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Planet Money

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Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world. Support public media by joining NPR+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Planet Money.

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We try to fix election polling (update)
21 oct 2026, 7:00 · 29 min
Polling is facing an existential crisis. People aren't picking up the phone. Nobody wants to talk to pollsters. Trust is on the line. We pluck a solution from the economics canon and convince a polling firm to let us test it. Today on the show, we head to Marist College — home of the Marist Poll — to learn how to be pollsters ourselves. We learn the great moments in polling history, the latest science of polling, and find out all the tricks that pollsters use to get people to finish their surveys. Then we get on the phone and give it a try ourselves. And offer some of our own solutions. This episode was <a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/04/1134434712/planet-money-tries-election-polling"target="_blank" >originally published</a> before the 2022 midterm elections. We have an update on our idea to save polling, which Marist is still testing, and we find out what it might be able to tell us about the 2026 midterms. Music: "<a href="https://npr.sourceaudio.com/track/22447336"target="_blank" >Partyline</a>, "<a href="https://npr.sourceaudio.com/track/38874305"target="_blank" >The Danzig Connection</a>, and "<a href="https://npr.sourceaudio.com/track/41204479"target="_blank" >Saku</a>" Read: Our book:<a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" > Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform<a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" > Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly<a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" > Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> This update was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was mastered by Gilly Moon with help from Cena Loffredo. The original episode was edited by Jess Jiang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Anatomy of a movie market
16 oct 2026, 21:30 · 32 min
Before an independent movie makes it to a streaming platform or a theater near you, it first needs to survive an artistic and economic gauntlet. And even for those movies that make it into elite film festivals like Sundance – it can take everything from performance stunts to corporate spycraft to seal the deal. Today on the show, we follow the ‘King of Sundance’ as he and his team try to sell their slate of movies to distributors like Netflix and Sony and Apple. We hear the behind the scenes stories about how films like Little Miss Sunshine, Napoleon Dynamite and Precious got sold. And we learn the strategies that might make the difference in whether or not a film makes it onto screens around the world. For more episodes about the entertainment industry: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/09/20/1197954107/gamestop-dumb-money-based-on"target="_blank" >"Based on a true story"</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/08/1197958441/oscars-academy-awards-campaign-for-your-consideration"target="_blank" >On the Oscars campaign trail</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/03/06/1161382179/hbo-max-disappearing-shows-series-streaming-warner"target="_blank" >Why platforms like HBO Max are removing streaming TV shows</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/12/24/nx-s1-5646673/stranger-things-season-netflix-binge-drip-watching-tv"target="_blank" >The summer I turned binge-y</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/21/989626958/the-writers-revolt-update?renderPlatform=nprone_ios&unified=true"target="_blank" >The Writers Revolt (UPDATE)</a> Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Annlie Huang. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Lone Star Desert Surfer," "The Westerners," and "Tucson Arizona" See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Wanna slow down AI? These biologists can help.
14 oct 2026, 21:30 · 29 min
Fifty years ago, scientists pioneering a terrifying gene-splicing technology figured out a way to collectively hit pause. Can we do it again with AI? We ask because some top AI industry leaders are saying the technology they’re pushing forward is moving too quickly … and might kill us all. They’re effectively saying, ‘Please, please regulate us! Slow us down! Tie our hands!’ But, by and large, they’re not slowing down, because they don’t want to be left behind. In other words, it’s a classic collective action problem. A type of problem that’s scary, but solvable. We’ve been here before. In 1975, a group of scientists holed up for four days on California's foggy Central Coast to stop the runaway technology of their generation: a new DNA splicing technology that they feared could cause mass death. On today’s show, how they set aside ambition and competition to stop a runaway technology. Live Show: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://kilkenomics.com/"target="_blank" >Planet Money Live at Kilkenomics. Kilkenny, Ireland Nov. 6th - 7th</a></li></ul>Read Planet Money: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow Planet Money: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>Listen to more Planet Money: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our short, daily podcast, <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510325/the-indicator-from-planet-money"target="_blank" >The Indicator from Planet Money</a></li><li>Over 1,000 episodes in <a href="https://app.npr.org/aggregation/510289"target="_blank" >our archive on the NPR App</a></li></ul>Merch: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://shopnpr.org/search?q=planet+money&options%5Bprefix%5D=last"target="_blank" >NPR Shop</a></li><li>The Planet Money game, <a href="https://shopnpr.org/products/planet-moneys-sell-me-a-sasquatch-board-game?_pos=1&_sid=c2996cc29&_ss=r"target="_blank" >Sell Me A Sasquatch</a></li></ul>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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was produced by Vito Emanuel. It was edited by Marianne McCune and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Travis Hagan. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Left Coastingg," "Going Nuts," and "Unsatisfied Reflection" See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Should we all be getting tariff refunds right now?
9 oct 2026, 21:07 · 30 min
Companies are getting billions of dollars back. How about us? It seems simple, right? We paid higher prices for imported goods because of tariffs. Then the tariffs were ruled illegal. Courts said the money paid to the U.S. government had to be refunded. Companies are getting that money now. It would seem like we, the customers, should get paid back, too. But … it’s not so simple. Once again, we’re dipping back into the drama of import tax law. We’re engrossed in the ups, downs, betrayal, and romance of … the Days of our Tariffs. In this edition: “Refunds and Regrets.” How and why some companies and people are getting their IEEPA tariff refunds and other people are out of luck. Live Show: - <a href="https://kilkenomics.com/"target="_blank" >Planet Money Live at Kilkenomics. Kilkenny, Ireland Nov. 6th - 7th</a> Read Planet Money: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow Planet Money: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> Listen to more Planet Money: - Our short, daily podcast, <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510325/the-indicator-from-planet-money"target="_blank" >The Indicator from Planet Money</a> - Over 1,000 episodes in <a href="https://app.npr.org/aggregation/510289"target="_blank" >our archive on the NPR App</a> Merch: - <a href="https://shopnpr.org/search?q=planet+money&options%5Bprefix%5D=last"target="_blank" >NPR Shop</a> - The Planet Money game, <a href="https://shopnpr.org/products/planet-moneys-sell-me-a-sasquatch-board-game?_pos=1&_sid=c2996cc29&_ss=r"target="_blank" >Sell Me A Sasquatch</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was hosted by Kenny Malone. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and James Sneed. It was edited by our executive producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was engineered by Jimmy Keeley and Cena Loffredo. Special thanks this week to everyone who wrote in with a tale of tariff drama. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Charles Ponzi's scheme (plus a new scam)
7 oct 2026, 7:00 · 25 min
Charles Ponzi was down on his luck. In 1919, the Italian immigrant had spent a decade and a half in the U.S. He was looking for a way to get rich and tried his hand at everything — including bookkeeping, sign painting, grocery clerk, dishwasher, and librarian. He caught a lucky break in August, when he received a letter from Europe. In the envelope was an International Reply Coupon, a clever way to prepay for international postage. Ponzi realized he might be able to use these coupons to make his fortune. All he needed was investors. What happened next made him a household name. This is the story of the man behind the eponymous Ponzi scheme — a tale of financial fraud that lives up to its linguistic legacy. (Note: The original version of this episode ran in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/20/1150332566/charles-ponzi-financial-scam"target="_blank" >2023</a>.) Read Planet Money: • Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> • Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> • Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow Planet Money: • <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> • <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> • <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> • <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> Listen to more Planet Money: • Our short, daily podcast, <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510325/the-indicator-from-planet-money"target="_blank" >The Indicator from Planet Money</a> • Over 1,000 episodes in <a href="https://app.npr.org/aggregation/510289"target="_blank" >our archive on the NPR App</a> Merch: • <a href="https://shopnpr.org/search?q=planet+money&options%5Bprefix%5D=last"target="_blank" >NPR Shop</a> • The Planet Money game, <a href="https://shopnpr.org/products/planet-moneys-sell-me-a-sasquatch-board-game?_pos=1&_sid=c2996cc29&_ss=r"target="_blank" >Sell Me A Sasquatch</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was produced by James Sneed. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez, mastered by Natasha Branch, and edited by Jess Jiang. It's based on the book Ponzi's Scheme, by Mitchell Zuckoff. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Where all those weird new drinks are coming from
2 oct 2026, 23:14 · 29 min
It's getting pretty wild in the beverage aisle these days — from the rainbow wall of seltzers, to the increasingly strange flavors of Pepsi, to the new "functional" sodas with added fiber or supplements that supposedly offer health benefits. Where are all these new drinks coming from? And why does it seem like the options are multiplying faster than ever? Today on the show, we go behind the scenes at one of the nation’s top-secret beverage laboratories. The food scientists in this lab have quietly helped companies design many of the new drinks on the shelves these days. We taste things we have never tasted before, including a sports hydration … broth? We learn what a strawberry has in common with a block of cheese. And we discover why the business of beverages will never be the same again. Read: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed and Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and edited by Jess Jiang. Vito Emanuel is our fact-checker, and Kwesi Lee engineered the show. Alex Goldmark is the executive producer of Planet Money. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Who’s gonna pay for your Social Security?
30 sept 2026, 14:55 · 29 min
Very soon, Social Security may not have enough money to make full payments to retirees. Very soon. Like by 2032, just six years from now. So what are we gonna do about it? Today on the show, we look at some of the most talked about possible solutions; and exactly whose wallets we’ll have to rifle through to find the money to pay for each. Then we’ll run the options by the Social Security Administration's former Chief Actuary. The guy Congress used to call to crunch numbers and give them the bottom line. Read: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Erika Beras and Jeff Guo, it was produced by James Sneed, and edited by Marianne McCune. Sierra Juarez is our fact-checker, and Annlie Huang & Robert Rodriguez engineered the show. Alex Goldmark is the executive producer of Planet Money. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Middlegarchs are the new Oligarchs
25 sept 2026, 21:46 · 30 min
Wanna know who is really in the top 1%? And how they use their influence? It may not be who you think. Look beyond Silicon Valley. Look beyond Wall Street. Look beyond the “oligarchs”. There's a much larger class of wealthy Americans hiding in plain sight. And, often, they got rich in mundane ways. They own car dealerships. They sell hot dogs and frozen mini-quiches. They run waxing salons. They supply fabricated metal and urinal cakes. They are dentists. Collectively, these "Main Street millionaires" control much more wealth than the billionaire lightning rods who launch rockets into space, appear on manosphere podcasts, and have Hollywood movies made about them. Many of these millionaires have also grown rich enough to afford superyachts, 10,000-square-foot homes, and pet tigers. At the center of their story is a quiet revolution in the American economy: the rise of a particular kind of private business. On today’s show, how did the power of the “stealthy wealthy” millionaires come to rival that of the billionaire oligarchs? And, how are they shaping policies that lower their taxes and raise your prices? Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was hosted by Greg Rosalsky and Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune with fact checking help from Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Kwesi Lee. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - "Collectible Kicks," "Blazed and Emboldened," and "Arturo’s Revenge See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Is our national debt finally too much? (update)
23 sept 2026, 7:00 · 29 min
(Note: A version of this episode originally ran in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/06/07/1197959252/debt-gdp-ratio-growth-united-states"target="_blank" >2024</a>.) $40,000,000,000,000. Four commas. Thirteen zeroes. It’s an eye-popping, almost infinite-sounding pile of money. And every time the debt passes a big round number, almost everyone asks the same question: How much debt is too much? It’s maybe the most important question in macroeconomics. It’s also surprisingly hard to answer. When two economists tried to answer it back in 2010, it ignited a research slugfest that lasted a decade. We did a show on this question in 2024, outlining everything we know and don’t know about when the national debt becomes a problem. But a lot has changed. Interest rates have risen and stayed high. Spending has steamrolled ahead. Doves have become hawks. So on today’s show, we update our 2024 episode to revisit the age-old question: Is our debt finally too much? Read Planet Money: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. Our original episode was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Molly Messick. This update was reported and produced by Vito Emanuel. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Kwesi Lee. And it was edited by Alex Goldmark, Planet Money’s executive producer. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
The Domino’s Pizza Tracker Theory of Everything
18 sept 2026, 20:00 · 32 min
Did a pizza restaurant’s humble status page change how we wait forever? When you order a Lyft or Uber, you get texts every few minutes about your car approaching and arriving. When you have a package coming, you get a notification when it’s shipped, when it’s en route, and when it’s out for delivery. Why do so many companies send these constant updates? We have a theory: It’s because of Domino’s. In 2008, Domino’s launched the Pizza Tracker, a novel tool that delighted customers by allowing them to obsessively monitor their pizza’s progress from order to oven to delivery. The Pizza Tracker became a canonical model for other companies trying to improve their customers’ experiences of waiting for all kinds of products and services. And now? Pizza Trackers are everywhere. On today’s show: how the Domino’s Pizza Tracker shaped the internet, and how trackers went from transparently sharing information with consumers to — in some cases — actively deceiving us. Support: — <a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a> Read: — Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> — Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> — Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: — <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> — <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> — <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> — <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Alex Mayyasi. It was produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, edited by Liza Yeager, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo and Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
How investing is getting riskier (Two Indicators)
16 sept 2026, 7:00 · 18 min
Margin borrowing and sports gambling “investments” are both on the rise! Today on the show, two stories from Planet Money’s daily podcast The Indicator about the ways investing is changing, and getting riskier. <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/betterments-2026-retail-investor-survey-reveals-a-new-generation-of-investors-is-blurring-the-lines-between-information-advice-and-entertainment-302848376.html"target="_blank" >According to one study, more than half</a> of Gen Zers are using investment dollars for sports gambling. On average, this is not a smart strategy for the long term. It might be that sports betting today is like day trading was for a previous generation of young investors: something a lot of young people, typically men, do, lose money at for a while, then quit. We review the early research on this trend and meet a state legislator proposing ways to stem problem gambling. More, generally younger people are also investing with borrowed money. Trading on margin is at an all time high of over $1.5 trillion. In the past, high levels of margin investing have led to crashes. We hear those stories and find out what the Fed might do to reign in the risk. Related Indicator episodes — <a href="http://lnk.to/zlkvbt"target="_blank" >How AI might mess with financial markets</a> — <a href="https://lnk.to/pRWjp2WE"target="_blank" >Prediction markets are threatening national security. Who's gonna fix it?</a> Connect with Planet Money & The Indicator — Sign up for <a href="https://npr.org/indicatornewsletter"target="_blank" >The Indicator’s weekly link round up newsletter</a>! — Sign up for <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money"target="_blank" >Planet Money’s weekly longform newsletter!</a> — Buy the <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdDWE"target="_blank" >Planet Money book</a> — Find our <a href="https://linktr.ee/indicator_npr"target="_blank" >socials, YouTube and more</a>! — For sponsor-free episodes, <a href="https://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >subscribe to NPR+</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. These episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money were produced by Corey Bridges and Cooper Katz-McKim. They were engineered by Travis Hagan and Cena Loffredo, and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. They were edited by Julia Ritchey and Kate Concannon. 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
The loan at the heart of a new foreclosure crisis
11 sept 2026, 21:00 · 29 min
There is a new type of loan that is sweeping through the country right now. It’s advertised as a super quick and super easy way to get a mortgage to buy a home. In recent years, Wall Street has been funneling billions of dollars into these loans. But these loans are also raising questions. Are they a financial innovation that’s helping the housing market? Or ... a sign that Wall Street might be forgetting the mistakes that led to the Global Financial Crisis? On today’s show, we head to Baltimore, where abandoned rowhomes have become a familiar sight. Reporters Hallie Miller, Jack Bologna and Sahana Jayaraman from The Baltimore Banner have been following this new loan as it’s been bringing millions of dollars into some of Baltimore's most distressed neighborhoods. But, a few years ago, two local landlords quickly and quietly amassed what might be one of the largest private real estate portfolios in Baltimore: Over 700 homes and $100 million dollars in borrowed cash. Using this hot new loan. And then they tried to disappear. We talk with the Banner reporters about what they found at the heart of this mystery, and why it might have implications for the rest of the country. Read the Banner’s reporting: <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/community/housing/baltimore-housing-foreclosure-dscr-HFPWHAWCY5HRLPR2VZSUAQWW24/"target="_blank" >The housing hustle igniting a foreclosure crisis in Baltimore</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/community/housing/baltimore-vacants-foreclosure-crisis-dscr-loan-EVPLHTZBUJA2PIMUILXQT5KLCU/"target="_blank" >Before mass foreclosures, DSCR loans looked good for Baltimore</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/community/housing/baltimore-dscr-loan-vacant-housing-KG3JFWM5JJH5FFXSMROODXJMUY/"target="_blank" >Could a few 'bad actors' upend Baltimore's housing hopes?</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/community/local-news/baltimore-fair-housing-discrimination-foreclosures-investigation-SXGD75SIO5FE5I57HSI7XPHDKE/"target="_blank" >Baltimore will investigate New York investor group for housing discrimination</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/real-estate/private-lenders-fraud-foreclosure-baltimore-homes-U4Q3ZXGQU5F7ZCSWFQ3VNUO3TY/"target="_blank" >Baltimore is striking fear into private lenders across the country</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/federal-lawsuit-foreclosed-homes-RWPVV2THFVHRTHCELDAK3JH4NI/"target="_blank" >From $3.7M to $9.9M: Federal probe focuses on 42 Baltimore homes sold again and again</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/baltimore-housing-investigation-fbi-TK6T2KXIKFFYTPDC5PPOCKDO7I/"target="_blank" >The FBI is investigating the New York investors behind Baltimore’s foreclosure wave</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/new-york-investors-baltimore-scam-lawsuit-property-records-HGRHT7GXERHJNOXYVYQN5W3ETI/"target="_blank" >Fake deeds, real money: New York investors accused of another Baltimore scam</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/shraga-lerner-baltimore-foreclosures-OJDYNQZCQFBP3OVPAGHM6BAMUY/"target="_blank" >How do you build a huge portfolio of Baltimore rentals? It helps to know a guy.</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/economy/dscr-loans-baltimore-popular-industrial-cities-B6NXRSHPPFGBLKHUQTNCE5LLC4/"target="_blank" >The loans behind Baltimore’s foreclosure crisis are surging in cities across the nation</a> <a href="https://www.thebanner.com/culture/arts/baltimore-ballroom-vogue-pioneer-U7JFRFIH2JDU7NBT5IQ3LFTYGM/"target="_blank" >Baltimore ballroom ‘icon’ survives a life of grit with glamour</a> Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://ww
Cost-cutting, quiet guilt and the inflation generation
9 sept 2026, 7:00 · 24 min
In this economy it is boom times and doom times all at once. The statistics aren’t really capturing it. K-shaped only goes so far as a metaphor. So … we asked you to help. And you delivered! One one hand, the stock market is on a prolonged, upward trajectory. Unemployment is low and inflation has come down from its peak. But on the other hand, inflation is frustratingly sticky and higher than we want, job turnover is extremely low making looking for work an endless grind, and more than 75% of Americans say they’re stressed about money. So we asked you – our listeners – how is the economy working for you? We got a range of responses. Some people are going to great lengths to save money and make ends meet, others are thriving and feel kind of guilty about their good fortune. We also heard from a new generation being shaped by this economic moment into hyper cost-conscious shoppers. You might call them the inflation generation. Each story helps us understand what’s actually going on in the economy and what the stats aren’t capturing. Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our Game: <a href="https://www.explodingkittens.com/products/sell-me-a-sasquatch?srsltid=AfmBOoqh0lg9W7NlEUAvarSJ4E6RCE7sUnuUa1cohEZiz_xN5oFTqj3O"target="_blank" >Sell Me A Sasquatch</a> about the hilarious chaos of monstrous dealmaking. Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Alex Goldmark. Reporting help from Charlotte Isidore. It was fact checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Special thanks to all our listeners and all of you who wrote in to let us know how you’re doing. Music: NPR Source Audio - "What I Need," "Feel the Love," and "Red Line" See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Trump drinks Venezuela’s milkshake
5 sept 2026, 0:00 · 25 min
One week ago, President Trump <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/117175567133618952"target="_blank" >announced</a> a deal that would give the “U.S. control of more than 65 BILLION BARRELS of proven Oil Reserves in Venezuela, at no cost to the American Taxpayer.” The exact nature of this deal has been … obscure, to say the least. But today, we wanted to know, from someone who’s been through this before, what does this mean for Venezuela? José Ángel Pereira Ruimwyk is both optimistic … and wary. He’s a longtime Venezuelan oil insider. When Venezuela invited in foreigners, decades ago, he was there to greet them. And when Venezuela wanted them out? Well, that’s how he ended up in a jail cell. On today’s show, we’re going to hear from one third-generation Venezuelan oilman who has seen everything … up until this, of course. Check out our other episodes about Venezuela: - <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5680400/chevron-venezuela-oil-industry-petrostate"target="_blank" >Chevron, Venezuela and the Paradox of Plenty</a> - <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/02/1202966830/venezuela-hyperinflation-maduro-gonzalez"target="_blank" >How Venezuela imploded</a> Read: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Erika Beras and produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact checked by Emma Peaslee with help from Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Josephine Nyounai with help from Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Love in the time of Palantir
2 sept 2026, 7:00 · 25 min
To a lot of people, Palantir is a mystery — what does the company know, what data do they have, and (if they have it) what do they do with it all? We dig into that mystery and take you to a singles event to see if Big Data is good for Big Dating. That event, deep in the heart of Manhattan, is called: “Singles Dating Matching Using Palantir Data.” The evening promised: “Data analysis!” and “Pattern matching!” We decided that we needed to know more. Read: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was hosted by Amanda Aronczyk, produced by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and edited by Jess Jiang. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo and Maggie Luthar and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. Music: Universal Production Music - "Silvana’s Theme," "Masseria Del Sud," Sunset in Florence," and "An Italian Romance" See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Dolly Parton’s “9 to 5,” the true story behind the anthem (bonus)
30 ago 2026, 7:00 · 22 min
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 <a href="https://lnk.to/nR7HsmWE"target="_blank" >click here</a>. (Note: This episode originally ran in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/04/14/987333798/workin-9-to-5"target="_blank" >2021</a>.) Read: - Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> - Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> - Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: - <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> - <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> - <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Branded fruit: How produce got “Honeycrisp-ified"
28 ago 2026, 19:19 · 33 min
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 <a href="https://www.sporkful.com/"target="_blank" >The Sporkful food podcast</a> – 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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> 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<a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" > plus.npr.org</a>. 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 Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. Correction, Aug. 31, 2026: An earlier version of this story incorrectly said that the University of Washington developed the Cosmic Crisp apple. It was Washington State University. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
The continent nobody owns & everyone benefits from (Summer School)
26 ago 2026, 7:30 · 40 min
<div class="cms-textAlign-left">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. </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left"> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left">Pack your parka, we’re headed to Antarctica. </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left"> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left">First, we’ll travel back in time to the late 1970s when NPR was a scrappy young network, <a href="https://exchange.prx.org/pieces/208464?m=false"target="_blank" >with a synth soundtrack</a>, 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. </div> <div class="cms-textAlign-left">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. </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left"> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left">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. </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left"> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left">And don’t forget your totally real, but not legal, diploma <a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/26/g-s1-138847/planet-money-summer-school-quiz-2026"target="_blank" >by taking our short online test.</a> Don’t worry if you need a refresher, <a href="https://lnk.to/pV5FjKWE"target="_blank" >catch up on past seasons of Planet Money Summer School here.</a> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left"> </div><div class="cms-textAlign-left">Featured Episodes:</div> <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/25/g-s1-140101/the-unexpected-sounds-of-antarctica"target="_blank" >The unexpected sounds of Antarctica (1979)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/08/25/g-s1-140102/a-visit-to-mcmurdo-station-in-antarctica"target="_blank" >A visit to McMurdo Station in Antarctica (1979)</a> </li></ul><div class="cms-textAlign-left">Featured Terms:</div> <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Ecosystem as a service </li><li>Consórcios (a type of ROSCA, a Rotating Savings and Credit Association)</li><li>Social housing</li><li>Natural capital </li></ul><div class="cms-textAlign-left">Support:</div> <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) </a></li><li>And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. <a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+</a></li></ul><div class="cms-textAlign-left">Read: </div> <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPc
Who decides what big box sells? Our GAME got us answers
21 ago 2026, 21:17 · 37 min
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: <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/07/19/1197961103/pantone-colors-lawrence-herbert-stuart-semple-standards"target="_blank" >The company that owns colors </a> Support: <a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a> Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Getting entrepreneurial in Korea (Summer School)
19 ago 2026, 7:30 · 40 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/11/27/247564324/episode-499-richard-nixon-kimchi-and-the-first-clothing-factory-in-bangladesh"target="_blank" >Richard Nixon, Kimchi and the first clothing factory in Bangladesh (2013)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/551232343"target="_blank" >North Korea's Capitalists (2017)</a></li></ul> Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Volatility</li><li>Inflation expectations</li><li>Capital controls</li><li>Austerity</li></ul> Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) </a></li></ul>And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
You bet your life insurance
14 ago 2026, 20:56 · 38 min
Some of the biggest firms on Wall Street are, at this very moment, waiting for thousands of strangers to die to reap their returns. Because there’s a market for life insurance policies. And it’s legal. You don’t have to actually die to get some of your life insurance money. Thanks to a secondary market for life insurance policies, you might be able to claw back money from beyond the grave. You just sell your policy to an investor. So when you die, the payout goes to them, instead of your family or beneficiary. On today’s show, how the wheels of finance transformed a desperate deal made during the AIDS crisis into a multi-billion dollar industry. Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a></li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>This episode was produced by Willa Rubin with help from Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Marianne McCune and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. 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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Currency Chaos in Argentina (Summer School)
12 ago 2026, 7:30 · 39 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/11/30/1139976898/messi-economics"target="_blank" >Messi economics (2022)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/09/22/1197954122/argentina-peso-inflation-milei"target="_blank" >A black market, a currency crisis and a tango competition in Argentina (2023)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2022/10/21/1130640816/strong-dollar-us-latin-america-inflation-peso-mexico-argentina-chile"target="_blank" >The high cost of a strong dollar (2022)</a></li></ul> Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Volatility</li><li>Inflation expectations</li><li>Capital controls</li><li>Austerity</li></ul>Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) </a></li><li>And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode.</li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Older workers aren’t retiring. Should they be forced to?
7 ago 2026, 20:55 · 34 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>More of <a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/09/794977811/episode-963-13-000-economists-1-question"target="_blank" >Planet Money’s coverage</a> of the lump of labor fallacy</li><li>Samuel Moyn: <a href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374607647/gerontocracyinamerica/"target="_blank" >Gerontocracy in America: How the Old Are Hoarding Power and Wealth? And What to Do About It.</a></li><li>Gerhard Casper and Saunders Mac Lane: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/26/opinion/older-doesnt-mean-wiser.html"target="_blank" >Older Doesn’t Mean Wiser</a>”</li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly long-form <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> </li></ul>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 <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. This episode was reported by Sarah Gonzalez. It was produced by Willa Rubin, edited by Eric Misitzis Mennel, and fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore. 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Sand heists and property rights in the Caribbean (Summer School)
5 ago 2026, 7:30 · 40 min
Imagine a nation where, for the residents, land is for the claiming. You walk down the street, pick out a nice looking plot of land, and just plop down a marker. No rent, no taxes, no deed – just free land. That’s the communal system of property rights that governed a small Caribbean island for over a century. This week on our Summer School World Tour we make port on the small economies of island nations, a great place to explore how different experiments play out. Every small change – the good and the bad – has big consequences. First, the fascinating test case on the island of Barbuda, where the people there have found a way to run things without the usual, formal land rights. Then, we consider the vulnerabilities of small nations as we dig into a mysterious sand heist in Jamaica. A stolen beach – yes, you read that right – and something called “sand forensics” reveal the importance of this seemingly infinite resource and the challenges of protecting public spaces when there’s money to be made. Along the way we found ourselves asking: Does property have to be private? What happens when it’s not? How can you protect scarce resources when they’re part of the vast, public spaces everyone shares? Featured Episodes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2020/01/31/801645818/episode-969-the-island-no-one-owns"target="_blank" >The Island No One Owns (2020)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/07/13/628894815/episode-853-peak-sand"target="_blank" >Peak Sand (2018)</a> </li></ul>Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Tragedy of the commons</li><li>Property rights</li><li>Path dependence</li><li>Ownership in common</li></ul> Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+ (sponsor-free listening & bonus episodes) </a></li><li>And please click “follow” in your podcast app so you don’t miss an episode. </li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Leyla Doss and engineered by Annlie Huang. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
What makes a toy go viral
31 jul 2026, 21:00 · 25 min
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: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> Support public media by joining NPR+ at <a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" >plus.npr.org</a>. 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
How to beat the resource curse in Norway (Summer School)
29 jul 2026, 7:30 · 38 min
Let’s call it the luxury of restraint. This is what enabled Norway to avoid the fate of so many other countries when they discovered oil and it changed the mix of their economy overnight. Norway! It’s expensive, wealthy, and abundant in resources. We’re going to compare two of them in particular today: deep reservoirs of oil and icy waters full of salmon. While one resource was heavily in demand, the country had an oversupply of the other. In this episode, we learn how Norway built its wealth by carefully avoiding the pitfalls of discovering oil that have plagued countries in the past and how it creatively created demand for its raw fish abroad. How do you dodge the dreaded resource curse? What clever ways can you benefit from oversupply? And lastly, how do you get rich and stay that way? Featured Episodes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2011/08/26/139972557/the-friday-podcast-norways-got-advice-for-libya"target="_blank" >Norway Has Advice For Libya (2011)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2015/09/16/440951873/episode-651-the-salmon-taboo"target="_blank" >The Salmon Taboo (2015)</a> </li></ul>Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Resource curse / Dutch disease / paradox of plenty</li><li>Coordination problem</li><li>Free-rider problem</li></ul> Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a> </li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li><li></li></ul>This episode of Planet Money Summer School is hosted by Robert Smith. It was produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre and edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo with help from Annlie Huang and Robert Rodriguez. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Piles of cash and a town of solutions in Kenya, Nigeria (Summer School)
24 jul 2026, 20:00 · 38 min
Let’s head to a small town in Kenya that’s become globally famous for helping economists answer some of the biggest questions facing humanity. In Kenya and Nigeria, economics isn’t just theory, it’s real life. We’ll look at some radical experiments that turned out to be enormously successful. What are the building blocks of health, education and prosperity for all? How does a nation grow rich? What is the most effective way to spend a dollar to fight poverty? We find answers in a town that became the laboratory for new concepts in economic research that netted some researchers the most prestigious prize in economics. Featured Episodes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/06/09/1181448838/busia-kenya-nobel-prize-randomized-control-trials"target="_blank" >How randomized trials and the town of Busia, Kenya changed economics (2023)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2016/05/20/478883658/episode-702-nigeria-you-win"target="_blank" >Nigeria, You Win! (2016)</a> </li></ul>Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Randomized controlled trial</li><li>Human capital</li><li>Missing middle</li></ul>Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a> </li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> The series is hosted by Robert Smith and produced by Sophia Paliza-Carre. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. This episode was fact-checked by Leyla Doss, with engineering by Annlie Huang. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Big Lettuce meets Small Intestine
22 jul 2026, 23:16 · 25 min
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: <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/08/24/641739640/episode-861-food-scare-squad"target="_blank" >Food Scare Squad</a> <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/26/nx-s1-5553615/gustavus-swift-m-e-pennington-refrigeration"target="_blank" >How refrigeration took over the world</a> Support: <a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a> Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> This 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
New NPR Series: "We Keep Us Safe" from the Embedded podcast
21 jul 2026, 21:00 · 3 min
In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation in the wake of George Floyd's killing. Antonio arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved. In this eight-part series, hosts Sydney Brownstone of The Seattle Times and Will James of KUOW team up with NPR's Embedded to investigate Antonio's death. They track down key eyewitnesses and surface crucial evidence that's never been made public. Find "We Keep Us Safe" in the Embedded podcast feed. Listen to Embedded wherever you get your podcasts, including the <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510311/embedded"target="_blank" >NPR App</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1091709555?mt=2&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory"target="_blank" >Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://pca.st/embd"target="_blank" >Pocket Casts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/4uGM0HtHF1DPR4LHNlfvwm"target="_blank" >Spotify</a>, and via <a href="https://feeds.npr.org/510311/podcast.xml"target="_blank" >RSS</a>. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Can World Cup mania grow MLS in the U.S.?
17 jul 2026, 22:43 · 26 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>This 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Building things and breaking things in China (Summer School World Tour)
15 jul 2026, 7:30 · 38 min
China’s turbocharged growth may have made it rich, but now it has to deal with rich country problems. High-speed trains that connect every town. Gleaming new bridges and skyscrapers. An apartment (or two) for every family. No country on Earth has seen the kind of economic growth that China has over the last 50 years. China has become the factory to the world, a grand experiment in central government planning mixed with personal ambition. It was all enabled by what our guide for today calls, an engineering state, a central planning mindset where leaders believe they can engineer their way out of economic problems. And problems are mounting. Today on the show, the perils of prosperity and the despair of success as China deals with overbuilding. We’ll travel back to China’s free-wheeling boom-era of the early 2000s and hang out with a property developer who amassed his wealth at the center of the action – private jet rides, thousand-dollar fish soup, casual bribes. Then, as the economy slows, we ask what can we learn from the despair of success. Does rising youth unemployment signal a less prosperous future? With young people struggling to find white-collar jobs, some of them are opting out of work altogether. Featured Episodes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/11/15/1197954635/chinas-real-estate-crisis-explained"target="_blank" >China’s real estate crisis, explained (2023) </a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/08/30/1196890793/young-spoiled-and-miserable-in-china"target="_blank" >Young, “spoiled and miserable” in China (2023) </a></li></ul> Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Socialism with Chinese Characteristics</li><li>Engineering State</li><li>Malinvestment</li></ul> Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a></li><li>Dan Wang’s book: <a href="https://danwang.co/breakneck/"target="_blank" >Breakneck: China's Quest to Engineer the Future</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This 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 Maggie Luthar. This episode was edited by Planet Money Executive Producer Alex Goldmark. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Seven allegedly fake Chanel bags vs The RealReal
10 jul 2026, 21:00 · 25 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a></li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>This 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Our mission: Find the world’s best economic ideas (Summer School World Tour)
8 jul 2026, 7:30 · 37 min
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: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/08/31/1032979418/liquid-markets"target="_blank" >Liquid Markets (2021)</a> </li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2018/11/30/672366380/episode-879-the-secret-target"target="_blank" >The Secret Target (2018)</a></li></ul> Featured Terms: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Multiple equilibria</li><li>Inflation targeting</li><li>Speculators (impact on liquidity) </li></ul>Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> (<a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/509P7k1QPcwgzOSCqVCDCZ"target="_blank" >Audiobook here</a>) </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> </li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator link round-up newsletter</a> </li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> </li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> </li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> </li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
How to win a penalty shootout (with game theory)
3 jul 2026, 21:00 · 17 min
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 <a href="https://linktr.ee/soccernomicspod"target="_blank" >Soccernomics podcast</a> to explain how game theory has changed soccer, and how soccer has changed game theory. Watch the penalty shootout between <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-QliFMvpqI"target="_blank" >Manchester United and Chelsea in the Champions League final in 2008</a>. Support: <a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a> Read: Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a> Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a> Follow: <a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a> <a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a> <a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> 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 <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Can the Trump administration make college cheaper?
1 jul 2026, 7:00 · 28 min
Will limiting how much students can borrow force schools to lower their prices? The Department of Education thinks so. It has a new plan to bring down tuition costs. Starting today, July 1st, it’s going to cap how much it’s willing to loan to graduate students. You read that right. To reduce the burden of school…the plan is to give students less money to pay for school. This plan is, in part, based on an idea that’s been floating around higher education circles for decades: The Bennett Hypothesis, which claims there’s a direct relationship between student borrowing and tuition prices. And therefore, if the Department of Education — the biggest student loan provider in the country — limits how much students can take out, then schools will have no choice but to charge students less. This hypothesis was floated roughly 40 years ago...without evidence. But now, as the Trump administration rolls out their Bennettian plan, we have decades of data to see how true this hypothesis is. Today on the show: NPR Education Correspondent Cory Turner explains this theory, and what the new plan influenced by it will mean for borrowers this fall. Other notes: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Bill Bennett: “<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/18/opinion/our-greedy-colleges.html"target="_blank" >Our Greedy Colleges</a>”</li><li>Cory Turner: "<a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/06/10/nx-s1-5835633/student-loans-guide-education-changes-repayment-plan"target="_blank" >July 1 brings big student loan changes. Here's what you need to know</a>"</li><li>The Indicator: "<a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/06/29/nx-s1-5872779/what-you-should-know-about-your-student-loans"target="_blank" >What you should know about your student loans</a>" </li></ul>Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul>This episode was hosted by Cory Turner and Kenny Malone. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - “Morning Chorus,” “Belle Mar,” and “The Sky Was Orange.” See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
We almost had a smartphone in the 90s. Why did it fail?
26 jun 2026, 21:30 · 26 min
In the early 90’s, a company called General Magic began working on a portable device that would allow people to check email, make phone calls, even play games. It was basically a smartphone. But it never caught on. On today’s show, a theory about why this device failed. General Magic had generous investors, world-class talent and creative freedom. But is it possible what they needed was constraints? Further reading and viewing: David Epstein’s book is <a href="https://davidepstein.com/inside-the-box/"target="_blank" >Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better</a>. Tony Fadell’s book is <a href="https://www.buildc.com/the-book"target="_blank" >Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Make Things Worth Making</a>. Sarah Kerruish and Matt Maude’s documentary is called <a href="https://www.generalmagicthemovie.com/"target="_blank" >General Magic</a>. Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul>Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li></ul><ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul>Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Emma Peaslee. It was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler and James Sneed. It was edited by Marianne McCune and fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore. It was engineered by Jimmy Keeley with help from Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Before Kalshi and Polymarket there was the Iowa Electronic Markets
24 jun 2026, 7:00 · 22 min
Prediction markets aren’t new. Election betting was common until the 1940s, then mysteriously faded away. There was an entire political era when party bosses were expected to conspicuously gamble on their candidates (even if they secretly hedged). And in the 1980s, a few economists designed an election market that beat out election polling 74 percent of the time. Today, we’re running an excerpt from our friends at Throughline, NPR’s excellent history podcast. <a href="https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510333/throughline"target="_blank" >Subscribe right now if you don’t already</a>. And, listen to<a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/21/nx-s1-5828906/prediction-markets-are-making-a-150-year-comeback"target="_blank" > their extended version of the episode</a> to hear about the early markets for betting on terrorism and military uses of prediction markets. Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >NPR+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li></ul><ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> Today's episode was produced for Planet Money by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, edited by Alex Goldmark, and engineered by Maggie Luthar. The original Throughline episode was produced by Rund Abdelfatah, Casey Miner, Cristina Kim, Devin Katayama, Sarah Wyman, Julia Redpath, and Kyana Moghadam. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
The real horror of ‘Alien’ and how it explains why we’re not paid enough
19 jun 2026, 21:30 · 32 min
Maybe the real monster in the Alien franchise isn’t actually the killer alien. Because behind the acid blood and jump scares is an even more insidious horror: a single employer with unchecked power. That employer is named Weyland-Yutani, a mega-corporation that dominates workers across the galaxy. Weyland-Yutani is a sort of extreme example of what economists call a monopsony — when one employer dominates a labor market and gains power to underpay and mistreat workers. Sure, it’s science fiction. But a growing number of economists argue that monopsony power is a much bigger deal in the real world than previously thought. We watch scenes from the movie Alien with labor economist Arin Dube, whose new book, The Wage Standard, shines a spotlight on the problem of monopsony power in the modern economy. We ask Arin what policy ideas he has that would have maybe prevented the worker tragedy seen in Alien. And we use his answer to try and rewrite the movie (spoiler: the movie becomes much shorter and less exciting). Plus, we speak with Fede Álvarez, the director and co-writer of Alien: Romulus, which puts Weyland-Yutani’s poor treatment of workers front row and center. For more on monopsony and anti-trust: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/14/g-s1-117075/the-labor-economics-of-alien-and-its-lessons-for-inequality-on-earth"target="_blank" >The labor economics of 'Alien' — and its lessons for inequality on Earth</a> (PM newsletter)</li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/planet-money/2026/04/21/g-s1-118071/the-hidden-power-keeping-wages-low"target="_blank" >The hidden power keeping wages low</a> (PM newsletter)</li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/03/20/704426033/antitrust-in-america"target="_blank" >Antitrust In America</a> (PM series)</li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/05/06/nx-s1-5812912/baseball-free-agency-curt-flood"target="_blank" >How we got free agents in baseball</a> (PM episode)</li></ul> Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> Today's episode of Planet Money was hosted by Greg Rosalsky and Kenny Malone. It was produced by James Sneed, edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Robert Rodriguez. Our executive producer is Alex Goldmark. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Can computer hackers get inside your mind?
17 jun 2026, 7:00 · 29 min
The cyber weapon that might have prevented nuclear war. The U.S. and Israel have long been in conflict with Iran over their nuclear development program. Some of that conflict has been out in the open, with bombs and blockades, but some of it has been invisible. Recently some security researchers discovered a cyberweapon likely tied to that invisible conflict. It looks like it was designed to hide on nuclear scientists computers, then throw off their calculations--just as they got close to achieving their goals. Sounds like something out of science fiction. But it was created 20 years ago. On today’s show: a whodunit about hackers, ‘Cyber Paleontologists’, spy-vs-spy protocols, cryptic intelligence leaks, nuclear physics, high-precision math, and epistemological warfare. Pictured: Juan Andres Guerrero Saade (JAGS) and his ‘Fast16 - NOTHING TO SEE HERE, CARRY ON’ tattoo. Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a> </li></ul>This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Erika Beras. It was produced by Willa Rubin and edited by Marianne McCune with help from Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Charlotte Isidore and engineered by Kwesi Lee. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Music: NPR Source Audio - “High Tech Expert,” “Digital Wave,” and “Hyper Pop.” See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
It’s my tree. Why can’t I cut it down?
12 jun 2026, 22:00 · 25 min
Can the government stop you from cutting down your own tree? In many towns and cities these days, removing a tree now requires a permit. You might have to pay a fee, or promise to plant replacement trees. But sometimes, the city won't let you cut down the tree at all, even a tree in your own backyard. That's because trees are important for air quality, for flood control, and for public health. They help keep neighborhoods cool on hot days. But some think that tree protection laws have gone too far — that they might even be unconstitutional. On today's episode, it's the latest showdown between property rights and local zoning laws. Typically, towns and cities enjoy a lot of power when it comes to zoning and permits. They can ban certain types of buildings. They can make you paint your house a certain color. But can they make it illegal to cut down a tree? And what does it mean to "own" a piece of property anyway? Support: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3HlREPz"target="_blank" >Planet Money+</a></li></ul> Read: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li>Our book: <a href="https://lnk.to/i3AukBdD"target="_blank" >Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life</a> </li><li>Our weekly longform <a href="https://n.pr/3zrFvUB"target="_blank" >Planet Money newsletter</a></li><li>Our weekly <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/indicator"target="_blank" >Indicator round-up newsletter</a></li></ul> Follow: <ul class="rte2-style-ul" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;padding-inline-start:48px;"><li><a href="https://n.pr/3FqLuws"target="_blank" >Instagram</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3sGZdrq"target="_blank" >TikTok</a></li><li><a href="https://lnk.to/iCVDaW3C"target="_blank" >YouTube</a></li><li><a href="https://n.pr/3h92GwS"target="_blank" >Facebook</a></li></ul> This episode of Planet Money was hosted by Jeff Guo and Amanda Aronczyk. It was produced by James Sneed and Emma Peaslee, edited by Jess Jiang, and fact-checked by Vito Emanuel. It was engineered by Robert Rodriguez and Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. <a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>

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