finance reporter and writer at organizations including Bloomberg, Fox Business and NerdWallet.

During the housing boom and bust of the 2000s, Linda appeared on hundreds of local television and radio stations, providing insight on the stock market and housing industry. At NerdWallet, her focus was homeownership and mortgages, including the homebuying process, home affordability, and mortgage management.

Linda is deeply committed to advocating for equal homeownership opportunities for everyone. Her investigative radio series “Minorities and the Housing Market” won numerous awards from the National Association of Real Estate Editors and the New York Association of Black Journalists.

Linda graduated from New York University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Print Journalism and English Literature.

Linda wants you to know

I didn’t grow up with formal money lessons, but I learned a lot just by watching my parents be frugal. That stuck with me. Buying a home, for example, requires knowledge some of us weren't taught at home or in school: how to build and manage credit, budget for hidden costs, compare mortgage options, understand interest rates, plan for property taxes, and so much more. Don't be discouraged if you're learning as you go.

Linda beyond Bankrate

Linda on NBC's Today Show on navigating a competitive housing market

Linda wrote about budgeting for a home on MarketWatch

Linda was quoted about the hidden costs of homeownership

Linda offered advice on when and why to refinance your mortgage