Tanja Hester | tanjahester.com
Awards & Honors, selected
2023 Named a Money Magazine Changemaker, one of 50 changing the global financial system
2023 Civil Society Fellowship, Aspen Institute and Anti-Defamation League, finalist
2022 Nautilus Awards, gold medal, social justice & social change book (Wallet Activism)
2022 American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA) Awards, service book (Wallet Activism)
2022 Axiom Business Book Awards, gold medal, sustainability book (Wallet Activism)
2022 National Indie Excellence Awards, finalist, social/political change book (Wallet Activism)
2020 Plutus Awards, best content for women (The Fairer Cents podcast)
2019 Plutus Awards, community builder award
2019 Plutus Awards, best new book (Work Optional)
2019 Plutus Awards, best podcast for women (The Fairer Cents podcast)
2018 Plutus Awards, writer of the year
1997-2001 University of California, Berkeley, Regents’ Scholarship (full academic scholarship)
1997 AP Scholar, National Merit Commendation
1996 Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design, summer program scholarship
Education
2022-2024 California community colleges — “DIY Art School,” painting and art history concentration
2021-2024 Diablo Valley College — Certificate of Achievement in German
1997-2001 University of California, Berkeley — Bachelor of Arts in English
1996 Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design — Summer program in photography
Published Books
2021 Wallet Activism: How to Use Every Dollar You Spend, Earn, and Save as a Force for Change
BenBella Books/Penguin Random House
2019 Work Optional: Retire Early the Non-Penny-Pinching Way
Hachette Books/Hachette Book Group
Publications, selected
2023 Griffel literary journal, “Berlin 1988“
2022 Washington Post and Bloomberg, “To Fight Climate Change, Change Your Bank”
2022 MarketWatch, “Responsible investing doesn’t help — but there’s plenty you can do”
2021 Washington Post and Bloomberg, “Millennials and Gen Z Are Fed Up with ESG”
2021 MarketWatch, “4 ways to fund your retirement ethically”
2020 MarketWatch, “Why the climate crisis should factor into your financial plan”
2020 FinCon, “Learning Together: Diversity and Anti-Racism Resources from the Community”
Invited Talks, selected
2022 “Climate-Focused Investing for Everyone,” FutureProof Festival
2021 “Wallet Activism,” C-SPAN Book TV
2020 “How to Talk About Topics that Scare You,” FinConX virtual conference
2019 “The Future of Work,” Kramerbooks Washington, DC
2019 “Authenticity and Authority,” FinCon19
Employment
2018-Present Artist, Author, Activist
2017-2022 Columnist for MarketWatch, Bloomberg, Washington Post and others
2006-2017 Senior Vice President and Vice President, GMMB
2005-2006 Senior Marketing Coordinator, CauseForce
2002-2005 Senior Associate, Associate and Assistant, GMMB
2001-2002 Communications Specialist, U.S. Department of Education
2000, 2002 Editorial Assistant and Intern, National Public Radio (NPR)
2000 Intern, KQED-FM
1999 Intern, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Other Projects & Accomplishments
Podcasts The Fairer Cents, 2017-2020 (focus: gender-based economic inequality)
Wallet Activism, 2021-Present (focus: activism through financial choices)
Petition Gun divestment petition to the Vanguard Group, 2018
Gathered 100,000 signatures on Change.org and forced changes to fund offerings
Boards Single-use water bottle policy working group, Lake Tahoe, Calif., 2023
Single-use foodware reduction working group, Lake Tahoe, Calif., 2021-2022
Advisory board (disability representative), FinCon (financial media), 2020-2022
Board president of local conservation nonprofit, 2017-2022
Volunteer fundraising lead for local humane society animal shelter, 2015-2022
Local Conserved a wildland parcel not suitable for equitable or climate-safe development, 2021
Succeeded in removing a local monument that glorified white supremacy, 2021
Affiliations
Since 2023 Sierra Watercolor Society
Since 2021 Society of Environmental Journalists
Since 2019 The Authors Guild
Additional Information
Nationality Citizen of the USA and Germany (EU), based in USA
Languages English (native speaker), German (C2), French (B2), Spanish (B1)
Interests Art, literature, permaculture gardening, volunteering, travel
Tanja Hester | Artist, Author, Activist 