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The Big Story has been telling the stories that matter to Canadians for over five years, and through all of our coverage, one thing has become abundantly clear: A growing percent of the population can't afford to live basic, comfortable lives — and they want answers. In Frequency's newest show, In This Economy?! Jordan attempts to get to the bottom of how we got to this point, and share tips for how to achieve your goals despite living in a time of extreme economic uncertainty. Enjoy!

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Sal is getting ready to host family and friends for the holidays but is worried about how much food, drinks and gifts will cost this year.

Jordan talks to retail analyst, Bruce Winder, to breakdown the cost of hosting and find creative ways to save. Then, he talks to financial expert, Kelley Keehn, about how to handle tricky money conversations with your guests.

Do you have a money problem? Call us and leave a message at 416-935-5935. Or email us at hello@itepod.ca. You can also find us on Instagram and TikTok @InThisEconomyPod. Don't forget to leave a call-back number, so we can get in touch.

Most of you probably at least glanced at it. And many of you were excited and eager to share your Spotify Wrapped details with your friends and followers. After all, isn't that the whole point? To show off your musical taste, connect with others who share it and provide free marketing for a streaming behemoth?

Spotify's Wrapped is the biggest and most popular of algorithmically created personal year-end lists, but it isn't alone. Why do these things always suck us in? How has Spotify managed to convince us to pay them, instead of the artists we love directly? And if Spotify is getting all our money, why isn't it turning much of a profit?

GUEST: Kelsey McKinney, reporter and writer at Defector, host of Normal Gossip

"The pill" has been around for more than 60 years now. And while it changed society, sparked a sexual revolution and helped reshape the workforce ... it still kind of sucks for a lot of people who take it. The past six decades have seen incredible medical advancements, but somehow hormonal birth control remains the go-to for a lot of people who menstruate—even though we keep discovering new side effects even today.

Why hasn't the pill gotten much better over six decades? Why haven't better alternatives come to market? What is possible in the world of birth control and science pushes further? And why, despite promising research, is there still no proper birth control for men?

GUEST: Nicole Schmidt, writing in The Walrus

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith doesn't think the federal government's proposed clean energy regulations are fair, and last year she gave herself the tool she needs to fight them. The Alberta Sovereignty Within a United Canada Act is designed to allow the province to refuse to enforce specific federal laws or policies "that violate the jurisdictional rights of Alberta."

Of course, the act hasn't been tested in court, and it's difficult to know if Smith is doing this because she intends to fight these regulations all the way, or as a bargaining chip, since Ottawa has not officially confirmed the specifics of the regulations. Either way, the use of the act sets a precedent that the country should be watching closely on every issue that divides federal and provincial governments...

GUEST: Rod Nickel, Reporter, Reuters, covering energy, agriculture and politics in Western Canada, focusing on energy transition

Very soon, Canada will introduce legislation to offer massive tax credits for projects that include a significant amount of carbon capture. In theory, this is a good way to make sure new projects don't add much in emissions. But in practice, most carbon capture projects are used to allow us to keep harvesting fossil fuels, which will then be burned somewhere else, adding to emissions in Canada and beyond.

What is carbon capture technology and how does it work? Could it be a powerful tool to help us cut emissions? Why is it mostly used by fossil fuel companies? And why does so much of the discussion of saving the planet these days feel like haggling over bookkeeping?

GUEST: Dr. Emily Eaton, professor, Department of Geography & Environmental Studies, University of Regina

The concept of retirement used to be a few years at the end of your life, between when you stopped working and when you died. But the average lifespan kept increasing, while the retirement age stayed at 65. Now Canadians believe they'll need $1/7 million to retire in comfort, and most of the 1,000 people retiring each day in this country don't have it.

When you combine that with the economic turmoil, high interest rates and increasing cost of living, the savings they do have aren't stretching as far as expected, either. So many "retirees" are going back to work. How did we end up here? And given what we've learned about aging recently, is working during "retirement" really a bad outcome?

GUEST: Cathrin Bradbury, formerly "retired" journalist, writing in The Walrus