Lee Huffman

Lee Huffman is a personal finance expert with more than 20 years of experience in financial services, real estate and online journalism.

Experience

He began writing online on his personal site in 2012 and now has more than 1,300 articles showing others how to travel for less using the power of credit card rewards and travel loyalty programs.

In 2018, he quit his corporate job and moved his family from Southern California to Nashville to begin a freelance writing career. Since then, Lee has published 1,200+ articles, guides and reviews helping readers travel more, spend less and live better. His articles cover a variety of personal finance topics, including credit card benefits and rewards, early retirement, stock and real estate investing, insurance, banking, and how to build your credit score.

Before Lee started freelance writing, Lee spent 13 years as a division CFO for a regional bank in Southern California. In this role, he was responsible for annual budgets, quarterly forecasts, monthly reporting and business cases for new initiatives. Prior to that, he provided banking, investing and insurance solutions for households and small business owners to help them address risks and invest for the future.

Since 2006, he has been investing in out-of-state rental properties and flips. His team has completed a handful of flips, and he currently owns six rental properties as part of his investment diversification strategy.

Lee also freelances for Forbes Advisor, Fortune Recommends, Time Stamped, USA Today, NerdWallet, Yahoo Finance, CNET, U.S. News, LendingTree, Newsweek, Consumer Affairs and other well-known brands.

Lee has been a speaker at numerous travel, personal finance, and real estate conferences, including FinCon, CardCon, REWBCON, the Chicago Seminars, Frequent Traveler University, and corporate events. He is also a frequent podcast guest where he talks about travel strategies, real estate investing, leaving the corporate world and small business productivity hacks. A few of the shows he has been on include Stacking Benjamins, Miles to Memories, Budgets & Brews and the Bigger Pockets Money Podcast.

He has also been a finalist for the Plutus Awards as the best freelance writer in personal finance and the best frugal travel content. In 2022, he won the award for the best frugal travel content.

In his spare time, Lee is a devoted dad and husband. He constantly shuffles his kids from one sport or school activity to another and is always on the sidelines cheering them on. When he's not acting like an unpaid Uber driver, you may find him reading a book, riding his bike or planning his next vacation.

Expertise

Lee's expertise includes:

• Credit cards

• Points and miles travel

• Investing in stocks, bonds and real estate

• Banking

• Insurance and risk mitigation

• Early retirement

• Small business strategies

• Bankruptcy law

Thanks to credit card rewards, Lee and his family have been able to create lifelong memories around the world. Some of his most memorable experiences have been hugging a wombat in Australia, taking his kids to soccer camps in Spain, and walking the beaches of Normandy.

Education

Lee holds a degree in business management from Pepperdine University and an MBA in eBusiness Management from the University of Phoenix. To enhance his formal education, he has earned several certificates, including Operations Management and a Green Belt in Six Sigma.

He began working for his father's bankruptcy law office as a sophomore in high school, where he learned that good people often suffer financial catastrophes due to job loss, illness, divorce and other unexpected circumstances. Since then, he has been on a mission to help people improve their finances and reduce the risk that these situations pose to their families.