Planet Money Live: Two Truths and a Lie
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The shocks of the pandemic economy gave us a bunch of enormous natural experiments, which helped to ...
Mike The Mover vs. The Furniture Police
23 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In 1978, a young man named Mike Shanks started a moving business in the north end of Seattle. It was...
Twins (classic)
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Twins are used to fielding all sorts of questions, like "Can you read each other's minds?" or "Can y...
The 60-day job race
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
People come from all over the world to work in U.S. tech. And during the tech boom years, the indust...
Two Indicators: The economics of innovation
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Innovation is crucial for game-changing advancements in society, whether it's treatments for serious...
The town that changed economics
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the early 90s, when a young economist named Michael Kremer finished his PhD, there had been a few...
The Spider-Man Problem (update)
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
(Note: This episode originally ran back in 2022.)This past weekend, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Ve...
AI Podcast 3.0: Dial M for Mechanization
02 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's the thrilling conclusion to our three-part series on AI — the world premiere of the first epi...
AI Podcast 2.0: The host in the machine
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In Part 1 of this series, AI proved that it could use real research and real interviews to write an ...
AI Podcast 1.0: Rise of the machines
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We used to think some jobs were safe from automation. Though machines have transformed industries li...
Green energy gridlock
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lyle Jack wants to build a wind farm on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But to make the ...
Predictions: Jobs!
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's time for another installment of ... Planet Money Predictions! *air horn* Last year, we invited ...
How AI could help rebuild the middle class
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For the last four decades, technology has been mostly a force for greater inequality and a shrinking...
Inflation and the Profit-Price Spiral
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Economists say that inflation is just too much money chasing too few goods.But something else can ma...
The Day of Two Noons (Classic)
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
(Note: this episode originally ran in 2019.)In the 1800s, catching your train on time was no easy fe...
How to fight a squatting goat
06 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Back in 2005, Burt Banks inherited a plot of old family land in Delaware. But when it came time to s...
Two Indicators: the influencer industry
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? An astronaut, a doctor or maybe a fa...
Financial advising while Black
28 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
After a successful career in advertising, Erika Williams decided it was time for a change. She went ...
The zoo economy (classic)
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Note: This episode originally aired in September, 2014.Zoos follow a fundamental principle: You can'...
The quest for the factory-built house
21 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imagine if we built cars the same way we build houses. First, a typical buyer would meet with the ca...
Tax Code Switch
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This past January, researchers uncovered that Black taxpayers are three to five times as likely to b...
The life and possible death of low interest rates
15 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Right now, the economy is running hot. Inflation is high, and central banks are pushing up interest ...
Two innovation market indicators
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Right now, the economy is all over the place. And when things get confusing, we look to basic econom...
Your banking questions, answered
08 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's been a month since the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank touched off the worst episode of banking...
The battle for Puerto Rico's beaches
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Puerto Rico's beaches are an integral part of life on the island, and by law, they're one of the few...
The safety net for banks
01 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the first half of March, three banks - Silicon Valley Bank, Signature Bank, and Silvergate - all ...
A Great Recession bank takeover
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Earlier this month, we saw the largest bank collapse since the 2008 financial crisis. For many of us...
The battle over Osage headrights
25 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Richard J. Lonsinger is a member of the Ponca tribe of Oklahoma, who was adopted at a young age into...
Inside a bank run
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes you hear these stories about an airplane that suddenly nosedives. Everyone onboard thinks ...
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 ta...
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 b...
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...
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...
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,...
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 som...
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 name...
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 DiC...
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 spendi...
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 th...
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...
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 co...
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...
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 Pe...
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 ans...
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 ...
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 m...
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 ...
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 h...
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 eco...
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 vis...
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 he...
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 fr...
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...
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 inve...
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 sport...
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 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 rack...
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 gro...
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 (l...
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...
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 sha...
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 accidentall...
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, hi...
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 pro...
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....
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 t...
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 t...
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. ...
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, re...
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....
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.Sub...
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 be...
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 ...
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...
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, ...
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 f...
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 sta...
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 te...
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 consequ...
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 ...
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 w...
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...
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 Turk...
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 ...
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...
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 ...
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,...
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 In...
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 ...
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 he...
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 fo...
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. I...
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 g...
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 supe...
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 dow...
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...
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 mi...
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 int...
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...
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 econo...