Podcasts about Planet Money

Why is the U.S. Treasury planning to buyback at least double the number of long-dated government bonds it usually does? And will Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent's buyback plan pit him against both the bond markets and the Federal Reserve? Today we explain what the Treasury's up to and what it means for you. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen —Bond vigilantes. Who they are, what they want, and how you'll know they're comingConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, marking the biggest month for ICE arrests of President Trump's second term. We talk to a researcher who thinks this increased ICE activity is creating an “economy of fear” in cities around the country — and has the data to prove it.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — How ending TPS is squeezing workers, businesses and (soon) consumersConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

In New Jersey, the tomato is king. Almost a century ago, a scientist at Rutgers University developed a variety that became the tomato that lined grocery store shelves for decades. Now, Rutgers scientists are at it again — they've invented a new grape tomato called Scarlet Sunrise. Will it become the next hot item in the produce aisle? How do you even invent a new tomato? And why are new varieties of fruits and veggies becoming more popular than ever? We team up with Kenny Malone from Planet Money to find out, and to see if this hot new tomato can win over a longtime grape tomato skeptic. From Planet Money, this episode was produced by James Sneed, edited by Keith Romer, fact checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Cena Loffredo and Jimmy Keely. The Sporkful production team includes Dan Pashman, Emma Morgenstern, Andres O'Hara, Kameel Stanley, and Jared O'Connell. Right now, Sporkful listeners can get three months free of the SiriusXM app by going to siriusxm.com/sporkful. Get all your favorite podcasts, more than 200 ad-free music channels curated by genre and era, and live sports coverage with the SiriusXM app. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The brilliance of "9 to 5" is that it is catchy even though it's also kinda depressing. You will be dancing along. You're enjoying it. And, then when you really listen to the lyrics, you're like, Wait, this is messed up. This is real. This is a problem we need to fix. Like, why does it have to be this way?That is the spirit of the song, why it became an anthem, and the heart of the movie 9 to 5. There's so much to say about Dolly Parton, about her music, acting career, her business savvy, not to mention Dollywood. Today though, we wanted to bring you the audacious true story of 9 to 5, the movie and the song. Between the 1960s and 1980s, there was a real sense that big workplace changes were just beyond the horizon. At the time, a very common job for women was clerical work. In 1973, a group of secretaries in Boston formed a women's labor organization. They called themselves the "9to5."Today on the show, we revisit our 2021 episode where we meet the women behind the movement that inspired the movie. And a look at how far we have — or haven't — come since then.This is a special Sunday bonus episode. For our latest episode on inventing new tomatoes, scroll down the feed or click here. (Note: This episode originally ran in 2021.)Read:  - Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life  - Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletter - Our weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow:  - Instagram - TikTok - YouTube - FacebookSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.Today's episode was hosted by Sarah Gonzalez and Sonari Glinton. The original episode was produced by Nick Fountain and James Sneed and edited by Mitra Kaboli. The update was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.Music: "9 to 5," "5 to 9," and "Fly on the Wall." See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This past week, we did a two-parter on the 2008 financial crisis. In it, we discussed how This American Life's "Giant Pool of Money" episode helped explain the economic collapse to a lot of listerners, our crew included. Today, a bonus conversation between Jody and Alex Blumberg, who co-reported the piece with Adam Davidson -- the two of them went on to start Planet Money. Jody and Alex discuss what it was like to report on the collapse, try to translate it into narrative audio, the piece's impact on the world of audio and podcast, and Alex's thoughts on the current frothy economy. Alex's new project is "Daisy Chain Ventures"Join our America250 newsletter community! Subscribe for free to get the latest news and analysis of how America250 is playing out. Paying subscribers get access to early, ad-free versions of the show. Plus bonus features throughout the year. To support our work and get access to everything, subscribe now.This Day is a proud member of Radiotopia from PRX.Your support helps foster independent, artist-owned podcasts and award-winning stories.If you want to support the show directly, you can do so on our website: ThisDayPod.comGet in touch if you have any ideas for future topics, or just want to say hello. Follow us on social @thisdaypodOur team: Jacob Feldman, Researcher/Producer; Khawla Nakua, Transcripts; music by Teen Daze and Blue Dot Sessions; Audrey Mardavich is our Executive Producer at Radiotopia. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The produce aisle is changing. You've noticed this, I'm sure. It is now full of superstar fruits and vegetables: The Honeycrisp apple, The Cotton Candy grape, The Cuties mandarin orange. They stand out. They cost more. They have branding and sometimes trademarks and patent-ish kinds of protections.And now – it's happening in the tomato bin too! Where once there were just plain old cherry or grape tomatoes, now there are Sugar Bombs, and Flavor Bombs, and Lolli Bombs and Sprinkles.Today, we are partnering up with Dan Pashman – host of The Sporkful food podcast – and heading to New Jersey where we hope to taste an up-and-coming competitor: Rutgers University's Scarlet Sunrise grape tomato. We talk to the inventors to understand why this explosion in branded fruits and veggies has happened and how you go about making a new piece of produce.Plus, we talk to Cornell agricultural economist Miguel Gomez about whether or not the fruits and veggies spread in our produce aisle are, perhaps, reaching the point of market saturation.Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone and Dan Pashman. It was produced by James Sneed and edited by Keith Romer. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo & Jimmy Keely. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week's indicators: The teacher pay penalty; Meta's massive settlement; Nike and Dick's Sporting Goods are struggling.  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Why infinite scroll's inventor wants to kill his creationConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Coyote vs. Acme will finally get its theatrical release on Friday after a years-long saga involving supposed tax write-downs, negotiations and multibillion-dollar studio deals. It's a drama almost straight out of a Hollywood screenplay. Today we have the story from the inside. This episode is an update of an episode from December 2023.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This episode is packed with your best economic ideas from around the world and a penguin interview. It all comes together in this final session of Summer School 2026.Pack your parka, we're headed to Antarctica. The continent nobody owns, but everyone benefits from and plenty of economic activity if you know where to look.First, we'll travel back in time to the late 1970s when NPR was a scrappy young network, with a synth soundtrack, and tons of heart. Science reporter Ira Flatow took a trip to the South Pole that put NPR on the news industry map. We'll hear an excerpt where he brings us along through what life is like on the ice, including a memorable interview with the wildlife.Then we look inside McMurdo Station, the largest human settlement and research base on Antarctica to hear from a listener who managed the store at the base back in the 1980s. Normal retail rules do not apply. We'll also speak with an economist who has estimated the continent's monetary value, while asking questions like “why put a price tag on this uninhabitable land”? She makes the case we should consider the environmental benefit as a service.But, we can't let the episode and the series wrap without marking our achievements! You did it! As part of our graduation celebration, we hear from your fellow members of the summer school class of 2026. Listeners like you who have written in from around the globe with provocative economic ideas that could make life better for all of us if we just have the will to do it. Man did you all deliver on sending in ideas. We've curated our favorites. Way better than speeches.And don't forget your totally real, but not legal, diploma by taking our short online test. Don't worry if you need a refresher, catch up on past seasons of Planet Money Summer School here.Featured Episodes:The unexpected sounds of Antarctica (1979)A visit to McMurdo Station in Antarctica (1979)Featured Terms:Ecosystem as a service Consórcios (a type of ROSCA, a Rotating Savings and Credit Association)Social housingNatural capitalSupport:NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don't miss an episode. NPR+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (Audiobook here) Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator link round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson and Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Annlie Huang.Music: NPR Source Audio - “Caroldine”, “Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1 Allegro con molto”, “Bismuth Bossa”, “Rumba Cotidiana”, Moons of Saturn”, “Column and Law”, “Our Son the Potter”, “Hutter”, “And So It Goes | 10penny Organ”.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. Planet Money's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Medicare for All could save the U.S. trillions… or maybe way less than that? In our second episode on Medicare for All, we look at the convoluted figures behind the hot political topic. We hear directly from billionaire and healthcare voice Mark Cuban on what works about Medicare for All, and why its actual cost is so complicated. Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.Your Next Listen — Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

As midterms near, Medicare for All is back in the spotlight and Michigan U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed has become the newest face for it. Today, we dig into what Medicare for All would actually do and hear directly from El-Sayed on why he thinks it's critical to figure out. Tomorrow, billionaire Mark Cuban joins the show as we continue our discussion on Medicare for All.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — I'm just here for the health benefitsConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Trump administration recently admitted to pulling grants over politics. This practice could become more common. How do cities use grant money, and how will they adapt?Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

There's a room where the fates of retail products are decided. Will they make it onto the shelves of the big box stores? Usually the rest of us can't get inside the room where decisions are made – until now! Today on the show, we pitch the Planet Money game, Sell Me a Sasquatch, to big box retailers. We go behind the scenes to learn about how products end up on big box store shelves, what's going on inside the minds of the deciders, and find out our board game's fate. Learn more about the story of Pantone: The company that owns colors Support:Planet Money+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Jimmy Keeley. Planet Money's executive producer is Alex Goldmark. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Silly Sevens," "Adventure Time," and "Virtual Machine"Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week's indicators: EV sales sputter in North America but flutter internationally; U.S. Treasury Yields … RISE!; a low-budget movie so terrible, it became a box office hit in China. Fact checking by Julia RitcheyYour Next Listen — The story of China and Hollywood's big-screen romanceConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Bankruptcy has a negative stigma surrounding it. But what if we told you it's not as bad as you may think? In fact, economists think we should actually see more of it! Based on the radio story: More Americans are going bankrupt. What does that mean?Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — We're in a renter's market (believe it or not)Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

This week's stop on our world tour - Korea. A country divided into two very different power structures since the end of WWII. Today South Korea is the maker of some of the world's favorite exports – from Samsung TV's to BTS. But 75 years ago it was a much different story. How the textile industry and a partnership with Bangladesh lifted the country out of poverty and paved the way for rapid economic growth.Then later in this episode – how entrepreneurial endeavors look different on the other side of the 38th parallel. We'll follow a woman who started her own small business selling goods in North Korea. How are the Donju, members of the affluent entrepreneurial class, faring and can capitalism exist in a highly restrictive socialist society?Featured Episodes:Richard Nixon, Kimchi and the first clothing factory in Bangladesh (2013)North Korea's Capitalists (2017)Featured Terms: VolatilityInflation expectationsCapital controlsAusteritySupport:NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don't miss an episode.Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (Audiobook here) Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator link round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Schuyler Swenson and Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Annlie Huang.Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. Planet Money's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The best manager isn't necessarily the best employee. Turns out it isn't so easy to predict what DOES make a good manager. Today on the show, we turn to science to help answer that very question.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Productivity and workforce whiplashConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The Trump Organization has sued Capital One for closing its bank accounts. The organization says it did so out of political reasons. But banks can close accounts for a zillion reasons. They don't have to say why. Capital One cited money laundering as a concern. On today's show, how banks decide to close accounts, how much politics plays a role and what the bank might have seen in its crime-stopping crystal ball.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — What is a 'freedom economy'?Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Fenwick Island, Del. has only around 900 people on its voting rolls, but some of those registered voters are not human. Many are family trusts and a few are companies. The town says its system works for its tiny beach community. So why are some lawmakers trying to stop it?Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Who's behind that shell company? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

It's Indicators of the Week!On today's episode: Retirees get a bump in benefits; credit card debt delinquency at a historically high level; and the dating app Bumble on a serious decline — Men first! IRL events! What will work! Fact checking by Cooper Katz McKim and Vito Emanuel.Your Next Listen — Trying to fix the dating app backlashConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Which letter best describes how the U.S. economy is shaped: C or K? We examine the arguments for both and why there's so much disagreement over who's faring best in today's economy.  Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — We resolve to watch these 2026 indicators  Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Just about everyone in Argentina is an expert in inflation and whether they like it or not, economic flexibility. Can we learn from them? Over the years, we at Planet Money have checked in on Argentina as it tried to recover from economic collapse in 2001 and 2002, and as inflation shot up and the country defaulted on its debts. This week on our Summer School World Tour, we fly to Buenos Aires, mapping the moves of their economy through the eyes of people who live there – from tango classes and shoe shopping to a Coldplay concert that sparked a special exchange rate. We'll consider the different attempts from the government to staunch inflation and why they've led to so many unintended consequences. But the heart of this week's trip is the resilience of everyday economic actors, regular people. When the value of your currency is so in flux, average people become monetary contortionists just to navigate work, shopping, saving and to keep small businesses afloat. This adaptability becomes a special kind of skill and wisdom. So, we're harvesting that everyday economic insight for tips on how we can all face uncertainty a little better. And, to appreciate the high costs of volatility. Featured Episodes:Messi economics (2022)A black market, a currency crisis and a tango competition in Argentina (2023)The high cost of a strong dollar (2022)Featured Terms: VolatilityInflation expectationsCapital controlsAusteritySupport:NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don't miss an episode.Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (Audiobook here) Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator link round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and Schuyler Swenson and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Jimmy Keeley.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Rage. That's what consumers are feeling right now. A new survey found consumer complaints hit a record high this year. Another from last year found a huge share of consumers felt ‘rage' with a product or service problem. Just think about the modern consumer experience: hidden fees, ballooning customer support wait times (perpetually experiencing higher call volumes than usual) … shrinkflation! Argh!! What's going on? On today's show, unpacking consumer rage. And Heather Timmons, who covers consumer rights for The Guardian, talks about what we might do about it.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Petty! Econ! Grievances!Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Even if you've never seen an Alien film, you probably know about the monster in the franchise. The Xenomorph has an elongated head, a second set of jaws that protrude from its mouth and a body that's like cross between a giant insect and a skeletal dinosaur. But the alien creature may not be the real villain of the franchise. This week's episode comes from the NPR podcast Planet Money. They explore whether the true monster is the sinister corporation pulling the strings in the background. Even more specifically, the real villain might be the economic system that allowed it to have so much unchecked power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The total amount of investors using margin aka borrowing money to help pay for a trade  is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. Is this something we should worry about? We spoke to Jurrien Tinner at Fidelity Investments. Note: Jurrien Timmer's views are his own and not representative of Fidelity. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — How AI might mess with financial marketsConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

When workers past retirement age can't afford to retire — that's one thing. When they can, and just don't want to — that's trickier.It used to be legal to force people to retire when they hit a certain age. The trend used to be earlier and earlier retirement. Now it's later and later retirement. And younger workers say it's impacting their career advancement and their ability to save for their own retirement.At the same time, older workers are living longer, Social Security and Medicare funding are less secure than ever … and many people want to keep working.Age in the workplace is a tricky thing to talk about. But today on the show, we're talking about it. On the latest Planet Money, a law professor who says retirement should be mandatory at age 70. And an economist who says, actually … people should delay retirement even longer. Show notes: More of Planet Money's coverage of the lump of labor fallacySamuel Moyn: Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth? And What to Do About It.Gerhard Casper and Saunders Mac Lane: “Older Doesn't Mean Wiser”Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly long-form Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookSupport public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.This episode was reported by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Eric Misitzis Mennel, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio: “Don't Cross The Line,”  “Aventure Burlesque,” and “Hollywood.”See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Dependable health insurance is keeping more people in their jobs. Rising health costs don't help. Today we look at the repercussions this kind of job lock has on the wider economy. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — The ghosts of Obamacare past, present and future Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Taco Bell and Taylor Farms are taking hits to their reputation due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak across the country. They could learn a thing or two from Chipotle, which went through its own public relations battle during a similar outbreak about a decade ago.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Big Lettuce meets Small IntestineConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

What happens when roughly a million people working legally in the U.S. suddenly lose that right to stay here? We're starting to find out in places like Miami, Florida, home to one of the largest Haitian communities in the country. There, we talk to people on what the end of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) means for their businesses and the wider economy. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Your American Dream is pending reviewConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Shortages are in the news again! Here's why the supply of blood, water and helium are at concerningly low levels.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — How Colorado towns are trying to get some water certaintyConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Musicians from the Rolling Stones to up-and-coming pop star Bella Kay have one thing in common: Influencers are being paid to promote their songs. On today's show: Who is an industry plant and why does it matter? Fact checking by Tyler Jones. Your Next Listen — Two Indicators: the influencer industryConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ Support public media with NPR+ and enjoy perks for over 25 podcasts like this one. This show's perks include sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Squishy, slimy, fidgety toys are having a moment. But it's more than just an anxiety-soothing, social-media fueled trend – these toys are reshaping how toys get made.Today on the show, we have the story of the once-humble squishy dumpling and what it teaches us about how to make a viral hit and how to manufacture it, without getting left holding the bag. Hear it all firsthand from the creator of this trendy toy. Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookSupport public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You'll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Planet Money.This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Melty Heart," "Summer Escape," and "Twilight Sparkle"See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

President Trump's social media company, Truth Social, wants to sell investors early access to its posts. When Trump announces tariffs or new strikes on Iran, those milliseconds matter in the market. Is this corruption? Is this legal? And what does corruption mean for the U.S. economy? Ray Fisman's book with Miriam A. Golden is Corruption: What Everyone Needs to Know.Fact checking by Tyler Jones. Your Next Listen — Did Trump enable insider trading?Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

For decades, consumer tech like laptops and gaming systems got better AND cheaper. Memory shortages caused by the AI boom are making those lower prices a thing of the past. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — SK Hynix to the moon, Gen-Z to their rooms, and Connecticut tax reform loomsConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. housing market is pretty weird right now. Whether you're a buyer, seller or a renter, it leads to all kinds of questions, like: How did we end up with a housing shortage? Is housing still a good investment? What policies might unlock the housing inventory held by baby boomers? So we called up someone with answers: Redfin's chief economist, Daryl Fairweather. On today's show, your housing questions, answered. This is an excerpt of a live virtual event we held last week for our NPR+ and other qualifying supporters. To hear the entire event, make sure you're signed up for NPR+. We'll be publishing it as a bonus episode in the Planet Money feed next week!    Fact checking by Vito Emanuel.Your Next Listen — Two Cities. Two chip plants. One affordability crisis.Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Paramount's $111 billion merger with Warner Bros. Discovery has a few hurdles ahead of it. One of them is an FCC approval. But a recent investigation shows that Paramount and the FCC have a dubious relationship, one with potential conflicts of interest.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Why Paramount went looney tunes for Warner Bros.Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

The cyclospora outbreak that's sickening thousands of Americans got us interested in the rise of Big Lettuce, and the challenges of keeping it clean. So on today's show, we tell you just how much lettuce Americans eat every year (SO MUCH!), how bagged lettuce came to dominate grocery store shelves, what that means for food safety, and why these outbreaks continue to happen — despite the FDA's efforts to stop them.Check out other related episodes:Food Scare SquadHow refrigeration took over the worldSupport:Planet Money+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode was hosted by Jeff Guo and Emma Peaslee. It was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune and it was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Annlie Huang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Electric Leak," "West Green Road," and "Melty Heart"See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Biz-friendly Texas is opening a stock exchange, built and based in the state. Can it become—or best—Wall Street? And how has politics influenced the birth of Y'all Street?Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — ESG bans cost TexasConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Why has the Food and Drug Administration taken so long to approve new sunscreens? Unlike the rest of the world, the FDA only just approved its first new ingredient in nearly three decades. We learn about a proposal to speed up drug and sunscreen innovation, and a skincare influencer who lobbied for change. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.  Your Next Listen — The sneaky way companies get new chemicals into our foodConnect with The Indicator— Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter! — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

As the World Cup comes to a close, so does a massive real-time experiment happening just around the edges. Major League Soccer – the top men's professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada – has been scrambling to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation opportunity when average American sports fans suddenly cared a lot about soccer.In between World Cup matches, NPR Sports Correspondent Becky Sullivan has been following Major League Soccer executives as they try to figure out how best to get a foot in the door with sports fans in the U.S.In this episode, we tag along to see if U.S. and Canadian professional soccer can harness 2026 for the mythical World Cup bump in soccer interest. What strategies are teams using? And does it stand a chance to work?Support:Planet Money+Read:Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money was hosted by Becky Sullivan and Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed with an assist from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Annlie Huang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

On this Summer Friday, we've put together some of our favorite recent interviews, including: The U.S. fertility rate dropped to another record low in 2025, according to provisional CDC data, marking a 23% drop since 2007. Jill Filipovic, attorney and author of several books, including OK Boomer, Let's Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind (Atria/One Signal Publishers, 2020),  and Karen Guzzo, director of the Carolina Population Center and a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, explain what's behind the decline, the current Republican and far-right conservative policy plans to try and reverse those trends and what actually works to incentivize a growing population. Alex Mayyasi, a longtime contributor to Planet Money and the author of Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (W. W. Norton & Company, 2026), and Mary Childs, a co-host of NPR's Planet Money, offers insight into making decisions on getting and spending money and why markets work the way they do. Manoush Zomorodi, host of NPR's TED Radio Hour and author of Body Electric: The Hidden Health Costs of the Digital Age and New Science to Reclaim Your Well-Being (Flatiron, 2026), talks about the impact on our bodies of our interactions with our phones and other tech -- and how to stay healthy and stay connected. Stephanie Coontz, director of research and public education at the Council on Contemporary Families and the author of The Way We Never Were; Marriage, a History; and now, For Better and Worse: The Complicated Past and Challenging Future of Marriage (Viking, May 26, 2026), offers historical context for the institution of marriage and examines the attitudes and policies that can strengthen it. Martha Nussbaum, professor of law and ethics at the University of Chicago and the author of The Republic of Love: Opera & Political Freedom (Oxford University Press, 2026), offers her analysis of opera as an arm of the Enlightenment, from Mozart to today.   These interviews were lightly polished up and edited for time, the original versions are available here: Why U.S. Birth Rates Are Dropping Planet Money: The Book Our Bodies & Our Tech Marriage in Context Opera and Democracy   Photo: Labor Day weekend crowds at Rockaway Beach, Queens, New York, September 2020. (Andre Carrotflower, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons). Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Over 100 years ago, Pope Leo XIII wrote a seminal letter encouraging workers to unionize in the face of industrialization. The current Pope Leo XIV in his seminal letter warned of an economic disruption from today that threatens workers - Artificial Intelligence.Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Jobs numbers, immigrants in healthcare, and ... Jesus Christ?Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's weekly newsletter!— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Many Gulf states like the United Arab Emirates are diversifying away from oil, but how do you actually measure that? After China resumed buying American soybeans, what are farmers doing now? And is your neighbor paying less for their car than you? Today on the show, we explore YOUR listener questions. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez & Emma Ferrara. Your Next Listen — What do farmers do in a trade war? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

AI summaries are gaining traction and making the potential for a “zero click web” increasingly real. What does that mean for the internet as we know it today? Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — AI is pumping out books. Are they any good?Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Once upon a time, if you wanted to buy a luxury brand item secondhand (say, a Chanel handbag) you had to have an in. There was no easy way to find one. But over the past decade, the market for secondhand luxury goods has exploded. There are now many online resellers where you can shop for used and discounted luxury items. One big problem — how can you be sure if it's real and authentic?Some online resellers claim to have solved this problem. They say they've developed a process of authentication, and so buyers can trust that the bag is really Gucci or Cartier or Hermès or whatever. But according to some luxury brands, authenticity is something that is often imitated but never replicated.In today's episode of Planet Money, the fight between Chanel and The RealReal. And how luxury brands are reacting to the enormous and growing secondhand market for luxury goods.Support:Planet Money+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your LifeOur weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed with help from Charlotte Isidore, who also fact checked this episode. Jess Jiang edited the show and it was engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

When it comes to AI, Google's Gemini does not have the same household recognition that Claude and ChatGPT do. One big explanation: the innovator's dilemma. We explain how Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis is trying to fight a lumbering company's constraints to build AI superintelligence. Sebastian Mallaby's book is The Infinity Machine: Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the Quest for Superintelligence Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — The inventor's dilemma Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Come along as we travel the world in search of the best economic ideas to bring home!From the beaches of Barbuda to the fjords of Norway, there's money (and money problems) everywhere. For this summer travel season, Planet Money Summer School will take you on a world tour for your ears. Pack that sense of wonder and nose for adventure, this is our semester abroad. We're going to explore exotic locales and discover cultural norms, but we're also going to buckle down and learn the biggest economic lessons around the world from our guides.We start as far away as you can get from Planet Money headquarters, New Zealand and Australia. We'll visit a sheep farm to observe an innovative but controversial market for the most important substance on earth, and we'll ask when do speculators help and when do they hurt the rest of us? Then, we'll get to know the economist – and jazz musician – who changed how the entire world fights inflation when he released a secret number to tame the dreaded wild beast. How did that work? Spoiler: it was the great leap forward in economic mind tricks.Featured Episodes:Liquid Markets (2021)The Secret Target (2018)Featured Terms:Multiple equilibriaInflation targetingSpeculators (impact on liquidity)Support:Planet Money+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life (Audiobook here) Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator link round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookThis episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Annlie Huang with help from Robert Rodriguez.Music: NPR Source Audio - "The Boy from Ipanema," "Desmontes," "Long Drive,” and “Bondi.”See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Too much news, there's just too much news. Today on the show, we tackle three big stories we're following: Venezuela's ever-increasing debt problem, the real story behind high egg prices, and how gaming companies are paying the pied piper. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez. Your Next Listen — What the cluck is happening with egg prices? Connect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter — Buy the Planet Money book — Find our socials, YouTube and more! — For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Depends on where you live, but renters have a lot of power right now in the United States. What's behind this trend and how might you be able to take advantage of the renters' market at your next lease renewal. Fact checking by Sierra Juarez.Your Next Listen — Corporate landlords aren't the real villainConnect with The Indicator — Sign up for The Indicator's brand new newsletter— Buy the Planet Money book— Find our socials, YouTube and more!— For sponsor-free episodes, subscribe to NPR+ See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy

Lionel Messi is arguably the greatest soccer scorer of all time. But when it comes to penalty kicks, Messi is merely average. Why? Maybe the answer involves game theory.According to game theory, there's an optimal strategy for taking penalty kicks. This strategy involves an idea that was once somewhat controversial in economics — that is, until economists started studying soccer players in real life. On today's show, we kick it over to the hosts of the Soccernomics podcast to explain how game theory has changed soccer, and how soccer has changed game theory. Watch the penalty shootout between Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2008. Support:Planet Money+Read: Our book: Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life Our weekly longform Planet Money newsletterOur weekly Indicator round-up newsletterFollow: InstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebook This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from James Sneed. It was edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Annlie Huang. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer.The Soccernomics episode was originally hosted by Ashish Malhotra, Simon Kuper and Stefan Szymanski and sound designed by Alex Roldan.See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.NPR Privacy Policy