Best Planetmoney Podcasts (2024)

1
The Fed cut rates ... now what? (featuring: Sasquatch) 9:29

15m ago9:29

9:29

It's ... Indicators of the Week! We roundup the economic indicators that caught our eyes and ears. This week, all our attention was on the Federal Reserve, which cut interest rates by half a percentage point. (Egad!) On today's episode, we've got dot plots, why the Fed rate cut may not bring immediate relief, and ... Sasquatch?! Related Episodes: H…

1
How to save 10,000 fingers 24:28

1h ago24:28

24:28

Table saws are extremely dangerous. The government estimates that injuries from table saws send something like 30,000 people to the emergency room every year. 3,000 of those end in amputations. The costs of those injuries are enormous. Are they also avoidable? In 1999, inventor Steve Gass had a realization: Humans conduct electricity pretty well; W…

1
What are Harris' economic plans? 9:22

1h ago9:22

9:22

Yesterday we looked at Donald Trump's key economic proposals for a second term. On today's show, we do the same for Kamala Harris, examining the Democratic nominee's plans for taxes, housing and grocery store prices. Related episodes: What are Trump's economic plans? (Apple / Spotify) Three Kamala Harris indicators (Apple / Spotify) Bad economics, …

1
What are Trump's economic plans? 9:30

1h ago9:30

9:30

With less than two months before election day in the U.S., there's still a lot to learn about both major candidates' economic platforms. Today we look at some key proposals from Donald Trump for a second term, including tariffs and immigration. Tomorrow: Kamala Harris' plans. Related listening: Bad economics, smart politics (Apple / Spotify) How mu…

1
Can money buy happiness? 28:48

1h ago28:48

28:48

People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it, they'll mention a famous 2010 study by Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton. That study found that higher household income correlates with greater emotional well-being, but only up to around $75,000 a year. After that, more mon…

1
Behind the Tiny Desk and other listener questions 9:29

7h ago9:29

9:29

The co-hosts return with answers to YOUR questions. In this episode of listener questions, we dive into why storefronts don't just fill up, how Tiny Desk found its secret sauce, and whether there's an ideal level of staff turnover. Tiny Desk Donation Page Related episodes: Anatomy of a Layoff (Apple / Spotify) Pay Cuts Vs. Layoffs For sponsor-free …

1
Bad economics, smart politics 9:06

2d ago9:06

9:06

Nippon Steel says it wants to keep jobs in America as it looks to buy out US Steel. And economists say: that makes sense. But U.S. presidential candidates are pushing back. Today, we'll look at the role politics plays in distorting economics and find out whether that's what's happening in Pennsylvania and some other battleground states. Related epi…

1
99 Percent Invisible: The White Castle System of Eating Houses 32:43

3d ago32:43

32:43

Today we have a guest episode from 99 Percent Invisible. It is about White Castle, the burger chain. Even if you haven't visited, you have tasted its influence because, as we will learn in this episode, White Castle is really the proto-burger chain. Our friends at the excellent podcast 99 Percent Invisible bring us the origin story of White Castle …

1
The return of Fyre Festival and other indicators 9:29

21m ago9:29

9:29

It's ... Indicators of the Week! We roundup the economic indicators that caught our attention. On this (kinda) spoOoOooky Friday the 13th, we were morbidly curious about higher household incomes, a Keurig K-Cup kerfuffle and, believe it or not, the return of Fyre Festival. Related Episodes: Wake up and smell the fraud How much would you do this job…

1
Rate Expectations 23:13

13m ago23:13

23:13

The Federal Reserve raised interest rates to get inflation under control. One side effect is that taking out a mortgage to buy a home has gotten very expensive. That's especially a problem for some homeowners who managed to get a lower mortgage rate years ago. They have a sort of... champagne problem. Or, "golden handcuffs" as it's called. These ho…

1
The DOJ's case against Apple 9:27

9h ago9:27

9:27

The Department of Justice thinks Apple has violated an antitrust law, pointing to its ecosystem of apps and products. Apple, for its part, thinks the DOJ is wrong on both the facts and the law. Today on the show, why the DOJ brought this lawsuit against one of the largest companies in the world and why it matters for all you smartphone owners out t…

1
Overtourism ho! The Barcelona cruise dilemma 9:26

1d ago9:26

9:26

Barcelona has always attracted crowds, but now it's attracting protests from locals angered at the negative consequences of being one of Europe's most popular destinations. This is especially true as large cruise ships can dock close to some of the city's most famous landmarks. On today's show, we look at how cruise ships are both driving revenues …

1
Is AI overrated or underrated? 18:50

6d ago18:50

18:50

Are the promises made by AI boosters all hype, or are we actually under-appreciating the transformative potential of AI? Can artificial intelligence make humans more productive, unlock hidden potential and remake work as we know it? Or, should it not even be called intelligence at all, artificial or otherwise. On today's episode, we take sides. Two…

1
I will PAY YOU to take my natural gas 9:28

2d ago9:28

9:28

A weird thing is happening in West Texas. Natural gas prices have gotten so low, energy producers are actually paying to give it away. Today, why it's happening and whether it's a big concern. Plus, who else won a Beigie award! Related episodes: Texas' new power grid problem (Apple / Spotify) The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission …

1
How Medicare fraud became Miami's vice 8:52

8d ago8:52

8:52

In 2019, Philip Esformes went on trial for one of the biggest Medicare fraud cases in history. His longtime family rabbi said Philip Esformes was an upstanding citizen ... when he lived in Chicago. Malcolm Gladwell was fascinated by this case and the prospect of a city changing a man. He covers this in his forthcoming book Revenge of the Tipping Po…

1
Summer camp capitalism 33:32

6d ago33:32

33:32

Summer camp is a classic rite of passage in the U.S. It's a place of self-discovery, where kids come to make new friends and take on new challenges. But what if it were ALSO a place where children came to learn how to survive in a free market economy? That's part of the idea behind a summer camp at JA BizTown, in Portland, Oregon. Kids at the camp …

1
Why aren't more people taking on the trades? 9:02

7d ago9:02

9:02

There is expected to be a lot of demand for manufacturing jobs in the coming decade, but many of those positions will be left unfilled. So Darnell Epps set out to close that gap by connecting employers with workers and showing potential workers what's appealing about these jobs. Today, we dig into Darnell Epps journey through both law school and tr…

1
How Pitbull got his name on a college football stadium 9:16

8d ago9:16

9:16

Recently, singer/rapper/entrepreneur Pitbull agreed to pay $6 million to Florida International University for the naming rights to its football stadium ... an unusual move for both parties: a musician paying for their name on a stadium, and for a college to name their stadium after a musician. How does this move benefit the college? How does this m…

51
Bingo! (Presidential debate edition) 29:14

8d ago29:14

29:14

Campaigns can be a jargony slog. And this year, we are seeing a lot of economic terms being thrown around, many of which... aren't entirely straightforward. In this episode, we try to make the mess of words that accompany a presidential campaign into something a little less exhausting: A game of bingo. Follow along as we dig into five terms that we…

1
How Japan is trying to solve the problem of shrinking villages 9:00

9d ago9:00

9:00

The once-thriving Japanese hamlet of Nanmoku was known for its silk and timber industries. Today, it is the country's most aged village, with two-thirds of residents over age 65. On today's show, how the Japanese government is trying to address rural depopulation and attract younger residents to villages like Nanmoku. Related listening: Japan had a…

1
Want to get ahead in youth sports? Try staying back a year. 9:24

14d ago9:24

9:24

Reclassing, when a student repeats an academic year by choice, is a popular way for kids trying to land a spot in a top college athletics program. But it can also come with some heavy costs. Today on the show, we explore the reclassing phenomenon and pressures kids and their parents face in a competitive environment for young athletes. Related epis…

151
How to fix a housing shortage 23:29

18d ago23:29

23:29

When Cody Fischer decided to get into real estate development, he had a vision. He wanted to build affordable, energy efficient apartments in Minneapolis, not far from where he grew up. His vision was well-timed because, in 2019, Minneapolis's city council passed one of the most ambitious housing plans in the nation. One aim of that plan was to all…

1
Let's party like it's NVIDIA earnings report day! 9:29

14d ago9:29

9:29

On this Indicators of the Week, we take you to a Manhattan bar to watch NVIDIA's latest earnings reports. Plus, how publishers are trying to keep their books in Florida school libraries and what private equity is doing in Football. Related episodes: The tower of NVIDIA (Apple / Spotify) What do private equity firms actually do? For sponsor-free epi…

1
The Olympian to influencer pipeline 9:14

20d ago9:14

9:14

While the 2024 Paris Olympics are over for some athletes, many competitors are still seeking to capitalize on their fame back on their college campuses. Thanks to the NCAA's 2021 rule changes for Name, Image and Likeness, college athletes are now able to leverage their stardom to maximize their earning potential. Today on the show, we talk to Unive…

1
Summer School 8: Big ideas and life lessons from Marx, Keynes and Smith and more 32:48

15d ago32:48

32:48

Take the 2024 Planet Money Summer School Quiz here to earn your personalized diploma! Find all the episodes from this season of Summer School here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video Summer School. We are assembled here on the lawn of Planet Money University for the greatest graduation in history – because it features …

1
How mortgage interest rates work (and why they're currently out of whack) 9:20

23d ago9:20

9:20

Even with falling interest rates in recent weeks, mortgage rates are still higher than you'd expect. Mortgage interest rates are usually a little less than two percentage points higher than what you would get on a 10-year Treasury bond. But for the last couple of years that difference has been noticeably higher: 2.6% at the moment. New borrowers ha…

1
How China became solar royalty 9:25

20d ago9:25

9:25

When Shi Zhengrong started making solar panels at the turn of the century, there was basically no solar industry in China. But in the decades that followed, the nation started heavily investing in renewables. Today, we dig into how China became a leader in solar power while following the story of one man: the Sun King. Related episodes: Rooftop sol…

1
A food fight over free school lunch 9:19

21d ago9:19

9:19

The ascendance of Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz has made the topic of free school lunch a political flashpoint. Over the past several years, several states—including Walz's home state of Minnesota—have created free school lunch programs, to the dismay of some House Republicans who believe government subsidies should go only to nee…

1
The trade fraud detective 26:43

22d ago26:43

26:43

When David Rashid took over US autoparts maker Plews and Edelmann, the company was losing business to its Chinese rival, Qingdao Sunsong. Both companies make power steering hoses, but Sunsong was offering its hoses to retailers at a much lower price. Then, in 2018, the Trump administration threw companies like Rashid's a lifeline, by announcing tar…

1
How much would you do this job for? And other indicators 9:29

26d ago9:29

9:29

Welcome to another edition of Indicators of the Week! On today's show, the large downward revision to jobs numbers, the awkward release of that news and a survey that asks U.S. workers for the minimum salary they would accept a new job for. Related listening: Getting more men into so-called pink collar jobs (Apple / Spotify) Do I need a four-year d…

1
Biden's beef with bad customer service 9:19

29d ago9:19

9:19

Earlier this month, the White House unveiled a new initiative aimed at trying to serve and protect American consumers: Time is Money. It's an array of actions the Biden Harris administration is taking to stomp out business processes that waste consumers time and money, like, for example, making it unnecessarily difficult to cancel a subscription, g…

1
What is the deal with car rentals? 8:54

1M ago8:54

8:54

Like several aspects of the travel economy, renting a car is more expensive than it was before the pandemic. Today on the show, we explore the great reset happening in the U.S. rental car industry that's kept prices elevated, left fleets leaner, and customers frustrated. Related episodes: The semiconductor shortage (still) Offloading EVs, vacating …

1
Summer School 7: The Great Depression, the New Deal and how it changed our economy 35:29

22d ago35:29

35:29

Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video Summer School. When we last left the United States of America in our economic telling of history, it was the early 1900s and the country's leaders were starting to feel like they had the economic situation all figured out. Flash forward a d…

1
So, how's this No Tax On Tips thing gonna go? 9:21

1M ago9:21

9:21

By now, you've probably heard a lot from both presidential nominees about getting rid of taxes on tips. The idea may sound good on first go, but it has its detractors, namely economists and tax experts. Their fears include unfairness and people gaming the system. On today's episode, how to put in place guardrails for a policy that many economists b…

1
Is endless vacation a scam? 9:27

1M ago9:27

9:27

Unlimited paid time off may sound like a nice perk, but it's not always what it appears. Employers aren't typically obligated to pay out unused vacation balances when a worker leaves, and it can be hard for workers to understand just how much time they can actually take off. And yet ... endless leave?? It doesn't sound so bad. Today on the show, is…

1
Mortgage applications, China's housing and ... Carrie Bradshaw? 9:02

1M ago9:02

9:02

It's ... Indicators of the Week! We cover the numbers in the news that you should know about. This week, we cover mortgage applications increasing, China's home prices decreasing, and Carrie Bradshaw ... Indices-ing? Related Episodes: When mortgage rates are too low to give up Are both rents AND interest rates too dang high? The highs and lows of U…

1
The hidden world behind your new "banking" app 21:12

29d ago21:12

21:12

You might have seen ads for online banking services that seem to offer a lot of great stuff — accounts you can open in minutes and without a minimum balance or monthly fees. The ads seem to say: "These aren't your parents' boring old banks." But the truth is: Even though they might resemble banks, they aren't. These "bank-like" companies are a type…

1
Why big banks aren't interested in your savings account 9:02

1M ago9:02

9:02

Some bank customers are jumping to high-yield savings accounts to escape the shockingly low interest rates of personal savings accounts at big banks. So why aren't these banks raising their rates to attract more customers? Today on the show, we explore why big banks may not care about your savings account anymore. Related episodes: The dangers of m…

1
Should presidents have more of a say in interest rates? 9:25

1M ago9:25

9:25

Former President Donald Trump recently suggested that if elected in this year's presidential election he would want more say on decisions made by the Federal Reserve. Presidents taking a more active role in monetary policy would mark an extraordinary shift in U.S. economic institutions, and mark the end of central bank independence. Today on the sh…

1
Summer School 6: China, Taiwan and how nations grow rich 36:24

1M ago36:24

36:24

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video Summer School. In the middle of the twentieth century, China and its neighbors in East Asia were poor, mostly rural economies. China had been wrecked by a brutal civil war. Taiwan became the home o…

1
The Denver basic income experiment 9:20

1M ago9:20

9:20

Homelessness is a pervasive issue that cities across the country struggle to address. This led an entrepreneur to team up with researchers and local foundations for an experiment called the Denver Basic Income Project. The goal was to see how different variations of a basic income program would impact the local homeless population. What the researc…

1
Beach reads with a side of economics 9:30

1M ago9:30

9:30

It's that time of year when we want to lie on a beach and lose ourselves in a good book. Today on the show, three summer reading recs that got our hosts thinking about economics. Remember, anything read on the beach is, in fact, a "beach read." Books recommended in this episode: • Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (B&N, Bookshop) • Everything Is Predictabl…

101
Will the Olympics break breakdancing? 25:48

1M ago25:48

25:48

For some sports, picking the winner is simple: It's the athlete who crosses the finish line first, or the side that scores the most goals. But for the new Olympic sport of breaking (if you want to be cool, don't call it breakdancing), the criteria aren't quite that straightforward. How do you judge an event whose core values are dopeness, freshness…

1
Google's monopoly, gold medals and gasping markets 9:01

1M ago9:01

9:01

Indicators of the Week is a show dedicated to highlighting some of the most interesting numbers in the news. Today, we break down our favorite indicators in Google's antitrust defeat, the currency trade in Japan that jolted global markets and another way of creating an Olympic medal tally. Related episodes: Is Google search getting worse? (Apple / …

1
You can't spell Olympics without IP 9:27

1M ago9:27

9:27

The International Olympic Committee has developed a reputation over the years for stringently enforcing its trademarks during the summer games. It has good reason to, with brands like Coca-Cola and Visa paying top dollar for exclusive sponsorship rights. Today on the show, the lengths the IOC will go to protect its trademarks and how smaller brands…

1
Is the UK open for business? 9:28

1M ago9:28

9:28

Globalization, as we once knew it, is dead ... well, that's according to the UK's new Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves. Chancellor Reeves has run the UK Treasury since July 2024. She's facing an economic backdrop familiar to many countries: hollowed-out industrial towns; climate change; global wars and conflicts. Today on the show: Our co…

1
Summer School 5: 250 years of trade history in three chapters 36:59

1M ago36:59

36:59

Episodes each Wednesday through labor day. Find all the episodes from this season here. And past seasons here. And follow along on TikTok here for video Summer School. Trade has come up in all of the episodes of Summer School so far. An early use of money was to make trade easier. Trade was responsible for the birth of companies and the stock marke…

1
The debate at the heart of new electricity transmission 9:19

2M ago9:19

9:19

The U.S. wants to become a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. That will mean a lot of new generation from renewable energy. It also means more transmission networks are needed to bring it onto the grid. But there's a debate over how that new transmission should be built — between a competitive or monopoly approach. Today, we look at why competitio…

1
Markets have a bad case of the Mondays 9:06

2M ago9:06

9:06

It's been a turbulent couple of days for financial markets around the world. Japan's biggest stock market saw its worst day in decades. Corporate earnings disappointed investors. And last week's jobs report here in the US showed disappointing numbers. Is this a sign of a recession or just some temporary turbulence? Today, we speak with two economic…

1
Getting more men into so-called pink-collar jobs 8:47

2M ago8:47

8:47

Jobs numbers came out today and they weren't great: Unemployment hit 4.3% and only 114,000 jobs were added to the economy in July. The U.S. economy's downshifting gears ... but there are bright spots. Care jobs grew. Like social assistance: 9,000 new jobs in July. Social work organizations have been calling out for more men in particular ... and wi…

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