Jim Cramer

James Joseph Cramer is the most famous stock picker in American television history. As host of CNBC's 'Mad Money with Jim Cramer' for 19 years (2005-2023), he brought Wall Street to Main Street with his trademark energy, sound effects, and the iconic 'Booyah!' that became a cultural phenomenon.

Before television made him a household name, Cramer was a serious Wall Street player. After graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, he lived out of his car while working as a journalist, then talked his way onto the Goldman Sachs trading desk. In 1987, he founded his own hedge fund, Cramer & Company (later Cramer Berkowitz), which reportedly averaged 24% annual returns over 14 years — a track record that would make any fund manager proud.

In 1996, Cramer co-founded TheStreet.com, one of the internet's first financial media companies, taking it public at the height of the dot-com boom. His ability to explain complex financial concepts in plain English, combined with his manic energy and genuine passion for helping individual investors, made him the most recognized voice in financial media for two decades.

Cramer retired from Mad Money in December 2023 after 4,713 episodes, leaving behind a legacy as the man who democratized stock market education and made millions of Americans feel empowered to invest.

Born February 10, 1955, in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania, Cramer grew up in a middle-class family. His father sold packaging and his mother was an artist. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College in 1977, worked as a journalist at the Tallahassee Democrat and then American Lawyer magazine. He famously lived out of his car during his early journalism days. He later attended Harvard Law School, graduating in 1984, before pivoting to finance.