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Zina Kumok

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Zina Kumok is a freelance writer specializing in personal finance. A former reporter, she has covered murder trials, the Final Four and everything in between. She has been featured in U.S. News & World Report, Forbes Advisor and Bankrate. Read about how she paid off $28,000 worth of student loans in three years at Conscious Coins.

Yvie Oddly, Jinkx Monsoon, The Vivienne, and Jaida Essence Hall in the "Total Ru-quest Live" episode of "RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars" (World of Wonder/Paramount+)

“Nobody’s getting rich doing drag”: It costs to be a queen

Zina Kumok
Doctor advising cancer patient while examining x-ray (Getty Images/Maskot)

They beat cancer. Then they got hit with massive bills

Zina Kumok
Woman worriedly looking at her bills (Getty Images/dmphoto)

Your boss might help you pay off that student loan

Zina Kumok
Cash, tax forms and a calculator (Getty Images/Thanasis)

Need your tax refund ASAP? A loan can help

Zina Kumok
Accountant filling out tax forms, calculating taxes (Getty Images/Pra-chid)

Filing your taxes with a big-box chain has benefits, risks

Zina Kumok
Person cutting out shopping coupon (Getty Images/Vstock LLC)

Coupons: Still around, but not as friendly

Zina Kumok
Mature woman looking at documents in shock (Getty Images/fizkes)

Student loan debt is growing among older Americans

Zina Kumok
Two young female friends carrying a sofa together while moving to a new home. (Getty Images/AJ_Watt)

The rise of the roommate: “I’m probably saving $300 per month”

Zina Kumok
Angel Reese #5 of the Chicago Sky is announced before tipoff against the Dallas Wings at the College Park Center on May 15, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

Some college athlete NIL deals make headlines. Most don’t

Zina Kumok
A woman carrying shopping bags (Getty Images/Csondy)

Ozempic could curb our shopping sprees. That doesn’t mean we should go there

Zina Kumok
This photo illustration taken in Washington, DC, on November 1, 2023, shows a phone screen displaying PredictIt, the online prediction market with a picture of the second Republican presidential primary debate at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. (OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images)

You can bet on anything these days, but should you?

Zina Kumok
Woman Window Shopping (Getty Images/Sean Justice)

Doom spending: How to not let Trump break your budget

Zina Kumok
Student having problems with paying bills (Getty Images/MementoJpeg)

Student loans and Trump: Borrowers brace for changes

Zina Kumok
Climate protesters interrupt former US president and Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump as he speaks at a "commit to caucus rally" in Indianola, Iowa, on January 14, 2024. (CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)

Revenge investing: How to fight Trumpism with your money

Zina Kumok
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Does the president control the economy?

Zina Kumok
Actors Courteney Cox Arquette (L), Jennifer Aniston (C) and Matthew Perry are shown in a scene from the NBC series "Friends". (Warner Bros. Television/Getty Images)

How did TV characters afford their homes then, and could they now?

Zina Kumok
A flooded street with debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, in Siesta Key, Florida, on October 10, 2024. (CHANDAN KHANNA/AFP via Getty Images)

The economic impact of Helene and Milton — and who pays for it

Zina Kumok
Child patient with IV line in hospital bed (Getty Images/Pornpak Khunatorn)

I’m lucky to be a cancer previvor. Here’s why

Zina Kumok
Bonnie Bedelia is held down by Bruce Willis in a scene from the film 'Die Hard', 1988. (Photo by 20th Century-Fox/Getty Images)

Bearer bonds are in your favorite ’80s action movie — but what are they?

Zina Kumok
Student loan and piggy bank, concept (Getty Images/Wong Yu Liang)

Is your student loan grace period ending? Here’s what to know

Zina Kumok
A pedestrian stops at an outdoor table of books November 9, 2022 at the Argosy Book Store in New York City. (Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

Independent bookstores see post-pandemic bump

Zina Kumok
Rue Mclanahan, Betty White, and Bea Arthur pose for a portrait on the set of "The Golden Girls." (Mark Sennet/Getty Images)

What “The Golden Girls” teaches us about personal finance

Zina Kumok
May Berthelot carries a beige leather Birkin handbag from Hermes, during a street style fashion photo session, on March 18, 2023 in Paris, France. (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

Birkin bags: Pricey purses or smart investments?

Zina Kumok
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez | Prenuptial Agreement (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images)

Prenup panic: J.Lo and Ben Affleck’s split highlights the cost of skipping legal prep

Zina Kumok