Media in Minutes

Beyond the Headlines: How Jessica Dickler Makes Financial News Personal

• Angela Tuell

Share episode

Send us a text

What transforms a reluctant financial reporter into an award-winning personal finance journalist with nearly a decade at one of America's top business networks? For Jessica Dickler, CNBC's veteran personal finance writer, it was the seismic economic shift of the Great Recession that changed everything.

"When the economy skidded and became the Great Recession, unemployment spiked, people lost their homes, their jobs and then all of a sudden, everything was a money story," Dickler reveals in this illuminating conversation. With two Peabody Awards, a DuPont Columbia Award, and a Fleck Award for financial literacy education to her name, Dickler's journey from political science major to trusted financial voice offers fascinating insights into both journalism and personal finance.

The mother of two doesn't just write about financial challenges—she lives them. Her reporting on working mothers struggling with childcare costs while advancing careers resonates deeply with readers because it mirrors her own balancing act. "I model my schedule after the kids' schedule," she explains, working a 7-3 timeline that allows her to be present for family responsibilities while maintaining professional excellence. This authenticity has helped her build a devoted audience at CNBC, where her three-month temporary position extended to nearly a decade.

Despite dramatic changes in journalism and increasing online hostility toward reporters, Dickler remains steadfastly committed to quality reporting. "What hasn't changed is the commitment to present stories based in data, with vetted sourcing, that help inform people's decisions every day about money," she notes. Her fundamental financial advice—spend less than you earn, avoid credit card debt, save consistently, invest wisely—offers a beacon of clarity in an increasingly complex financial landscape.

Connect with Jessica on LinkedIn, X and Instagram. 

You can follow her work here: https://www.cnbc.com/jessica-dickler/


Subscribe to Media in Minutes for more conversations with journalists who shape our understanding of the world. Visit communicationsredefined.com/podcast to explore our full library of interviews with media professionals.

Please take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to the Media in Minutes podcast here or anywhere you get your podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/media-in-minutes/id1555710662  

Angela Tuell:

Welcome to Media in Minutes. This is your host, Angela Tuell. This podcast features in-depth interviews with those who report on the world around us. They share everything from their favorite stories to what happened behind the lens and give us a glimpse into their world From our studio here at Communications Redefined. This is Media in Minutes. On today's episode, we are talking with CNBC personal finance writer, Jessica Dickler. Jessica has been at CNBC for nearly a decade and, aside from personal finance, also covers national news, the economy, real estate and politics. Prior to CNBC, she worked at CNN, hearst Magazines and the Wall Street Journal. As an award-winning journalist, her work has earned two Peabody Awards, a DuPont Columbia Award and a Fleck Award for National Excellence in Financial Literacy and Education. Hi, Jessica, welcome to Media in Minutes. Thank you so much. Happy to be here. Yes, thanks for joining us. I have to tell you I love that your social media descriptor says you spend the bulk of your time driving your children, because it sounds like we're in the same era of life right now.

Jessica Dickler:

Yes, I always like to lead with that because it's the truth. I am juggling my job and life outside of work and I know most people can relate to that.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yes, I have my computer in the car, my phone in the car, food in the car I must know I'm really interested in if you always wanted to be a journalist.

Jessica Dickler:

Not necessarily. I was always interested in journalism, even at a young age. When there was like an election or a major moment happening in the country, you could always look to the news, you know, whether on TV, or read the papers to break it down, and I just love that.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and so how did you actually get into it? Then Could you briefly walk us through your career?

Jessica Dickler:

your career? Oh sure, so I was, I guess, a little adrift. After college I worked for a few years in New York but I felt like, you know, maybe a graduate degree would help me kind of focus and get to that next level. And I looked around at programs. I just really wanted to stay in New York. That was my top priority. So Columbia's International and Public Affairs really spoke to me. The classes and the teachers all looked amazing. So I went there. I loved it and then CNN came to recruit on campus and I thought that could be fun. That was really the beginning.

Angela Tuell:

Wow. So what was your undergrad degree in? So?

Jessica Dickler:

I have an undergrad degree in political science and after college I worked at the Wall Street Journal. I bounced around a little bit bit but I was just kind of not where I wanted to be exactly, and that graduate degree in public policy really helped me kind of leapfrog to where you know, to a job that felt like a great fit.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and CNN then was that first job that felt like a great fit. Yeah, exactly. So what drew you to the financial beat?

Jessica Dickler:

Well, it's funny because I really didn't want to be in financial news in those early days at CNN. I mean, everything was so much different than it is now and people didn't really care that much about money or even the market. So everything changed. When the economy skidded and it became the great recession, unemployment spiked, people lost their homes, their jobs and then all of a sudden, everything was a money story. It was all about the financial decisions that people have to make every day, the hardships they face, and that just changed everything. And even to this day, I mean, I just think people are more engaged in personal finance and financial news. It really just shifted the cultural perspective and that was just a great time to kind of dig in.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah. So then how did you go from CNN to where you are today?

Jessica Dickler:

Well, I mean, a long time has gone by, but the same time I got married, um, you know, we started a family, we bought our first home, we moved out of new york, so I was living all of those major milestones I was writing about and my career kind of evolved as well. I found, um, I left cnn when we moved out of new york because I couldn't commute with two young kids, and then I found a job at CNBC, which is based in New Jersey, and that was just. It was just a great fit Again. It kind of just worked out well that way.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and you've been at CNBC for nearly 10 years now, which is actually a long time in journalism, years to be in one outlet, to be with one place. What has kept you there?

Jessica Dickler:

I know it kind of boggles my mind that so much time has gone by. When they first reached out to me they said can you come in to?

Jessica Dickler:

be a temporary replacement for someone that's going on maternity leave for three months, yeah, so three months turned into almost 10 years and I guess I just like it. I have the freedom to come up with my own story ideas. I've built relationships with sources, I get to try new things and I work with a group of really great, smart reporters who all have their own area of expertise and their specialties, and I just enjoy all that.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and your beat is personal finance, although you mentioned that you also cover national news, the economy, real estate, politics. That's a lot of areas. What types of stories do you tend to write most?

Jessica Dickler:

Well, as you can imagine, personal finance just sort of bleeds into every other area. Sometimes it's about what's happening in politics, sometimes it's about what's happening in real estate or the economy or, you know, interest rates. All of that has a personal finance angle, so it gives me a chance to really like expand and grow and learn about different areas, which I love. I tend to write mostly about consumer debt, household finances and expenses, interest rates, college costs, savings, that type of stuff.

Angela Tuell:

Okay, so although we know there are no typical days for journalists, what does an average day look like for you?

Jessica Dickler:

Yeah, it's a little less typical these days, but there is a general rhythm to how it works. I generally start with I kind of start early. I naturally I kind of model my work day with what my kids have going on.

Jessica Dickler:

So when they're getting up and getting ready for school, I'm kind of getting up to speed on the news of the day. You know what people are talking about what's the buzz. And you know what people are talking about what's the buzz, and you know I'm generally working a couple days ahead on a story. So I like to give myself plenty of time to reach out to sources or experts and get some feedback, dig into some data. So I generally do like a story a day and but work, you know, a couple days ahead and plan my week out sort of. So it has that rhythm. The nice thing about personal finance is that it's less reactive, you know, to breaking news per se. But I can sort of build off that with a story that explains what's happening or digs a little deeper into some aspect of what's going on.

Angela Tuell:

OK yeah, which is a little more evergreen.

Jessica Dickler:

I guess it's still timely, but it's a little bit more Right Like that's the sweet spot is that it's timely but not, you know, super reactive. It's more of like an in-depth explainer of what's going on. Yeah.

Angela Tuell:

How many stories do you typically write a week?

Jessica Dickler:

I generally do about a story a day. I like to leave in maybe a day to report out ahead, so I'm not like starting cold every morning. So usually my average is about four stories a week.

Angela Tuell:

Okay, and they're typically for digital or TV or both.

Jessica Dickler:

Yeah, mostly digital. I'm really primarily digital, but you know some of the stuff gets picked up on TV or on videos or now, of course, on social media. We're doing more of that lately, so there's other ways you can find my stuff, but primarily on CNBCcom.

Angela Tuell:

Ok, and that's a good question. I know you bring up the social part. I know when I am a former TV journalist. If I haven't told you, but I know when I started we didn't really have social media. If I haven't told you, but I know when I started we didn't really have social media. Yeah, I know, I was there too. Yes, but how else have things changed, you know, since you started in it, until now?

Jessica Dickler:

no-transcript, you know, like a complete 180, but in other ways I'm doing the same things now that I have always done. The news and the culture around journalism has changed and along with, and sort of the way people feel in their relationship to journalism has changed. There's a lot more online, you know, hate, which I really don't engage in but still bugs me. You know hate which I really don't engage in but still bugs me. But what hasn't changed is sort of just the commitment to present stories that are based, you know, in data that have, you know, really vetted sourcing that, you know, kind of just helps inform people's decisions every day about money and that can impact, you know, their work, their family, their future. So you know it feels like that's a big responsibility, but I take that seriously and that part has never changed.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, the basic journalist ethics and work. What you've done is the same, which is what we need, you know. You mentioned the shift in culture of how some people feel towards journalists. Has that affected your work?

Jessica Dickler:

Not really, I mean it, just if only, if anything, it just makes me even more committed to, you know, do my job in the best way that I can. You know, I think that a well-written story that's well-sourced doesn't really open itself up to too much criticism. I mean, people are going to find things to pick apart, but just sort of staying true to that integral aspect of it really kind of helps rise above yes, yes and, like you said, not engaging. Yes and never engaging. Never engaging, yes, and never engaging, never engaging.

Angela Tuell:

Are there any stories or I'm sure there are that stick out, that you are especially proud of or that may have surprised you? Could you tell us some of them?

Jessica Dickler:

Yeah, I have, doug. Really I've really gotten interested in women and work and how moms especially have to balance childcare and other family commitments and how that affects their career, their pay. And you know I've talked to women who say they can't afford to work because childcare costs are so high. I have gotten so much out of that reporting his childcare costs are so high. I have gotten so much out of that reporting. Stories that I did a decade ago still resonate with me and you know I've also gotten to share some of my own experiences, which has been really kind of fun and interesting. Recently I wrote about you know what it was like buying my daughter a used car when she turned 17. And I was surprised by how much people really enjoyed hearing about that.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, I'm going to. My twins aren't quite there yet, but I'm going to have to read that one as we get a little bit closer.

Jessica Dickler:

Well, I was just saying I learned a lot about the used car market. But, like I you know, going back to what I was saying earlier, all of those personal finance stories inform decisions that people make every single day, and I think that that's just cool.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, that is super cool. What are your biggest challenges that you face professionally?

Jessica Dickler:

I think the biggest challenges really come back to kind of staying above the fray, above the. You know there's a lot of noise these days.

Jessica Dickler:

And also, you know, staying true to the kind of journalism that I have always done, you know I read a lot of stories. Today. There's so much content online and it can almost like clutter the space. And you know, on the one hand, it's great that people can get so much information in different areas and on, you know, different type and different types of venues, but at the same time, like I'll read a story and it won't have any sourcing at all, and that just baffles me and I think that that's just a challenge to journalism at large.

Angela Tuell:

Right, and that whole challenge of a lot of people don't know the difference between a story that's a journalist written, one or something they find on social media, and I think that's a huge challenge too, which necessarily isn't your role to fight, but to fight, you know.

Jessica Dickler:

Yeah, no, exactly, and it's. It's a little crazy what's out there right now?

Angela Tuell:

Yes, yes, what you know. Speaking of personal finance, it's a broad topic, but what don't most Americans know about personal finance that you wish they did?

Jessica Dickler:

Oh well, it always comes back to some pretty basic truths. There's always sort of that struggle to keep up with the Joneses or earn a certain amount or save a certain amount, and I think that it's not just about you know how much you make, but spending less than you make, avoiding credit card debt, saving a portion of every paycheck and investing in the market to maximize your returns. I mean, those are the tenants of personal finance. To take you, you know, to take you to the next level, to leverage, you know, your financial standing into financial success.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, those are great basics that I'm sure a lot of Americans don't do. Yeah, yeah.

Jessica Dickler:

I mean it's hard, you know it's easier said than done. Of course, right Credit cards, for example, can be like hugely tempting, and now there's, you know, buy now, pay later and other ways that you know just, and also social media can really encourage overspending. But kind of going back to, you know those basics can really help improve your financial standing.

Angela Tuell:

Yes, I know you've won several high-profile awards during your career that I must mention as well. I would love to hear a little bit more about them and the stories that led to those recognitions.

Jessica Dickler:

Well, one of my first recognitions was at CNN when we started covering the financial crisis. That was sort of a moment in time when our whole team pulled together to tackle stories that really covered every angle of what was happening in the country and in our economy, and so that was really just. I mean, that was an incredible time to be in journalism. More recently, I was recognized for some of my individual accomplishments, which were more focused on consumer debt, credit card debt and stories about best ways and advice to get out of debt or save more save for college, and that's been really rewarding, and those are with CNBC, right, yes, okay, so maybe we can link to some of them in our show notes.

Angela Tuell:

Much of our audience are PR professionals, so we'd love to know a little bit about how we can best help you do your job, and if you have any pet peeves when it comes to us, we can best help you do your job and if you have any pet peeves when it comes to us, that feels like such a loaded question.

Jessica Dickler:

Well, I get a ton of pitches, which is totally fine, but these days I am almost buried alive in emails and I think my only pet peeve would be to get a pitch that is promoting a product or a brand, because you know that's not what CNBC does, it's certainly not what I do and, you know, sometimes those just feel so off the mark that it's like, you know, it's just like another email that is unnecessary. Yeah, like a spam email. Yeah, like a spam, but it's not because it's from, you know, pr people that I work with, but they, you know, are like hey, if you're doing a gift guide, you know roundup, and I'm like you know, I don't really do that.

Jessica Dickler:

But I will say that you know I don't mind getting pitches and it can help sometimes when there is breaking news like tariffs or interest rates, and you know, one of the PR contacts that I work with reaches out with a source that has, you know, some comments. Or you know that when it is sort of pegged to what's happening that day or that week or in the news at the time, that can really be a huge asset. It's just when it's so unrelated it just adds to the you know hundreds of emails that I'm getting every day.

Angela Tuell:

Right and not able to go through all of them, I'm sure. Yeah, you mentioned a little bit earlier about how right now is not as typical Maybe I'll say the word chaotic in the news. You know what's happening day to day, changing so much, having to do with personal finance too. How are you managing all of that?

Jessica Dickler:

Well, it's kind of just sticking to, you know, the values that I, you know, really hold closely. And you know, I think that in times of chaos or, you know, wild like right now we're going through some wild market swings I think giving people information that helps them make better decisions on a day-to-day basis that impact, you know, their life, that feels like a privilege to me and that's something that I really, I really value that and it feels like that makes my work even more important. So I don't take that lightly, yeah.

Angela Tuell:

I also must ask about AI and how much you do or do not use it and your thoughts on you know, AI and journalism, yeah, I mean.

Jessica Dickler:

I might be like a little behind with the AI thing because I don't use it at all in my work, which probably doesn't surprise you too much. No, but I know that. You know the future is integrating with AI. It's just that for the time being it is not part of my life and I don't know. It'd be interesting to see how things evolve, but I'm just not there yet.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, I agree with you, I don't use it at all and I feel like I should maybe start to learn to on the personal side. But I don't use it professionally because we know, working with journalists, we don't want to use it. So I feel you on that area. I need to learn more as well. I would love to know what your goals are professionally and you know, any exciting projects you're working on or what you hope for the future.

Jessica Dickler:

Well, every year I kind of take a little self-assessment of you know what I want to work on and what my goals are, and I think it's really just to kind of keep trying new things, like we were saying earlier. You know the news has sort of evolved and to, you know, maybe reach people on social media I, you know, lately I've tried more.

Jessica Dickler:

You know TikTok videos and things like that, and it's kind of exciting to put yourself out there in a new way, even if you've been doing the same old thing for so long. You know, trying new avenues, spaces, talking to different sorts of people, reaching different, reaching people differently, is exciting, and that is something that I want to. You know, keep trying and keep getting better at.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, and that's something that you get new audiences that way as well, too, yeah exactly, and a lot of younger audiences, too, which is really cool.

Jessica Dickler:

So that is definitely something I'm focused on for the future. Exactly, and a lot of younger audiences, too, which is really cool. So that is definitely something I'm focused on for the future.

Angela Tuell:

Great, and before we go, I'd love to ask what is something that many people don't know about you?

Jessica Dickler:

Okay. So that's funny because I think if I wasn't covering personal finance, my dream beat might be pop culture.

Jessica Dickler:

I love pop culture. I read page six every day. I just binged Love is Blind on Netflix. Last year I went to the Heiress Tour and loved it. So that might be something that not everyone knows, but is definitely part of my you know sort of other life. And um, in one of my earlier days at cnn, one um, my editor gave me an assignment to try out for the apprentice with uh then really star donald trump. Wow, and you did.

Jessica Dickler:

I mean I went and I read it online and I answered questions, but I could not compete with the caliber of future reality stars that I was surrounded by.

Angela Tuell:

So then, you just have had a love for that all your life, though. Yes, I'm a fan, but I am not destined to be on so I have to ask do you have girls then, or that like that, like, uh, taylor Swift as well, or pop culture, or no?

Jessica Dickler:

oh well. I do have a daughter, yeah okay, um, yeah, let me take her to the heiress tour oh darn, I'm sure she was really upset about that right um, and I also have a son, so I get a little bit of both worlds, and if you catch me after five, I'm probably throwing dinner together and then heading out the door to a soccer practice.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, you know, I said last question, but I have one more, because we talked about the mother thing a little bit and you know how, and all of us that are working moms or you know outside of the home have to have to deal with this as well. But how have you balanced it all?

Jessica Dickler:

I think the best way that I've done it myself is to kind of model my schedule after the kids schedule. I generally work more like a seven to three timeline. I start early, when the kids are up, and then I work, you know, the whole time that they're in school, and then I try to kind of shift gears, you know, once they're home and, like I said, I have other things that I have to do, like take them to soccer. So that's definitely one way that I've done it. But also, like right from the jump I'm just upfront about it I have kids and other responsibilities and I am.

Jessica Dickler:

I don't really want to get a call at eight o'clock, you know, from a PR person asking about a story. So I just put that out there Like, um, you can email me and I'll get back to you during business hours, but, um, but after that, you know, my life kind of changes and that's important to me. So I am very upfront about that. Um, it's just who I am and it has really helped me balance in a way, in the best way that I can, but I know that it's hard.

Angela Tuell:

Yeah, that's great advice. We all have to find what works best for us, and I think that's great advice. How can our listeners connect with you online?

Jessica Dickler:

Well, I am on social media. I'm on LinkedIn as Jessica Dickler, I'm Jay Dickler on X and I'm Jessica Dickler on Instagram, but that's more just my family and life, less work related stuff.

Angela Tuell:

Great. We will link to all of those in our show notes as well. Thank you so much, Jessica. Well, that was fun. Thank you so much for having me. That's all for this episode of Media in Minutes a podcast. Well, that was fun. Thank you so much for having me. That's all for this episode of Media in Minutes, a podcast by Communications Redefined. Take a moment to rate, review and subscribe to our show. We'd love to hear what you think. You can find more at communicationsredefinedcom slash podcast. I'm your host, Angela Tuell. Talk to you next time.