Sharon Epperson Biography

Sharon Epperson is an American Correspondent working with CNBC/NBC News working as the Senior Personal Finance Correspondent, NBC News shows, Today, and NBC Nightly News. The Pittsburgh native was inducted into the Hall of Fame at Taylor Allderdice High School her alma mater. 

Sharon Epperson Education

Epperson graduated from Taylor Allderdice High School in Pittsburgh in 1986 and joined their alumni hall of fame in 2011. She worked as a summer intern in the Pittsburgh Press Library Department at the age of 18. Epperson holds a bachelor’s degree in sociology and administration from Harvard University.

Also, she has a master’s degree in foreign relations from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from Carlow University in Pittsburgh. At Harvard, she entered the Lambda Upsilon chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Since 2000, she has been an Assistant Professor of Foreign Relations at Columbia University’s Department of International Public Affairs.

Sharon Epperson Career

Epperson works with CNBC where she was named one of the “12 to Watch TV News,” and can be seen regularly on CNBC TV and other media platforms. As a CNBC senior personal finance correspondent. She covers the many facets of how people manage, grow, and protect their money. Her expertise includes saving and investing for retirement, paying for college, student loans, and credit cards, and managing mortgages, and other debt. This is building a financial legacy through estate planning.

She states that preparing finances for the unexpected is another critical(and personal) aspect of her reporting. September 2016 saw she sustained a ruptured brain aneurysm where she nearly lost her life. She has become a staunch advocate for health and wellness issues raising awareness about brain aneurysms and funding for research. The month of September 2018 saw her and her family establish “The Sharon Epperson Chair of Research” through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to provide grants for research on early detection and innovative treatments.

She is a lead contributor to “Invest in You: Ready. Set. Grow.,” a multi-platform financial wellness and education initiative at CNBC in partnership with the micro-investing app Acorns, and developed its companion 8-week learning course and weekly newsletter, “Invest in You: Money 101.” She also contributes to NBC’s TODAY and NBC Nightly News as well as Today.com and NBCNews.com.

She is committed to improving financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities. Epperson was invited to the White House during President Obama’s administration to speak about financial literacy and to moderate a public meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability at the U.S. Treasury Department. She also speaks frequently at conferences and events for local and national organizations, universities, and colleges about many facets of personal finance.

Worked as an adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and has also taught courses at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. She also enjoys teaching the importance of budgeting and building long-term savings as part of her professional development courses for graduate students.

Sharon Epperson Books

Her book, The Great Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take to Make More of Their Money and Live Richly Ever After, was a finalist for the Books for Better Life Awards, celebrating works that “changed the lives of millions.” She was also a consultant to The Experts’ Guide to Doing It Quicker.

Her personal finance experience has been published in a variety of magazines, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Weekend, Self, Essence, Ebony, and TIME, where she covered business, society, social issues, and health as a reporter before joining CNBC.

Sharon Epperson Age

Epperson is 55 years old. She was born on 12 April 1968 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. She celebrates her birthday on the 12th of April every year.

Sharon Epperson Height

Epperson stands at a height of 5 ft 8 in (1.72 m).

Sharon Epperson Family

Lee’s grandfather, J. Edward Trower, along with his wife, Sara Emma Berry Trower, and children, immigrated from rural China to Buffalo, New York, United States. They were entrepreneurs who owned tailoring and dry cleaning stores in Pittsburgh for 4 decades.

Lee’s father graduated from Columbia University and moved to Great Neck, New York. Her mom celebrates her birthday on the 22nd of November annually. She has a sister named Lia Epperson. Lia is a civil rights lawyer and law professor at American University Washington College of Law, and former NAACP CEO Ben Jealous is Sharon’s former brother-in-law.

Sharon Epperson Husband

Epperson is a married woman. She is married to Christopher John Farley, also an award-winning journalist and author. The couple married on August 30, 1997. Their marriage is old. The couple lives in Westchester County, N.Y., with their son, Dylan, and daughter, Emma. Dylan was born on 5th May 2002 and is 21 years old. He studies at Columbia University. Emma was born on 10th June 2005 and is 18 years old.

Sharon Epperson Net Worth

Epperson has an estimated net worth ranging between $1 Million – $5 Million which she has earned through being a journalist.

Sharon Epperson Salary

Epperson earns an annual salary ranging between $40,000 – $ 110,500.

Sharon Epperson Illness/Sharon Epperson Brain Aneurysm

In September 2016, Epperson suffered from a ruptured brain aneurysm at the gym. As a result of the aneurysm, she stayed at the hospital for a month. After her stay at the hospital, she had months of ample physical and cognitive therapy. Fortunately, she sustained no permanent brain damage

Sharon Epperson Awards

Epperson has a number of business and civic awards, including the Unique Achievement Award from the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Savvy Motivation Award from the non-profit, financial education community Savvy Ladies.

She received the Alliance for Women in Media Gracie Award for Outstanding Web Host for her “Financial Advisor Playbook” video series on CNBC.com. Epperson won the Vanguard Award for her distinguished work in the industry and personal finance from the National Urban League Guild and the All-Star Award from the Women in Communications Association.

She has also received awards from the New York Festival, the New York Black Journalism Association, and the National Black Journalists Association. Epperson is committed to improving financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities.

During President Obama’s presidency, she received an invitation to the White House to learn about financial literacy and to hold a public meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability in the U.S. Department of Treasury. She most regularly lectures on several aspects of personal finance at seminars and activities with local and national associations, colleges, and universities.

The table below answers some of the frequently asked questions about Epperson.