Meet Chris Farrell

Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.  

Chris broke into journalism after four years working as a merchant seaman in the engine room of several ships, where he made his way through the Panama and Suez canals and docked in ports in the Middle East, Europe, the Far East and the U.S. coasts.    

His first job in journalism was as a finance reporter for Business Times, a pioneering business television show on ESPN. Chris then covered finance, economics and personal finance for Businessweek in New York City. 

Chris moved to the Twin Cities in 1996 and, since then, has held several radio jobs ranging from host of “Sound Money” (later “Marketplace Money”) to working on radio documentaries with American Public Media’s documentary unit, American RadioWorks (now APM Reports). Chris was also the host and executive editor of “Right on the Money,” a nationally syndicated personal finance series produced by Twin Cities PBS (TPT).  

Along with his work for MPR News and Marketplace, Chris serves as a columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune and TPT’s Next Avenue, and as host of the “Office Hours” podcast for the Heller-Hurwicz​ Economics Institute at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities.  

Chris has received numerous awards and accolades including an Overseas Press Club Award, an award from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, a Kaleidoscope Award (formerly UNITY Award) from the Radio Television Digital News Association, and executive in residence at Tulsa University.  

Chris earned a bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and a master's from the London School of Economics. He is the author of five books, the most recent being “Purpose and a Paycheck.”  

You can find Chris Farrell on X, LinkedIn and at ChrisFarrell.net.