Ray Castellano

Pen name · Home, Auto & Money

Ray Castellano is the pen name our editorial team uses for articles on homeownership, car costs, debt and taxes. That means insurance renewals and claims, escrow and mortgage insurance, car loans and dealer add-ons, credit card math and IRS notices. Every article is edited by a human editor on the Moneystretching team, who checks its figures, dates and rules against the sources before it is published. Those sources are primary wherever possible, such as the CFPB, the FTC, the IRS, state insurance departments and published rate data, and each article links them in the text and lists them at the end. Articles published under this name never recommend specific lenders or insurers, and we do not sell financial products.

Covers
Home and auto insurance, escrow and mortgages, car loans, debt, credit and taxes
Edited by
The Moneystretching editorial team. A human editor checks every figure, date and rule against the sources before an article is published. How we check articles
Sources
Primary sources such as the CFPB, the FTC, the IRS and state insurance departments, plus published rate data. Each article links its sources.

45 articles · Contact: ray@moneystretching.com · Editorial policy

Stories by Ray Castellano

A chrome grab bar on a tiled bathroom wall, with a sticky note reading “$7,000?”. Home & Mortgage Your stairlift quote may be $7,000. Medicare's share is zero. A bundle of old papers tied with string, next to old photos, with a sticky note reading “Still yours?”. Retirement Your old 401(k) may be in an IRA you never opened A dark credit card on a white surface, with a sticky note reading “19 years?”. Debt & Credit Your card statement has a box showing the 36-month payoff amount The crushed front end of a silver car after a crash, with a sticky note reading “$2,700 under?”. Insurance Your totaled car's value comes from a report you can request A rusted old sedan parked on gravel, with a sticky note reading “$900 a year?”. Insurance Multiply two lines on your car policy by 10 before you renew Rows of electric meters on a wall, with a sticky note reading “Same usage?”. Home & Mortgage Divide your electric bill by the kilowatt-hours. Compare it with last year A car key fob on a dashboard, with a sticky note reading “Still commuting?”. Insurance Your insurer still thinks you drive to work five days a week A mechanical car odometer, close up, with a sticky note reading “Hard braking?”. Insurance You can request the driving file a data broker keeps on you A red rocking chair on a front porch next to a dark door, with a sticky note reading “$8,000 upfront?”. Home & Mortgage Twelve months in a nursing home can make your reverse mortgage due The windshield and wipers of an orange car, with a sticky note reading “Check the VIN”. Taxes The plant code in your VIN now matters at tax time