Laura T. Coffey

Laura T. Coffey writes a weekly column for msnbc.com called “10 Tips for Keeping Your Money in Your Wallet.”

Laura’s crusade to help consumers make smart financial decisions and avoid regrettable — and potentially embarrassing — blunders began in 1996, when she fell victim to a scam and lost $1,700 in the process. Her tenacity was rewarded: She got her money back and the scammer ended up in the slammer.

A veteran journalist with 20 years of newspaper experience, she has written and edited for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, The San Diego Union-Tribune, The Prague Post in the Czech Republic, the Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, the Peninsula Clarion in Alaska and the St. Petersburg Times in Florida.

Laura lives in Seattle with her husband, Michael, their son, Tyler, their two dogs, Frida and Manny, and their giant cat, Diego.

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