Name: Maria Sara Bartiromo
Age: 58
Birthday: September 11, 1967
Born: Brooklyn, New York, USA
Net Worth: Approximately $50 million
Fun Fact: Punk rocker Joey Ramone wrote a song titled "Maria Bartiromo" about her, released on his posthumous 2002 solo album.
Maria Bartiromo has spent nearly four decades turning Wall Street coverage into must-watch television, and that career has made her one of the wealthiest broadcasters in American news with an estimated net worth of $50 million. The Brooklyn-born journalist — nicknamed the "Money Honey" for her high-energy reporting from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange — spent 20 years at CNBC before becoming a defining face of Fox Business and Fox News. Her 12-and-a-half-year run at Fox came to an abrupt end on September 3, 2026, when Fox News Media announced it had parted ways with her effective immediately. But the fortune she built along the way, combined with her marriage into a billionaire's family, means Bartiromo's financial story is far from finished.
How the "Money Honey" Built a Business-TV Empire
Maria Sara Bartiromo was born on September 11, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, and grew up in the Dyker Heights neighborhood in an Italian-American family. Her father, Vincent, owned the Rex Manor restaurant, where her mother, Josephine, worked as hostess and a young Maria handled the coat check. After graduating from Fontbonne Hall Academy, an all-girls Catholic school in Bay Ridge, she started college at C.W. Post before transferring to New York University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in journalism and economics in 1989.
Her broadcasting career began behind the scenes. After interning at CNN, she spent about five years there as a producer, writer, and assignment editor under Lou Dobbs. In 1993, she joined CNBC, and in 1995 she made history as the first journalist to report live on a daily basis from the floor of the New York Stock Exchange — delivering market news while surrounded by shouting traders, an innovation that became a defining feature of financial television.
Over two decades at CNBC, Bartiromo anchored programs including "Closing Bell," "Market Watch," "Business Center," and "On the Money with Maria Bartiromo," and became known for landing interviews with CEOs and policymakers. Her combination of market savvy, executive access, and on-air polish earned her the "Money Honey" nickname — a moniker she had mixed feelings about, worried it might undercut her credibility as a serious financial journalist. By the end of her CNBC run, she was earning roughly $4 million a year, and her work earned two Emmy Awards and a Gracie Award.
The $10 Million Fox Anchor
In November 2013, Bartiromo announced she was leaving CNBC for Fox Business Network and Fox News Channel, beginning her new role in January 2014. Her initial Fox deal was reportedly worth about $5 million to $6 million annually. Over the next dozen years, she anchored "Mornings with Maria," hosted "Maria Bartiromo's Wall Street" on Fox Business, and fronted "Sunday Morning Futures" on Fox News, while her salary climbed to a widely reported $10 million per year — placing her among the highest-paid personalities in television news.
The move also broadened her subject matter beyond markets into politics and national affairs. She moderated a Republican presidential debate in November 2015 and became a frequent interviewer of Donald Trump during his campaigns and presidency.
Her coverage after the 2020 presidential election became the most controversial chapter of her career. Bartiromo conducted Trump's first major post-election television interview and aired unproven claims of election fraud, which drew her into major defamation litigation. Voting-technology company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit in 2021 naming Bartiromo among the defendants, and Dominion Voting Systems separately sued Fox over similar claims — a case Fox settled for $787.5 million in 2023.
Timeline: From the NYSE Floor to a Fox Exit
- 1967: Born September 11 in Brooklyn, New York.
- 1989: Graduates from NYU with a degree in journalism and economics.
- 1989–1993: Works behind the scenes at CNN as a producer, writer, and assignment editor.
- 1993: Joins CNBC.
- 1995: Becomes the first journalist to report live daily from the NYSE floor.
- 1999: Marries Jonathan Steinberg, son of financier Saul Steinberg.
- 2008–2013: Anchors "Closing Bell" and reportedly earns about $4 million a year.
- January 2014: Joins Fox Business and Fox News.
- 2019: Signs a new multi-year deal; salary reported at about $10 million.
- 2023: Fox settles the Dominion lawsuit for $787.5 million.
- September 3, 2026: Fox News Media announces it has parted ways with Bartiromo.
Inside the Money: Salary, Real Estate, and a Billionaire Connection
Bartiromo's $50 million net worth reflects decades of top-tier broadcast salaries, but it doesn't capture the full picture of her household's wealth. In 1999, she married Jonathan Steinberg, the founder and CEO of WisdomTree, an asset-management firm specializing in exchange-traded funds. Jonathan is the son of the late Saul P. Steinberg, one of the most famous corporate raiders of the 1960s through the 1980s, who at one point had a personal fortune estimated at more than $600 million.
Jonathan built his own fortune rather than simply inheriting one. According to WisdomTree's 2026 proxy statement, he beneficially owned about 9.76 million shares — roughly 6.4% of the company — a stake worth well over $200 million at the company's 2026 valuation. The same filing reported he received about $6.7 million in total compensation for 2025.
The couple's real estate adds further ballast. In 2007, they paid $6.5 million for a five-level townhouse on East 62nd Street on Manhattan's Upper East Side, featuring four wood-burning fireplaces, a large kitchen, a second-floor balcony, and a private rear garden. They have also maintained a home in the Hamptons.
The 2026 Exit and What Comes Next
On September 3, 2026, Fox News Media said in a statement, "Effective today, Maria Bartiromo is no longer with Fox News Media," thanking her for more than 12 years of work. Her final "Mornings with Maria" aired that morning. The network renamed the show "Mornings with Fox Business" with rotating hosts and said a new host for "Sunday Morning Futures" would be announced later. Fox offered no explanation for the split. The New York Times reported the departure "was Fox's decision" and noted Bartiromo remained the focal point of ongoing defamation litigation. Oliver Darcy later reported she was dismissed after the network learned she had shared confidential editorial guidance with members of the Trump administration.
Fox did not disclose the financial terms of her exit, and the $10 million salary figure now represents her former compensation. With her name recognition, best-selling books, and deep industry ties, Bartiromo retains significant earning power — through speaking engagements, book deals, or a return to broadcasting.
The Bottom Line: A $50 Million Media Fortune
Maria Bartiromo's net worth of approximately $50 million is the product of one of the most durable careers in financial television: roughly five years behind the scenes at CNN, twenty years as a CNBC star, and more than twelve years as one of Fox's highest-paid anchors. Add in her husband's nine-figure WisdomTree stake and their Manhattan and Hamptons real estate, and the couple's combined wealth stretches far beyond that figure. Whatever comes next for the "Money Honey," she has already secured her place among the wealthiest — and most influential — broadcasters of her generation.
