Steven Yoder

Woodstock, NY USA
Contact

Professional Experience

A writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, I’ve written for Salon, The American Prospect, Good, Men's Health, The Fiscal Times, and others—my work also has been picked up by many outlets, including The Huffington Post, MSN Money, and The Week. While my focus is domestic policy--particularly criminal justice, immigration, and youth policy--I also write about real estate, business, and a range of topics from how to manage a brain freeze to whether people can be happier after getting fired and how much truth there is on consumer complaint websites. Though a journalist first, I also write winning contract proposals and have 20 years of experience as a managing editor, substantive editor, and copy editor. Member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors, Investigative Reporters and Editors, the Society of Professional Journalists, and the National Writers Union.

Expertise

Editor
22 Years
Reporter
14 Years
Writer
20 Years

Specialty

Business (general)
5 Years
Real Estate
5 Years
Crime
5 Years

Industries


Magazine - Large Consumer/National magazines
5 Years
Newsletter - Trade
8 Years
Nonprofit
18 Years

Total Media Industry Experience

10 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

The Fiscal Times (10+), The American Prospect (6-10), The Crime Report (10+), Salon (3-5), Comstock's (10+)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

JBS International (10+)

Other Work History

Freelance Proposal Writer (2006 to present) Consultant Writer-Editor (1998 to present) Managing Editor/Senior Writer-Editor, National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth (1994 to 2001)

Foreign Language Skills

Fluent in Spanish

Equipment

Laptop Digital camera Audio recorder

References

“The piece was fantastic; I’m glad to see it’s helping trigger a new debate.” Blake Zeff, Politics Editor, Salon.com "Thanks, Steve. Nice piece in print and on the web this week. I hope you will continue to pitch us. You're very easy to work with!" Emily Parsons, Managing Editor, The American Prospect "GREAT piece. We'd been talking about trying to do a big project on the effects of this and when you pitched this it felt very serendipitous! Thanks!" Julia Dahl, Deputy Managing Editor, The Crime Report "I really like this--you nailed our tone, and this service piece is very useful." Andrew Daniels, Assistant Editor, MensHealth.com "I assume you saw your story yesterday. I thought it turned out really well. Thanks for all your hard work!" Blaire Briody, Life and Money Editor, The Fiscal Times "Back to you Steve. It's really a very good piece." Andrew Wiener, Guest Editor, The American Prospect

Associations

American Society of Journalists and Authors Investigative Reporters and Editors Society of Professional Journalists National Writers Union

Showcase

General

Attention Boomers: The Economy Needs You to Work Past 70
(The Fiscal Times 5/7/2013)
This Is the Worst Tax Mistake You Can Make
(The Fiscal Times 2/27/2013)
The New Boomtowns: Suburbs Get City Makeovers
(The Fiscal Times 7/17/2012)
Picked up by The Huffington Post, 7/18/12: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/18/americas-suburbs-get-make_n_1682279.html; and Real Clear Markets, 7/18/12: http://www.realclearmarkets.com/2012/07/18/the_new_boomtowns_suburbs_get_city_makeovers_129255.html
Unemployment Pay Deters Would-Be Entrepreneurs
(The Fiscal Times 2/21/2012)
Will the Mega-Grid Get Built?
(Comstock's Magazine 7/1/2016)
One Year on, Ferguson Protesters Don't Plan to Go Away
(The Crime Report 8/6/2015)
The 10 Fastest-Growing Cities for Retirees
(The Fiscal Times 6/7/2013)
Do Residency Bans Drive Sex Offenders Underground?
(The Crime Report 7/7/2014)
21 Good News Trends for America
(The Fiscal Times 9/14/2012)
The Real Story Behind Corporate (Tax) Inversions
(The Weekly Leaf 10/16/2014)
Good News Trends the Media Misses--And Why They Matter
(The Weekly Leaf 9/30/2014)
Big Investors Snatch Up America's Housing Market
(The Fiscal Times 3/6/2012)
7 Pros and Cons to Refinancing Your Mortgage
(The Fiscal Times 10/11/2012)
The New American Dream: Rent, Don't Buy
(The Fiscal Times 1/4/2012)
Picked up by MSN Money: http://money.msn.com/home-loans/12-places-where-its-wiser-to-rent, and Business Insider, 1/5/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-new-american-dream-has-nothing-to-do-with-buying-a-home-2012-1
How to Keep Bad Cops on the Beat
(The American Prospect 7/11/2013)
10 Starter Homes Across the Country
(The Fiscal Times 10/12/2011)
Meet America's New Small Business Owners: Ex-Cons
(The Fiscal Times 3/27/2012)
Picked up by Business Insider, 3/28/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/7-ex-jailbirds-who-made-it-big-in-business-2012-3
More Americans Walk Away from Their Mortgages
(The Fiscal Times 10/24/2012)
The Brain Freeze Survival Guide
(Men's Health.com 11/29/2011)
Colleges Pay Students to Graduate Faster
(The Fiscal Times 7/23/2012)
Also picked up by Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/colleges-will-pay-you-to-graduate-sooner-2012-7
Real Sex Ed Returns: But Will Democrats Axe Abstinence-Only?
(In These Times 3/7/2009)
Why 20 Percent Down Won't Help the Housing Mess
(The Fiscal Times 5/24/2012)
Prisoner's Dilemma
(The Fiscal Times 3/14/2011)
Tracking Animal Abuse (and Abusers) on the Web
(The Crime Report 1/16/2011)
Always on Time: Billable hours are under scrutiny, but they're here to stay
(Comstock's Magazine (web) 10/2/2014)
Is the Rise in Inequality Eroding Trust?
(The Weekly Leaf 12/19/2014)
7 Ways to Protect Your Retirement after a Layoff
(The Fiscal Times 10/28/2013)
The Housing Roadblock That Could Kill the Recovery
(The Fiscal Times 2/4/2013)
Will Gerrymandering Go South or Go Viral?
(The Weekly Leaf 3/29/2015)
Overwhelmed with Email? What It's Doing to Your Brain
(The Fiscal Times 11/14/2012)
It Runs in the Family
(Comstock's Magazine 5/1/2014)
College Dorms: From Animal House to Luxury Living
(The Fiscal Times 8/29/2012)
Students Are Fleeing Liberal Arts--How It Could Hurt U.S.
(The Fiscal Times 1/9/2013)
Why the 'Pokémon Go' Ban on Sex Offenders Makes No Sense
(Vice.com 8/12/2016)
The Coming Nursing Home Shortage
(The Fiscal Times 1/26/2012)
Also excerpted on the AARP Blog, 1/30/12: http://blog.aarp.org/2012/01/30/strange-math-more-seniors-but-fewer-nursing-homes/
Back in Business (For Now)
(The Albany Metroland 4/15/2010)
10 Real Estate Trends to Watch in 2013
(The Fiscal Times 12/6/2012)
The GOP, "tough on crime" no more?
(Salon/The Crime Report 11/7/2011)
Welcome to the Neighborhood
(Comstock's Magazine (cover story) 6/1/2013)
Collateral Damage: Harsh Sex Offender Laws May Put Whole Families at Risk
(Al Jazeera America 8/27/2015)
The Tax Change That Threatens Homeownership
(The Fiscal Times 5/2/2012)
No Safety in Numbers
(Good 9/1/2011)
Do Trump Rallies Trample on Protesters’ Free Speech?
(The American Prospect 3/22/2016)
Crossing the Line: Can a Pro Bono Immigration Lawyer Be as Good as the Real Thing?
(Comstock's Magazine (web) 1/15/2015)
9 New Tax Rules That Matter Now More Than Ever
(The Fiscal Times 2/28/2013)
Life on the List
(The American Prospect 4/12/2011)
Why Americans Love the NFL and Hate Their Politicians
(The Fiscal Times 1/31/2012)
Should Renters Get the Same Rights as Homeowners?
(The Fiscal Times 6/7/2012)
Picked up by Business Insider, 6/11/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/should-homeowners-get-the-same-rights-as-homeowners-2012-6
Why Boomers Are Ditching Retirement to Go to Work
(The Fiscal Times 5/16/2013)
Legal Limitations: As Children Pour Across the Border, New State Money for Their Cases
(Comstock's Magazine 1/1/2015)
7 Ways to Protect Your Retirement after a Layoff
(The Fiscal Times 10/28/2013)
Why Are Police Shootings of Innocents on the Rise?
(The American Prospect 10/31/2013)
Sales Pitch: Why More Universities Should Offer Sales Training
(Comstock's Magazine 4/1/2015)
Family Misfortunes
(Comstock's Magazine 7/1/2013)
Study Identifies Another Approach to Cutting Gun Deaths
(The Weekly Leaf 8/27/2014)
Attention College Shoppers
(Comstock's Magazine 7/1/2014)
Dear Sacramento
(Comstock's Magazine 3/1/2016)
11 Ways to Keep Scammers From Stealing Your Holiday
(The Fiscal Times 11/30/2014)
Has Suicide Become a Permanent Feature of U.S. Military Service?
(The Weekly Leaf 11/5/2014)
Housing Crisis Could End Suburbia as We Know It
(The Fiscal Times 7/5/2012)
It's Time for Democrats to Ditch Andrew Jackson
(Salon 5/3/2013)
Working Toward a Greener China
(Comstock's Magazine 3/1/2016)
Juris Prudence: Changes to the legal market are motivating attorneys to bootstr
(Comstock's Magazine 10/1/2014)
The Big Squeeze on Small Credit Unions
(Comstock's Magazine 6/1/2014)
2016 Nears, and Voter Disenfranchisement Rolls On
(The Weekly Leaf 1/8/2015)
8 Smart Ways To Lower Your Taxes in Retirement
(The Fiscal Times 3/13/2013)
Do 529 College Savings Plans Work?
(Comstock's Magazine 1/1/2016)
Do 529 College Savings Plans Work?
(Comstock's Magazine 1/1/2016)
As Criminal Justice Reform Edges Forward, Will Public-Safety Unions Get Left Behind?
(The Weekly Leaf 1/3/2015)
Are We in a Credit Bubble?
(The Weekly Leaf 10/7/2014)
Hard Times at For-Profit U
(Comstock's Magazine 4/1/2016)
What's the Real Rate of Sex Crime Recidivism?
(Pacific Standard Magazine 5/27/2016)
The Office Bully May Have Finally Met His Match
(The Fiscal Times 7/18/2013)
Can Too Many Renters Bring Down the Neighborhood?
(The Fiscal Times 1/24/2012)
Should workplace bullying be outlawed?
(The Weekly Leaf 9/14/2014)
7 Secrets to Scoring Cheap Airline Tickets
(The Fiscal Times 4/20/2012)
The Promise (and Perils) of Predicting Sex Crimes
(The Crime Report 9/11/2014)
Outsourcing the Police
(The Crime Report 3/10/2011)
10 Best Jobs for Americans Over 65
(The Fiscal Times 5/16/2013)
Do the Poor Deserve More Scrutiny Than Other Government Beneficiaries?
(The Weekly Leaf 11/7/2014)
The Newest Rape Crisis Hotlines Serve an Unlikely Group — Prisoners
(Mic.com 6/6/2016)
Violent Video Games: Aggression, Profits and the First Amendment
(The Weekly Leaf 12/14/2014)
Violent Video Games: Aggression, Profits and the First Amendment
(The Weekly Leaf 12/14/2014)
What's Missing From the Teacher Debate
(The Weekly Leaf 1/30/2015)
Hidden Benefits How an Online MBA Prepares Students for Today's Workplace
(Comstock's Magazine (web) 9/18/2014)
5 Smart Ways to Rebalance Your Portfolio
(The Fiscal Times 10/27/2014)
The Two-Track Recovery: Europe Versus the United States
(The Weekly Leaf 11/21/2014)
ADA Lawsuits: A Case Study in Lack of Governance
(The Weekly Leaf 8/22/2014)
The Macro Problems Caused by Microaggression
(Comstock's Magazine 5/1/2016)
The Great Bank Shakeout
(Comstock's Magazine 6/1/2015)
How to Drown the IRS in a Bathtub
(The Weekly Leaf 4/26/2015)
REITs Meet Redevelopment
(Comstock's Magazine 4/1/2016)
Legal English as a Second Language: Why Can't Lawyers Communicate Like Other Humans?
(Comstock's Magazine 10/1/2015)
Justice Delayed
(The Crime Report 4/8/2010)
REITs Meet Redevelopment
(Comstock's Magazine 4/1/2016)
The Real Story on Abstinence Only
(In These Times 4/30/2008)
Banks Accused of Racial Bias on Foreclosed Homes
(The Fiscal Times 5/9/2012)
Picked up by Business Insider, 5/9/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-more-proof-that-banks-are-nicer-to-white-homeowners-2012-5
When Bad Cops Get New Jobs
(The Weekly Leaf 9/1/2014)
Office Space: The Incredible Shrinking Office
(The Fiscal Times 4/11/2012)
Picked up by Business Insider, 4/12/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/companies-are-downsizing-their-physical-offices-2012-4, and quoted in The Week, 4/19/12: http://theweek.com/article/index/227010/is-the-office-cubicle-dead
Waterborne Disorder
(Comstock's Magazine 11/13/2013)
The Five Worst Rental Scams to Watch Out For
(The Fiscal Times 4/2/2012)
Picked up by Business Insider, 4/3/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-5-worst-rental-scams-to-watch-out-for-2012-4
The 10 Biggest Mistakes Renters Make
(The Fiscal Times 3/22/2012)
Picked up by MSN Money, 5/7/12: http://money.msn.com/personal-finance/tips.aspx?cp-documentid=6952129, and Business Insider, 3/22/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-10-biggest-mistakes-renters-always-make-2012-3
Zillow and Trulia Face Backlash from Realtors
(The Fiscal Times 2/24/2012)
Picked up by MSN Money, 2/28/12: http://money.msn.com/home-loans/the-backlash-against-zillow-and-co-fiscaltimes.aspx, and Business Insider, 2/27/12: http://www.businessinsider.com/zillow-and-trulia-face-backlash-from-real-estate-agents-2012-2
Is It Time to End the Vacation on Second-Home Tax Breaks?
(The Fiscal Times 4/7/2010)
The Three-Digit Number That Can Wreck Your Life
(The Fiscal Times 7/14/2011)
The New Housing Database That Could Invade Your Privacy
(The Fiscal Times 11/28/2012)
Flipping Property Is Harder to Pull Off Than Ever
(Comstock's Magazine 9/1/2015)
Why America's College Students Don't Graduate
(The Fiscal Times 12/19/2011)
The New Growth Business: Becoming a Landlord
(The Fiscal Times 3/7/2012)
Send in the Crowd
(Comstock's Magazine 11/1/2015)
Crime and the Governors
(The Crime Report 10/27/2010)
How Student Loan Debt Could Sink the American Economy
(The Weekly Leaf 10/23/2014)
Religious liberty and its discontents
(The Weekly Leaf 5/25/2015)
Is America Overworked?
(The Fiscal Times 2/16/2012)
Tweet Revenge: Consumers Wage Cyberwar on Companies
(The Fiscal Times 11/3/2011)
Picked up by Business Insider, 11/4/11: http://www.businessinsider.com/want-to-warn-others-about-a-crappy-company-2011-11
10 Dirty Jobs That Nobody Wants
(The Fiscal Times 8/19/2011)
Picked up by Business Insider, 8/25/11: http://www.businessinsider.com/9-filthy-jobs-that-nobody-wants-2011-8
Happy Holidays! Now Get Back to Work
(The Fiscal Times 7/30/2011)
Layoffs: Four People Who Are Happy They Got Fired
(The Fiscal Times 5/3/2011)
The 5 Airlines That Make the Most in Fees
(The Fiscal Times 6/14/2012)
How can the NRA block this? The gun reform everyone should agree on
(Salon 12/8/2013)
The Four Commandments of the Good-Jobs Strategy
(Comstock's Magazine 7/22/2015)
How Online Dating Became a $2 Billion Industry
(The Fiscal Times 2/14/2014)
When Kids Stand Their Ground
(The American Prospect 10/23/2013)
From Angie's List to Amazon Home--How to Find the Best Home Contractor
(The Fiscal Times 5/15/2015)
The Incredible Lightness of Shrinking
(Comstock's Magazine 8/1/2015)
Wanted: Cops Who Know When Not To Use Force
(The Weekly Leaf 12/5/2014)
The Job Trap for Ex-Prisoners: The Box
(The Crime Report 10/20/2010)
Small Home, Big Benefits
(Comstock's Magazine 8/13/2015)
Standoff Over Sex Offenders
(The Crime Report 6/21/2010)
Friends with Benefits: Peer-to-Peer Loan Websites Easily Connect Borrowers to Cash--Will They Last?
(Comstock's Magazine 12/1/2014)
Gun Control's Long Game
(The American Prospect 3/4/2013)
Better Pay for Better Profits
(Comstock's Magazine 7/1/2015)
The MBA Goes Online
(Comstock's Magazine 9/1/2014)
Credit unions and banks don't agree on much--except Dodd-Frank
(The Weekly Leaf 9/18/2014)
The Endangered Blue-Collar Worker
(Comstock's Magazine 1/1/2016)
Be Careful How You Classify
(Comstock's Magazine 7/1/2015)
The Black Box of Sales Hiring
(Comstock's Magazine 4/23/2015)
The 12 Most Expensive States to Raise Children
(The Fiscal Times 10/27/2012)
As Police Budgets Are Cut, Citizens Step In
(The Fiscal Times 8/7/2012)
You Can't Live Here
(The Crime Report 4/16/2015)
Could Home Prices Come Back Even Stronger After Sandy?
(The Fiscal Times 11/8/2012)
Is On-time Completion the Answer to Rising College Costs?
(The Weekly Leaf 10/10/2014)
Missing Pieces: Is California's Latest Disability Access Law Causing More Lawsuits?
(Comstock's Magazine 8/1/2014)
Cops and Bloggers
(The Crime Report 8/11/2014)
The American Nursing Home--Another Infrastructure Problem Being Ignored
(The Weekly Leaf 11/26/2014)
Captive Market
(Comstock's Magazine 11/1/2014)
Startups Meet the Smart Meter
(Comstock's Magazine 12/1/2015)
Immigrants' Dilemma
(The Albany Metroland 3/15/2010)
The 10 Top Cities People Are Moving To
(The Fiscal Times 7/12/2012)
Open Enrollment and Obamacare: What You Need to Know
(The Fiscal Times 10/8/2012)
Rent the American Dream
(Comstock's Magazine 3/1/2014)
Housing Collapse Left Some Older Americans in Ruins
(The Fiscal Times 7/20/2012)
Is an Earthquake on the Way in Campaign Finance?
(The Weekly Leaf 7/26/2015)
Cops Gone Wild
(The American Prospect 3/28/2013)
Why Millions of Senior Are Moving Back to Cities
(The Fiscal Times 6/5/2013)
Dying with Debt: The Hidden Financial Crisis
(The Fiscal Times 6/12/2013)
Also picked up by Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-cost-of-dying-in-debt-2013-6
Why the U.S. Mortgage Interest Deduction Lives On
(The Weekly Leaf 10/28/2014)
Can states be pro-business while taking care of their most vulnerable?
(The Weekly Leaf 9/10/2014)
Common Core: US education reform or red herring?
(The Weekly Leaf 9/23/2014)
6 Things You Don't Know About Minimum Wage
(The Fiscal Times 9/19/2013)
The Family Fund: Immigrant Entrepreneurs Are Twice as Likely to Launch New Businesses, and Their Success Often Hinges on Family
(Comstock's Magazine 10/1/2016)
Why More Affluent Americans Pay No Taxes
(The Fiscal Times 4/11/2013)
7 New Tools That Can Stop a Bomb in a Backpack
(The Fiscal Times 4/23/2013)
What Will Stop the Gunfire in Chicago?
(The Weekly Leaf 10/23/2014)
Resume
(3/6/2009)
A Growing Green Debt?
(Comstock's Magazine 2/1/2016)
Supreme Court Could Toss Remaining Rules on Money in State Judicial Elections
(The Weekly Leaf 1/18/2015)
Officers Who Rape: The Police Brutality Chiefs Ignore
(Al Jazeera America 1/19/2016)
Tax Hell: New Laws, New Reasons to Hire an Expert
(The Fiscal Times 1/24/2013)
Don't Let Your Business Die With You
(Comstock's Magazine 12/1/2013)
10 Tax Laws That Hurt the Economy Most
(The Fiscal Times 3/28/2013)
Five Clues That Profit Sharing May Work for You
(Comstock's Magazine 8/26/2015)
The Best and Worst Airports for Winter Travel
(The Fiscal Times 12/3/2013)
Underwater Homes Remain a Dark Spot in the Recovery
(The Fiscal Times 2/12/2013)
Housing Virgins: Meet Today's First-Time Homebuyer
(The Fiscal Times 10/12/2011)
Bank-Owned Houses: Curb Appeal Goes Out the Window
(The Fiscal Times 6/24/2011)
Analysis: More Guns but Fewer Gun Owners?
(Al Jazeera America 2/19/2016)
Investors Are Flipping Over Low Home Prices
(The Fiscal Times 6/7/2011)
13 Tax Breaks You've Never Heard Of
(The Fiscal Times 2/1/2013)
Getting Beyond Prison: A Vermont Case Study
(The American Prospect 5/4/2016)
Small Businesses Make a Great Big Comeback
(The Fiscal Times 2/2/2012)
Affordable Representation: Could Licensing Paralegals in California Help Drive Down Legal Costs?
(Comstock's Magazine 4/1/2014)
Closing the Door on Juvenile Lockups
(The American Prospect 3/29/2011)
Rikers report raises new questions about systemic abuse in juvenile corrections
(The Weekly Leaf 9/26/2014)
Why You Should Spring for a Really Good Mattress
(The Fiscal Times 4/4/2014)
The Golden Handshake at Justice
(The Crime Report 2/16/2015)
Who's Guarding the Banks?
(The Crime Report 8/23/2010)
This Time It's Personal: Will Laws to Protect Employees from Workplace Bullying Stifle Managers?
(Comstock's Magazine 3/1/2015)