Sarah Foster

U.S. ECONOMY REPORTER

EXPERTISE

Economy
Federal Reserve
U.S. economic policy
Personal finance
Taxes
Unemployment insurance (UI)

EDUCATION

Bachelor of Science in News-Editorial Journalism, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Master of Science in Journalism, Northwestern University

The Federal Reserve is one of the most complex institutions in the world; yet, its decisions impact consumers’ wallets more than any other policymaker in Washington, D.C. A general understanding of the Fed can help you know where to allocate your cash, saving you money on big-ticket purchases in the long run. My goal is to remove some of the mystery surrounding the U.S. central bank, so you can be an even smarter consumer.
— Sarah Foster

About the author

Bankrate.com writer Sarah Foster covers the Federal Reserve, the U.S. economy and economic policy. Originally from a small town in rural Illinois, Foster developed a passion for economics while watching her community recover from the Great Recession. She witnessed just how much Main Street is impacted by Wall Street and saw firsthand that the Federal Reserve’s most well-intentioned policies can still leave those most desperate for help behind.

Experience

Sarah previously worked for Bloomberg News, the Chicago Tribune and the Chicago Daily Herald and has been quoted in several national and regional media outlets, including Yahoo! News, NBC, the Toronto Star, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and more.

Education

Sarah graduated with a bachelor’s in news-editorial journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where she was a bronze tablet recipient for graduating in the top 3 percent of her class. She holds a master’s in business journalism from Northwestern University and is currently studying for her Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation.

Media mentions

The Federal Reserve is one of the most complex institutions in the world; yet, its decisions impact consumers’ wallets more than any other policymaker in Washington, D.C. A general understanding of the Fed can help you know where to allocate your cash, saving you money on big-ticket purchases in the long run. My goal is to remove some of the mystery surrounding the U.S. central bank, so you can be an even smarter consumer.
— Sarah Foster