Jeff Sommer

I write Strategies, a column on markets, finance and the economy, for The New York Times.

What I Cover

I write about financial and economic issues that affect all Americans and, often, residents of other countries around the world, providing guidance on how to navigate and improve the markets, stay solvent as a consumer and an investor, and keep capitalism as honest and ethical as possible.

My Background

I’ve been a journalist since the mid-1970s, starting as a freelancer in Boston and then working as a local reporter in Albany, N.Y., Hackensack, N.J. and on Long Island. I was based in Beijing during the 1980s, and I roamed the continent as the Asia correspondent for Newsday. I went on to cover the former Soviet Union and became Newsday’s foreign editor. I joined The Times in 1995 where I’ve focused on national and business news.

Academic studies have informed my journalism. I hold three university degrees; in history from Cornell; journalism from Columbia; and East Asian studies and international affairs from Harvard. In addition, I studied economics and business as a Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia.

I’m a native of Queens, New York, and graduated from John Bowne High School in Flushing. While in high school, I was a copy boy for The Long Island Press.

Journalistic Ethics

All Times journalists are committed to upholding the standards of integrity outlined in our Ethical Journalism Handbook. As a financial columnist, I take the prohibition on conflicts of interest especially seriously. I practice what I preach. I own no individual stocks, only mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (mainly broad index funds), and do not trade actively. I have earned my living entirely as a writer and editor, and I have no other financial interests.

I’d prefer to be contacted by email.

• Email: sommer@nytimes.com

• Anonymous tips: nytimes.com/tips