Brian Martucci is an award-winning independent journalist with a passion for transforming complex ideas into accessible, relevant and engaging stories.

Expertise

Local & Regional Coverage

News and trends across the Twin Cities, Minnesota, and the Upper Midwest.

Home Improvement & DIY

Practical advice, born more often than not of painful personal experience.

Real Estate & Finance

Stories driving the commercial real estate sector and the woolly world of real estate finance.

Decarbonization & Energy Transition

The green economy is, increasingly, *the* economy.

Personal Finance

Sensible, relatable money management coverage with zero judgment.

Consumer Technology

Product reviews and hot takes on everything from OLEDs to EVs.

Housing Trends & Policy

Education — and the occasional reality check — for homebuyers, homeowners, and mom-and-pop real estate investors.

Blog

Should we have bought a plug-in hybrid instead of an all-electric car?

by Brian Martucci | November 23, 2023 | EV Buying, Personal EV Experience | 0 Comments

I'm the first in my close friends-and-family network to purchase a full battery-electric vehicle. Several friends have plug-in hybrid-electric vehicles though. Before we pulled the trigger on our new car, a few of these expressed reservations about our going full...

We had one car until we needed two

by Brian Martucci | November 11, 2023 | Personal EV Experience | 0 Comments

This is the prologue, the tl;dr on why I'm writing about electric vehicle ownership in the first place. It was with great smugness that I sold my 10-year-old subcompact to a dealer in early 2022, at the height of the post-pandemic used car shortage and well before the...

The CFPB Isn’t What It Used to Be…

by Brian Martucci | March 26, 2019 | Money Matters | 0 Comments

...Thanks to its recently departed head, Mick Mulvaney. As a congressman, Mulvaney railed against the bureau's very existence, and vowed as its appointed leader to soften its ostensibly anti-business edge. But the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is still around —...

Two Safety Nets for the Price of One

by Brian Martucci | January 11, 2019 | Money Matters | 0 Comments

According to recent reporting, about one in four Americans is underbanked, meaning they rely on expensive, potentially predatory financial products and services like payday loans and prepaid debit cards. Approximately 7% of Americans is totally unbanked. They're cash...

You Need a Plan

by Brian Martucci | January 7, 2019 | Money Matters | 0 Comments

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm not much of a planner. I'm fortunate to live with someone who, among many other wonderful qualities, is an above-replacement planista. It's not at all clear to me where I'd be without her. That's not why you're reading...

Contact Brian

You can find me in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where I live and work — except when I'm in the field, which honestly isn't too often.

If you want to learn more about what I do, or discuss what you think I can do for you, use the contact form to get in touch. Or reach out to me directly on Twitter @Brian_Martucci. I personally respond to every inquiry.