Planet Money

Inside a bank run

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes you hear these stories about an airplane that suddenly nosedives. Everyone onboard thinks this is it, and then the plane levels out and ever...

Planet Money Records Vol. 3: Making a hit

18 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Since 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 Spot...

How Silicon Valley Bank failed

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Silicon 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 ...

Dude, where's my streaming TV show?

11 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 Is...

The value of good teeth

09 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As 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 f...

Seinfeld-onomics

03 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The 90s sit-com Seinfeld is often called "a show about nothing." Lauded for its observational humor, this quick-witted show focussed on four hapless N...

CBOhhhh, that's what they do

01 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If 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 ...

Meow Money Meow Problems

25 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More 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—...

Hollywood's Black List (Classic)

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Jay & Shai's debt ceiling adventure

18 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every 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 po...

Two Indicators: Inside the Fed, then and now

16 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of the time, economic policy can seem pretty impersonal — cold, hard, data-driven. But at the heart of the Federal Reserve are people: fallibl...

Our 2023 valentines

11 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Every 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 heart...

The ice cream conspiracy

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Take 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,...

Baby's first market failure

03 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Anyone 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, eit...

Groundhog Day 2023

01 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It'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 any...

To all the econ papers I've loved before

27 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A 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 story of "Monopoly" and American capitalism

26 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Monopoly 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 ...

Charles Ponzi's scheme

21 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some 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...

Big Rigged (Classic)

18 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

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/planetmoneyLearn...

Two Indicators: The 2% inflation target

13 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If 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...

Planet Money Movie Club: It's a Wonderful Life

11 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Welcome 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 episo...

The economics lessons in kids' books

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All 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 grad...

The Rest of the Story, 2022

31 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It'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 run...

Which economic indicator defined 2022?

28 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ov...

In defense of gift giving

24 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Cold economic reasoning says, supposedly, that gifts are inefficient transfers of wealth. But Planet Money host Jeff Guo believes in the economic virt...

Two Indicators: The fight over ESG investing

21 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

"ESG" investing – Environmental, Social, Governance – has attracted a lot of attention from investors, and from Republican politicians who call it...

The sports ticket price enigma

16 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation 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 Plane...

Spam call bounty hunter

14 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Telemarketing calls are not only annoying; in some cases, they are illegal. Congress even gives you the right to sue scofflaw telemarketers for $500 a...

The case of the missing cheese racks

09 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Jelle 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 ch...

When women stopped coding (Classic)

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

My Favorite Tax Loophole

03 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's a big difference between tax avoidance and tax evasion. But sometimes even avoiding taxes (legally) can feel like you're getting away with som...

Messi economics

01 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Soccer 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 Argentin...

One economist's take on popular advice for saving, borrowing, and spending

23 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This 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 epis...

How the cookie became a monster

19 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

30 years ago, Lou Montulli set out to solve a fundamental problem with the internet, and accidentally created an entirely different one. On today's sh...

Sam Bankman-Fried and the fall of a crypto empire

17 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sam 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 fal...

The E-Book Wars

11 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, a group of librarians (quietly) stormed the offices of a major publisher, Macmillan, to protest a controversial policy on e-books. On this sh...

Peak Sand (classic)

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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.Subsc...

Planet Money tries election polling

04 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Polling 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 ...

Two Indicators shaking China's economy

02 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Xi 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 C...

Planet Money Records Vol. 2: The Negotiation

29 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We 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 in...

Planet Money Records Vol. 1: Earnest Jackson

27 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We 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.Th...

The high cost of a strong dollar

22 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to international trade and finance, everyone pretty much speaks one language: the U.S. dollar. So when the Federal Reserve hikes interes...

The money fixers (classic)

19 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 pl...

You asked for coupons, Delaware, and the truth about goldfish

15 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today's show, we're answering listener questions from the Planet Money inbox. Like, who really benefits from retail coupons? And why are goldfish s...

Two Indicators: back to school

12 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It'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 tw...

Forging Taiwan's Silicon Shield

07 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Taiwan is at the center of a global feud. Its main defense may be what some call its "Silicon Shield" — its powerful semiconductor industry. On toda...

Economic anarchy in the UK

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Liz 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 min...

Would you like a side of offshoring with that?

30 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 h...

The miracle apple (Classic)

28 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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....

Econ's Brush with the Law

23 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when you take some of the most powerful people in America — federal judges — and teach them economics? We look at the swanky econ ret...

The Midnight Connection

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Texas'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 overload...

Vibecession Vibes Session

17 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We'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 ban...

The Good, the Bad, and the Uggly

15 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Eddie 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 tradem...

Two Indicators: unlikely economic relationships

09 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On 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 P...

The salvage car Silk Road

08 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A 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 jo...

Breaking down the price of gasoline

03 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

High gas prices have fueled speculation and investigations — is anyone raising prices and keeping prices high for profit? To find out, we break down...

SUMMER SCHOOL 8: Productivity & Getting Lit

31 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Productivity 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 ou...

Wake up and smell the fraud

26 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sometimes online shopping can feel a little unsavory. There are the listings that make you question if you'll really be getting exactly what's adverti...

SUMMER SCHOOL 7: The Fed & Volcker's Socks

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 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 re...

Inflation Reduction Actually

19 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Congress just passed the biggest, most ambitious climate bill in history. And it's called ... the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. What's with that br...

SUMMER SCHOOL 6: Trade & The Better Life

17 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

International trade is the web of cross-border relationships that binds economies together. Because of trade we have access to cheaper, higher-quality...

Carried interest wormhole

13 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The carried interest tax loophole is a way that wealthy Americans – often the people who manage hedge funds or private equity firms – avoid paying...

SUMMER SCHOOL 5: Car Parts, Celery & The Labor Market

11 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You 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...

A new way to pay for college (Update)

05 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

SUMMER SCHOOL 4: Inflation & Drinking Buddies

04 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation 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 you...

We Buy a Superhero 8: Micro-Face: The Musical

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This 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 a...

Two recession Indicators

29 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

So 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 abo...

SUMMER SCHOOL 3: Booms, Busts & Us

28 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Life 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 moderatin...

Little House on the Blockchain

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It 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...

SUMMER SCHOOL 2: GDP & What Counts

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What 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 s...

Best by, sell by, use by

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Wait, 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 Appl...

SUMMER SCHOOL 1: Recessions & Rap Battles

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It'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 g...

A tale of two cityhoods

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There's a movement underway in Georgia. More and more communities around Atlanta are choosing to keep their tax dollars very local, and become their o...

Two crypto crash Indicators

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two stories of consternation from inside the crypto world. Can a crypto crash spread to the wider economy? How does contagion work? And ... why has cr...

Suitcases, secret lists, and Citizens United

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today's show: the Watergate scandal you haven't heard about – that led directly to Citizens United and multi-billion dollar elections. | Subscrib...

When Subaru came out (Classic)

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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:...

Recession referees

25 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whenever 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 act...

The tale of the Onion King (Update)

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How one man's quest to dominate the onion market changed commodities trading, and potentially how much you pay at the grocery store, forever. | Subscr...

The debate over what's causing inflation

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 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 caus...

Let them eat lunch

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For 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 liste...

The Gecko Effect

11 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Years 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 ...

On the case: Recession, formula, and greenbacks

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It 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 gums...

Homer Simpson vs. the economy

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When the beloved Simpsons family made its TV debut in 1989, it squarely represented middle-class America. Today ... not so much. That house, those two...

The bank war (Classic)

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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...

We Buy a Superhero 7: Collectibles (Live Show!)

28 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ha...

The NRA's Secret Tapes

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Soon after the mass shooting at Columbine High School in 1999, leaders of the National Rifle Association held a conference call to craft their respons...

Investing in mediocrity

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Is 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. | Subs...

How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Buy now, pay dearly?

14 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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. Bu...

A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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 t...

The day Russia adopted the free market

07 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 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 u...

Escheat show (Classic)

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

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. | Subscr...

Planet Money book club

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Behind 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, Am...

Risky business

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music venues are handling pandemic-related risks. And how...

We Buy a Superhero 6: The Comic Book

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

After 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 s...

TikTok to the top

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks 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...

The student loan paaaaauuuuuse

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 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...

Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball games. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.Le...

How manatees got into hot water

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

While 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 fuel...

Turkey's runaway inflation problem

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox approach to dealing with it. | Subscribe to our weekly ...