Margaret Holt, JD, CFP®

About Margaret

Margaret Holt holds a JD from Columbia Law School and a CFP® designation — a combination that lets her analyze consumer debt from both the legal and financial planning perspectives. She spent 8 years as a Senior Staff Attorney at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) in Washington, DC, litigating enforcement actions against predatory debt collectors, payday lenders, and credit repair scams.

After the FTC, Margaret served as Counsel at Consumer Reports' advocacy division, helping draft comments to the CFPB on debt collection rule changes. She is a member of the National Consumer Law Center (NCLC) and the American Bar Association Consumer Financial Services Committee. Her consumer protection legal analysis has been cited by the Associated Press, Reuters, and The Washington Post.

Areas of Expertise

• FDCPA debt collection rights
• Credit report disputes (FCRA)
• Bankruptcy Chapter 7 & 13 analysis
• Predatory lending & payday loan regulation
• Identity theft recovery & credit freeze

Featured In & Cited By

• Associated Press
• Reuters
• The Washington Post
• Consumer Reports
• National Law Review

Career Background

• Federal Trade Commission (Senior Staff Attorney, 2004–2012)
• Consumer Reports Advocacy Division (Counsel, 2012–2019)

Education: JD, Columbia Law School · BA Political Economy, UC Berkeley · CFP® (CFP Board) · Member, National Consumer Law Center

Editorial Standards

All content by Margaret Holt, JD, CFP® is written according to MONEYlume's editorial standards. Facts are verified against primary sources including the IRS, Federal Reserve, CFPB, and peer-reviewed financial research. Articles are updated when regulations or market conditions change significantly.