Certified Financial Planner & Personal Finance Writer
San Francisco, CA · 12 years of experience
Sarah Chen is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) with over 12 years of experience helping individuals and families build sustainable financial habits. She began her career at a fee-only financial planning firm in San Francisco before transitioning to financial education and writing in 2019.
Sarah's approach to personal finance is grounded in behavioral economics — she believes that most financial problems are not math problems but psychology problems. Her writing focuses on making evidence-based financial strategies accessible to people at every income level, with particular emphasis on budgeting frameworks, debt elimination, and student loan repayment.
She has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal, NerdWallet, and The San Francisco Chronicle on topics ranging from the 50/30/20 budget rule to income-driven student loan repayment strategies. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from UC Berkeley and completed her CFP® certification through the College for Financial Planning.
The 50/30/20 rule divides your after-tax income into three categories: 50% for needs, 30% for wants, and 20% for savings and debt repayment.
Read article →Federal student loan repayment is not one-size-fits-all. The right strategy depends on your loan type, income, career path, and long-term financial goals.
Read article → ← Browse all finance guidesCERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®)
CFP Board · 2013
B.S. Economics
UC Berkeley
CFP® Certification
College for Financial Planning
All MintEdge finance guides are written by credentialed financial professionals and reviewed for accuracy. Content is updated regularly to reflect current regulations and market conditions. Learn about our editorial process →