Description
Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.
Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
Episodes
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2023 / 3 / 25The battle over Osage headrightsRichard J. Lonsinger is a member of the Ponca tribe of Oklahoma, who was adopted at a young age into a white family of three. He eventually reconnected with his birth family, but when his birth mother passed...
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2023 / 3 / 23Inside a bank runSometimes you hear these stories about an airplane that suddenly nosedives. Everyone onboard thinks this is it, and then the plane levels out and everything is fine. For about 72 hours, people and companies...
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2023 / 3 / 18Planet Money Records Vol. 3: Making a hitSince we started Planet Money Records and released the 47-year-old song "Inflation," the song has taken off. It recently hit 1 million streams on Spotify. And we now have a full line of merch — including a...
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2023 / 3 / 16How Silicon Valley Bank failedSilicon Valley Bank was the 16th largest bank in America, the bank of choice for tech startups and big-name venture capitalists. Then, in the span of just a few days, it collapsed. Whispers that SVB might be...
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2023 / 3 / 11Dude, where's my streaming TV show?Over the past year, dozens of shows have been disappearing from streaming platforms like HBO Max and Showtime. Shows like Minx, Made for Love, FBoy Island, and even big budget hits like Westworld have been...
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2023 / 3 / 9The value of good teethAs a kid, Ryanne Jones' friend accidentally hit her in the mouth with a hammer, knocking out her two front teeth. Her parents never had enough money for the dental care needed to fix them, so Ryanne lived...
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2023 / 3 / 3Seinfeld-onomicsThe 90s sit-com Seinfeld is often called "a show about nothing." Lauded for its observational humor, this quick-witted show focussed on four hapless New Yorkers navigating work, relationships...yada yada...
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2023 / 3 / 1CBOhhhh, that's what they doIf you are a congressperson or a senator and you have an idea for a new piece of legislation, at some point someone will have to tell you how much it costs. But, how do you put a price on something that...
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2023 / 2 / 25Meow Money Meow ProblemsMore than 20 years ago, something unusual happened in the small town of Dixfield, Maine. A lady named Barbara Thorpe had left almost all of her money—$200,000—to benefit the cats of her hometown. When Barbara...
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2023 / 2 / 22Hollywood's Black List (Classic)This episode originally ran in 2020.In 2005, Franklin Leonard was a junior executive at Leonardo DiCaprio's production company. A big part of his job was to find great scripts. The only thing — most of the...
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2023 / 2 / 18Jay & Shai's debt ceiling adventureEvery year, the U.S. government spends more money than it takes in. In order to fund all that spending, the country takes on debt. Congress has the power to limit how much debt the U.S. takes on. Right now,...
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2023 / 2 / 16Two Indicators: Inside the Fed, then and nowA lot of the time, economic policy can seem pretty impersonal — cold, hard, data-driven. But at the heart of the Federal Reserve are people: fallible, complicated people who are just doing their best to steer...
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2023 / 2 / 11Our 2023 valentinesEvery Valentine's Day, we at Planet Money consider the things that we love, the things that we can't stop talking about, the things that get our hearts racing...in a good way. And we give them valentines!This...
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2023 / 2 / 8The ice cream conspiracyTake a look in any supermarket ice cream freezer section and you may see a mystery. There are big containers of the typical ice cream brands: Breyers, Turkey Hill, and Edy's. And there are specialty brands...
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2023 / 2 / 3Baby's first market failureAnyone who has tried shopping for day care knows that it is tough out there.For one, it is hard even to get your hands on information about costs, either online or over the phone – day cares will often only...
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2023 / 2 / 1Groundhog Day 2023It's Groundhog Day, and once again, the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in Western Pennsylvania. Every February 2nd, the only story anyone can talk about is whether or not Punxsutawney Phil...
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2023 / 1 / 27To all the econ papers I've loved beforeA great economics paper does two things. It takes on a big question, and it finds a smart way to answer that question.But some papers go even further. The very best papers have the power to change lives.That...
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2023 / 1 / 26The story of "Monopoly" and American capitalismMonopoly is one of the best-selling board games in history. The game's staying power may in part be because of strong American lore — the idea that anyone, with just a little bit of cash, can rise from rags...
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2023 / 1 / 21Charles Ponzi's schemeSome of history's biggest financial scams owe their name to Charles Ponzi. Here's the story of the man behind the eponymous scheme. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
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2023 / 1 / 18Big Rigged (Classic)Driving a truck used to mean freedom. Now it means a mountain of debt.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
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2023 / 1 / 13Two Indicators: The 2% inflation targetIf the Fed had a mantra to go along with its mandate, it might well be "two percent." We look into how that became the target inflation rate, why some economists are calling for a change and how the inflation...
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2023 / 1 / 11Planet Money Movie Club: It's a Wonderful LifeWelcome to the Planet Money Movie Club, a regular series from Planet Money+ in which we watch an economics-related movie and discuss! On today's episode, Kenny Malone, Wailin Wong, and Willa Rubin talk about...
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2023 / 1 / 6The economics lessons in kids' booksAll sorts of lessons (even about economics) can be learned from kids' books. On today's show, we visit an elementary school to try to teach third graders econ using some beloved childrens' classics. And,...
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2022 / 12 / 31The Rest of the Story, 2022It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on previous stories to hear what happened after the microphones stopped running.We'll hear from a CEO who was trying to get her...
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2022 / 12 / 28Which economic indicator defined 2022?2022 was a year of big economic changes. But what economic story most defined the year? Our hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator battle it out over what should be crowned the indicator of the year....
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2022 / 12 / 24In defense of gift givingCold economic reasoning says, supposedly, that gifts are inefficient transfers of wealth. But Planet Money host Jeff Guo believes in the economic virtues of gift giving. On today's show, Jeff tries to win...
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2022 / 12 / 21Two Indicators: The fight over ESG investing"ESG" investing – Environmental, Social, Governance – has attracted a lot of attention from investors, and from Republican politicians who call it "woke investing." On today's show, what the fight over ESG...
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2022 / 12 / 16The sports ticket price enigmaInflation is making prices go up, except not for...sports tickets? So, we set out on a daylong sporting event marathon to learn why.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
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2022 / 12 / 14Spam call bounty hunterTelemarketing calls are not only annoying; in some cases, they are illegal. Congress even gives you the right to sue scofflaw telemarketers for $500 a call. Today, the story of one man who collected a...
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2022 / 12 / 9The case of the missing cheese racksJelle Peterse's company ships cheese all over the world, but they don't always get their cheese racks back. In this episode, we try to fix a supply chain problem. Gouda grief!Subscribe to Planet Money+ in...
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2022 / 12 / 7When women stopped coding (Classic)A lot of computing pioneers were women. For decades, the number of women in computer science was growing. But in 1984, something changed.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at...
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2022 / 12 / 3My Favorite Tax LoopholeThere's a big difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. But sometimes even avoiding taxes (legally) can feel like you're getting away with something. Today, we share some of our — and your! —...
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2022 / 12 / 1Messi economicsSoccer star Lionel Messi is currently hoping to lead Argentina to victory in the World Cup. His path to global fame was shaped by a crisis in Argentina's economy.This episode was made in collaboration with...
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2022 / 11 / 23One economist's take on popular advice for saving, borrowing, and spendingThis episode was first released as a bonus episode for Planet Money+ listeners last month. We're sharing it today for all listeners. To hear more episodes like this one and support NPR in the process, sign up...
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2022 / 11 / 19How the cookie became a monster30 years ago, Lou Montulli set out to solve a fundamental problem with the internet, and accidentally created an entirely different one. On today's show, how the cookie went from an obscure piece of code...
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2022 / 11 / 17Sam Bankman-Fried and the fall of a crypto empireSam Bankman-Fried built a reputation as the one reliable crypto bro. But within the span of days, his empire came crashing down. What the rise and fall of crypto's 30-year-old elder statesman says about the...
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2022 / 11 / 11The E-Book WarsIn 2019, a group of librarians (quietly) stormed the offices of a major publisher, Macmillan, to protest a controversial policy on e-books. On this show, how a tiny change - a book on a screen - threw an...
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2022 / 11 / 9Peak Sand (classic)Sand. It's in buildings, windows, your cell phone. But there isn't enough in the world for everyone. And that's created a dangerous black market.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at...
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2022 / 11 / 4Planet Money tries election pollingPolling is facing an existential crisis. Few people are answering the phone, and fewer people want to answer surveys. On today's show, we pick up the phones ourselves to find out how polling got to this...
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2022 / 11 / 2Two Indicators shaking China's economyXi Jinping recently secured his third term as China's president – so we're looking at two shocks to the world's second-largest economy. First: How China's housing boom turned into a real estate crisis....
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2022 / 10 / 29Planet Money Records Vol. 2: The NegotiationWe got our hands on the long-lost "Inflation" song, and now it's time to put it out into the world. So, we started a record label, and we're diving into the music business to try and make a hit.(This episode...
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2022 / 10 / 27Planet Money Records Vol. 1: Earnest JacksonWe try to start a real record label. Just to put one song out there. It's a song about inflation, recorded in 1975... and never released. Until now.(This episode is part one of a series)Listen to "Inflation"...
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2022 / 10 / 22The high cost of a strong dollarWhen it comes to international trade and finance, everyone pretty much speaks one language: the U.S. dollar. So when the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates and the dollar suddenly gets strong, it can cause...
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2022 / 10 / 19The money fixers (classic)How do you mend a broken bill? On this classic episode, we visit the Mutilated Currency Division.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
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2022 / 10 / 15You asked for coupons, Delaware, and the truth about goldfishOn today's show, we're answering listener questions from the Planet Money inbox. Like, who really benefits from retail coupons? And why are goldfish so cheap?Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at...
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2022 / 10 / 12Two Indicators: back to schoolIt's fall, so on this episode, we're taking you back to school. First, what sorority rush can teach us about a particular kind of market. Then, how two economists fixed the way macroeconomics was taught in...
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2022 / 10 / 7Forging Taiwan's Silicon ShieldTaiwan is at the center of a global feud. Its main defense may be what some call its "Silicon Shield" — its powerful semiconductor industry. On today's show, the story of how one economic hero helped to...
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2022 / 10 / 5Economic anarchy in the UKLiz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the UK, was determined to change the British economy. Instead, her government's mini-budget helped kick off a mini-financial crisis.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple...
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2022 / 9 / 30Would you like a side of offshoring with that?A lot of restaurants took a hit during the pandemic. And when they struggled to find workers, some found surprising solutions. On today's show, what happens when you offshore cashiers.Subscribe to Planet...
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2022 / 9 / 28The miracle apple (Classic)Today on the show, how we got from mealy, nasty apples to apples that taste delicious. The story starts with a breeder who discovered a miracle apple. But discovering that apple wasn't enough.
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2022 / 9 / 23Econ's Brush with the LawWhat happens when you take some of the most powerful people in America — federal judges — and teach them economics? We look at the swanky econ retreats that may have changed American law forever.Subscribe to...
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2022 / 9 / 21The Midnight ConnectionTexas's energy grid is largely disconnected from the rest of the U.S. That led to disastrous consequences last year when the state's grid was overloaded during a winter storm. Back in the 1970s, one company...
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2022 / 9 / 17Vibecession Vibes SessionWe're not in a recession, but why are the vibes feeling so off? We put the question to an economist and one expert on "vibes" and also hire a jazz band to take a pun way too far.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in...
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2022 / 9 / 15The Good, the Bad, and the UgglyEddie Oygur is an Australian businessman who's sold sheepskin ugg boots for years. But one day, he was hit with a lawsuit for breaking American trademark law. On today's show — what's in the name ugg?...
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2022 / 9 / 9Two Indicators: unlikely economic relationshipsOn today's show - how your social circle is one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility and how pop music reflects the economy.Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at...
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2022 / 9 / 8The salvage car Silk RoadA practically brand new Lexus with a New Jersey inspection sticker lands on an auto body lot in Turkmenistan. How did it get there? To find out, we journey into the bizarro economy for misfit cars. And we...
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2022 / 9 / 3Breaking down the price of gasolineHigh gas prices have fueled speculation and investigations — is anyone raising prices and keeping prices high for profit? To find out, we break down the price of gas, piece by piece, to show you how we get to...
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2022 / 8 / 31SUMMER SCHOOL 8: Productivity & Getting LitProductivity is our economic measure for how far our work goes, as individuals and as a society over all. It plays an important role in determining our quality of life, the prices of our goods and services,...
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2022 / 8 / 26Wake up and smell the fraudSometimes online shopping can feel a little unsavory. There are the listings that make you question if you'll really be getting exactly what's advertised. And there's no worse feeling than paying for...
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2022 / 8 / 24SUMMER SCHOOL 7: The Fed & Volcker's SocksThe Federal Reserve plays a very important role in the economy. When things start to look uncertain, the central bank is tasked with stepping in to restore people's confidence in the economy. But how do they...
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2022 / 8 / 19Inflation Reduction ActuallyCongress just passed the biggest, most ambitious climate bill in history. And it's called ... the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. What's with that branding? And what can the bill teach us about actually...
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2022 / 8 / 17SUMMER SCHOOL 6: Trade & The Better LifeInternational trade is the web of cross-border relationships that binds economies together. Because of trade we have access to cheaper, higher-quality goods, and we get to benefit from other countries'...
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2022 / 8 / 13Carried interest wormholeThe carried interest tax loophole is a way that wealthy Americans – often the people who manage hedge funds or private equity firms – avoid paying billions of dollars worth of taxes. It has been one of the...
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2022 / 8 / 11SUMMER SCHOOL 5: Car Parts, Celery & The Labor MarketYou can learn a lot about a person from their job. The same can be said of an economy. The market for jobs can us a lot about how the economy is doing, but more importantly, it is where we look to see who the...
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2022 / 8 / 5A new way to pay for college (Update)College has gotten incredibly expensive. And some colleges are offering students a new way to pay. It's not a scholarship. It's not quite a loan. It's more like the students are selling stock in themselves....
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2022 / 8 / 4SUMMER SCHOOL 4: Inflation & Drinking BuddiesInflation can be one of the scariest forces in the economy. As prices rise and your dollar doesn't go as far, you feel poorer, and it's all out of your control. To better understand inflation, we turn to the...
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2022 / 8 / 1BONUS: Micro-Face: The MusicalThis episode, Micro-Face: The Musical. A full concert recording of a one-of-a-kind Planet Money superhero musical, taped during our recent live show at the Roulette Theater in Brooklyn, New York. Here's more...
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2022 / 8 / 1We Buy a Superhero 8: Micro-Face: The MusicalThis episode, Micro-Face: The Musical. A full concert recording of a one-of-a-kind Planet Money superhero musical, taped during our recent live show at the Roulette Theater in Brooklyn, New York. Here's more...
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2022 / 7 / 29Two recession IndicatorsSo are we in a recession or not? The jury is still out, but there are some warning signs. GDP is down and inflation is up. But how much do we know about the 'indicators' that tell us how the economy is doing?...
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2022 / 7 / 28SUMMER SCHOOL 3: Booms, Busts & UsLife has its ups and downs. Same for the economy. Today we ask, can the business cycle be tamed? Two stories of recession and techniques for moderating the ferocity of booms and busts. Plus, how bankruptcy is...
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2022 / 7 / 22Little House on the BlockchainIt has great bones, three bedrooms and one and half baths, and it comes with its own machine that mines cryptocurrency. But in a year of reckoning for crypto, how interested are potential buyers? | Subscribe...
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2022 / 7 / 21SUMMER SCHOOL 2: GDP & What CountsWhat even is "the economy"? And how do you measure it? Our path out of the economic darkness and into the light has been guided in large part by one single statistic: GDP. This week: the origins, history, and...
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2022 / 7 / 16Best by, sell by, use byWait, wait...don't throw that out! What if much of what you've been told about food expiration dates is... wrong? | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.
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2022 / 7 / 14SUMMER SCHOOL 1: Recessions & Rap BattlesIt's macro time! Today: Keynes vs. Hayek. Season 3 of summer school is here asking the biggest economic questions about what makes an entire economy grow or contract? Things like, is there a "right" level of...
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2022 / 7 / 8A tale of two cityhoodsThere's a movement underway in Georgia. More and more communities around Atlanta are choosing to keep their tax dollars very local, and become their own cities. It's a story about equity and exclusion – and...
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2022 / 7 / 6Two crypto crash IndicatorsTwo stories of consternation from inside the crypto world. Can a crypto crash spread to the wider economy? How does contagion work? And ... why has crypto had such appeal with Black investors? | Subscribe to...
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2022 / 7 / 1Suitcases, secret lists, and Citizens UnitedOn today's show: the Watergate scandal you haven't heard about – that led directly to Citizens United and multi-billion dollar elections. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 6 / 29When Subaru came out (Classic)In the early 90s, Subaru was struggling to stand out in a crowded automobile market. In their greatest time of need, they turned to an unlikely ally: lesbians | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 6 / 25Recession refereesWhenever the economic data start to look rough, we're forced to confront a familiar question: Are we in a recession, or about to be? But there are actually only eight opinions in the country that officially...
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2022 / 6 / 22The tale of the Onion King (Update)How one man's quest to dominate the onion market changed commodities trading, and potentially how much you pay at the grocery store, forever. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at...
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2022 / 6 / 17The debate over what's causing inflationThe last few months have made us acutely aware of inflation. We all agree that it's making our lives harder, but economists disagree about what's causing it. | Fill out our listener survey:...
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2022 / 6 / 16Let them eat lunchFor many Americans, desk lunches are the norm. You might even be having one right now. But what if it didn't have to be this way? | Fill out our listener survey here
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2022 / 6 / 11The Gecko EffectYears ago advertising was dominated by cars and beer. Today on the show, how a simple slogan and a talking gecko helped the insurance industry become one of the most dominant forces in advertising. Now, we're...
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2022 / 6 / 9On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacksIt was just another day at the office. Then the phone started ringing and the caseload kept growing...on today's show, your favorite Planet Money gumshoes investigate your listener questions. | Fill out our...
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2022 / 6 / 3Homer Simpson vs. the economyWhen the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class America. Today ... not so much. That house, those two cars, those three kids all on one salary doesn't seem so...
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2022 / 6 / 1The bank war (Classic)In the 1800s, populist president Andrew Jackson went head-to-head with the most powerful banker in America over who should control the country's money. This clash ended in disastrous results.
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2022 / 5 / 28We Buy a Superhero 7: Collectibles (Live Show!)What transforms a regular object into a collectible? At our live show earlier this month, we went on a journey through collectibles history. And we had a goal: to turn our Micro-Face comic book into the most...
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2022 / 5 / 28PM Live: The Most Collectible Comic Book Ever?What transforms a regular object into a collectible? At our live show earlier this month, we went on a journey through collectibles history. And we had a goal: to turn our Micro-Face comic book into the most...
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2022 / 5 / 26The NRA's Secret TapesSoon after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Association held a conference call to craft their response. Secret tapes from this call obtained by NPR's...
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2022 / 5 / 20Investing in mediocrityIs the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares his strategy: Win big by avoiding winning. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 5 / 18How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York tax code would beg to differ. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 5 / 14Buy now, pay dearly?A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interest-free installments has taken over the country. But is "buy now, pay later" lending too good to be true? |...
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2022 / 5 / 11A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: playing as a man was often free, but she had to pay to play as a woman. So ... she decided to take on the...
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2022 / 5 / 7The day Russia adopted the free marketIn the early 90s, American economist Jeffrey Sachs was a part of a team that tried to transform Russia's economy. It did not go as planned. He tells us what he thinks went so wrong. | Subscribe to our weekly...
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2022 / 5 / 4Escheat show (Classic)If you're looking for money you've forgotten about, there's a chance the government might have it. The good news is that you can get it back. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 4 / 29Planet Money book clubBehind every Planet Money episode is a ton of reading. Today, we share some of our favorite books from along the way. Here are our picks:From Mary, American Bonds: How Credit Markets Shaped a Nation by Sarah...
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2022 / 4 / 27Risky businessTwo stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music venues are handling pandemic-related risks. And how Russia's invasion of Ukraine is affecting cyber...
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2022 / 4 / 22We Buy a Superhero 6: The Comic BookAfter many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why did it take so long to make a comic book? | Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only....
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2022 / 4 / 22Finally, our comic bookAfter many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why did it take so long to make a comic book? | Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only....
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2022 / 4 / 21TikTok to the topThanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to crack the algorithm of how to go viral. | Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only....
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2022 / 4 / 15The student loan paaaaauuuuuseThe pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...what's that been like for the borrowers, and what's in store for them when the system eventually restarts? |...
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2022 / 4 / 13Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball games. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 4 / 8How manatees got into hot waterWhile on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florida power plants. Now, they're hooked on fossil fuels. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 4 / 6Turkey's runaway inflation problemTurkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox approach to dealing with it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 4 / 1When bricks were rublesFor a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradeable objects like bricks or towels. We look back at the Russian barter economy and we see the nature of money...
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2022 / 3 / 30The Bond KingInvesting legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our very own Mary Childs talks about her new book, The Bond King. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 25Fashion Fair's makeoverFashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded into obscurity. Now that it's relaunched, can it compete in an industry it helped create? | Subscribe to our...
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2022 / 3 / 24Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage ratesCorporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fight inflation? We examine this theory making the rounds. Then, we go inside the pipes of the economy to see...
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2022 / 3 / 18Tech giants and tiny dogsWhat a business that makes ramps for wiener dogs teaches us about the massive power of tech giants. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 16Escape from RussiaAn American business owner with employees in Russia extracts her colleagues from the country. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 11Grocery delivery warsBehind the scenes at a new kind of grocery store that promises delivery in minutes. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 10The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. This is the story of how the U.S. dollar won. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 5Of oligarchs, oil and rublesThree stories about how the sanctions imposed on Russia are playing out – for regular Russian people, for Russia's super-rich, and for Russia's energy exports. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 3 / 2'Fortress' Russia put to the testThe U.S. is putting Russia's defense plan against sanctions to the test. Meanwhile, Russia's role as a huge exporter of oil and natural gas could cause ripple effects throughout the global economy. |...
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2022 / 2 / 25Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing RussiaThe U.S. is imposing economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for invading Ukraine. But Russia has spent years trying to make its economy immune to sanctions. So, will these new sanctions be enough? |...
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2022 / 2 / 24How bad is inflation?Two stories about the effects of inflation on the economy. We meet a gig worker who's seen an increase in wages, but because of inflation, how much of that increase in earnings is an illusion? Then, we break...
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2022 / 2 / 18Predictions: Inflation!It's time for another round of "Planet Money Predictions!" Economic forecasters square off to predict the future of inflation and explain what's going on in the economy.| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter...
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2022 / 2 / 17SPAM strikes backHormel Foods makes SPAM, and for generations, the company also created jobs for families in Austin, Minnesota. Today, the story of a labor strike that threatened to tear one small town apart. (This episode...
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2022 / 2 / 14Waste land (Bonus)Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil companies misled the public into thinking plastic would be recycled. That episode just won a duPont-Columbia...
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2022 / 2 / 11Our Valentines 2022We profess our love for our curiosities, obsessions, and the things we wish we'd thought of first. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 2 / 10A SWIFT getawayIn 2016, thieves tried to steal nearly a billion dollars from the Bank of Bangladesh's reserves without ever entering the building. And six years later, justice hasn't been so SWIFT. | Subscribe to our weekly...
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2022 / 2 / 5Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflationHow war bonds, controlled prices, and a national network of nosy neighbors helped beat inflation during WWII. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 2 / 2The M&M anomaly (Classic)Despite costing the same price, a pack of peanut butter M&M's weighs 0.06 ounces less than a pack of milk chocolate M&M's. A trade secret explains why. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 1 / 29The Spider-Man ProblemSpider-Man isn't the first film franchise to be rebooted over and over again. But the infamous off-screen drama between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures explains why it happens so frequently. | Subscribe to...
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2022 / 1 / 26Two indicators: supply chain solutionsTwo stories about people trying to overcome supply chain challenges. We follow a ship that is forced to get creative to bypass clogged ports, and we visit a warehouse that is running out of space. | Subscribe...
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2022 / 1 / 21'Soul Train' and the business of Black joyWhen Soul Train first launched in 1970, Black audiences weren't understood as a viable target market. Don Cornelius changed that forever with his weekly TV dance show. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 1 / 19Patent racism (classic)Economist Lisa Cook has been nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve board. In 2020, she talked to us about proving that racism stifles innovation. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 1 / 15The rapid testing showThe Planet Money team fans out across the nation with one goal: to get a Covid test in 24 hours. It is easier said than done. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2022 / 1 / 13No such thing as a free returnLenient policies have shoppers making more returns than ever — around half a trillion dollars worth of products. Today, we find out the fate of some of those returned goods.
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2022 / 1 / 8HBO 2.0What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve their sonic brand. This episode was adapted from the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. | Subscribe to our...
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2022 / 1 / 5The rest of the story, 2021On protests, pasta and forgiven payments. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 12 / 31The holiday industrial complex (Classic)Where do holidays like National Potato Chip Day and Argyle Day come from? We trace the roots of one made-up holiday until we find out who is running the global holiday machine. | Subscribe to our weekly...
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2021 / 12 / 30The economic indicator of the yearWill it be inflation? Striketober? The supply chain? Our hosts make their case, and the choice is up to you.
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2021 / 12 / 24Bell wars (Classic)The two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 12 / 23Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday ExtravaganzaPlanet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Did the supply chain wreck your holiday shopping? Planet Money comes to the rescue. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 12 / 18No shortages of labor storiesWe asked for your dispatches from the labor market, and boy did we hear back. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 12 / 15We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic)Nick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get schooled in the tree market. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 12 / 11Two music indicatorsTicket scalping frustrates fans, but it fascinates economists. It's been a favorite topic of ours in the past. This time, Darian turns to friends and experts to navigate the world of concert tickets like an...
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2021 / 12 / 8Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic)Many music aficionados will tell you that violins and violas made by legendary craftsman Antonio Stradivari represent the pinnacle of the instruments. But what if it's all just an example of really good...
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2021 / 12 / 4Consider the lobstermenA tense conflict between Indigenous fishermen and commercial lobstermen flared up in Nova Scotia in the fall of 2020. Today, how it all got started and how the Canadian government added fuel to the fire. |...
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2021 / 12 / 2A locked door, a secret meeting and the birth of the Fed (Classic)The story of the back-room dealings that created America's central bank. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 11 / 26Day of the DebtWe make a loan to the U.S. government, and it does not go the way we thought it would. Plus: the story of that one time the U.S. defaulted. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 11 / 25You asked for real raises, free shipping, and a special deliveryIt's listener question time. We've got answers about "free" shipping, full employment, when a raise isn't a raise, Taylor Swift, crypto seizures and our very own Micro-Face comic. | Subscribe to our weekly...
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2021 / 11 / 20A trunk full of truffles (Update)Truffles are one of the most expensive and sought after ingredients in the world. Today, we look back at our NYC adventure with a truffle smuggler and how the market has changed since we last talked to him. |...
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2021 / 11 / 17Of boats and boxesWe take a trip to ports on the east and west coasts to ask what's on everyone's mind: why are they so clogged? And how can we fix it? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 11 / 12Auction fever (Classic)Today, we go on a Planet Money roadtrip to learn the secrets of the auction world. We find some amazing bargains, some shady strategies and a giant big digger. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 11 / 11Planes, trains and bad bridgesThe $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill has passed Congress, but what exactly is in it? Today, the important, surprising, delightful line items. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 11 / 5Moonshot in the armCOVID-19 prompted the quickest vaccine development in history. An inside look at how the government and pharmaceutical companies joined forces to make it happen.
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2021 / 11 / 3The Wheat WhispererSoutheast Asia is one of the biggest growth markets for American wheat. Where did this taste for wheat come from and who is responsible?
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2021 / 10 / 29Night of the living inflationWe look at a hidden form of inflation affecting our economy — we're calling it "skimpflation." The Indicator tells a spooky tale about the inflation demon. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 10 / 28Nice work week, if you can get itThe 40 hour work week has been the standard for 80 years. What will it take to lower that? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 10 / 22Two indicators: Congressional Game Theory and the Debt CeilingWe bring you two stories from The Indicator on the recent battles being fought in Congress. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 10 / 21Burnout (Classic)All types of companies are struggling with burnout. Many try to fix it. Most of them fail. One exception: A 26-year-old call center manager, with stress balls and costumes in her arsenal. | Subscribe to our...
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2021 / 10 / 18Bonus: Janet Jackson's 'Control'On the 35th anniversary of Janet Jackson's first No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hit, our friends at It's Been A Minute look back at Control, her career-defining album that changed the trajectory of pop music in the...
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2021 / 10 / 15Hire powerNoncompete agreements have become an integral part of job contracts. A show about what they are and how we got here. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 10 / 13How Do You Feel? (Classic)We tend to think of economists as cold, unfeeling, attempting to be as rational as possible. But once a month, economists pick up the phone to just... check in with us. How are we feeling? Good, bad, worse...
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2021 / 10 / 9LIBOR painsFor decades, banks used one rate to help set all other rates: LIBOR. After it came out that it'd been rigged, regulators said: no more. Now it's a race — and a road trip — to find an alternative. | Subscribe...
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2021 / 10 / 6We set up an offshore company in a tax haven (Classic)The Pandora Papers released this week reveal how many world leaders allegedly hold wealth through the use of shell companies. We listen back to when we set up our very own Planet Money shell companies.
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2021 / 10 / 2The Rent Help Is Too Damn SlowCongress created a massive pile of money to help people pay rent during the pandemic. Why have so few people gotten help? We follow the money. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 9 / 29When The U.S. Paid Off The Entire National Debt (Classic)There was one time the U.S. federal government stopped borrowing and paid off every penny of national debt. It did not end well. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 9 / 24When Luddites Attack (Classic)A couple centuries ago, a group of English clothworkers set out to destroy the machines that had been taking their jobs. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 9 / 23Original SignA request for dozens of stop signs flummoxes a town and angers a resident. A show about infrastructure, decision making and stop signs. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 9 / 18Two Indicators: Women And WorkWomen start a lot of businesses, but when it comes time for them to grow, many hit a wall, or the women founders end up losing control. Why? We bring you two indicators on women and work from our daily...
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2021 / 9 / 15Afghanistan's Money ProblemAfghanistan's economy changed — almost overnight — after the Taliban retook control of the country | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 9 / 10Flood Money (Classic)Bill Pennington's house floods a lot: Three times over the course of three years. And every time his house floods, the government pays to help him repair the damage. Is something wrong here? | Subscribe to...
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2021 / 9 / 9This Is Your Brain On Drug AdsApologies to listeners who received two episodes in their feed today. The U.S. is one of two countries in the world that allows pharmaceutical companies to advertise prescription drugs directly to consumers....
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2021 / 9 / 3Two Indicators: Water PressureIt's another extremely dry, hot summer for the American West. Our daily podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money, brings us two stories about the water shortage in the West with economic ideas that may help....
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2021 / 9 / 2SUMMER SCHOOL 6: Crypto & CommencementIn the last class of Planet Money Summer School Season 2, we cover one more important market — cryptocurrency. If you're thinking about investing in crypto, do you know exactly what it is that you're buying?...
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2021 / 8 / 27The Lost Archives of Sadie AlexanderThe work of our first Black economist was lost to history. Professor Nina Banks set out on a quest to find it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 8 / 25SUMMER SCHOOL 5: Bubbles, Bikes, & BiasesInvesting during a bubble can leave you bust. But how to tell the difference between a bubble before it bursts and an investing rocket ship taking off? We'll run through a historical example and look inside...
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2021 / 8 / 20Two Indicators: Will Remote Work Kill The Office?It's Stacey vs Greg in a face off on the future of the office. Each takes a side, armed with studies, historical examples, theories on efficiency and happiness and from their closet studios, they bring their...
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2021 / 8 / 18SUMMER SCHOOL 4: Bonds & Becky With The Good YieldA few years back, Cardiff asked for an unusual Christmas present: a junk bond... Parallel to the stock market, the bond market offers different levels of risk and reward. In this class, what is a bond, how do...
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2021 / 8 / 14Big Little IdeasThere are a lot of fancy terms for the things we experience — but are they really useful? Yes! We explain four social-science terms that can help us understand our world. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter...
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2021 / 8 / 11SUMMER SCHOOL 3: Smooth Spending & The 401KEven if you don't own stocks, there are a lot of reasons to care about investing. We meet some of the folks left out of the stock market who deploy sophisticated economic thinking, even creating their own...
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2021 / 8 / 6Mobile Home ParkedWe find out what happens when big investors spend billions of dollars buying mobile home parks and make them less affordable for the people who live there. Then we learn how the government helps them do it,...
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2021 / 8 / 4SUMMER SCHOOL 2: Index Funds & The BetIn 2006, Warren Buffett bet a million dollars that the most brainless, boring investment around would do better than the researched, handpicked investments of some of the smartest hedge fund managers in the...
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2021 / 7 / 30Three Reasons for the Housing ShortageAmerica's housing shortage has been decades in the making. A lot of people blame Baby Boomers — but is it really their fault? We unpack three big reasons for the shortage. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter...
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2021 / 7 / 28SUMMER SCHOOL 1: The Stock Market & Penelope The CowThe first class of Planet Money Summer School starts off with a field trip. With the help of a cow, two economists, and three cute animals, we learn what a stock is and how stocks are priced, and we begin to...
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2021 / 7 / 24Banque WormsLast year, one of the biggest banks accidentally paid off a client's loan to its lenders — a $900 million mistake. Some of the recipients wouldn't give the money back. And then a surprising court ruling...
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2021 / 7 / 21Video Gaming The SystemTwo groups of people who would never meet in real life collide in a world of wizards and dragons. They battle it out in a low-tech video game, and it shakes the lives of a lot of real people living in a...
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2021 / 7 / 17The Great Inflation (Classic)For much of the 1970s inflation was bad. Prices rose at over 10 percent a year. Nothing could stop it — until one powerful person did something very unpopular. Today's show: How we beat inflation. | Subscribe...
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2021 / 7 / 14100 Years Since Sadie AlexanderIn 1921, Sadie Alexander became the first Black person in America to receive a PhD in economics. Then, she was functionally shut out of economics jobs, got a law degree, and became an attorney instead. A...
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2021 / 7 / 10Of Memestocks and Milk BagsWe answer your questions about memestocks, milk in bags, the size of cereal boxes, and products exclusive to the rich, but not for long? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 7 / 7Two Indicators: Clogged Ports And Corporate VetsWe bring you two stories from The Indicator on two industries that are undergoing rapid change: vets and container shipping. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 7 / 2The Rest Of The Story, Summer 2021We follow up on takeout cocktails, college athletes at the Supreme Court, bankrupt Hertz, and the new shape of pasta. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 7 / 1What's A Bubble? (Classic)Can you tell if the economy is in a bubble? How? And why do bubbles happen? Robert Shiller and Eugene Fama shared the economics Nobel back in 2013 despite fundamentally disagreeing over the meaning of a...
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2021 / 6 / 26Bobby Bonilla DayHow the worst deal in baseball explains one of the most important concepts in economics. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 23Corporate Fugitive: Carlos GhosnJapan once served sushi in the shape of Carlos Ghosn's face. Then Japanese authorities arrested the celebrity CEO who remade Nissan. We bring you first hand accounts of his spectacular rise, sudden fall and...
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2021 / 6 / 18Predictions!Two forecasters predict the future of the U.S. economy — and promise to come back on the show to see who was right, and who was wrong. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 16How Uncle Jamie Broke Jeopardy (Update)James Holzhauer took a math degree, a gambling career, and a buzzer, and turned it into a fortune on a game show. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 11Used Car TalkHow supply and demand stalled out the used car industry. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 9How Stuff Gets Cheaper (Classic)In the world of consumer electronics, it pays to be cheap. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 4Amateur Hour at the Supreme CourtCollege athletes are considered amateur players. And amateurs don't make any money. But can they get more education paid for at least? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 6 / 2Black Wall Street100 years ago, Black Wall Street was destroyed. But how was it built? And what does it take to get restitution? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 28One Hack to Fool Them AllHow a single hack pried open the networks of giant corporations and the U.S. government itself. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 26Runaway Recommendation EngineRecommendation systems have changed how we choose what we want. But are they choosing what we want? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 21Big Government Cheese (CLASSIC)That time the U.S. government accidentally created a cheese surplus so large it had to be stored in a ginormous cave. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 19Get The Vaccine, Lose The Skinny JeansTwo stories from our Indicator team about the sometimes-unlikely people who shape what we buy and what we do. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 14Blood MoneyThe United States is one of the few countries that lets companies pay people for their blood plasma. Why? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 13Hot CheetosA janitor walks out of a chip factory with a bag of dustless Cheetos and changes the global snack game forever. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 7Emission ImpossibleCarbon offsets have become a popular tool to combat climate change. But how effective are they? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 5 / 5DIY ReparationsSome Vermonters were tired of waiting around for reparations. So they decided to take matters into their own hands. | This episode was produced with our friends at Invisibilia. Check out their new season here.
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2021 / 5 / 1We Buy A Superhero 5: HollywoodIn the last and greatest chapter to our superhero saga, Micro-Face tries to make the jump from comic books to movies. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 4 / 28The $100 Million DeliWhy is a single New Jersey deli worth so much? And what does it tell us about how the stock market works? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 4 / 23We Buy A Superhero 4: SelloutTwo months ago, Planet Money got its own superhero. Today, we sell him out. | Find the full Planet Money Superhero series here.
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2021 / 4 / 21The Writers Revolt (UPDATE)We have a winner in an epic Hollywood story. A couple years back, 7,000 TV writers across the U.S. fired their agents. All on the same day. It was part of a battle over how creative work gets valued and...
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2021 / 4 / 16India, Farming, and the Free MarketFor decades, India has shielded its agricultural sector from the free market. Now, the government wants to let it in. Millions and millions of farmers are not happy about it. | Subscribe to our weekly...
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2021 / 4 / 14Workin' 9 To 5The movie "9 to 5" used humor to highlight the struggles of women in the workplace 40 years ago. Where are we now? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 4 / 9About Your Extended WarrantyCalls about "extended auto warranties" blow up our phones over and over. But what are these robocalls actually offering? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 4 / 7How Jacob Loud's Land Was LostToday's show: the arcane laws that have cost Black landowners their property, and the lawyer who is trying to fix those laws. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 4 / 2Two Indicators: Boomtown & Bye ByeWe look at housing prices in Montana, an oil market milestone, and give a fond farewell. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 31The Curse Of The Black Lotus (Update)When the popular card game Magic: The Gathering entered a speculative bubble, its creators found a way to keep it from bursting. We check in to see if their strategy is still working. | Subscribe to our...
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2021 / 3 / 26Socialism 101Today on the show: The critics of capitalism. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 24You Asked For Shots, Tuna, Metal, and MoneyListeners send us questions every day. It's about time we answer a few of them. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 19The New Shape Of PastaWhat do you do when you can't find the perfect pasta shape? You invent a new shape. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 17The Even More Minimum WageThe tipped minimum wage hasn't changed for decades. Is now finally the time? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 13The $69 Million JPEGAn artist called Beeple just sold a piece at Christie's for millions. But it wasn't a painting... it was a kind of crypto. We speak with him and the others behind the first NFT auction. | Subscribe to our...
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2021 / 3 / 10Nigeria, You Win! (Update)Nigerians heard a radio ad offering millions of dollars for people with business proposals. They thought it was a scam. It wasn't. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 6The Marriage PactThey say true love is hard to find. Whoever says that isn't an economist. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 3 / 3Happy Fed Independence Day (Update)The story of the day the Federal Reserve got its independence and the fight — an actual physical fight — to keep it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 2 / 27We Buy A Superhero 3: ResurrectionWe have found the perfect superhero. Now we just have to make him our own. | Find the full Planet Money Superhero series here.
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2021 / 2 / 24Bond VoyageThe government used to be afraid to borrow too much money. Today, it borrows hand over fist. And it's ... fine? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 2 / 19We Buy A Superhero 2: LoopholeMarvel was not interested in selling us Doorman. But there is another way to jumpstart our superhero empire. | Find the full Planet Money Superhero series here.
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2021 / 2 / 17Why Printers Are The WorstThe real money is in the ink. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 2 / 13We Buy A Superhero 1: OriginsMarvel has 7,000 characters, many of them forgotten. We want to buy one from their vault and launch our own little Planet Money franchise. | Find the full Planet Money Superhero series here.
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2021 / 2 / 10Can't Let It GoIrrational decisions. Things we can't let go. Friend of the show Sam Sanders comes by to talk obsessions. We turn to economics for advice, clarity and comfort. | Subscribe to Sam's podcast, It's Been A Minute.
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2021 / 2 / 5Fine and PunishmentWhen you get out of prison, you have to start paying off fees. Some are related to committing a crime. Others are not. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 2 / 3Robinhood's Very Bad DayHow the stock trading app works. And why it almost broke last week. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 30Can't Stop GameStopVideo game stores. Hedge Funds. Reddit forums. How this mad lib resulted in the biggest short squeeze in years. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 27The World's Biggest Battery (Classic)California has a ton of solar power. But as soon as night falls, it's gone. Today on the show: how to bottle the sun
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2021 / 1 / 23How Desi Invented TelevisionThe television was invented by Philo Farnsworth in 1927. TV was invented by Desi Arnaz in 1951.
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2021 / 1 / 20Modern Monetary Theory (Classic)We rethink everything we know about government spending, taxes, and the nature of money.
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2021 / 1 / 16The Great GatsbyAll of it. Read by the staff of Planet Money.
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2021 / 1 / 14Nervous TikTokThe U.S. was going to ban TikTok... and then it didn't. We break down the beef with TikTok, and see what life would have been like without it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 11Planet Monet (Classic)Investors are pouring money into art, but a lot of it is disappearing into storage. We find out why. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 8The Bees Go To California (Classic)Almonds taste great. And the logistics behind pollinating almond trees are un-bee-lievable. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 7Chaos At The CapitolWith an insurrection at the Capitol, we interrupt Planet Money and turn the feed over to tonight's episode of the NPR Politics podcast. | Subscribe to Planet Money's weekly newsletter here.
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2021 / 1 / 1Bitcoin Losers (Classic)The Bitcoin market is still crazy, but a lot of people can't even find their Bitcoins. We go looking for lost billions. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 30The Rest Of The Story, 2020We check in on The Fed, a vaccine scientist, and the mixed martial arts. Oh, and a bunch of escheaters. So long, 2020! | Support our show here.
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2020 / 12 / 25How To Stop An Asteroid (UPDATE)Some smart people say we should be doing more to protect the Earth from asteroids. The technical issues are relatively easy. The economics — figuring out who's going to pay — are much harder. | Support our...
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2020 / 12 / 24Fork The GovernmentA global pandemic might not be the best time to try something new with technology. But Taiwan decided to do it anyway. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 19The Mixtape DramaMixtapes were the heart of hip-hop culture in the 90s. Until an arrest in 2007 brought it all down. | Today's episode is from our friends at Louder Than a Riot.
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2020 / 12 / 17The Case Against FacebookThe government just filed one of the largest antitrust cases in history against Facebook. Why now? And what will it mean? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 11We Buy A Lot Of Christmas TreesNick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get schooled in the tree market. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 10The Stolen Company (Classic)When an American company named ABRO learns their goods are being counterfeited in China, they start their own trade war. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 5How The Rat Blew UpUnions have been putting giant inflatable rats in front of businesses for years. Now businesses are trying to deflate them, in court. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 12 / 3Before The Shot In The ArmInventing a vaccine for COVID-19 was hard, but getting billions of doses to billions of people is going to be even harder. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 27Hot Dog Hail Mary (Classic)The Falcons are trying something radical: Making their food cheaper. It could break stadium economics.
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2020 / 11 / 25Swamp Gravy (UPDATE)Colquitt, Georgia, was struggling. And then musical theater came along. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 21All Your Genes Are Belong To UsWho owns your genes, anyway? For a while, Big Biotech patented 20% of the human genome. Then a lawyer took them to the Supreme Court. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 18Trade Show (UPDATE)It's been a rough four years for free trade. Today on the show, we present 244 years of trade in 22 minutes. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 13Biden TimeFour things Joe Biden can do as president — even if the Democrats don't control Congress. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 11Worst. Tariffs. Ever. (Classic)One of the few things a new president has a lot of control over is tariff policies. But it wasn't always that way. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 6Hacking The Perfect AuctionA Nobel-Prize winner spent years designing an auction to sell off the airwaves, which are owned by the public. But Wall Street found a tiny flaw. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 11 / 4What's Next for the Economy?A research group at Harvard came up with a faster way to check the economy's pulse. It may change how we fight recessions. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 30What Economy Are You Voting For?Two candidates. Two very different ways of thinking about the economy. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 28Who Gets To Vote In Florida?Angel Sanchez was 17 and in prison when he learned felons couldn't vote in Florida. When he got out, he tried to change that. It was working – until money got involved.| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 23Frame CanadaFor years, Wendell Potter ran a campaign to terrify Americans... about health care in Canada. Now he explains how he did it, and why. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 22Hey Google, Are You Too Big?The government just filed an antitrust lawsuit against Google. In this episode, we talk about why, and why it matters. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 16Opening Schools And Other Hard DecisionsEmily Oster wanted to understand the risks of opening schools. So she started a massive data collection campaign. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 14Caste Arrives In Silicon ValleyFor some Indian employees of big U.S. tech companies, caste discrimination is real. To combat it, first people have to talk about it. That's hard. | Today's episode is from our friends at Rough Translation.
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2020 / 10 / 9Political Ad NauseamIt's presidential election season, and that means it's political ad season. But who do ads target, anyway? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 7Rethinking Black WealthHomes in Black neighborhoods are valued lower than homes in white neighborhoods. Why? This episode, Dr. Andre Perry flips the narrative of the racial wealth gap. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 2Call Center Call OutWe visit life on the other side of your customer service call and get a glimpse into the troubling future of work in America. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 10 / 1Trump's Tiny TaxesA totally refreshing 20 minutes or so of infotainment related to Trump, taxes and toy wooden arrows. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 9 / 25Sell Me Your Climate BombsThere are tanks all over the U.S. that are like little climate change time bombs, ticking away. Today on the show, getting to them before they go off. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 9 / 23REDMAP (Update)The result of national elections is shaped in a big and underappreciated way by very local elections. This is the story of the man who shaped many, many local elections to tip the national scales. | Subscribe...
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2020 / 9 / 18Apple v EverybodyWhen Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney sued Apple over its App Store, it started a war about antitrust and the internet.
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2020 / 9 / 16After The PlagueThe Black Death was one of the worst catastrophes to ever hit humanity. But it also helped upend feudal hierarchies, redistribute wealth, and make daily life better for a lot of medieval Europeans.
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2020 / 9 / 11Waste LandRecycling plastic has never worked very well. So who convinced us this was a good idea? In this episode, we might have the answer. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 9 / 9We Buy A Junk BondTeam Indicator buys Cardiff a surprise present. A terrible, extremely risky, but wildly interesting investment. Then it gets interesting. The company that issued the junk bond declared bankruptcy. But that...
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2020 / 9 / 5The Murderer, The Boy King, And The Invention Of Modern FinanceJohn Law killed a man in a duel, brought the first paper money to France, and became one of the richest people in the world. Then it all collapsed.
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2020 / 9 / 2SUMMER SCHOOL: Graduation!Summer School graduates take the stage to show us how we can all see our everyday world through the beautiful lens of economics. | Take the final exam and get your diploma here.
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2020 / 8 / 28The Old Rules Were Dumb AnywayWhen the pandemic hit, the old rules went out the window. What rules will stay broken when things go back to normal?Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 8 / 26SUMMER SCHOOL 8: Risk & DisasterInside one insurance policy is a world of incentives and bad behaviors. Take the final exam and get your diploma here.
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2020 / 8 / 22Crisis At The Post OfficeThe United States Postal Service is in the middle of a political firestorm. What happened, and can it be fixed? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 8 / 19SUMMER SCHOOL 7: Advertising & RaceA Black ad executive figures out how to reach diverse audiences.
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2020 / 8 / 14Big RiggedDriving a truck used to mean freedom. Now it means a mountain of debt. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 8 / 12SUMMER SCHOOL 6: Taxes & Donald DuckThe surprisingly entertaining history of the income tax. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 8 / 7Mask CommunicationWhy won't some people wear masks? Is there anything we can do to convince them? We look to behavioral economics for help. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 8 / 5SUMMER SCHOOL 5: Trade & SantaThe economics of free trade and what happens when governments get involved. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 31College FailsThe pandemic is transforming college from a can't-miss into a can't-attend experience. Can colleges survive? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 29SUMMER SCHOOL 4: Scarcity & PistachiosClass 4 brings us an economic conundrum: how do you efficiently share a scarce resource? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 24Rest of the Story, Pandemic EditionRest of the Story, Pandemic Edition We check in on the people we've met and stories we've covered since this whole thing started. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 23SUMMER SCHOOL 3: Profit & CocaineIn our third class, we take all that we've learned about decisions and markets and bring it to a former drug kingpin. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 20BONUS: The Kerner CommissionIn 1967, President Johnson created a commission to investigate racial unrest in America. But, the answer they came up with was not the answer he was hoping for. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 18Getting Out Of Prison SoonerShortening prison sentences might be about morals, but it's definitely about money. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 16SUMMER SCHOOL 2: Markets & PicklesIn our second class, we meet our old friends supply and demand and do graphs using only the power of the human voice. Then, we show you how markets can be created anywhere by telling the story of a food bank...
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2020 / 7 / 10Hollywood's Black ListIn 2005, an anonymous list of the best unmade scripts in Hollywood shook up the movie biz. This episode: how a math-loving, movie nerd solved Hollywood's script problem. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter...
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2020 / 7 / 8SUMMER SCHOOL 1: Choices & DatingFirst lesson: Economics is not about money. It's a lens of great power and beauty. In this episode, we meet our teachers and learn the first four fundamental concepts of economic thinking, and watch them...
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2020 / 7 / 6Planet Money Summer SchoolIntroducing an economics education for your ears! We're calling it Planet Money Summer School. It's all the economics you meant to learn, but didn't get around to. Each Wednesday, we'll serve up a Planet...
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2020 / 7 / 3Reparations For Police Brutality (UPDATE)For years, some Chicago police officers tortured suspects. Survivors fought for reparations — and got them. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 7 / 1Inflation, DeflationAfter decades of relative stability, prices in the US may be about to go through the roof — or the floor. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 27Seed SpyEspionage. Deceit. Theft. In this episode we follow the case of a global effort to steal top secret high technology: seeds. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 24Owner Of A Broken HertzRental car giant Hertz declared bankruptcy last month, which should have made their stock worthless. So how come people keep buying it? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 19Money And JusticeMoney and social change. We talk policing, nonprofits, reparations, and the awkwardness of brands getting woke. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 17The Problem Of The Root (2018)Wild ginseng sells for thousands. We go to a farm hidden in the Appalachian mountains to find out why. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 12Patent RacismViolence, including racist attacks, stifles innovation and the economy. Dr. Lisa Cook proved how. It took 10 years to be heard. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 10The Very First VaccineWe've only made vaccines for so many diseases. Let's look at the history. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 5Police Unions And Police ViolenceWe look at the data connecting police unions and police violence. Today's episode comes from our daily podcast, The Indicator. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 6 / 4Where'd The Money Go, And Other QuestionsWhen the economy tanks, does money just vanish? Why are home prices still so high? You asked these and other questions. We try to answer. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 30Small America Vs. Big InternetSmall towns need fast internet. One town tried to solve the problem itself, but ran into a legal firewall. What gives? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 27Three Big IdeasOn today's show, ideas to fight the virus, get people money, and revive a multibillion-dollar corner of the economy. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 23J. ScrewedThis month, J.Crew went bankrupt. But not before inventing a whole new way of playing hardball with lenders. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 20How To Get Trillions To MillionsUnemployment offices and small banks are getting money from the government to the people who need it. But it's like trying to smoosh a fifty foot pile of money through a ten foot hole. | Subscribe to our...
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2020 / 5 / 16Episode 1,000It's here! We did it! 1,000 episodes! And, to thank all our listeners for riding shotgun the whole way — we're gonna let you in on our secrets... | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 13The Restaurant From The FutureWith over 5.5 million workers unemployed or furloughed, no other industry has been hit harder than restaurants. Yet one guy is thinking about expanding. Huh? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 8Journey To The Center Of The FedWe get on a boat and go to the Federal Reserve to talk about why it may be the most important institution in the world right now. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 7Georgia's Open QuestionCan you safely reopen a business right now — and should you? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 5 / 1About That Hazard PayWe spend a morning at a grocery store and we ask: How much is essential work worth? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 30Buybacks And BailoutsOver the past decade, American companies spent billions buying back their own shares. Now they need a taxpayer rescue. Do they deserve it? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 24Making It WorkSince lockdown began, some companies are doing unexpectedly well. This episode: Farm animals, a crafty comeback, Clint Eastwood, and a story with a twist. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 23Negative OilOn Monday, the price of a barrel of oil in the United States fell to negative $37. That's never happened before. What's going on with the price of oil? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 17The Mask MoverStates are scrambling to find any way to get more masks, gloves, anything. Including mass emailing people who have nothing to do with it. Enter, a man with a van. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 15Lives Vs. The EconomyIs it worth it to shut down the economy to save lives? How do you know when to reopen it? Should we let people die to save the economy? Economists say each human life is worth about $10 million dollars. How...
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2020 / 4 / 11The Big Small Business RescueThere's a brand new government program with $349 billion in aid for small businesses. The problem? It was thrown together in a week. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 9What If No One Pays Rent?We follow the distress from a laid-off worker, to her landlord, to the multi-trillion-dollar mortgage market. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 4 / 4The Economics Of Hospital BedsBellevue, the oldest public hospital in the nation, has seen everything and survived everything. But even they might not have enough beds. Here's why. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 31The Race To Make VentilatorsVentilators are the supply and demand problem of the COVID pandemic. We go inside the scramble to build more, fast. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 28America UnemployedA record number of Americans filed for unemployment this week. The system isn't designed for this. What's next? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 26Where Do We Get $2,000,000,000,000?The COVID-19 rescue bill is the largest ever. Where will that money come from? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 25Food And FarmworkersTo find out what's happening with our food, we talk to an economist, a farmer, and, of course, farmworkers. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 24You Asked About The Virus EconomySome answers: The deal with toilet paper; stock market circuit breakers; coronabucks; corporate paper & how to help. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 20How To Save The Economy NowNeel Kashkari is the President of the Minneapolis Fed. And he's run a bailout of an economy already. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 19How To Test A CountryMaking a test for a pandemic — which rules should you keep, and which to bend? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 16The Fed Fights The VirusThe central bank is trying to prevent a health crisis from becoming a financial crisis. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 14Medicine For The EconomyCOVID-19 is hammering our economy. We ask three super smart economists what we should do about it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 11Coronavirus, Oil, and KansasOil prices are way down. We follow the story from an outbreak in China, to a meeting in Vienna, to a small-time oilman in Kansas. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 7Where's The Vaccine?Coronaviruses didn't come out of nowhere. They've actually been around for years. But economics makes it hard to find a vaccine. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 3 / 5Terms Of ServiceAn online review turns into a fine-print nightmare — until the victims fight back. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 28Reparations In New ZealandA wool magnate gets pulled into a fight with the government over reparations. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 26Vodka ProofVodka is the best-selling spirit in the United States, and there are zillions of brands. But is there any difference between them? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 21Michael MilkenMichael Milken once made $550 million in one year. Then, he went to prison. This week, the President pardoned him. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 19Indicate ThisFrom our daily podcast The Indicator: How Amazon Prime packages reach you so damn fast? And why Lancaster, PA became the refugee capital of America?
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2020 / 2 / 15The CryptoQueenA mysterious woman promises a financial revolution. That promise leads to greed, corruption and... a beauty pageant. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 12Our Valentines 2020We're sending valentines to books, ideas, and other stuff we love. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 7Raw Milk DealA farmer in California built an empire dealing raw milk. And then the Feds showed up. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 5Small ChangeHow fast is the world really changing? The answer affects everything from how we live, to whether robots really will take all our jobs. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 2 / 1The Island No One OwnsIn Barbuda, land isn't a thing you buy. It's something you just... have. Put up a fence and it's yours. But all that might change. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 30The Trouble With Table 101We re-engineer a restaurant with a consultant so good, she can move a table a few inches, and make thousands of dollars. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 24Escheat ShowYou may be owed money. The government may decide to just use it. So we go looking for it inside a little-known "lost and found" of forgotten fortunes. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 23The Rise Of PutinOur friends at Throughline dive into the life of Vladimir Putin and try to understand how he became Russia's new "tsar." | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 17Das Green Old DealWe team up with Vox's The Impact, to tell the story of how one man changed the way Germany – and arguably the world – uses energy. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 16BILLBOARDSWe are dedicating an entire show to billboards: good and old-fashioned, or fancy and high-tech. And we put up our own. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 1013,000 Economists. 1 Question.We went to the American Economic Association's annual conference and asked: What's the most useful idea in economics? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 8The Cost Of Free DoughnutsFree is cool, but it can backfire. On today's show, what happens when you take something that's free and give it a price. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 4Advanced Fairness At The MarathonFour lessons for creating fairness from a big race in New York. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2020 / 1 / 1How Four Drinking Buddies Saved BrazilInflation in Brazil was out of control for a decade. Four former drinking buddies from grad school fixed it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 27The Rest Of The Story, 2019A lot can happen after we put an episode out into the world. In The Rest Of The Story, we check-in on stories we've reported. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here
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2019 / 12 / 25The Writers RevoltIn April, 7,000 TV writers across the U.S. fired their agents. All on the same day. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 21Things We Learned in 2019Tom Whitwell made an amazing list of 52 things he learned this year. We dig into our favorite items. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 19When Reagan Broke the UnionsWhen air traffic controllers went on strike in 1981, Reagan gave them 48 hours to return. Labor would never be the same. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 14You're Giving Your Boss A LoanGetting paid twice a month is like loaning money to your boss. What if you got paid every day? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 11The Bell WarsThe two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 7The Carriage TaxPeople have been arguing over the constitutionality of wealth taxes since 1794, when Washington put a tax on carriages.| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 12 / 4Slot Flaw ScofflawsWhere there are casinos, there are people trying to cheat. And now, they're using iPhones. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 29Pirate VideosBlackbeard, a filmmaker, and a fight between two powerful forces in American law. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 27We Cooked A PeacockIn the 1600s, a good spice rub was the ultimate display of wealth. People would risk their lives for a sack of cloves. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 22What Is Foreign Interference, Anyway?We've heard a lot about illegal foreign meddling in the United States elections. But what about legal foreign participation? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 20Three Sides Of A Car Loan7 million Americans are at least 3 months behind on car payments. It's a record but is it a crisis? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 16Sperm BanksDenmark is a big exporter of human sperm. And mad cow disease may have helped. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 13SnakebiteSnakebites are common but antivenom is expensive to develop. So a doctor goes to extreme lengths to find a solution. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 8Overrated Or Underrated?Today on the show, economist Tyler Cowen rates the NBA, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, the humanities, your neighbors, and more. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 6Free Love, Free MarketA free-love commune of perfectionists in upstate New York embraced the free market, and became a blockbuster brand. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 11 / 2The Pigou ClubA hundred years ago, economist Arthur Cecil Pigou explained how to tax things like pollution. Countries are starting to do it. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 31A Series Of Unfortunate RecessionsA Halloween journey into the economists' worst nightmare, an endless time loop of recession after recession after... | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 25Some-of-the-Money BallIncome pools could change the way baseball players, and maybe the rest of us, think about how we get paid. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 23Fries Of The FutureFast food delivery is threatening the french fry. So a band of potato scientists go to work. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 19The Liberty CityA man in Texas had a dream: To build a whole new kind of city, with no property tax, no debt, and a whole lot of freedom. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 16Blockchain GangCharlie Shrem went from living in his parents' basement, to bitcoin millionaire, to federal prison in just a few years. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 11We Should Have Mentioned ThatSometimes we forget to mention something. And our listeners always let us know. Today on the show, we make good. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 9BOTUSTwo years ago, we built a machine that bought and sold stocks automatically based on President Trump's tweets. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 4Unicorn CowboyThe risk-addicted investor who made WeWork possible and changed the way startups work. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 10 / 2Capitalism In The CourtroomInvestors can fund lawsuits for profit, which gives more people access to the courts. But some worry it will warp the justice system. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 28Three BetsWe jog to New Jersey to bet on tennis, we solve a mystery in Las Vegas, and we venture into the world of video game loot. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 25When India's Cash DisappearedWhen India suddenly got rid of most of its cash, in an effort to end corruption and modernize its economy, chaos ensued. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 20Interest Rates... Why So Negative?All over the world, interest rates are very, very low. In some places, they're negative: you lend out money, and get less back. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 18Strike OneStrikes these days are pretty boring. But they weren't always like this. In the past, strikers risked their lives. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 13The Working Tapes Of Studs TerkelHear what ordinary people told Studs Terkel about their jobs in the 70s — and what they have to say now. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 11How To Make It In The Music BusinessThe hidden economy of producers buying and selling sonic snippets, texting each other beats, and angling for royalties. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 9 / 7The Marshall PlanSometimes the way to help yourself is to help your enemy. After WWII, the U.S. launched what might be the most successful intervention in history, rebuilding Germany and also the rest of Western Europe. |...
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2019 / 9 / 4Where Dollar Bills Come FromEvery dollar bill in the world comes from the same paper mill in Massachusetts. Today on the show, we get a front-row seat to the dollar-making process. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
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2019 / 8 / 30Moving To Opportunity?In the 90s, the government ran an experiment: What happens if we move people out of high-poverty neighborhoods and into low-poverty ones? Housing policy as hope? The results surprised them. | Subscribe to our...
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2019 / 8 / 29The Modal AmericanKenny takes Jacob on a nerdy quest to find the "typical American." Naturally, it ends up harder—and nerdier—than we planned, and the answer is more subtle than we expected. | Subscribe to our newsletter here.
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2019 / 8 / 23You Asked For A Food ShowThe top producer of Top Chef helps us spice up this food edition of listener questions. How do you master the salad bar? Why do Americans refrigerate eggs? The story of Choco Pies and more. | Subscribe to our...
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2019 / 8 / 21Two Yield Curve IndicatorsAn inverted yield curve has predicted recessions for the past six decades. The curve is inverted right now. What does that tell us? | Subscribe to our newsletter here.
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2019 / 8 / 16Find The HeliumHelium is so special, and so rare, that the U.S. government once tried to buy it all up. And hide it. But the government's helium stockpile is running low. And we need it for MRI machines and NASA rockets.
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2019 / 8 / 14How Solar Got CheapFor a long time, only rich people could afford to put solar panels on the roof. Not anymore. Here's what changed.
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2019 / 8 / 9Deep Learning With The ElephantsElephants are in danger. Counting them is crucial to saving them. But they're hard to see in the rainforest. So scientists are enlisting the help of AI technology.
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2019 / 8 / 7The IT Guy Vs. The Con ArtistA notorious con artist offered Felipe an IT job. He took the job —and tried to con the con man. | Plus, listen to a full double feature all about cons here.
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2019 / 8 / 3TwinsScientists have studied twins for years, hoping to figure out how big a role genes play in human behavior. Our very own pair of twin reporters are on the case.
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2019 / 7 / 31That Time We Shorted America, Part TwoEveryone said betting against the entire stock market was a terrible idea. We did it anyway. Today, we find out the results, and revisit the first short ever done in the 17th century.