May 1, 2025 • 24 mins
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.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Angela Tuell (00:05):
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
On today's episode, we aretalking with CNBC personal
(00:33):
finance writer, Jessica Dickler.
Jessica has been at CNBC fornearly a decade and, aside from
personal finance, also coversnational news, the economy, real
estate and politics.
Prior to CNBC, she worked atCNN, hearst Magazines and the
Wall Street Journal.
As an award-winning journalist,her work has earned two Peabody
Awards, a DuPont Columbia Awardand a Fleck Award for National
(00:57):
Excellence in Financial Literacyand Education.
Hi, Jessica, welcome to Mediain Minutes.
Thank you so much.
Happy to be here.
Yes, thanks for joining us.
I have to tell you I love thatyour social media descriptor
says you spend the bulk of yourtime driving your children,
because it sounds like we're inthe same era of life right now.
Jessica Dickler (01:17):
Yes, I always like to lead with that because
it's the truth.
I am juggling my job and lifeoutside of work and I know most
people can relate to that.
Angela Tuell (01:26):
Yes, yes, I have my computer in the car, my phone
in the car, food in the car Imust know I'm really interested
in if you always wanted to be ajournalist.
Jessica Dickler (01:39):
Not necessarily .
I was always interested injournalism, even at a young age.
When there was like an electionor a major moment happening in
the country, you could alwayslook to the news, you know,
whether on TV, or read thepapers to break it down, and I
just love that.
Angela Tuell (01:55):
Yeah, and so how did you actually get into it?
Then Could you briefly walk usthrough your career?
Jessica Dickler (02:06):
your career?
Oh sure, so I was, I guess, alittle adrift.
After college I worked for afew years in New York but I felt
like, you know, maybe agraduate degree would help me
kind of focus and get to thatnext level.
And I looked around at programs.
I just really wanted to stay inNew York.
That was my top priority.
So Columbia's International andPublic Affairs really spoke to
me.
The classes and the teachersall looked amazing.
So I went there.
(02:26):
I loved it and then CNN came torecruit on campus and I thought
that could be fun.
That was really the beginning.
Angela Tuell (02:34):
Wow.
So what was your undergraddegree in?
So?
Jessica Dickler (02:38):
I have an undergrad degree in political
science and after college Iworked at the Wall Street
Journal.
I bounced around a little bitbit but I was just kind of not
where I wanted to be exactly,and that graduate degree in
public policy really helped mekind of leapfrog to where you
know, to a job that felt like agreat fit.
Angela Tuell (02:59):
Yeah, and CNN then was that first job that felt
like a great fit.
Yeah, exactly.
So what drew you to thefinancial beat?
Jessica Dickler (03:07):
Well, it's funny because I really didn't
want to be in financial news inthose early days at CNN.
I mean, everything was so muchdifferent than it is now and
people didn't really care thatmuch about money or even the
market.
So everything changed.
When the economy skidded and itbecame the great recession,
(03:28):
unemployment spiked, people losttheir homes, their jobs and
then all of a sudden, everythingwas a money story.
It was all about the financialdecisions that people have to
make every day, the hardshipsthey face, and that just changed
everything.
And even to this day, I mean, Ijust think people are more
engaged in personal finance andfinancial news.
(03:50):
It really just shifted thecultural perspective and that
was just a great time to kind ofdig in.
Angela Tuell (03:57):
Yeah.
So then how did you go from CNNto where you are today?
Jessica Dickler (04:02):
Well, I mean, a long time has gone by, but the
same time I got married, um, youknow, we started a family, we
bought our first home, we movedout of new york, so I was living
all of those major milestones Iwas writing about and my career
kind of evolved as well.
I found, um, I left cnn when wemoved out of new york because I
(04:23):
couldn't commute with two youngkids, and then I found a job at
CNBC, which is based in NewJersey, and that was just.
It was just a great fit Again.
It kind of just worked out wellthat way.
Angela Tuell (04:35):
Yeah, and you've been at CNBC for nearly 10 years
now, which is actually a longtime in journalism, years to be
in one outlet, to be with oneplace.
What has kept you there?
Jessica Dickler (04:47):
I know it kind of boggles my mind that so much
time has gone by.
When they first reached out tome they said can you come in to?
be a temporary replacement forsomeone that's going on
maternity leave for three months, yeah, so three months turned
into almost 10 years and I guessI just like it.
I have the freedom to come upwith my own story ideas.
(05:09):
I've built relationships withsources, I get to try new things
and I work with a group ofreally great, smart reporters
who all have their own area ofexpertise and their specialties,
and I just enjoy all that.
Angela Tuell (05:25):
Yeah, and your beat is personal finance,
although you mentioned that youalso cover national news, the
economy, real estate, politics.
That's a lot of areas.
What types of stories do youtend to write most?
Jessica Dickler (05:39):
Well, as you can imagine, personal finance
just sort of bleeds into everyother area.
Sometimes it's about what'shappening in politics, sometimes
it's about what's happening inreal estate or the economy or,
you know, interest rates.
All of that has a personalfinance angle, so it gives me a
chance to really like expand andgrow and learn about different
(06:01):
areas, which I love.
I tend to write mostly aboutconsumer debt, household
finances and expenses, interestrates, college costs, savings,
that type of stuff.
Angela Tuell (06:13):
Okay, so although we know there are no typical
days for journalists, what doesan average day look like for you
?
Jessica Dickler (06:20):
Yeah, it's a little less typical these days,
but there is a general rhythm tohow it works.
I generally start with I kindof start early.
I naturally I kind of model mywork day with what my kids have
going on.
So when they're getting up andgetting ready for school, I'm
kind of getting up to speed onthe news of the day.
(06:41):
You know what people aretalking about what's the buzz.
And you know what people aretalking about what's the buzz,
and you know I'm generallyworking a couple days ahead on a
story.
So I like to give myself plentyof time to reach out to sources
or experts and get somefeedback, dig into some data.
So I generally do like a storya day and but work, you know, a
(07:02):
couple days ahead and plan myweek out sort of.
So it has that rhythm.
The nice thing about personalfinance is that it's less
reactive, you know, to breakingnews per se.
But I can sort of build offthat with a story that explains
what's happening or digs alittle deeper into some aspect
of what's going on.
Angela Tuell (07:22):
OK yeah, which is a little more evergreen.
Jessica Dickler (07:23):
I guess it's still timely, but it's a little
bit more Right Like that's thesweet spot is that it's timely
but not, you know, superreactive.
It's more of like an in-depthexplainer of what's going on.
Yeah.
Angela Tuell (07:36):
How many stories do you typically write a week?
Jessica Dickler (07:39):
I generally do about a story a day.
I like to leave in maybe a dayto report out ahead, so I'm not
like starting cold every morning.
So usually my average is aboutfour stories a week.
Angela Tuell (07:52):
Okay, and they're typically for digital or TV or
both.
Jessica Dickler (07:56):
Yeah, mostly digital.
I'm really primarily digital,but you know some of the stuff
gets picked up on TV or onvideos 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 onCNBCcom.
Angela Tuell (08:14):
Ok, and that's a good question.
I know you bring up the socialpart.
I know when I am a former TVjournalist.
If I haven't told you, but Iknow when I started we didn't
really have social media.
If I haven't told you, but Iknow when I started we didn't
really have social media.
Yeah, I know, I was there too.
Yes, but how else have thingschanged, you know, since you
started in it, until now?
Jessica Dickler (08:39):
no-transcript, you know, like a complete 180,
but in other ways I'm doing thesame things now that I have
always done.
The news and the culture aroundjournalism has changed and
along with, and sort of the waypeople feel in their
relationship to journalism haschanged.
There's a lot more online, youknow, hate, which I really don't
(09:02):
engage in but still bugs me.
You know hate which I reallydon't engage in but still bugs
me.
But what hasn't changed is sortof just the commitment to
present stories that are based,you know, in data that have, you
know, really vetted sourcingthat, you know, kind of just
helps inform people's decisionsevery day about money and that
(09:23):
can impact, you know, their work, their family, their future.
So you know it feels likethat's a big responsibility, but
I take that seriously and thatpart has never changed.
Angela Tuell (09:35):
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 inculture of how some people feel
towards journalists.
Has that affected your work?
Jessica Dickler (09:50):
Not really, I mean it, just if only, if
anything, it just makes me evenmore committed to, you know, do
my job in the best way that Ican.
You know, I think that awell-written story that's
well-sourced doesn't really openitself up to too much criticism
.
I mean, people are going tofind things to pick apart, but
(10:12):
just sort of staying true tothat integral aspect of it
really kind of helps rise aboveyes, yes and, like you said, not
engaging.
Yes and never engaging.
Never engaging, yes, and neverengaging, never engaging.
Angela Tuell (10:26):
Are there any stories or I'm sure there are
that stick out, that you areespecially proud of or that may
have surprised you?
Could you tell us some of them?
Jessica Dickler (10:48):
Yeah, I have, doug.
Really I've really gotteninterested in women and work and
how moms especially have tobalance childcare and other
family commitments and how thataffects their career, their pay.
And you know I've talked towomen who say they can't afford
to work because childcare costsare so high.
I have gotten so much out ofthat reporting his childcare
costs are so high.
I have gotten so much out ofthat reporting.
Stories that I did a decade agostill resonate with me and you
(11:09):
know I've also gotten to sharesome of my own experiences,
which has been really kind offun and interesting.
Recently I wrote about you knowwhat it was like buying my
daughter a used car when sheturned 17.
And I was surprised by how muchpeople really enjoyed hearing
about that.
Angela Tuell (11:26):
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 bitcloser.
Jessica Dickler (11:31):
Well, I was just saying I learned a lot
about the used car market.
But, like I you know, goingback to what I was saying
earlier, all of those personalfinance stories inform decisions
that people make every singleday, and I think that that's
just cool.
Angela Tuell (11:46):
Yes, that is super cool.
What are your biggestchallenges that you face
professionally?
Jessica Dickler (11:53):
I think the biggest challenges really come
back to kind of staying abovethe fray, above the.
You know there's a lot of noisethese days.
And also, you know, staying trueto the kind of journalism that
I have always done, you know Iread a lot of stories.
Today.
There's so much content onlineand it can almost like clutter
(12:16):
the space.
And you know, on the one hand,it's great that people can get
so much information in differentareas and on, you know,
different type and differenttypes of venues, but at the same
time, like I'll read a storyand it won't have any sourcing
at all, and that just baffles meand I think that that's just a
challenge to journalism at large.
Angela Tuell (12:38):
Right, and that whole challenge of a lot of
people don't know the differencebetween a story that's a
journalist written, one orsomething they find on social
media, and I think that's a hugechallenge too, which
necessarily isn't your role tofight, but to fight, you know.
Jessica Dickler (12:57):
Yeah, no, exactly, and it's.
It's a little crazy what's outthere right now?
Angela Tuell (13:01):
Yes, yes, what you know.
Speaking of personal finance,it's a broad topic, but what
don't most Americans know aboutpersonal finance that you wish
they did?
Jessica Dickler (13:10):
Oh well, it always comes back to some pretty
basic truths.
There's always sort of thatstruggle to keep up with the
Joneses or earn a certain amountor save a certain amount, and I
think that it's not just aboutyou know how much you make, but
spending less than you make,avoiding credit card debt,
(13:31):
saving a portion of everypaycheck and investing in the
market to maximize your returns.
I mean, those are the tenantsof personal finance.
To take you, you know, to takeyou to the next level, to
leverage, you know, yourfinancial standing into
financial success.
Angela Tuell (13:51):
Yeah, those are great basics that I'm sure a lot
of Americans don't do.
Yeah, yeah.
Jessica Dickler (13:57):
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, youknow, 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, youknow those basics can really
(14:19):
help improve your financialstanding.
Angela Tuell (14:22):
Yes, I know you've won several high-profile awards
during your career that I mustmention as well.
I would love to hear a littlebit more about them and the
stories that led to thoserecognitions.
Jessica Dickler (14:33):
Well, one of my first recognitions was at CNN
when we started covering thefinancial crisis.
That was sort of a moment intime when our whole team pulled
together to tackle stories thatreally covered every angle of
what was happening in thecountry and in our economy, and
(14:55):
so that was really just.
I mean, that was an incredibletime to be in journalism.
More recently, I was recognizedfor some of my individual
accomplishments, which were morefocused on consumer debt,
credit card debt and storiesabout best ways and advice to
(15:17):
get out of debt or save moresave for college, and that's
been really rewarding, and thoseare with CNBC, right, yes, okay
, so maybe we can link to someof them in our show notes.
Angela Tuell (15:28):
Much of our audience are PR professionals,
so we'd love to know a littlebit about how we can best help
you do your job, and if you haveany pet peeves when it comes to
us, we can best help you doyour job and if you have any pet
peeves when it comes to us,that feels like such a loaded
question.
Jessica Dickler (15:48):
Well, I get a ton of pitches, which is totally
fine, but these days I amalmost buried alive in emails
and I think my only pet peevewould 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 notwhat I do and, you know,
sometimes those just feel so offthe mark that it's like, you
(16:11):
know, it's just like anotheremail that is unnecessary.
Yeah, like a spam email.
Yeah, like a spam, but it's notbecause it's from, you know, pr
people that I work with, butthey, you know, are like hey, if
you're doing a gift guide, youknow roundup, and I'm like you
know, I don't really do that.
But I will say that you know Idon't mind getting pitches and
(16:34):
it can help sometimes when thereis breaking news like tariffs
or interest rates, and you know,one of the PR contacts that I
work with reaches out with asource that has, you know, some
comments.
Or you know that when it issort of pegged to what's
happening that day or that weekor in the news at the time, that
can really be a huge asset.
(16:55):
It's just when it's sounrelated it just adds to the
you know hundreds of emails thatI'm getting every day.
Angela Tuell (17:02):
Right and not able to go through all of them, I'm
sure.
Yeah, you mentioned a littlebit earlier about how right now
is not as typical Maybe I'll saythe word chaotic in the news.
You know what's happening dayto day, changing so much, having
to do with personal finance too.
How are you managing all ofthat?
Jessica Dickler (17:23):
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 intimes of chaos or, you know,
wild like right now we're goingthrough some wild market swings
I think giving peopleinformation that helps them make
better decisions on aday-to-day basis that impact,
(17:46):
you know, their life, that feelslike a privilege to me and
that's something that I really,I really value that and it feels
like that makes my work evenmore important.
So I don't take that lightly,yeah.
Angela Tuell (18:02):
I also must ask about AI and how much you do or
do not use it and your thoughtson you know, AI and journalism,
yeah, I mean.
Jessica Dickler (18:13):
I might be like a little behind with the AI
thing because I don't use it atall in my work, which probably
doesn't surprise you too much.
No, but I know that.
You know the future isintegrating with AI.
It's just that for the timebeing it is not part of my life
(18:34):
and I don't know.
It'd be interesting to see howthings evolve, but I'm just not
there yet.
Angela Tuell (18:39):
Yeah, I agree with you, I don't use it at all and
I feel like I should maybe startto learn to on the personal
side.
But I don't use itprofessionally because we know,
working with journalists, wedon'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 yourgoals are professionally and you
know, any exciting projectsyou're working on or what you
(19:01):
hope for the future.
Jessica Dickler (19:04):
Well, every year I kind of take a little
self-assessment of you know whatI want to work on and what my
goals are, and I think it'sreally just to kind of keep
trying new things, like we weresaying earlier.
You know the news has sort ofevolved and to, you know, maybe
reach people on social media I,you know, lately I've tried more
.
(19:25):
You know TikTok videos andthings like that, and it's kind
of exciting to put yourself outthere in a new way, even if
you've been doing the same oldthing for so long.
You know, trying new avenues,spaces, talking to different
sorts of people, reachingdifferent, reaching people
differently, is exciting, andthat is something that I want to
(19:45):
.
You know, keep trying and keepgetting better at.
Angela Tuell (19:49):
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 isreally cool.
Jessica Dickler (19:57):
So that is definitely something I'm focused
on for the future.
Exactly, and a lot of youngeraudiences, too, which is really
cool.
So that is definitely somethingI'm focused on for the future.
Angela Tuell (20:02):
Great, and before we go, I'd love to ask what is
something that many people don'tknow about you?
Jessica Dickler (20:07):
Okay.
So that's funny because I thinkif I wasn't covering personal
finance, my dream beat might bepop culture.
I love pop culture.
I read page six every day.
I just binged Love is Blind onNetflix.
(20:29):
Last year I went to the HeiressTour and loved it.
So that might be something thatnot everyone knows, but is
definitely part of my you knowsort of other life.
And um, in one of my earlierdays at cnn, one um, my editor
gave me an assignment to try outfor the apprentice with uh then
(20:51):
really star donald trump.
Wow, and you did.
I mean I went and I read itonline and I answered questions,
but I could not compete withthe caliber of future reality
stars that I was surrounded by.
Angela Tuell (21:10):
So then, you just have had a love for that all
your life, though.
Yes, I'm a fan, but I am notdestined to be on so I have to
ask do you have girls then, orthat like that, like, uh, taylor
Swift as well, or pop culture,or no?
Jessica Dickler (21:26):
oh well.
I do have a daughter, yeah okay, um, yeah, let me take her to
the heiress tour oh darn, I'msure she was really upset about
that right um, and I also have ason, so I get a little bit of
both worlds, and if you catch meafter five, I'm probably
throwing dinner together andthen heading out the door to a
soccer practice.
Angela Tuell (21:47):
Yeah, you know, I said last question, but I have
one more, because we talkedabout the mother thing a little
bit and you know how, and all ofus that are working moms or you
know outside of the home haveto have to deal with this as
well.
But how have you balanced itall?
Jessica Dickler (22:01):
I think the best way that I've done it
myself is to kind of model myschedule after the kids schedule
.
I generally work more like aseven to three timeline.
I start early, when the kidsare up, and then I work, you
know, the whole time thatthey're in school, and then I
try to kind of shift gears, youknow, once they're home and,
(22:23):
like I said, I have other thingsthat I have to do, like take
them to soccer.
So that's definitely one waythat I've done it.
But also, like right from thejump I'm just upfront about it I
have kids and otherresponsibilities and I am.
I don't really want to get acall at eight o'clock, you know,
from a PR person asking about astory.
So I just put that out thereLike, um, you can email me and
(22:46):
I'll get back to you duringbusiness hours, but, um, but
after that, you know, my lifekind of changes and that's
important to me.
So I am very upfront about that.
Um, it's just who I am and ithas really helped me balance in
a way, in the best way that Ican, but I know that it's hard.
Angela Tuell (23:05):
Yeah, that's great advice.
We all have to find what worksbest for us, and I think that's
great advice.
How can our listeners connectwith you online?
Jessica Dickler (23:13):
Well, I am on social media.
I'm on LinkedIn as JessicaDickler, I'm Jay Dickler on X
and I'm Jessica Dickler onInstagram, but that's more just
my family and life, less workrelated stuff.
Angela Tuell (23:29):
Great.
We will link to all of those inour 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 ofMedia in Minutes a podcast.
Well, that was fun.
Thank you so much for having me.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
Take a moment to rate, reviewand subscribe to our show.
We'd love to hear what youthink.
You can find more atcommunicationsredefinedcom slash
(23:51):
podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
Talk to you next time.
Welcome to Media in Minutes.
This is your host, Angela Tuell.
This podcast features in-depthinterviews with those who report
on the world around us.
They share everything fromtheir favorite stories to what
happened behind the lens andgive us a glimpse into their
world From our studio here atCommunications Redefined.
This is Media in Minutes.
On today's episode, we aretalking with CNBC personal
(00:33):
finance writer, Jessica Dickler.
Jessica has been at CNBC fornearly a decade and, aside from
personal finance, also coversnational news, the economy, real
estate and politics.
Prior to CNBC, she worked atCNN, hearst Magazines and the
Wall Street Journal.
As an award-winning journalist,her work has earned two Peabody
Awards, a DuPont Columbia Awardand a Fleck Award for National
(00:57):
Excellence in Financial Literacyand Education.
Hi, Jessica, welcome to Mediain Minutes.
Thank you so much.
Happy to be here.
Yes, thanks for joining us.
I have to tell you I love thatyour social media descriptor
says you spend the bulk of yourtime driving your children,
because it sounds like we're inthe same era of life right now.
Jessica Dickler (01:17):
Yes, I always like to lead with that because
it's the truth.
I am juggling my job and lifeoutside of work and I know most
people can relate to that.
Angela Tuell (01:26):
Yes, yes, I have my computer in the car, my phone
in the car, food in the car Imust know I'm really interested
in if you always wanted to be ajournalist.
Jessica Dickler (01:39):
Not necessarily .
I was always interested injournalism, even at a young age.
When there was like an electionor a major moment happening in
the country, you could alwayslook to the news, you know,
whether on TV, or read thepapers to break it down, and I
just love that.
Angela Tuell (01:55):
Yeah, and so how did you actually get into it?
Then Could you briefly walk usthrough your career?
Jessica Dickler (02:06):
your career?
Oh sure, so I was, I guess, alittle adrift.
After college I worked for afew years in New York but I felt
like, you know, maybe agraduate degree would help me
kind of focus and get to thatnext level.
And I looked around at programs.
I just really wanted to stay inNew York.
That was my top priority.
So Columbia's International andPublic Affairs really spoke to
me.
The classes and the teachersall looked amazing.
So I went there.
(02:26):
I loved it and then CNN came torecruit on campus and I thought
that could be fun.
That was really the beginning.
Angela Tuell (02:34):
Wow.
So what was your undergraddegree in?
So?
Jessica Dickler (02:38):
I have an undergrad degree in political
science and after college Iworked at the Wall Street
Journal.
I bounced around a little bitbit but I was just kind of not
where I wanted to be exactly,and that graduate degree in
public policy really helped mekind of leapfrog to where you
know, to a job that felt like agreat fit.
Angela Tuell (02:59):
Yeah, and CNN then was that first job that felt
like a great fit.
Yeah, exactly.
So what drew you to thefinancial beat?
Jessica Dickler (03:07):
Well, it's funny because I really didn't
want to be in financial news inthose early days at CNN.
I mean, everything was so muchdifferent than it is now and
people didn't really care thatmuch about money or even the
market.
So everything changed.
When the economy skidded and itbecame the great recession,
(03:28):
unemployment spiked, people losttheir homes, their jobs and
then all of a sudden, everythingwas a money story.
It was all about the financialdecisions that people have to
make every day, the hardshipsthey face, and that just changed
everything.
And even to this day, I mean, Ijust think people are more
engaged in personal finance andfinancial news.
(03:50):
It really just shifted thecultural perspective and that
was just a great time to kind ofdig in.
Angela Tuell (03:57):
Yeah.
So then how did you go from CNNto where you are today?
Jessica Dickler (04:02):
Well, I mean, a long time has gone by, but the
same time I got married, um, youknow, we started a family, we
bought our first home, we movedout of new york, so I was living
all of those major milestones Iwas writing about and my career
kind of evolved as well.
I found, um, I left cnn when wemoved out of new york because I
(04:23):
couldn't commute with two youngkids, and then I found a job at
CNBC, which is based in NewJersey, and that was just.
It was just a great fit Again.
It kind of just worked out wellthat way.
Angela Tuell (04:35):
Yeah, and you've been at CNBC for nearly 10 years
now, which is actually a longtime in journalism, years to be
in one outlet, to be with oneplace.
What has kept you there?
Jessica Dickler (04:47):
I know it kind of boggles my mind that so much
time has gone by.
When they first reached out tome they said can you come in to?
be a temporary replacement forsomeone that's going on
maternity leave for three months, yeah, so three months turned
into almost 10 years and I guessI just like it.
I have the freedom to come upwith my own story ideas.
(05:09):
I've built relationships withsources, I get to try new things
and I work with a group ofreally great, smart reporters
who all have their own area ofexpertise and their specialties,
and I just enjoy all that.
Angela Tuell (05:25):
Yeah, and your beat is personal finance,
although you mentioned that youalso cover national news, the
economy, real estate, politics.
That's a lot of areas.
What types of stories do youtend to write most?
Jessica Dickler (05:39):
Well, as you can imagine, personal finance
just sort of bleeds into everyother area.
Sometimes it's about what'shappening in politics, sometimes
it's about what's happening inreal estate or the economy or,
you know, interest rates.
All of that has a personalfinance angle, so it gives me a
chance to really like expand andgrow and learn about different
(06:01):
areas, which I love.
I tend to write mostly aboutconsumer debt, household
finances and expenses, interestrates, college costs, savings,
that type of stuff.
Angela Tuell (06:13):
Okay, so although we know there are no typical
days for journalists, what doesan average day look like for you
?
Jessica Dickler (06:20):
Yeah, it's a little less typical these days,
but there is a general rhythm tohow it works.
I generally start with I kindof start early.
I naturally I kind of model mywork day with what my kids have
going on.
So when they're getting up andgetting ready for school, I'm
kind of getting up to speed onthe news of the day.
(06:41):
You know what people aretalking about what's the buzz.
And you know what people aretalking about what's the buzz,
and you know I'm generallyworking a couple days ahead on a
story.
So I like to give myself plentyof time to reach out to sources
or experts and get somefeedback, dig into some data.
So I generally do like a storya day and but work, you know, a
(07:02):
couple days ahead and plan myweek out sort of.
So it has that rhythm.
The nice thing about personalfinance is that it's less
reactive, you know, to breakingnews per se.
But I can sort of build offthat with a story that explains
what's happening or digs alittle deeper into some aspect
of what's going on.
Angela Tuell (07:22):
OK yeah, which is a little more evergreen.
Jessica Dickler (07:23):
I guess it's still timely, but it's a little
bit more Right Like that's thesweet spot is that it's timely
but not, you know, superreactive.
It's more of like an in-depthexplainer of what's going on.
Yeah.
Angela Tuell (07:36):
How many stories do you typically write a week?
Jessica Dickler (07:39):
I generally do about a story a day.
I like to leave in maybe a dayto report out ahead, so I'm not
like starting cold every morning.
So usually my average is aboutfour stories a week.
Angela Tuell (07:52):
Okay, and they're typically for digital or TV or
both.
Jessica Dickler (07:56):
Yeah, mostly digital.
I'm really primarily digital,but you know some of the stuff
gets picked up on TV or onvideos 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 onCNBCcom.
Angela Tuell (08:14):
Ok, and that's a good question.
I know you bring up the socialpart.
I know when I am a former TVjournalist.
If I haven't told you, but Iknow when I started we didn't
really have social media.
If I haven't told you, but Iknow when I started we didn't
really have social media.
Yeah, I know, I was there too.
Yes, but how else have thingschanged, you know, since you
started in it, until now?
Jessica Dickler (08:39):
no-transcript, you know, like a complete 180,
but in other ways I'm doing thesame things now that I have
always done.
The news and the culture aroundjournalism has changed and
along with, and sort of the waypeople feel in their
relationship to journalism haschanged.
There's a lot more online, youknow, hate, which I really don't
(09:02):
engage in but still bugs me.
You know hate which I reallydon't engage in but still bugs
me.
But what hasn't changed is sortof just the commitment to
present stories that are based,you know, in data that have, you
know, really vetted sourcingthat, you know, kind of just
helps inform people's decisionsevery day about money and that
(09:23):
can impact, you know, their work, their family, their future.
So you know it feels likethat's a big responsibility, but
I take that seriously and thatpart has never changed.
Angela Tuell (09:35):
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 inculture of how some people feel
towards journalists.
Has that affected your work?
Jessica Dickler (09:50):
Not really, I mean it, just if only, if
anything, it just makes me evenmore committed to, you know, do
my job in the best way that Ican.
You know, I think that awell-written story that's
well-sourced doesn't really openitself up to too much criticism
.
I mean, people are going tofind things to pick apart, but
(10:12):
just sort of staying true tothat integral aspect of it
really kind of helps rise aboveyes, yes and, like you said, not
engaging.
Yes and never engaging.
Never engaging, yes, and neverengaging, never engaging.
Angela Tuell (10:26):
Are there any stories or I'm sure there are
that stick out, that you areespecially proud of or that may
have surprised you?
Could you tell us some of them?
Jessica Dickler (10:48):
Yeah, I have, doug.
Really I've really gotteninterested in women and work and
how moms especially have tobalance childcare and other
family commitments and how thataffects their career, their pay.
And you know I've talked towomen who say they can't afford
to work because childcare costsare so high.
I have gotten so much out ofthat reporting his childcare
costs are so high.
I have gotten so much out ofthat reporting.
Stories that I did a decade agostill resonate with me and you
(11:09):
know I've also gotten to sharesome of my own experiences,
which has been really kind offun and interesting.
Recently I wrote about you knowwhat it was like buying my
daughter a used car when sheturned 17.
And I was surprised by how muchpeople really enjoyed hearing
about that.
Angela Tuell (11:26):
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 bitcloser.
Jessica Dickler (11:31):
Well, I was just saying I learned a lot
about the used car market.
But, like I you know, goingback to what I was saying
earlier, all of those personalfinance stories inform decisions
that people make every singleday, and I think that that's
just cool.
Angela Tuell (11:46):
Yes, that is super cool.
What are your biggestchallenges that you face
professionally?
Jessica Dickler (11:53):
I think the biggest challenges really come
back to kind of staying abovethe fray, above the.
You know there's a lot of noisethese days.
And also, you know, staying trueto the kind of journalism that
I have always done, you know Iread a lot of stories.
Today.
There's so much content onlineand it can almost like clutter
(12:16):
the space.
And you know, on the one hand,it's great that people can get
so much information in differentareas and on, you know,
different type and differenttypes of venues, but at the same
time, like I'll read a storyand it won't have any sourcing
at all, and that just baffles meand I think that that's just a
challenge to journalism at large.
Angela Tuell (12:38):
Right, and that whole challenge of a lot of
people don't know the differencebetween a story that's a
journalist written, one orsomething they find on social
media, and I think that's a hugechallenge too, which
necessarily isn't your role tofight, but to fight, you know.
Jessica Dickler (12:57):
Yeah, no, exactly, and it's.
It's a little crazy what's outthere right now?
Angela Tuell (13:01):
Yes, yes, what you know.
Speaking of personal finance,it's a broad topic, but what
don't most Americans know aboutpersonal finance that you wish
they did?
Jessica Dickler (13:10):
Oh well, it always comes back to some pretty
basic truths.
There's always sort of thatstruggle to keep up with the
Joneses or earn a certain amountor save a certain amount, and I
think that it's not just aboutyou know how much you make, but
spending less than you make,avoiding credit card debt,
(13:31):
saving a portion of everypaycheck and investing in the
market to maximize your returns.
I mean, those are the tenantsof personal finance.
To take you, you know, to takeyou to the next level, to
leverage, you know, yourfinancial standing into
financial success.
Angela Tuell (13:51):
Yeah, those are great basics that I'm sure a lot
of Americans don't do.
Yeah, yeah.
Jessica Dickler (13:57):
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, youknow, 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, youknow those basics can really
(14:19):
help improve your financialstanding.
Angela Tuell (14:22):
Yes, I know you've won several high-profile awards
during your career that I mustmention as well.
I would love to hear a littlebit more about them and the
stories that led to thoserecognitions.
Jessica Dickler (14:33):
Well, one of my first recognitions was at CNN
when we started covering thefinancial crisis.
That was sort of a moment intime when our whole team pulled
together to tackle stories thatreally covered every angle of
what was happening in thecountry and in our economy, and
(14:55):
so that was really just.
I mean, that was an incredibletime to be in journalism.
More recently, I was recognizedfor some of my individual
accomplishments, which were morefocused on consumer debt,
credit card debt and storiesabout best ways and advice to
(15:17):
get out of debt or save moresave for college, and that's
been really rewarding, and thoseare with CNBC, right, yes, okay
, so maybe we can link to someof them in our show notes.
Angela Tuell (15:28):
Much of our audience are PR professionals,
so we'd love to know a littlebit about how we can best help
you do your job, and if you haveany pet peeves when it comes to
us, we can best help you doyour job and if you have any pet
peeves when it comes to us,that feels like such a loaded
question.
Jessica Dickler (15:48):
Well, I get a ton of pitches, which is totally
fine, but these days I amalmost buried alive in emails
and I think my only pet peevewould 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 notwhat I do and, you know,
sometimes those just feel so offthe mark that it's like, you
(16:11):
know, it's just like anotheremail that is unnecessary.
Yeah, like a spam email.
Yeah, like a spam, but it's notbecause it's from, you know, pr
people that I work with, butthey, you know, are like hey, if
you're doing a gift guide, youknow roundup, and I'm like you
know, I don't really do that.
But I will say that you know Idon't mind getting pitches and
(16:34):
it can help sometimes when thereis breaking news like tariffs
or interest rates, and you know,one of the PR contacts that I
work with reaches out with asource that has, you know, some
comments.
Or you know that when it issort of pegged to what's
happening that day or that weekor in the news at the time, that
can really be a huge asset.
(16:55):
It's just when it's sounrelated it just adds to the
you know hundreds of emails thatI'm getting every day.
Angela Tuell (17:02):
Right and not able to go through all of them, I'm
sure.
Yeah, you mentioned a littlebit earlier about how right now
is not as typical Maybe I'll saythe word chaotic in the news.
You know what's happening dayto day, changing so much, having
to do with personal finance too.
How are you managing all ofthat?
Jessica Dickler (17:23):
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 intimes of chaos or, you know,
wild like right now we're goingthrough some wild market swings
I think giving peopleinformation that helps them make
better decisions on aday-to-day basis that impact,
(17:46):
you know, their life, that feelslike a privilege to me and
that's something that I really,I really value that and it feels
like that makes my work evenmore important.
So I don't take that lightly,yeah.
Angela Tuell (18:02):
I also must ask about AI and how much you do or
do not use it and your thoughtson you know, AI and journalism,
yeah, I mean.
Jessica Dickler (18:13):
I might be like a little behind with the AI
thing because I don't use it atall in my work, which probably
doesn't surprise you too much.
No, but I know that.
You know the future isintegrating with AI.
It's just that for the timebeing it is not part of my life
(18:34):
and I don't know.
It'd be interesting to see howthings evolve, but I'm just not
there yet.
Angela Tuell (18:39):
Yeah, I agree with you, I don't use it at all and
I feel like I should maybe startto learn to on the personal
side.
But I don't use itprofessionally because we know,
working with journalists, wedon'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 yourgoals are professionally and you
know, any exciting projectsyou're working on or what you
(19:01):
hope for the future.
Jessica Dickler (19:04):
Well, every year I kind of take a little
self-assessment of you know whatI want to work on and what my
goals are, and I think it'sreally just to kind of keep
trying new things, like we weresaying earlier.
You know the news has sort ofevolved and to, you know, maybe
reach people on social media I,you know, lately I've tried more
.
(19:25):
You know TikTok videos andthings like that, and it's kind
of exciting to put yourself outthere in a new way, even if
you've been doing the same oldthing for so long.
You know, trying new avenues,spaces, talking to different
sorts of people, reachingdifferent, reaching people
differently, is exciting, andthat is something that I want to
(19:45):
.
You know, keep trying and keepgetting better at.
Angela Tuell (19:49):
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 isreally cool.
Jessica Dickler (19:57):
So that is definitely something I'm focused
on for the future.
Exactly, and a lot of youngeraudiences, too, which is really
cool.
So that is definitely somethingI'm focused on for the future.
Angela Tuell (20:02):
Great, and before we go, I'd love to ask what is
something that many people don'tknow about you?
Jessica Dickler (20:07):
Okay.
So that's funny because I thinkif I wasn't covering personal
finance, my dream beat might bepop culture.
I love pop culture.
I read page six every day.
I just binged Love is Blind onNetflix.
(20:29):
Last year I went to the HeiressTour and loved it.
So that might be something thatnot everyone knows, but is
definitely part of my you knowsort of other life.
And um, in one of my earlierdays at cnn, one um, my editor
gave me an assignment to try outfor the apprentice with uh then
(20:51):
really star donald trump.
Wow, and you did.
I mean I went and I read itonline and I answered questions,
but I could not compete withthe caliber of future reality
stars that I was surrounded by.
Angela Tuell (21:10):
So then, you just have had a love for that all
your life, though.
Yes, I'm a fan, but I am notdestined to be on so I have to
ask do you have girls then, orthat like that, like, uh, taylor
Swift as well, or pop culture,or no?
Jessica Dickler (21:26):
oh well.
I do have a daughter, yeah okay, um, yeah, let me take her to
the heiress tour oh darn, I'msure she was really upset about
that right um, and I also have ason, so I get a little bit of
both worlds, and if you catch meafter five, I'm probably
throwing dinner together andthen heading out the door to a
soccer practice.
Angela Tuell (21:47):
Yeah, you know, I said last question, but I have
one more, because we talkedabout the mother thing a little
bit and you know how, and all ofus that are working moms or you
know outside of the home haveto have to deal with this as
well.
But how have you balanced itall?
Jessica Dickler (22:01):
I think the best way that I've done it
myself is to kind of model myschedule after the kids schedule
.
I generally work more like aseven to three timeline.
I start early, when the kidsare up, and then I work, you
know, the whole time thatthey're in school, and then I
try to kind of shift gears, youknow, once they're home and,
(22:23):
like I said, I have other thingsthat I have to do, like take
them to soccer.
So that's definitely one waythat I've done it.
But also, like right from thejump I'm just upfront about it I
have kids and otherresponsibilities and I am.
I don't really want to get acall at eight o'clock, you know,
from a PR person asking about astory.
So I just put that out thereLike, um, you can email me and
(22:46):
I'll get back to you duringbusiness hours, but, um, but
after that, you know, my lifekind of changes and that's
important to me.
So I am very upfront about that.
Um, it's just who I am and ithas really helped me balance in
a way, in the best way that Ican, but I know that it's hard.
Angela Tuell (23:05):
Yeah, that's great advice.
We all have to find what worksbest for us, and I think that's
great advice.
How can our listeners connectwith you online?
Jessica Dickler (23:13):
Well, I am on social media.
I'm on LinkedIn as JessicaDickler, I'm Jay Dickler on X
and I'm Jessica Dickler onInstagram, but that's more just
my family and life, less workrelated stuff.
Angela Tuell (23:29):
Great.
We will link to all of those inour 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 ofMedia in Minutes a podcast.
Well, that was fun.
Thank you so much for having me.
That's all for this episode ofMedia in Minutes, a podcast by
Communications Redefined.
Take a moment to rate, reviewand subscribe to our show.
We'd love to hear what youthink.
You can find more atcommunicationsredefinedcom slash
(23:51):
podcast.
I'm your host, Angela Tuell.
Talk to you next time.
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