This episode was first released as a bonus episode for Planet Money+ listeners last month. We're sharing it today for all listeners. To hear more episodes like this one and support NPR in the process, sign up for Planet Money + at plus.npr.org . Planet Money + supporters: we'll have a fresh bonus episode for you next week! "Save aggressively for retirement when you're young." "The stock market is a sure-fire long-term bet." "Fixed-rate mortgages are better than adjustable-rate mortgages." Popula...
Nov 23, 2022•33 min•Ep 1593•Transcript available on Metacast 30 years ago, Lou Montulli set out to solve a fundamental problem with the internet, and accidentally created an entirely different one. On today's show, how the cookie went from an obscure piece of code designed to protect anonymity, to an online advertiser's dream, to a privacy advocate's nightmare. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 19, 2022•27 min•Ep 1592•Transcript available on Metacast Sam Bankman-Fried built a reputation as the one reliable crypto bro. But within the span of days, his empire came crashing down. What the rise and fall of crypto's 30-year-old elder statesman says about the story of crypto so far. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 17, 2022•24 min•Ep 1591•Transcript available on Metacast In 2019, a group of librarians (quietly) stormed the offices of a major publisher, Macmillan, to protest a controversial policy on e-books. On this show, how a tiny change - a book on a screen - threw an industry into war with itself. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney a Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 11, 2022•26 min•Ep 1590•Transcript available on Metacast Sand. It's in buildings, windows, your cell phone. But there isn't enough in the world for everyone. And that's created a dangerous black market. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 09, 2022•18 min•Ep 1589•Transcript available on Metacast Polling is facing an existential crisis. Few people are answering the phone, and fewer people want to answer surveys. On today's show, we pick up the phones ourselves to find out how polling got to this place, and what the future of the poll looks like. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 04, 2022•28 min•Ep 1588•Transcript available on Metacast Xi Jinping recently secured his third term as China's president – so we're looking at two shocks to the world's second-largest economy. First: How China's housing boom turned into a real estate crisis. Second: How the recent U.S. ban on selling advanced semiconductor chips to China could affect China's technology industry. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Nov 02, 2022•19 min•Ep 1587•Transcript available on Metacast We got our hands on the long-lost "Inflation" song, and now it's time to put it out into the world. So, we started a record label, and we're diving into the music business to try and make a hit. This is part two of the Planet Money Records series . Here's part one and part three . Update: We now have merch ! We released a line of Inflation song gear — including a limited edition vinyl record; a colorful, neon hoodie; and 70s-inspired stickers. You can find it here: n.pr/shopplanetmoney . Listen ...
Oct 29, 2022•27 min•Ep 1586•Transcript available on Metacast We try to start a real record label. Just to put one song out there. It's a song about inflation, recorded in 1975... and never released. Until now. This is part one of the Planet Money Records series . Here's part two and part three . Update: We now have merch ! We released a line of Inflation song gear — including a limited edition vinyl record; a colorful, neon hoodie; and 70s-inspired stickers. You can find it here: n.pr/shopplanetmoney . Listen to "Inflation" on Apple Music , Spotify , YouT...
Oct 27, 2022•25 min•Ep 1585•Transcript available on Metacast When it comes to international trade and finance, everyone pretty much speaks one language: the U.S. dollar. So when the Federal Reserve hikes interest rates and the dollar suddenly gets strong, it can cause huge headaches all over the world. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 22, 2022•28 min•Ep 1584•Transcript available on Metacast How do you mend a broken bill? On this classic episode, we visit the Mutilated Currency Division. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 19, 2022•18 min•Ep 1583•Transcript available on Metacast On today's show, we're answering listener questions from the Planet Money inbox. Like, who really benefits from retail coupons? And why are goldfish so cheap? Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 15, 2022•23 min•Ep 1582•Transcript available on Metacast It's fall, so on this episode, we're taking you back to school. First, what sorority rush can teach us about a particular kind of market. Then, how two economists fixed the way macroeconomics was taught in high schools. It's econ, inside and outside the classroom. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 12, 2022•18 min•Ep 1581•Transcript available on Metacast Taiwan is at the center of a global feud. Its main defense may be what some call its "Silicon Shield" — its powerful semiconductor industry. On today's show, the story of how one economic hero helped to transform Taiwan's economy and create the "Taiwan Miracle." Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 07, 2022•31 min•Ep 1580•Transcript available on Metacast Liz Truss, the new Prime Minister of the UK, was determined to change the British economy. Instead, her government's mini-budget helped kick off a mini-financial crisis. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Oct 05, 2022•22 min•Ep 1579•Transcript available on Metacast A lot of restaurants took a hit during the pandemic. And when they struggled to find workers, some found surprising solutions. On today's show, what happens when you offshore cashiers. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 30, 2022•23 min•Ep 1578•Transcript available on Metacast Today on the show, how we got from mealy, nasty apples to apples that taste delicious. The story starts with a breeder who discovered a miracle apple. But discovering that apple wasn't enough. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy
Sep 28, 2022•14 min•Ep 1577•Transcript available on Metacast What happens when you take some of the most powerful people in America — federal judges — and teach them economics? We look at the swanky econ retreats that may have changed American law forever. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 23, 2022•22 min•Ep 1576•Transcript available on Metacast Texas's energy grid is largely disconnected from the rest of the U.S. That led to disastrous consequences last year when the state's grid was overloaded during a winter storm. Back in the 1970s, one company attempted to change the system in a secret, middle-of-the-night operation. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 21, 2022•33 min•Ep 1575•Transcript available on Metacast We're not in a recession, but why are the vibes feeling so off? We put the question to an economist and one expert on "vibes" and also hire a jazz band to take a pun way too far. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 17, 2022•27 min•Ep 1574•Transcript available on Metacast Eddie Oygur is an Australian businessman who's sold sheepskin ugg boots for years. But one day, he was hit with a lawsuit for breaking American trademark law. On today's show — what's in the name ugg? Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 15, 2022•30 min•Ep 1573•Transcript available on Metacast On today's show - how your social circle is one of the strongest predictors of economic mobility and how pop music reflects the economy. Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 09, 2022•19 min•Ep 1572•Transcript available on Metacast A practically brand new Lexus with a New Jersey inspection sticker lands on an auto body lot in Turkmenistan. How did it get there? To find out, we journey into the bizarro economy for misfit cars. And we follow a very different kind of journey – of the auto body repairman from Turkmenistan who brought us this story in the first place. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here . Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney Learn more about sponsor message choices: ...
Sep 08, 2022•28 min•Ep 1571•Transcript available on Metacast High gas prices have fueled speculation and investigations — is anyone raising prices and keeping prices high for profit? To find out, we break down the price of gas, piece by piece, to show you how we get to the price we see at the pump and how much everyone profits at each step of the way. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Sep 03, 2022•28 min•Ep 1570•Transcript available on Metacast Productivity is our economic measure for how far our work goes, as individuals and as a society over all. It plays an important role in determining our quality of life, the prices of our goods and services, and, to some extent, the amount of free time we have. Today, we explore how thousands of years of productivity advancements transformed something now so standard that we take it for granted: light. | At this Summer School, phones ARE allowed during class... Check out this week's PM TikTok ! |...
Aug 31, 2022•30 min•Ep 1569•Transcript available on Metacast Sometimes online shopping can feel a little unsavory. There are the listings that make you question if you'll really be getting exactly what's advertised. And there's no worse feeling than paying for something and then not getting it. But when Nina Kollars ordered coffee pods and got WAY more than she asked for, it made her feel just as uneasy. Her quest for answers and what it teaches us about a new generation of online fraud. | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/pl...
Aug 26, 2022•22 min•Ep 1568•Transcript available on Metacast The Federal Reserve plays a very important role in the economy. When things start to look uncertain, the central bank is tasked with stepping in to restore people's confidence in the economy. But how do they do it? On today's episode we dive deep on monetary policy and the role of the fed. |At this Summer School, phones ARE allowed during class... Check out this week's PM TikTok ! | Listen to past seasons of Summer School here . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoi...
Aug 24, 2022•32 min•Ep 1567•Transcript available on Metacast Congress just passed the biggest, most ambitious climate bill in history. And it's called ... the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. What's with that branding? And what can the bill teach us about actually fighting inflation? | Subscribe to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney . Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy...
Aug 19, 2022•21 min•Ep 1566•Transcript available on Metacast International trade is the web of cross-border relationships that binds economies together. Because of trade we have access to cheaper, higher-quality goods, and we get to benefit from other countries' cultures. Economics tells us trade makes society, overall on average, better off, but that doesn't mean everyone wins. Today, the good and bad of trade through the eyes of workers in developing economies who make the things sold around the world. We follow them as they navigate the ever-shifting i...
Aug 17, 2022•33 min•Ep 1565•Transcript available on Metacast The carried interest tax loophole is a way that wealthy Americans – often the people who manage hedge funds or private equity firms – avoid paying billions of dollars worth of taxes. It has been one of the most controversial yet durable features of the U.S. tax code. But where did it come from? Today we romp through space and time to piece together the origins of this loophole. There will be pirates and mutiny. A 50s tax-dodge-a-palooza. And perhaps the Michelangelo of tax lawyers. | Subscribe t...
Aug 13, 2022•26 min•Ep 1564•Transcript available on Metacast 
