About Matt
I’m a nationally recognized money expert with more than 15 years of experience in helping Americans make smarter decisions about their money. I’m also a soon-to-be-published author, an obstacle course racer, a cancer-research fundraiser, a former sportswriter, an always-eager traveler, a Star Wars nerd, a husband and dad.
Meet Matt Schulz
My job – and my passion – are about helping people make better choices with their money. Today, with LendingTree, I’m one of the public faces of one of the biggest personal finance sites on the Internet. I’ve spoken with schools, companies and media outlets about how to do that, and I’m available for your organization’s needs, including TV appearances, speaking, workshops and education. I can talk on many aspects of money and personal finance, but my favorite topics of expertise include:
- Credit cards and debit cards
- Consumer debt and spending
- Credit scoring and reporting
- Buy now pay later loans
- Kids and money
- Travel rewards
- & many more
As Seen In:
Current Role: Chief Credit Analyst
I am Chief Credit Analyst at LendingTree. That’s basically a fancy way to say Personal Finance Expert Guy.
My job is to help consumers of all ages make smart decisions about getting and using credit. I also help journalists – and anyone else who might need it – get the information necessary to create a great story. I spend a lot of time in front of the camera or microphone. I also write a lot for LendingTree and other outlets, always focused on making the often-complex world of personal finance easier to understand.
But the job is also much more than that. It is about devouring countless headlines, posts, podcasts, video clips, social media posts, press releases and more to keep up with what’s going on in the personal finance space. It is about analyzing mountains of data from the government and other sources to understand how the consumer is really doing. It is about coming up with compelling ideas for reports and data that we can produce at LendingTree to shine a light on consumers’ behaviors, attitudes and beliefs and to get people talking.
The best part of my job, however, without question, is about building relationships. I get to meet and connect with interesting, insightful, intelligent and sometimes outrageously funny people from all over the nation – and sometimes the world – on a regular basis, all in the name of helping people make smarter decisions about their money. I’m so lucky to be able to do it.
Six Important Parts Of My Story
01.
Debt wrecked my life in my 20s.
As a young journalist living in Washington, D.C., I ran up $10,000 in credit card debt, largely through my own bad choices. I also had a monthly payment on a brand-new car that I bought, unwisely, to help me move from Austin, where I went to college, to D.C. to start my job. It consumed my life for several sacrifice-filled years and taught me lessons that still inform my writing today.
02.
Helping consumers – not bankers – is what drives me.
One of the lessons I learned from that trying year in D.C. is that my passion lies in creating content to help regular people with their everyday problems. While I lived in the nation’s capital, I worked for one of the country’s top banking trade publications. I learned a lot, had some memorable adventures and met some great people, but I ultimately realized that it just wasn’t a fit.
03.
I started my career as a sportswriter.
As a student at the University of Texas, I wrote regularly for the Houston Chronicle, covering pro, college and high school sports for them from Austin. I also interned at the Dallas Morning News and San Antonio Light and wrote occasionally for the Associated Press. It was an unbelievably fun way to go through college, but I ultimately chose to go a different direction when I graduated. I’m still a passionate sports fan, though, particularly about soccer, basketball and football.
04.
I’ve traveled internationally many times thanks to credit card rewards.
I got the travel bug in a big way in my 20s and thanks to rewards points and miles, I’ve been able to visit Italy, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries with my family. I don’t plan to stop anytime soon.
05.
I love obstacle course racing:
In recent years, I’ve developed a passion for Spartan racing. These events have you running through rocky, steep terrain, carrying heavy weights, crawling through mud, dunking yourself in dirty, cold water, swinging on bars, throwing spears and generally torturing yourself – and I love it. I’ve done five obstacle course races and intend to do many more in the future.
06.
I’ve always wanted to be an author.
When my first book is published, it will be the realization of a lifelong dream. My mom even tells me that I went to school career day once dressed as an author – which to 6-year-old me meant khakis, a white button-down and a briefcase. Younger me probably would’ve expected that first book to take place in the Star Wars universe, but in many ways, reality turned out to be sweeter. As fun as space fantasy can be (and, oh, yes, I love it so), writing something that can potentially help people make their lives better is far more satisfying.
I Have An Upcoming Book Deal!
I’ve just signed my first book deal! I’m writing a personal finance book that will be published by Countryman Press, which is an imprint of W.W. Norton. More details to come.
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My Values In Action: Cancer Fundraising
My father passed away in October 2020 after a long battle with multiple forms of cancer. Since he got sick, I’ve committed myself to raising money to wipe that disease off the face of the Earth. To this point, we’ve raised more than $5,000 to fund cancer research, but we can always do more. If you’re interested in donating, click the link below. All proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.