I write about everything under the sun that hits you in the wallet. (Some people call this personal finance, but I find the term bland and off-putting.) I have a special affection for topics that involve large sums of money, opaque pricing and decisions where our emotions can lead us astray. If you’ve noticed me writing a lot about paying for college in recent years, that’s why.
I’ve never written about the stock market or the economy as isolated topics. I look at what those topics mean for everyday people. I’m a proxy for readers who are plenty smart and perhaps numbers-averse — and live in a world where nonexpert individuals are increasingly forced to make big-dollar decisions in arenas that are complex either by design or neglect.
I’m the author of “The Price You Pay for College” and “The Opposite of Spoiled.” I helped launch the Personal Journal section of The Wall Street Journal in 2002 and wrote the Green Thumb column when the Saturday edition of the newspaper began in 2005. I joined The Times in 2008 and have won the Gerald Loeb award — business journalism’s highest honor — three times for my work since then.
I live in Brooklyn with my family, including my wife and colleague Jodi Kantor.
Back when Twitter was more useful, I practiced a public form of self-advocacy in an effort to lead by example, calling out corporate bad actors that I had found wanting in my own life as a consumer because of their dumb rules or obtuse systems. But I never use my platform or position for personal gain — and if I sense that a company or its representatives have figured out what I do for a living, I don’t accept compensation or refunds from them. Instead, I ask that they use my exchange with them to improve their processes for others. My reporting did lead to The Times firing Equifax; that was super fun. You can learn more about The Times’s ethics policy here.
Email: lieber@nytimes.com
Threads: @ronlieber
Instagram: @ronlieber
LinkedIn: Ron Lieber
Some people may consider donating embryos to researchers in light of Alabama’s I.V.F. ruling and in advance of other state actions. Would it be considered a charitable gift?
By Ron Lieber
Some Vanderbilt students will have $100,000 in total expenses for the 2024-25 school year. The school doesn’t really want to talk about it.
By Ron Lieber
Charles Schwab stopped offering a 2 percent card years ago, and most banks don’t hand over more than 2 percent either.
By Ron Lieber
A financial firm told an account owner that it had turned over her money to the state. When she filed a claim, something strange happened.
By Ron Lieber
Ken Corbin is fixing the phone lines — but those foreboding letters are staying the same.
By Ron Lieber
At a high school in California, students help run a tax-return clinic. They get academic credit, breakfast burritos and life lessons.
By Ron Lieber
An Alabama Supreme Court decision has left patients and doctors feeling legally vulnerable, and with many questions. We sought answers from experts.
By Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel Bernard
Even amid the botched rollout of the new financial aid form, a rule change will let some grandparents help pay for college without compromising aid eligibility.
By Ron Lieber
New York magazine’s money columnist wrote about being conned out of $50,000 by crooks pretending to be from Amazon and government agencies. We asked the company and agencies for comment.
By Ron Lieber
The state schools in California and many other colleges are extending their May 1 commitment deadlines. Some are also creating new aid forms.
By Ron Lieber