Age: 32
Occupation: News writer and podcast host, Wealthsimple Media
When Sarah Rieger talks money, people listen. Each week, Canadians turn to her reporting on finance and business in Wealthsimple Media’s TLDR newsletter (internet slang for “too long, didn’t read”). Rieger, TLDR’s sole staff news writer, helped launch the fintech company’s editorially independent publication just over two years ago. The audience has since grown from 7,000 to 1.8 million weekly readers.
“I do financial journalism because it’s so important to educate people,” she says. “I didn’t have a lot of money growing up, so I want to provide the accessible information I wish I had.”
Prior to TLDR, Rieger established herself as an award-winning editor and reporter for The Huffington Post and a reporter for CBC, covering everything from unfair working conditions at slaughterhouses to secret power plants set up to mine cryptocurrency. She continues to do freelance investigative reporting and contributed research to the true crime documentary series, Sasha Reid and the Midnight Order, set for fall release on Hulu (U.S.) and Disney+ (Canada).
Underlining everything Rieger does is a passion for human rights and social justice. Six years ago, she donated a kidney through the Living Donor Services – Southern Alberta Transplant Program. She also volunteers with Calgary Outlink: Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity, which supports the 2SLGBTQIA+ and allied communities. “It was not awesome growing up in Calgary as a queer kid,” she says. “I had things thrown at me walking hand-in-hand with a girlfriend.”
She sees her role at Wealthsimple Media as part of that social-justice pursuit, hearing regularly from readers saying they’ve been able to accumulate more savings, thanks to her articles. “Money isn’t everything,” says Rieger. “I want to understand it so I don’t have to think about it.”
Thank yous
“My partner and our two rude cats; my sister; my friends, family and colleagues (especially my editors for making me sound smart); and everyone who has generously shared their time and knowledge with me.”
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