Tracey Samuelson

SHORT BIO

Tracey Samuelson is a former senior reporter for Marketplace.

What was your first job?

Working in a bread store at the peak of the anti-carb movement.

What do you think is the hardest part of your job that no one knows?

Cramming all the interesting information I find reporting into a few minutes.

In your next life, what would your career be?

ER doctor.

Fill in the blank: Money can’t buy you happiness, but it can buy you ______.

Lots of stuff from Amazon.

What’s your most memorable Marketplace moment?

That time I went to Hawaii ... on assignment.

Latest Stories (475)

Productivity is poised to rise. Finally.

Feb 21, 2018
Labor productivity, a measure of how efficient workers are, hasn’t been improving in recent years. That has caused worry among economists, because worker productivity has a big impact on economic growth. Well, times may be a-changing. The McKinsey Global Institute is out with a new report that says this era of low productivity growth might […]

Shooting survivors describe their long-term recovery

Feb 19, 2018
Even years after an event, the trauma lingers.
Barb Whitfield (R) and her grandson Wanya Whitfield, 15, visit at a makeshift memorial to the victims of the mass shooting at the Century 16 movie theater July 22, 2012 in Aurora, Colorado. 
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Do corporate wellness programs work?

Feb 16, 2018
A new study says they help employee retention, but not employee health.
Would you be more likely to go rock-climbing if your company picked up part of the tab? 
GUENTER SCHIFFMANN/AFP/Getty Images

Does data mean retailers are pulling back?

Feb 14, 2018
We got some number today hot off the keyboards of the folks at the Commerce Department. They show that retail spending in January was lower than December by 0.3 percent. That dip was notable because the consensus was actually that it would be slighter higher. A drop when you’re expecting an increase, that turned some […]

Here’s why bond yields are rising

Feb 6, 2018
When investors pull their money out of stocks and need some place to put it, they often turn to the bond market. U.S. Treasuries are considered essentially risk-free. So investors can park their cash, earn some interest and know their money will be kept safe and sound. As investors moved money from stocks to bonds […]

Recovery resources and funding options for mass shooting survivors

Jan 31, 2018
“You are dealing with people whose lives have been destroyed and money is a pretty poor substitute for loss.”
People attend a candlelight vigil at Las Vegas City Hall October 2, 2017, after a gunman killed at least 58 people and wounded more than 500 others when he opened fire on a country music concert in Las Vegas, Nevada late October 1, 2017.
ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

The Fed's surprise move 10 years ago set the tone for its crisis response

Jan 23, 2018
Ten years ago this week, the Fed unexpectedly slashed interest rates at an unscheduled meeting. It was the first of many "bold" actions by the Fed during the financial crisis.
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke testifies during a hearing before the House Budget Committee Jan. 17, 2008 on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Bernanke was on the Hill to give his views on the outlook of U.S. economy and he said the economy has been growing slow.
TIM SLOAN/AFP/Getty Images

The Fed rethinks its inflation target

Jan 9, 2018
The Federal Reserve has two main jobs: maximize employment and keep prices stable. That second piece, stable prices, has meant the Fed tries to keep inflation at 2 percent. Former Fed Chair Ben Bernanke made that target the explicit goal about six years ago, but it’s been unofficial far longer than that. Lots of other […]

The mystery behind slowing business borrowing

Jan 3, 2018
The amount companies borrow from banks can be an important economic indicator. That’s money those companies might use to buy new equipment or purchase more stuff to sell, or to expand their business or be more productive. And yet, despite a strong economy, last year the rate of business-loan growth slowed. To be clear, it’s […]

New York joins a handful of states with family leave. Will other states follow?

Dec 18, 2017
Starting in January 2018, New Yorkers will be able to take paid leave when they give birth, adopt a new baby, or need to take care of a sick family member.
Fiona Goodall/Getty Images