It’s karaoke night for Bridget and Ryan, but something stops them from belting their favorite tunes on their podcast: the law. It’s the perfect setup to answer a question from Garrett, who wants to know about copyright, trademarks, and royalties. We all know people deserve to be paid for their creative ideas. But how does it actually work? Together, we’ll find out how creators protect their ideas and make money from them. Plus, will Ryan be able to turn what he’s learned into a lucrative musical...
Nov 11, 2025•33 min•Season 9Ep. 8
It’s Skimbleshanks’ birthday bash and Bridget and Ryan head to the two-dollar general store for party supplies. When they get back, they tackle Harper’s question about why $2 bills exist if nobody uses them. With a little help from two ghostly guests from history they discover why this rare bill still matters. If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website . We’ve got conversation starters and a tip sheet! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight....
Nov 04, 2025•29 min•Season 9Ep. 7
It’s Halloween, and Bridget and Ryan are trying to answer a question about the national debt while preparing for their town’s giant Halloween extravaganza. The town has taken on debt to make things extra spooky this year and things are starting to get a little out of control! Can Bridget and Ryan help the town navigate their monster debt? (Grownups: This is episode does contain monsters but no jump scares! You know your kid listeners best, so exercise caution if Halloween is more tricky than tre...
Oct 28, 2025•26 min•Season 9Ep. 6
In the previous episode of “Million Bazillion,” listener Aditya wanted to know all about the stock market, and how people make money from stocks. So what happens when a kid actually decides to try it out? Well, today we’re going to hear Joshua’s investing story, in his own words, and what happened when he decided to invest money in the stock market instead of keeping it in the bank. Don’t worry! He didn’t do it alone. His dad helped every step of the way, because investing is serious stuff and s...
Oct 24, 2025•6 min
“Marketplace” host Kai Ryssdal needs a bit of help doing his classic “The Numbers” stock market segment so Ryan jumps in to save the day. The only problem is, he has no idea what any of it means. Ryan and Bridget head to Wall Street to learn about the stock market and answer Aditya’s question: how do stocks make money? Things get competitive as the duo try investing in stocks for themselves and see who can make more money. If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question...
Oct 21, 2025•29 min•Season 9Ep. 5
Today, we’re resharing an important episode from our archive! There’s a major storm brewing, and Ryan and Bridget are stuck inside. It’s the perfect opportunity to answer a question they got from Archer in Los Angeles: What is insurance? Archer’s dad is an insurance agent, and Archer wants to know what his dad does all day. Turns out insurance is uh, complicated. From home insurance to health insurance, we’re going to figure out what it is and why people use it. Plus, we have a catchy song to he...
Oct 14, 2025•28 min
When Esmé noticed her dad suddenly staying home from work, she had questions! Her dad is one of the hundreds of thousands of workers sent home because of the government shutdown. But what is a government shutdown anyway? In today’s special bonus episode, we explain what’s going. We’re working on future seasons and would love to hear your kid’s money questions! Record your Million Bazillionaire and send the audio using this online form and we just might include your kid in an upcoming episode! Th...
Oct 10, 2025•7 min
Bridget and Ryan are at the Podcast Hosts for Youths Sleepaway Camp, but Ryan just can’t fall asleep. That’s when they meet Dougie Pickles, host of the Cozy Critters sleepy time podcast, with a surprising bedtime trick. Together, they unpack the world where animals and money collide, learn what bull and bear markets are, and introduce us to a fishy little entrepreneur, all while soothing Ryan to sleep. Plus, what do you think is more expensive to feed, a tiger or an elephant? If your family is i...
Oct 07, 2025•26 min•Season 9Ep. 4
You had lots of travel related money questions! So, Bridget and Ryan are on a money mission. While racing through the airport on their way to the San Fran Fin Lit Pod Con, they get to the bottom of why stuff costs more at airports than at regular stores, how currency exchange works and where our money actually comes from. How does it travel from the U.S. Mint to our wallets? Cue the spy music! If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s question, check out our website. We’ve...
Sep 30, 2025•26 min•Season 9Ep. 3
Today, we’re talking about bubbles. Not the kind you play with. The kind that happen in the economy! Bridget and Ryan take a trip down memory lane to answer Jocelin’s question about what caused the 2008 housing bubble. With help from Bridget’s unforgettable treehouse bubble tale, we’ll learn what can happen when prices rise too high, too fast and the bubble finally pops! Plus, why it’s so tricky to spot a bubble before it bursts. If your family is interested in learning even more about today’s q...
Sep 23, 2025•30 min•Season 9Ep. 2
It's the start of a whole new season and Bridget and Ryan have a great question from listener, Dena: What is a chain restaurant? Some chain restaurants work a little differently than other chains — they're "franchises" and individual people can open a location of their own! To answer Dena’s question, Bridget and Ryan try their hand at opening their own location of the incredibly popular and beloved chain, the International House of Clams. Together, they’ll learn how the chain restaurant business...
Sep 16, 2025•28 min•Season 9Ep. 1
Hey Million Bazillionaires, are you ready for a new season of “Million Bazillion”? Bridget and Ryan are back to answer even more of your money questions. This season, we’ll learn all about the business behind your favorite chain restaurants, take a flight to find out why airport prices are sky-high and pop into the world of bubbles, not the ones you blow with soap, but the kind that burst in the economy! Plus, we’re cracking the mystery behind $2 bills: why do they exist if we hardly use them? N...
Sep 09, 2025•2 min
Hi Million Bazillionaires. While we’re working on a brand-new season, we’ve got a special treat for you. Today, we’re sharing an episode from our friends over at “ The Big Fib .” In this gameshow, a kid contestant will try to spot which adult expert is lying about … the stock market. What do you call the person who buys and sells stocks for a fee? How many stocks get sold in a day? Which stock is less risky to buy? Do you know the true answers to these questions? Play along and see if you can gu...
Aug 26, 2025•26 min
Hey, Million Bazillionaires! We just wrapped up the latest season of the show and are already working on the next one. In the meantime, we’re bringing you a special feature from our friends at Story Pirates. In this episode, you’ll hear two fun stories: “The Ghost That Launched a Business,” a terrifying tale about entrepreneurship, written by Jesse, a 9-year-old from the UK, and “Julius Caesar: The Guinea Pig, Not the Famous Ancient Roman Dude, But This Rodent Thinks Otherwise,” a story about ho...
Aug 12, 2025•43 min
Bridget and Ryan get swept up in a cyberpunk adventure as they try to answer Cooper’s question about how online data thefts can lead to real world consequences for your bank account. With the help of longtime friend of the program, Scam Slammer Host Brenda Hammer, the duo travel inside the internet to follow the trail of our digital bread crumbs, and see how advertisers and fraudsters get to know more about us than we might think.
Jul 29, 2025•31 min•Season 8Ep. 8
Bridget and Ryan get a question from listener Deji - who wants to know, how much debt is too much debt? Before they can answer, the pair run into Ghost Pirate Blackbeard, who has the same question! Together, they learn more about debt, and what everyone, even a ghost pirate, needs to know before borrowing money. If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website . We’ve got discussion questions and tips! This episode is sponsored ...
Jul 22, 2025•28 min•Season 8Ep. 7
Listener Cecilia wrote in to ask: “Why does organic food cost more than non organic food?” And she's right! Certified organic foods do usually cost more than other options. Bridget and Ryan dive into the question with the help of Stephanie Hughes, Marketplace's reporter on the organic farming beat. Ryan's inspired to try his own hand at organic farming ... but will his crops be able to survive an attack of horn worms, a stampede of chickens and a dustbowl to turn a profit at the farmer’s market?...
Jul 15, 2025•28 min•Season 8Ep. 6
In the latest episode of Million Bazillion, listener Shreen wanted to know, “How do you become a CEO?” No spoilers, but after Ryan and Bridget’s adventure in attempting to become CEOs themselves, Shreen still had some questions about how a successful CEO gets their job, and what they do all day. In this special bonus episode, Shreen interviews Christina Stembel, CEO of Farmgirl Flowers to find out more about what it’s really like to be a CEO, how to start and run a company, and what Christina di...
Jul 10, 2025•8 min
Being a CEO is a big job and 9-year-old Shreen is wondering how to become one! On today’s episode, Bridget and Ryan learn about the different paths people take to be the boss and what it really means to lead a company. (Hint: its not just about meetings and fancy suits). And, guess what? Even CEOs have a boss sometimes, too! If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website . We’ve got discussion questions and tips! This episode ...
Jul 08, 2025•31 min•Season 8Ep. 5
Today, we’re taking it way back to Bridget and Ryan’s first episode together. They’ll work on answering a question that quite a few listeners were wondering about: What are credit cards, besides little pieces of plastic with chips in them? We’ll learn how grownups use credit cards in the first place, and some potential pitfalls of swiping. Then things really get out of hand when the ghost pirates show up. Check out the tipsheet for this episode for some ways you can keep the conversation about c...
Jul 01, 2025•26 min
Bridget and Ryan hit rewind and break out an old-school cassette tape to answer your money questions. You wanted to know: how ATMs work, why the penny’s called the penny and how airlines set ticket prices? So we’re on the case to bring you the answers with an analog twist! If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website . We’ve got discussion questions and tips! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight to...
Jun 24, 2025•27 min•Season 8Ep. 4
This week, Ryan and Bridget are answering a question about why athletes get paid what they do. In this bonus mini-episode of “Million Bazillion,” Bridget and Ryan hear from Colin Hufman, who competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics with the U.S. curling team. Curling is a sport that’s played on ice, in which players slide granite stones toward a target area. We’ll learn about Colin’s experience earning income as an Olympic athlete, including payments for medals, monthly stipends and promotional end...
Jun 17, 2025•5 min
“Million Bazillion” listener Alistair wants to know how professional athletes get paid. Bridget and Ryan prepare for the semi-annual Public Radio Foosball Tournament, but their star player is drafted to the opposing team. The hosts have to scramble to assemble players for their dream team in time for the big tournament. In this episode, they learn about labor unions, player trades and statistical analysis strategies used in the movie “Moneyball.” If your family is interested in learning more abo...
Jun 17, 2025•31 min•Season 8Ep. 3
Bridget convinces Ryan to launch a new side business, solving money problems. Today’s problem - a local fifth-grader is facing competition with her slime business from a rival school. Could a tariff help solve her problem? With the help of a not-so-spooky-ghost, they’ll learn what tariffs are, and why they make the price of things go up, and how tariffs can lead to…a trade war. If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website . ...
Jun 10, 2025•28 min•Season 8Ep. 2
It’s a new season of “Million Bazillion!” In this episode, Ryan and Bridget dive into the world of lotteries after listener Oskar asked how they work. With the help of a talking stat(istics) cat, they learn just how tricky it is to win big. But like many lottery hopefuls, the pair still buys a ticket with a plan they think will help them beat the odds. Will their idea work? Listen to find out! If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check ou...
Jun 03, 2025•27 min•Season 8Ep. 1
Hello, Million Bazillionaires! In the new season of Million Bazillion, Ryan and Bridget head out on even bigger adventures to answer some of the best money questions we’ve ever received: From the mystery behind the lottery, to explaining tariffs, and how athletes get paid, the ins and outs of ATMs and how to keep your money info safe online, and why organic food costs more than non-organic food. But the fun doesn’t end there. When you’re done listening to each episode, check out our newsletter f...
May 27, 2025•2 min
Hey Million Bazillionaires! Ryan and Bridget are working hard on brand-new episodes for our next season. In the meantime, we're doing something special today. We're sharing an episode from our friends at Marketplace’s podcast for young people, “Financially Inclined.” It's all about negotiation. That means learning how to speak up for yourself, make fair deals and solve problems in smart ways. It's a skill grown-ups use all the time. But negotiation isn't just for adults. Kids do it every day at ...
Apr 18, 2025•14 min
For our final episode of the season, Bridget and Ryan team up with the hosts of “Forever Ago” to tell you about one of the biggest shopping days of the year: Black Friday. While they search for the best gifts for Podcast Host Appreciation Day, they learn how Black Friday started and how stores come up with deals, and they share tips on how to shop smart during the holiday season. If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our website ...
Nov 19, 2024•32 min•Season 7Ep. 6
The hosts visit Bridget’s grandma to answer questions from Josephina and Anna about how retirement works. Along with dancing and eating a lot of casserole, they learn about the many ways people save for retirement and how the government helps people pay for things when they stop working. Plus, they help Bridget’s niece understand why it’s important to start saving for retirement early. If your family is interested in learning more about the questions we answered in this episode, check out our we...
Nov 12, 2024•27 min•Season 7Ep. 5
This week, Ryan and Bridget take the stage to perform some greatest hits from the “Million Bazillion” songbook. They’ll revisit some of their favorite songs about why it can be awkward to talk about money, why the United States has its own currency, how to spot a scam and more. Plus, a never-before-heard song from “Million Bazillion: The Musical.” So put on your top hats and sequined ponchos, and get ready to sing along with us! To follow along with song lyrics, check out this episode on our web...
Nov 05, 2024•25 min•Season 7Ep. 4
