Kathy Kristof is an award-winning financial writer and editor, who has spent a career making complex financial topics understandable. And in the process, she has helped change law and policy in ways that improve people’s lives.
She now writes weekly columns for SideHusl.com and provides information and commentary about the burgeoning side hustle universe for a wide array of news sites, ranging from CNBC to the Los Angeles Times.
Her columns marry traditional personal finance reporting with reporting on the burgeoning gig economy. They help readers solve their financial challenges by finding appropriate side gigs. And they warn consumers away from predatory actors in the side hustle marketplace.
Kristof’s career
Kristof is also the editor and founder of the site.
This is an evolution for the long-time financial reporter. For more than 20 years, Kristof’s syndicated personal finance column appeared in more than 50 newspapers nationwide, reaching more than 40 million readers. These columns provided practical advice on everything from credit cards to investing, helping millions of people better manage their money.
Her reporting also illuminated corporate wrongdoing — companies overcharging workers for retirement plans; misleading vulnerable co-eds about student loans; and engaging in predatory banking practices that caused consumers to lose homes. Shining light on these bad practices sparked regulation, legislation, and simply allowed consumers to better protect themselves from unexpected risks to their financial lives.
Launch of SideHusl.com
While writing personal finance stories for CBS News and Reuters, she began to research money-making opportunities offered through side gig platforms like Uber and Instacart. Like many other areas in finance, Kristof discovered both ethical and predatory companies operating in the side gig market.
Believing that consumers needed both a directory of gig jobs and a Consumer Reports-like rating system to know if they were any good, Kristof launched SideHusl.com in 2018.
The mission of SideHusl.com has been a simple one from the beginning. The site shines light on how these platforms work so consumers can differentiate the good guys from the liars. And because people who need side jobs don’t have an abundance of time, Kristof created a systematic snapshot — “The Basics” — that spells out the most important details at a glance. The site reviews more than 500 online platforms that offer these gig opportunities and provides news and advice with its weekly blog and Substack.
Kristof was the recipient of a John Hancock Business Writing Award; the Consumer Federation of America’s Betty Furness Consumer Media Service Award; a California Alliance for Consumer Education award; as well as several other awards for her journalism. She was also part of two Pulitzer Prize Winning teams at the Los Angeles Times.
She is the author of three books — Investing 101; Taming the Tuition Tiger; and Kathy Kristof’s Complete Book of Dollars and Sense.