Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore... more
Windell Curole spent decades working to protect his community in southern Louisiana from the destructive flooding caused by hurricanes. His... more
As people learn more about Donald Trump's pick for Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, one story comes up over and over:... more
The dreaded data breach notification... It tells you your personal data's been compromised and suggests steps you can take to... more
You probably own a chair or a table or a sofa. And you probably think you know why you bought... more
A couple years ago, Gina Leto, a real estate developer, bought a property with her business partner. The process went... more
Mass deportations. What would actually happen—economically—if the President-elect follows through on promises to deport millions of people from America.We don't... more
Every ten years, a group of German farmers gather in the communal farm fields of the Osing for the Osingverlosung,... more
This is the story behind one of the most valuable — and perhaps, most improbable — technologies humanity has ever... more
On the day after the election, Wall Street responded in a dramatic way. Some stocks went way up, others went... more
Back in the 90s, the federal government ran a bold experiment, giving people vouchers to move out of high-poverty neighborhoods... more
Ray and Becky Queen live in rural Oklahoma with their kids (and chickens). The Queens were able to buy that... more
If you... exist in the world, it's likely that you have gotten a letter or email at some point informing... more
There's something strange going on in hospitals. Cheap, common drugs that nurses use every day seem to be constantly hit... more
On today's show, we have two stories from The Indicator, Planet Money's daily podcast. They just launched Love Week, a... more
Over the past two decades, there's been a sort of tectonic economic shift happening under our feet. More and more... more
(For our story on this year's Nobel in Economics, check out our daily show, The Indicator!)Let's face it. Economics is... more
Even in our modern world with planes and jets and drones, the vast majority of goods are moved around the... more
Recently, the state of Washington embarked on an ambitious new plan to combat climate change. Taking a page from economics... more
The lawyer commercial is almost an art form unto itself. Learned practitioners of the law doing whatever it takes to... more
(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2016.)Back in 2016, things were pretty bad in Venezuela. Grocery stores... more
"Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy."That is the bold... more
Next week, JD Vance and Tim Walz will face off in the only confirmed vice presidential debate ahead of the... more
Table saws are extremely dangerous. The government estimates that injuries from table saws send something like 30,000 people to the... more
People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it,... more
Today we have a guest episode from 99 Percent Invisible.It is about White Castle, the burger chain. Even if you... more
The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to get inflation under control. One side effect is that taking out a mortgage... more
Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually under-appreciating the transformative potential of AI?Can artificial... more
Summer camp is a classic rite of passage in the U.S. It's a place of self-discovery, where kids come to... more
Campaigns can be a jargony slog. And this year, we are seeing a lot of economic terms being thrown around,... more
When Cody Fischer decided to get into real estate development, he had a vision. He wanted to build affordable, energy... more
Take the 2024 Planet Money Summer School Quiz here to earn your personalized diploma!Find all the episodes from this season... more
When David Rashid took over US autoparts maker Plews and Edelmann, the company was losing business to its Chinese rival,... more
Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video... more
You might have seen ads for online banking services that seem to offer a lot of great stuff — accounts... more
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more
For some sports, picking the winner is simple: It's the athlete who crosses the finish line first, or the side... more
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more
Maybe you got a boring slip of paper in the mail. Maybe you got a spammy-looking email promising you money.... more
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more
Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow... more
Last weekend we were all thrown for a loop when President Joe Biden dropped out of the presidential race and... more
In 2022, artist Stuart Semple opened up his laptop to find that all his designs had turned black overnight. All... more
Who has the power? Workers or bosses? It changes through the ages, though it's usually the bosses. Today, we look... more
4.5 million households in the U.S. have solar panels on their homes. Most of those customers are happy with it... more
Planet Money Summer School is back for eight weeks. Join as we travel back in time to find the origins... more
We often hear that air travel is worse than it's ever been. Gone are the days when airplanes touted piano... more
At the core of most of the electronics we use today are some very tiny, very powerful chips. Semiconductor chips.... more
We wade into the heated debate over immigrants' impact on the labor market. When the number of workers in a... more
(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in 2019.)In 1794, George Washington decided to raise money for the federal... more
When the vape brand Juul first hit the market back in 2015, e-cigarettes were in a kind of regulatory limbo.... more
We've lived amongst Elon Musk headlines for so long now that it's easy to forget just how much he sounds... more
There's a behind the scenes industry that helps big brands decide questions like: How big should a bag of chips... more
Graphite is sort of the one-hit wonder of minerals. And that hit? Pencils. Everyone loves to talk about pencils when... more
Most economic textbooks will tell you that there can be real dangers in running up a big national debt. A... more
For thousands of years, getting light was a huge hassle. You had to make candles from scratch. This is not... more
There is a constant arms race between law enforcement and criminals, especially when it comes to technology. For years, law... more
We are living in a kind of golden age for online fraudsters. As the number of apps and services for... more
On today's episode, we ride through the streets of San Francisco with a long-time junkman, Jon Rolston. Jon has spent... more
By one estimate, 40 percent of American workers get laid off at least once in their careers. And when that... more
Last month, the world narrowly avoided a cyberattack of stunning ambition. The targets were some of the most important computers... more
In the past few months, the price of gold has gone way up – even hitting a new high last... more
Karen McDonough of Quincy, Mass., was enjoying her tea one morning in the dining room when she saw something odd... more
Why do video game workers offer labor at a discount? How can you design a video game for blind and... more
Today on the show, the story of the modern consumer movement in the U.S. and the person who inspired it:... more
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2021.)Millions of American workers in all sorts of industries have signed some form of... more
About thirty years ago, Yagya Kumar Pradhan woke up to the news that the temple he and his clan used... more
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2023.)Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support... more
For the last year and a half, the story of FTX has focused largely on the crimes and punishment of... more
What's going on with consumers? This is one of the trickiest puzzles of this weird economic moment we're in. We've... more
TikTok, and other apps like it, are filled with financial advice. Some of it is reliable, some... less so. There... more
This episode originally ran in 2015.About one hundred years ago, a scientist and statistician named Francis Galston came upon an... more
Last month, Japan's central bank raised interest rates for the first time in 17 years. That is a really big... more
In 2019, Mike Ketchmark got a call. Mike is a lawyer in Kansas City, Missouri, and his friend, Brandon Boulware,... more
There's been a lot of disagreement in Congress and in the country about whether the U.S. should continue to financially... more
(Note: This episode originally ran in 2020.)In the restaurant game, you need to make the most of every table every... more
It is rare that a new e-commerce company has such a meteoric rise as Temu. The company, which launched in... more
Steel manufacturing was at one point the most important industry in the United States. It was one of the biggest... more
When you buy a bottle of rum in the United States, by law nearly all the federal taxes on that... more
The wind power business is a bit contradictory right now. It's showing signs of boom and bust seemingly all at... more
When you sit down to watch the Oscars, what you are really watching is the final battle in a months-long... more
Dynamic pricing is an increasingly common phenomenon: You can see it when Uber prices surge during rainy weather, or when... more
It is so expensive to have a kid in the United States. The U.S. is one of just a handful... more
Fundraising is a staple of the school experience in the U.S. There's an assembly showing off all the prizes kids... more
Réka Juhász is a professor of economics at the University of British Columbia, and she studies what's known as industrial... more
The Department of Defense's proposed budget for 2024 is $842 billion. That is about 3.5% of the U.S.'s GDP. The... more
The Genco Picardy is not an American ship. It doesn't pay U.S. taxes, none of its crew are U.S. nationals,... more
L, is for the way you Listen to Planet MoneyO, is for the Only podcast I hearV, is Very, very,... more
Keith King was upset when his marriage ended. His wife had cheated, and his family broke apart. And that's when... more
There are tons of markets that don't exist because people just don't want to allow a market – for whatever... more
It's Groundhog Day, and the eyes of the nation have turned to a small town in western Pennsylvania. And, just... more
Note: This episode originally ran in 2015.German families in the 60s loved tasty, cheap American-raised chicken that was suddenly coming... more
Our friends at NPR's news quiz Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! recently had a very Planet Money guest on their show:... more
At around 1 a.m. on the morning of November 15, 1994, Captain Prentice "Skip" Strong III woke to a distress... more
On today's episode, we have three big economic ideas for your consideration – ideas that could potentially improve the economy... more
After very high inflation, the United States is finally feeling some relief in the form of "disinflation." But, why exactly... more
On today's show, we look at two indicators of the economic disruptions of the war in Gaza and try to... more
When you think of a potato, one state probably comes to mind: Idaho. But for much of American history, Maine... more
There's this fundamental question in economics that has proven really hard to answer: What's a good way to help people... more
Picture the Pacific Ocean of the 16th century. Spanish Galleons sail the wide open seas, carrying precious cargo like silver,... more
It's that time of year again! Our annual year-end tradition of checking in on the stories we've reported and the... more
Today on the show, hosts from Planet Money and The Indicator debate the economic indicators of this year and next... more
*Note: This episode originally ran in 2020*'Tis the season for Americans to head out in droves and bring home a... more
Argentina has been on a decades-long search for economic stability, but it always seems to be out of reach. High... more
The research keeps coming in on remote work. New evidence suggests working from home, at least full-time, may not be... more
Economics Job Market Rumors is a website that's half a job information Wiki, where people post about what's going on... more
Maybe she's born with it, maybe it's __________.The best part of waking up, is _______ in your cup!Got ____?If you... more
What if you could borrow money on the cheap and use it to pay for just about anything? The U.S.... more
Remember pagers? They were huge in the 80s — these little devices that could receive short messages. Sir Mix-A-Lot even... more
Today on the show, we have two episodes from our daily podcast, The Indicator, about things we spend a lot... more
Would you say that you and your family are better off or worse off, financially, than you were a year... more
In the state of Oregon, there is a glut of grass. A wealth of weed. A crisis of chronic. And,... more
Here at Planet Money, Thanksgiving is not just a time to feast on turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casseroles... more
Some of the most influential and beloved novels of the last few years have been about money, finance, and the... more
China's economic growth for the past few decades has been extraordinary. And much of that growth was fueled by real... more
When best-selling thriller writer Douglas Preston began playing around with OpenAI's new chatbot, ChatGPT, he was, at first, impressed. But... more
The world of economics has these two different sides. One one side, there are the economists in their cozy armchairs... more
When Lina Khan was in law school back in 2017, she wrote a law review article called 'Amazon's Antitrust Paradox,'... more
Earlier this fall, the Federal Trade Commission filed a high-stakes lawsuit against Amazon.In that suit, the FTC claims Amazon is... more
You might expect to find economic concepts in the pages of an economics textbook. But you know where you can... more
Right now, a lot of school districts across the country are making a pretty giant change to the way public... more
Union membership in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But, in 2022, support for unions among Americans was the... more
When someone says "the economy is doing well"—what does that even mean? Like, for workers, for employers, for the country... more
Note: There is swearing in this episode.In 2017, The University of Minnesota asked comedian Maria Bamford to give their commencement... more
Prices go up. Occasionally, prices go down. But for 70 years, the price of a bottle of Coca-Cola didn't change.... more
In 2007, Uruguay had a massive problem with no obvious fix. The economy of this country of 3.5 million people... more
When contract negotiations between Alaska Airlines and their flight attendants' union broke down in 1993, the union had a choice... more
Ba-dee-yah! Say do you remember? Ba-dee-yah! Questions in September!That's right - it's time for Listener Questions!Every so often, we like... more
There seems to be headlines about floods, wildfires, or hurricanes every week. Scientists say this might be the new normal... more
The Nobel-prize winning economist Simon Kuznets once analyzed the world's economies this way — he said there are four kinds... more
When a group of amateur investors rallied around the stock for GameStop back in 2021, the story blew up the... more
Erin Plante is a private detective who specializes in chasing down stolen cryptocurrency. In March of 2022, she got the... more
In China, data on the economy is sometimes difficult to come by. The Chinese government has put a pause on... more
When economists and policymakers talk about getting inflation under control, there's an assumption they often make: bringing inflation down will... more
In 1981, photographer Lynn Goldsmith took a portrait of the musician Prince. It's a pretty standard headshot — it's in... more
Back in the 1990s, Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar was in his office in New Delhi when he came across a puzzling... more
Congratulations to the Planet Money Summer School Class of 2023! Today, you become masters of business administration... spelled with lower-case... more
Across Hollywood right now, writers and actors are picketing in front of studio lots. They're walking back and forth, holding... more
How do you get the best deal? How do you know you're getting the best deal? Whether you're talking down... more
Do you work more for more money? Or work less for more time? For some, this is the ultimate economic... more
"It's difficult to control everything," says our guest professor for this week, Santiago Gallino. "What is not difficult is to... more
This summer, the Supreme Court struck down Biden's plan to forgive student loan debt for millions of borrowers. Except, on... more
For anyone running a business, technology is both threat and opportunity. Today, we run through techniques entrepreneurs can use to... more
Predicting the future of the economy is always a dicey proposition. That is especially true after more than three years... more
In this session of Planet Money Summer School, we are getting the word out about your brand. How do you... more
There's an estimated $195 billion of medical debt in America. But just because a medical bill comes in the mail... more
Dan Ariely and Francesca Gino are two of the biggest stars in behavioral science. Both have conducted blockbuster research into... more
Usually, the first class that an MBA student takes is accounting. That involves, yes, equations and counting widgets...but it's more... more
We here at Planet Money love economics papers. And that is also the case for so many of the economists... more
For episode 2 of Planet Money Summer School, we are talking strategy. You have your million dollar business idea, and... more
When you make an account online or install an app, you are probably entering into a legally enforceable contract. Even... more
Find all episodes of Planet Money Summer School here.Planet Money Summer School is back! It's the free economics class you... more
When it comes to big questions about the economy, we're still kind of in the dark ages. Why do some... more
Two stories today.First, as we start to understand post-affirmative action America, we look to a natural experiment 25 years ago,... more
Back in the 90s, Ivan Lozano Ortega was in charge of Bogota's wildlife rescue center. And he kept getting calls... more
The shocks of the pandemic economy gave us a bunch of enormous natural experiments, which helped to prove or disprove... more
In 1978, a young man named Mike Shanks started a moving business in the north end of Seattle. It was... more
Twins are used to fielding all sorts of questions, like "Can you read each other's minds?" or "Can you feel... more
People come from all over the world to work in U.S. tech. And during the tech boom years, the industry... more
Innovation is crucial for game-changing advancements in society, whether it's treatments for serious diseases, developments in AI technology, or rocket... more
In the early 90s, when a young economist named Michael Kremer finished his PhD, there had been a few economic... more
Find all episodes of Planet Money Summer School here.Planet Money Summer School is back! It's the free economics class you can take... more