Cut the noise. Keep the 20% that matters.
money8020 is an independent comparison site for everyday money decisions. We rank the handful of accounts, cards, and loans worth your time — and explain why in plain English.
Most finance sites list everything and rank by who pays most. We do the opposite: a complete, ranked shortlist per category, scored by a transparent method, with no pay-to-rank. Some links are affiliate links — see disclosures.
The team
11 years reviewing cards and consumer loans; certified credit counselor
Marcus has reviewed hundreds of credit cards and loan products and has the spreadsheet to prove it. He cares less about flashy sign-up bonuses than about the cost of carrying a balance, the real value of rewards after annual fees, and whether a "0% APR" offer is a deal or a trap. As a certified credit counselor, he writes for people building or rebuilding credit as much as for points optimizers.
Former retail-banking product lead; 9 years covering deposit accounts
Maya spent nearly a decade inside retail banking before turning to consumer advocacy, where she now pulls apart the fine print on savings accounts, checking, and CDs. She is relentless about one thing — the gap between a headline APY and what you actually keep after fees, tiers, and rate cliffs. If a savings account needs a $25,000 balance to earn its advertised rate, Maya will say so in the first sentence.
CFP®; former financial advisor and portfolio analyst
Priya is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who spent years building portfolios for real households before moving into financial journalism. She reviews brokerages, robo-advisors, and retirement accounts with a planner's eye — fees compound, defaults matter, and the "best" platform is the one you will actually stick with. She also serves as money8020's accuracy reviewer for mortgages and investing content.