As CNBC’s senior personal finance correspondent, Sharon Epperson covers the many facets of how people manage, grow and protect their money. Her expertise includes saving and investing for retirement, paying for college, managing mortgage, student loan, credit card and other debt, and building a financial legacy through estate planning.

Preparing your finances for the unexpected is another critical (and personal) aspect of her reporting. In September 2016, Sharon sustained a ruptured brain aneurysm and she nearly lost her life. She has become a staunch advocate for raising awareness about brain aneurysms and increasing funding for research, establishing “The Sharon Epperson Chair of Research” through the Brain Aneurysm Foundation to provide grants for research on early detection.

She hosts the CNBC Digital original video series, “Retire Well” and “Your Money, Your Future,” and also frequently contributes to “Invest in You.” She appears regularly on the syndicated program On the Money and Public Television’s Nightly Business Report. Both TV shows are produced by CNBC. Epperson is also a regular contributor on NBC’s Today, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and NBC affiliates nationwide.

Her book, The Big Payoff: 8 Steps Couples Can Take to Make the Most of Their Money-and Live Richly Ever After, was a finalist for the Books for a Better Life Awards, honoring works that have “changed the lives of millions.” She also was a contributing writer for The Experts’ Guide to Doing Things Faster.

Her personal finance expertise has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, USA Weekend, Self, Essence, Ebony and TIME, where she had covered business, culture, social issues and health as a correspondent prior to joining CNBC.

She has won an Alliance for Women in Media’s Gracie Award for Outstanding Online Host for her “Financial Advisor Playbook” video series on CNBC.com. She has received the Vanguard Award for her distinguished career in business and personal finance reporting from the National Urban League Guild, and the All-Star Award from the Association of Women in Communications. She also has won awards from the New York Festivals, the New York Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.

Epperson is committed to improving financial literacy, particularly in underserved communities. She was invited to the White House during President Obama’s administration to speak about financial literacy and to moderate a public meeting of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability at the U.S. Treasury Department. She also speaks frequently at conferences and events for local and national organizations, colleges and universities about many facets of personal finance.

An adjunct professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Epperson has also taught courses at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. She enjoys teaching the importance of budgeting and building long-term savings as part of her courses for graduate students.

Epperson received her bachelor’s in sociology and government from Harvard University, a master’s of international affairs degree from Columbia University, and an honorary doctorate from Carlow University in Pittsburgh. A Pittsburgh native, she has also been inducted into the Hall of Fame at Taylor Allderdice High School, her alma mater.

Epperson currently lives with her husband and two children in Westchester County, N.Y.