Remembering Tom Kraeutler
• Tom Kraeutler, well-known author, home improvement expert, and longtime host of The Money Pit radio show passed away Sunday, Feb. 2, due to complications from surgery. He was 65 years old.
Kraeutler was an accomplished craftsman, educator, and former chair of New Jersey’s first regulatory authority for licensing home inspectors. His weekly radio show, The Money Pit, is heard on 462 stations; and he assembled a deep trove of information at MoneyPit.com and the most-listened-to podcast on its topic.
Kraeutler has appeared widely on television and has contributed to or was interviewed by House Beautiful, Smart Money, Reader’s Digest and hundreds of online sites and newspapers across the country.
With Leslie Segrete, his radio co-host of 20+ years, Kraeutler authored My Home My Money Pit: Your Guide to Every Home Improvement Adventure, and in 2024 Wiley published his helpful Home Maintenance for Dummies. Segrete noted, “When my kids were born, Tom was there in the hospital. When my husband died, he held my hand and got me back to work. He was way more than just a friend and coworker. He was family.”
Kraeutler is survived by his wife, Susan, and children Thomas, Sara, and Trevor.
As Kraeutler’s production company, Squeaky Door Productions explores succession options, the weekly radio show will continue, hosted by Leslie Segrete. [Special thanks to Holland Cooke]
