time person of the year 2009 picked Ben Bernanke. This is the second win for him, as he and everyone else in the universe won in 2006 when “You” was the person of the year.

TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel called the Federal Reserve “the most powerful, least understood government force shaping our lives” as he revealed his magazine’s choice live on TODAY Wednesday morning.

“He was the great scholar of the Depression who saw another depression coming, and did everything he could to stop it,” Stengel said of Bernanke. “He’s a controversial figure. He’s a Republican appointed by a Democratic president. It’s a really interesting combination of factors.”

Finalists for Time’s Person of the Year, to be announced Wednesday on NBC’s “Today” show:

1. Ben Bernanke, Fed chairman

2. Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter

3. Steve Jobs, Apple CEO

4. Stanley McChrystal, U.S. general

5. Barack Obama, U.S. president

6. Nancy Pelosi, House speaker

7. The Chinese worker