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Chris Farrell

Chris Farrell is senior economics contributor for American Public Media's Marketplace. An award-winning journalist, he is author of the books "Purpose and a Paycheck:  Finding Meaning, Money and Happiness in the Second Half of Life" and "Unretirement: How Baby Boomers Are Changing the Way We Think About Work, Community and the Good Life."

A retired couple standing in front of their house. Next Avenue

House Payments that Don’t Retire

More people are borrowing more money to buy more expensive homes, making it hard to pay off mortgages before retirement
June 9, 2025
Two people looking over their finances. Next Avenue, debt, retirement

Despair Is Not an Option

What you can do if you are approaching retirement with a lot of debt and little savings
June 2, 2025
An older adult looking at her credit card bill. Next Avenue

Credit Cards Crushing You? Here’s a Way Out

People approaching retirement age don’t want to be stuck making 20% interest payments after they stop working
May 26, 2025
College graduates sitting down. Next Avenue, student loan debt, older adults

Dealing with Decades of Debt

How people in their 70s find themselves still having to pay down student loans or risk losing most of their Social Security benefits
May 19, 2025
An older man checking mail in his mailbox. Next Avenue, student loans, retirees

Student Loan Debt Haunts Many Retirees

The Trump administration has resumed collections on defaulted student loans for the first time in five years; older borrowers are most vulnerable
May 12, 2025
A financial mamanger paying bills. Next Avenue, debt resources

How to Escape Credit-Card Quicksand

Easy credit and fixed incomes pull many older adults into debts they cannot afford, but there are ways out
May 5, 2025
Patricia and Norman Kietzer at home in Mankato, Minnesota

Beware of Financial Reversals

A Midwestern couple conscientiously paid off debts before retiring, only to have unforeseen problems force them to live off credit cards
April 28, 2025
Sign for Loans. Next Avenue, debt

The High Cost of Easy Credit

Americans of modest means are accumulating debt they cannot afford
April 21, 2025

More Risk, Less Money

How the ideology of individualism made the rich richer and left many people unable to maintain their standard of living in retirement
April 14, 2025
An older adult looking at a bill. Next Avenue, debt

Borrowing Boom Imperils Retirement for Millions

Older adults are carrying unprecedented levels of high-interest-rate debt, often without significant savings
April 7, 2025
Two gardeners standing in a garden. Next Avenue, retirement, transition

Retirement Can Involve More Transitions Than We Expect

To a growing number of older adults, their later years are the opening of new chapters rather than the closing of a book
March 12, 2025
Protesters outside of the U.S. Supreme Court. Next Avenue, student loan debt

Student Loans Fail Too Many Students

Retirees are still paying off loans for degrees that never led to jobs that paid enough to extinguish the debt
September 20, 2024
A man sitting at a messy desk. Next Avenue, retirement

Glide Into Retirement

Fewer older adults transition from worker bee to retiree in a single day; more are trying gradual ‘phased’ transitions out of the labor force
July 10, 2024
A woman applying for jobs. Next Avenue

Labor-Market Age Bias Persists, but Declines

Almost two-thirds of older job applicants say they experience prejudice, but that is down from 96% in 2009
June 28, 2024
A woman standing on stage singing into a microphone. Next Avenue, hobby into business

How to Turn a Hobby into a Business

Some people change plans after they retire; others make change itself their plan
January 29, 2024
A small business owner opening up the door to her new business. Next Avenue

Launching a New Business? Invest in Yourself

Outside financing options are scarce for workers who leave their old jobs to start their own businesses, but they do have options
October 5, 2023
A black and white photo of two people. Next Avenue, business partner

More than the Sum of Its Partners

The importance of finding a complementary collaborator when starting a business
August 31, 2023
A couple smiling outside of a store. Next Avneue

Black Entrepreneurship Blossoms

A revival in startups after COVID is opening opportunities for Black small-business owners
August 21, 2023
Three men standing inside a brewery. Next Avenue, entrepreneurship

Mentors Encourage a Rural Renaissance

Entrepreneurs are discovering small towns whose enthusiastic business and civic mentors are a catalyst for a success
May 19, 2023
An older craftsman at work. Next Avenue, retirement plan, no retirement savings

Not Ready for Retirement?

Millions of Americans in their 50s and 60s have no savings, but they do have options to improve their financial security
April 17, 2023
Two retired men working in a community garden. Next Avenue, what to do in retirement

Planning for Retirement Means More than Saving

You have bid farewell to your job and opened vistas of free time — now what?
August 30, 2022
A collage os 4 midlife entrepreneurs. Next Avenue, older entrepreneurs

The Advantages of Older Entrepreneurs

Abundant experience, wide networks and personal capital help to make people over 50 particularly successful in starting small businesses
August 23, 2022
Older and younger workers working together. Next Avenue, intergenerational workers

The Future of Aging Is Intergenerational

Ignore the palaver about generational conflict: we are not facing a zero-sum economic future
July 6, 2022
The exterior of an ADU. Next Avenue, Accessory Dwelling Unit

A Housing Idea for Aging Parents Who Want Your Company and Their Privacy

Backyard cottages, converted garages and other “accessory dwelling units” offer both
May 10, 2022
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