Rick Santelli Bio
Rick Santelli is a veteran American financial journalist and on-air editor currently serving as a core contributor for CNBC Business News. Based at the network’s Chicago bureau, he is a primary authority on interest rates, the Federal Reserve, and global foreign exchange markets, reporting live daily from the floor of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME).
Since joining the network in June 1999, Santelli has become one of its most recognizable and impassioned voices, often engaging in high-energy debates with colleagues like Steve Liesman. In early 2026, he remains a central figure in the network’s coverage of high-frequency economic data, famously reacting to a weak February 2026 jobs report that showed unexpected losses for the U.S. economy.
Santelli’s career began in the high-stakes world of institutional trading rather than journalism. He entered the futures industry in 1979 as a trader and order filler at the CME, eventually rising to become a Vice President at Drexel Burnham Lambert, where he oversaw interest rate futures and options. He later held leadership positions at several other major firms, including Sanwa Futures and Rand Financial Services. This decade of front-line experience in the “pits” provided the foundation for his shift to broadcasting. At CNBC, he transitioned from trader to editor, choosing to stop trading entirely upon joining the network to maintain journalistic integrity while providing a “trader’s eye” view of the markets.
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Beyond his financial analysis, Santelli is a significant figure in American political history. On February 19, 2009, he delivered what became known as the “Rant Heard ‘Round the World,” in which he criticized a federal mortgage bailout plan and called for a “Chicago Tea Party”. This broadcast is widely credited as a primary catalyst for the formation of the Tea Party movement in the United States. Despite the political firestorm that followed, Santelli has remained focused on his role at CNBC, where he continues to analyze how government policy impacts the broader economic landscape.
He is a graduate of the University of Illinois Champaign/Urbana with a Bachelor of Science degree. Santelli has been a member of both the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.
Rick Santelli Age
How old is Rick Santelli? Santelli was born on July 6, 1956, in Chicago, Illinois. As of March 2026, he is 69 years old and will turn 70 later this year. He grew up in an Italian immigrant family near Taylor Street before moving to Lombard, Illinois, at age six.
Rick Santelli Family
Santelli is the grandson of four Italian immigrants and was raised in Chicago’s old Italian neighborhood near Taylor Street. He later moved to Lombard, Illinois, with his family at age six. While he has often spoken about his family background on-air, specific names of his parents are not publicly highlighted in his biography.
Rick Santelli’s Wife
Rick is married to Terri Santelli. While he is a public figure on television, he keeps his private life relatively guarded. The family previously lived in a ranch-style home for over two decades before Santelli reportedly purchased a larger Prairie-style house in the west suburban Chicago area in 2015.
In addition, he is a father and has often referenced the importance of leaving a sustainable economic legacy for his children and future generations in his broadcasts.
Rick Santelli’s Height
Santelli stands at an approximate height of 5 feet 10 inches.
Rick Santelli Net Worth
Santelli has an estimated net worth of between $3 million and $8 million as of 2026. His wealth is built on his two-plus decades as a senior editor at CNBC and his previous ten-year career as a high-level executive in the futures and options trading industry.
Rick Santelli’s Salary
Santelli receives an estimated annual salary of approximately $2 million.
