WSJ seeks a personal finance reporter in pursuit of happiness

The Wall Street Journal’s Personal Finance bureau seeks a reporter to cover the pursuit of happiness, by which we mean not just a better mood, but a better life.

You will dig into the ever-shifting obstacles and avenues to wealth and prosperity in America, emerging threats to our financial wellbeing, and how the biggest news stories of the day hit our wallets.

Personal finance is not just about spending, saving, borrowing and investing, but coming to terms with our fears and desires. Much of the traditional financial playbook is being revised in real time during this era of high anxiety, high inflation, and Great Resignation. Among the key questions here: How are people redefining the good life? Where are people running into trouble? And what can they do about it?

This beat is an opportunity to tell distinctive stories that help people face financial challenges at every life stage. The goal is to change the way people talk and think about money and life, to use words, video, audio, and charts to produce unique and useful journalism that aids readers’ pursuit of richer lives for themselves and their loved ones.

There is no GPS device for navigating money and life decisions, but your coverage should help people steer themselves in the right direction.

In this job, you will:

• Jump on news and spot story angles and trends that keep us ahead of the competition.
• Write frequently and will pursue long, medium and short-term stories, often collaborating with other reporters in our newsroom.
• Be part of an innovative, nimble bureau that forges tight connections with its audience. The opportunities for experimentation are many, as are the off-platform parts of the job, from podcast interviews to live events to Twitter videos.

You have:

• Passion for spotting the great story angles others pass by.
• Knowledge of money and finance, and can demonstrate a track record of producing rigorous, readable journalism in personal finance.
• Fanatical devotion to fairness, accuracy and detail.

You will report to Jeremy Olshan, bureau chief for Personal Finance. While you will likely start remotely, the job is based in New York.

To apply, please submit your resume, a cover letter explaining how you would approach the job and examples of your work.

To apply, go here.