Laura Pedersen

Pedersen is the only child of John and Ellen Pedersen. She grew up in Amherst, New York,^[1] and secured a 4-year BS degree in Finance at New York University's Stern School of Business in New York City in 1987.^[2][3] She worked as a clerk at the American Stock Exchange when she was 18, and had a seat on the exchange at age 20, at that time the youngest person to do so.^[1][4] She received an honorary doctorate degree from Canisius College in 2013.^[5][6]

In 1991 Pedersen and F. Peter Model wrote a book, Play Money,^[7] about her time at the American Stock Exchange. She was a columnist for The New York Times from 1995 to 2002.^[8][9] In 2001–2002 she hosted a finance show, Your Money & Your Life, on the Oxygen channel.^[2][10] She has authored numerous books in both fiction and non-fiction categories. Pedersen is currently the President of The Authors Guild Foundation.^[11]