Mortgages
Calendar: What’s driving mortgage rates the week of May 9-13, 2022
1 min read
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. 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.
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. 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
Sarah's Latest Articles
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Job growth rebounds with 196,000 rise, unemployment rate holds at 3.8 percent
While the jobs number came in strong, wage gains missed estimates.
5 min read Apr 05, 2019 -
Evans says Fed may have to lower rates if downside risks intensify
The Chicago Fed President stressed that any change in rates be justified by economic data.
3 min read Mar 25, 2019 -
Federal Reserve leaves interest rates unchanged, sees no more hikes this year
The Fed voted to leave interest rates alone for the second-straight meeting.
5 min read Mar 20, 2019 -
Here’s what top economists say will be the biggest risks to economic growth this year
Economists weigh in on whether risks to the economic outlook are more heavily tilted toward the downside, the upside or balanced.
3 min read Mar 14, 2019 -
Powell promotes rate pause in final remarks before upcoming Fed meeting
Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said the U.S. central bank is in no rush to adjust rates.
4 min read Mar 11, 2019 -
U.S. added only 20,000 jobs in February, unemployment rate falls below 4 percent
The U.S. economy added fewer jobs than expected in February, while wages picked up more than forecast and the unemployment rate fell.
5 min read Mar 08, 2019 -
Fed’s Brainard: Downside risks to economy warrant ‘softer’ interest rate path
Softening growth calls for fewer interest rate increases this year than originally anticipated, according to the Fed’s Lael Brainard.
2 min read Mar 07, 2019 -
Government shutdown, global growth worries weigh on economy, Fed’s Beige Book finds
Half of the Fed’s districts saw the government shutdown dampen economic activity in a broad range of sectors.
3 min read Mar 06, 2019