Chris Farrell

Chris Farrell is economics editor of Marketplace Money, a nationally syndicated one-hour weekly personal finance show produced by American Public Media. Chris is also economics correspondent for Marketplace, the largest business program in broadcasting and chief economics correspondent for American RadioWorks, the largest producer of long-form documentaries in public radio. He is also contributing economics editor at Business Week magazine. He was host and executive editor of public television’s Right on the Money. He is the author of two books: Right on the Money: Taking Control of Your Personal Finances, and Deflation: What Happens When Prices Fall. Chris is a graduate of Stanford and the London School of Economics.

Latest from Chris Farrell

Feb 7, 2012
Weighing the price of a graduate degree
It is time for potential graduate students to hear back from schools. I was accepted to two top-rate, out-of-state schools and will likely get into an unranked in-state school. I compared the cost of out-of-state schools to the in-state school; the difference (over the 10-year repayment period) exceeds $55,000! All graduates have to pass a standardized national exam to be licensed, and all graduates in my field are employed. Is the difference in quality and reputation worth the extra debt? Will my starting salary be affected, and how important is that over the course of my career? Jordan, Raleigh, NC
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Feb 7, 2012
Money market mutual funds: Buyer beware
When it comes to money market mutual funds, you can't trust the pledge not to break a buck — at least not with your safe money, the money that's supposed to be there in tough times like 2008.
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Feb 6, 2012
Thrill seeker? Risk averse? It matters
What I like about the insurance money management framework is that it takes seriously the idea that how you save and where you save is all about what you want out of life — your goals, your desires, your values, your lifestyle.
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Feb 6, 2012
What’s that website, again?
I thought I heard on your show that there was a website that will give you your credit score for free. I'm sorry but I forgot what the website was. Could you please tell me again? Thank you. Nancy, Tamarack, MN
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Feb 6, 2012
Steps toward a major move
I'm a 58-year-old widow and I have been paying on a 30-year mortgage for 28 years, so I am almost there. I think I owe about $8,000. I am contracted to a job that doesn't offer a pension, but I do have investments (which I think of as retirement money). All three of my daughters moved to Seattle and I want to move there this summer. Right now, I have a little cape cod, which hopefully I can sell for $200,000+. However, my daughters live in the Ballard neighborhood, where a house even a little smaller than mine would cost nearly $400,000. They have condos. I wouldn't mind a townhouse if I get a patch of land to garden. I will be getting a job when I move, but should I just rent at this point? Should I leave the investment money alone? Laura, Ann Arbor, MI
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Feb 3, 2012
Déjà Vu all over again
What if the U.S. economy is becoming the economic engine that keeps the global economy out of recession?
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Feb 3, 2012
To refinance or not to refinance
I have the opportunity to refinance from 5-1/4 percent to 4-1/4 percent. The savings will be $249 a month, which we really need because we probably will need a new car next year. The payback for the closing costs (rolled into the refi) would take 2 years. However, there is a small chance we could be moving due to my job before 2 years. Should I take the lower rate to get the monthly savings or find the money for the car elsewhere? My wife's and my credit scores are high — about 800. (Yes, Tess, I checked FICO per your constant reminding on the show.) Eric, Ringwood, NJ
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Feb 2, 2012
Good education. Good job. Now what?
After close to a decade in graduate school, a post-doc, 24 job interviews, and almost as many rejections, I am elated to have started my first bone-fide adult job. Which in this day and age is not only a blessing, but a miracle, for which I am truly grateful for. While I have mastered the manipulation of matter at the atomic and molecular level, I am pretty clueless about how to manipulate my finances. My question: what should my financial priorities be? repayment of school loans? saving for retirement? putting money into an emergency fund?… Romas, Berkeley, CA
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Feb 1, 2012
Is major tax reform coming?
Like it or not, some form of major tax change is coming over the next several years. The reason is well-known: The federal government's dire long-term fiscal situation. The real question is what kind of tax overhaul.
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Feb 1, 2012
Good habits and a credit score
We use a credit card to pay for all monthly expenses and then pay it off at the end of each month. My credit score fluctuates every quarter, depending on when the accounts are checked. My question is how can we convince the credit rating company that we do not carry any credit card debt from one month to the next? My score is currently at 749 but has been as high as 815. Thanks, I really enjoy your program. Randy, Macomb, IL
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