About Us

Acorns has partnered with CNBC, the most trusted brand in business news, to deliver original educational features that will inspire you to create successful money habits and secure your best financial future. Grow By Acorns + CNBC offers news, tips, inspiring stories and expert advice on how to best save and invest, build wealth and make the most of your money.

Mariam Abdallah

Associate Producer

Mariam began her career as a desk assistant for Eyewitness News WABC-TV. She spent time interning at CNN and the New York PBS station Thirteen. She earned her bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and political science from the State University of New York at Plattsburgh.

Jason Armesto

Video Producer

Before joining Grow, Jason was a video producer at USA Today, where he predominantly covered sports while also working on projects for money, tech, and politics. After graduating college, he spent some time as a freelance writer. He received his bachelor’s degree in television/radio/film from Syracuse University.

Sam Becker

Senior Writer

Previously, Sam was a financial writer for Stash Invest, a digital-first financial services company. Before that, Sam was a senior writer for The Cheat Sheet where he covered money, personal finance, and career strategy. He began his journalism career as an editorial assistant at Seattle Business Magazine. He received his bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Washington State University.

Ester Bloom

Deputy Managing Editor

Ester was a senior editor at CNBC Make It, focused on the vertical’s Money content. Before joining CNBC in 2016, Ester served as a contributing editor at The Billfold and a contributing writer for The Atlantic. Her work has also appeared in Slate, Salon, and Quartz. Ester has won the Lois Morrell Poetry Prize and the Dogwood Literary Creative Nonfiction Prize, and was recognized in the “Notable” section of The Best American Essays 2015. She received her bachelor’s degree in American history and film from Swarthmore College.

Neha Dharkar

Associate Producer, Animation

Neha has spent the majority of her career as a freelance animator and illustrator. She has completed a variety of internships for outlets including National Public Radio (NPR), Noise Pop and Reveal News. She received her bachelor¹s degree in Animation and Illustration with a Minor in Writing from the California College of the Arts.

David Fang

Video Producer

Previously, David was a video producer for Hearst Digital Media. He began his career as a video intern at Business Insider before moving on to an associate producer role. He received his bachelor’s degree from University of Roehampton in London and holds a master’s degree in film from Royal Holloway, University of London.

Lisa Ferber

Copy Editor

Lisa also writes and edits for the site. Previously, Lisa served as a freelance copy editor for CNBC’s business news team, The New York Times/T magazine, The Week, and Crain’s New York Business. Her writing has appeared in Crain’s New York Business, Barron’s Penta, and Dow Jones Mansion Global. She received her bachelor’s degree in English literature from Hunter College and her marketing certificate from New York University.

Jenna Goudreau

Managing Editor

Jenna also serves as a vice president and managing editor of CNBC Digital, where she oversees the website CNBC Make It. Prior to joining CNBC in May 2016, she was the deputy editor of Business Insider, where she managed the Strategy, Careers, and Your Money sections, as well as the lists and syndication teams. Previously, Jenna was an associate editor at Entrepreneur.com and a staff leadership reporter at Forbes, where she assistant edited the annual list of the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women and helped launch and grow ForbesWoman.com, an online channel for professional women. Jenna coauthored the book “Find and Keep Your Dream Job” and was honored with a Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers (SABEW) in 2012. She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and sociology from New York University.

Kelli Grant

Senior Editor

Kelli is one of only a handful of working journalists to have earned the Certified Financial Planner™ designation, which recognizes financial advisors who meet education, experience, and ethics requirements, and have passed a tough industry exam. Before Grow, Kelli was a personal finance reporter for CNBC.com. Previously, she was the senior consumer reporter at MarketWatch and SmartMoney. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Good Housekeeping, Real Simple, and Family Circle, among other publications. Kelli holds a master’s degree in personal financial planning from Kansas State University, and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ithaca College.

Lauren Hans

Social Media Editor

Most recently, Lauren was a social media producer for Fox Business Network. She began her career as a production assistant for Fox News Channel. Lauren later became a booker for the network before moving on to an associate producer role where she wrote and produced news packages. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications from Seton Hall University.

Anna-Louise Jackson

Senior Writer

Previously, Anna-Louise was a lead writer for NerdWallet, focused on the site’s investing content. Before that, she worked at Bloomberg for more than six years as a U.S. stocks reporter, economics reporter, and ranking analyst. She began her journalism career as a project manager for Crain’s Chicago Business. Anna-Louise received her bachelor’s degree in economics and journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

Ben Jay

Data Journalist

Ben has also worked as a photographer and web developer. Ben’s writing has appeared in City & State, Cannabis Wire, The New York Times, Deadspin, Gothamist, WNYC, and Edible. He received his degree from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

Gili Malinsky

Writer

Gili Malinsky is a writer for Grow. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, NBC News, Vice, and The Daily Beast, among other publications. Gili received her degree in journalism from Boston University.

Stephen Parkhurst

Senior Video Producer

Before joining Grow, Stephen was a supervising series producer for Insider Inc., responsible for overseeing production on series and long-form video content for Insider and Business Insider. Previously, Stephen was a freelance video producer, director, and editor with his work featured in Wired, NPR, MTV, Golf Digest, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Huffington Post, among others. Stephen received his bachelor’s degree in film production from Keene State College.

Ivana Pino

Writer

Previously, Ivana interned at NBCUniversal’s in-house advertising agency as a bilingual writer. She received her dual bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University in newspaper and online journalism, and political science. At Syracuse, she was a columnist and assistant digital news editor at The Daily Orange and a lead news producer at The NewsHouse.

Sofia Pitt

Writer

Most recently, Sofia was a line producer for “Squawk on the Street.” She joined NBCUniversal as a page and worked on CNBC’s “Fast Money Halftime Report” before moving on to a news associate role on “Nightly Business Report.” She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism and media studies from Rutgers University.

Alizah Salario

Writer-Editor

Prior to joining, Alizah served as the arts and culture editor at the West Side Spirit and Our Town, community newspapers covering Manhattan. She has worked as an editor at Metro US, and a fact-checker and reporter at Money, where she covered personal finance. Alizah’s essays and criticism have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Slate, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Narratively, New York magazine’s Vulture blog, The Billfold, and elsewhere. She is a graduate of Pitzer College and the Columbia School of Journalism. In 2011, she received the Poetry Foundation’s journalism fellowship.

Kiersten Schmidt

Graphics Editor

Previously, Kiersten was a graphics editor for The Wall Street Journal, responsible for the money and investing section. She has worked as a designer for a variety of publications including The Star-Ledger, The Asbury Park Press, the Northwest Florida Daily News, and The Panama City News Herald. She also completed graphics internships at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and The New York Times while attending graduate school. Kiersten received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Miami and earned a master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Aditi Shrikant

Writer

Most recently, she was a reporter at The Goods by Vox.com, where she covered consumer culture in the travel and transportation space. She has also been published in the New York Daily News, The Boston Globe, and The Outline.

Courtney Stith

Associate Producer

Previously, she worked at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she supported the video production team in the creation of content for The Met’s website and social media pages. Courtney received her bachelor’s degree in media studies from the University of Virginia. While there, she chartered the university's chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists, and was a news reporter and video editor for the student-run newspaper, The Cavalier Daily.

Euralis Weekes

Animator

Euralis has more than 20 years of experience as an animator, illustrator, and director. Euralis has worked on a variety of projects for brands including Nickelodeon, Spike TV, CNN, HBO, and AMC, winning a handful of Promax and Telly awards along the way. She received her bachelor’s degree in animation and film from the School of Visual Arts.

Ian Wolsten

Associate Producer

Ian has spent the majority of his career as a freelance associate producer, with his work being featured on Insider Inc., Comedy Central, TruTV, and Complex Networks. He also worked on several Funny or Die productions. Ian earned his bachelor’s degree in media production from William Paterson University.

Nina Zipkin

Editor

Previously, Nina was a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com covering business, technology, and culture. She was also a cohost of the Entrepreneur.com podcast “How Success Happens.” Her work has appeared in The Atlantic, HuffPost, Business Insider, and Fortune, among other publications. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from Bryn Mawr College.