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Marielle Segarra

Senior Reporter

SHORT BIO

Marielle Segarra is a former reporter for Marketplace. She covers taxes and consumer psychology. She covered retail, consumer psychology and the economy. One topic she enjoyed exploring: how we shop – and the emotions that come up as we do. Pride. Guilt. Frustration. She also followed small businesses as they find their way in the pandemic and is always trying to show people how the ins and outs of the economy are relevant to their lives.

What was your first job?

Summer camp counselor to a bunch of 5-year-olds.

In your next life, what would your career be?

I think I would still want to create things. Maybe I'd be a chef. Or an interior designer. Or I'd write for a TV show.

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

Financial stability, which is a good start.

What’s the favorite item in your workspace and why?

My stash of chocolate.

Latest Stories (452)

More trouble for iconic retailer Sears

Mar 22, 2017
In a financial filing on Tuesday, Sears said “substantial doubt exists related to the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” The announcement hit the company’s shares hard. Sears reported a loss of more than $2 billion in 2016. What does this disclosure mean for the retailer and is there any hope of a […]

What will Trump’s border wall look like?

Mar 20, 2017
It must be 'aesthetically pleasing.'
 A steel wall separates Nogales, Sonora, Mexico, from a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Nogales, Arizona. 
Jeff Topping/Getty Images

Rising car loan default rates spell trouble for automakers

Mar 16, 2017
People who took out subprime loans to buy a car are falling behind on their payments at the highest rate since the financial crisis. That could lead to higher costs for people who want a car loan. It’s also bad news for the automakers.  Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

A luxury department store with issues

Mar 14, 2017
The private-equity outfit that owns 100-year old luxury retailer Neiman Marcus has hired advisers to shop the company for a sale. Neiman might come with a lot of baggage, including almost $5 billion in debt rated at junk status. In the age of internet retail, is there any appeal in owning a high-end department store […]

Without IRS tool, families scramble to fill out financial aid forms

Mar 13, 2017
It’s FAFSA season, when families apply for federal aid to pay for college. The IRS Data Retrieval Tool makes it easier for applicants to add the required tax information to their forms by transferring it directly from the IRS. Or it did. The IRS has suspended the service for several weeks, and if history is […]

New signs of slowdown in foreign travel to the US

Mar 9, 2017
Trump's America-first rhetoric is behind the fall, experts say.
Travel research firm Tourism Economics expects the number of international travelers to fall by nearly 2 million, costing business $2.5 billion. Above, a Saudia airlines crew arrives at Dulles International Airport.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images

Restaurants are off to another tough year

Mar 8, 2017
The restaurant industry is getting hit hard by diners who have lots of good reasons to eat at home.

Trump's threatened cuts makes city budgeting a risky business

Mar 6, 2017
Cities like New York and San Francisco are facing uncertainty about how to budget for the future. President Donald Trump has said he plans to make drastic budget cuts, and he’s also threatened to withhold federal money from “sanctuary cities.” Are cities running through scenarios where they might not have federal funding? Click the audio […]

Community banks divided over Dodd-Frank

Mar 3, 2017
Some say it protects against abuses; others say compliance is too expensive for smaller institutions.
President Donald Trump signs House Joint Resolution 41, which removes some Dodd-Frank regulations on oil and gas companies.
SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images

Markets rally after Trump address, despite the lack of policy details

Mar 1, 2017
Markets saw a big bounce today following President Donald Trump’s speech last night. The Dow jumped more than 300 points, closing above 21,000 for the first time today. That follows an upward market trend since the election, which the president noted. But his speech lacked details about a lot of the promises he has made — […]