Planet Money

Planet Money
  • 4.7 (287)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED TWICE WEEKLY
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.Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

  1. 11 HR AGO

    The last time we shrank the federal workforce

    If you cut every single federal job President Donald Trump wants to cut, how much money would that save? A president has tried to massively shrink the size of the federal government before. It was in the 90s, under a Democrat. Today on the show: Where they found waste the last time we really looked. (Hint: it wasn't jobs.) And why the pace of firings under Trump might start to slow down. For more:- Lessons for the Future of Government Reform- Is government too big? Reflections on the size and composition of today's federal government- Creating a Government That Works Better and Costs Less This episode of Planet Money was produced by Willa Rubin. It was edited by Jess Jiang and engineered by Jimmy Keeley. We had fact-checking help from Sierra Juarez. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Special thanks to Ben Zipperer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Music: Audio Network - "West Green Road," "Raise Up," and "Blue and Green." Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    27 min
  2. Toxic assets almost brought down the economy. In 2010, we bought one! (PM+)

    3 DAYS AGO · BONUS • PLANET MONEY+ ONLY

    Toxic assets almost brought down the economy. In 2010, we bought one! (PM+)

    Remember toxic assets? They were those complicated bonds, filled with home mortgages, that nearly brought down the global economy. 15 years ago, Planet Money bought one to figure out how the 2008 housing bust and its fallout unfolded. It was Planet Money's first big series where to understand and explain something, we got into the business ourselves. To mark the anniversary, former Planet Money hosts David Kestenbaum and Chana Joffe-Walt (both now with This American Life) talk with executive producer Alex Goldmark. David and Chana share memories of how the series came about and other highlights from working on it, including why they used their own money to buy their toxic asset AKA "Toxie." We're ALSO very excited to announce that Planet Money+ supporters can now hear the entire toxic asset series in one playlist, right in your podcast app. We've also put together two other exclusive playlists featuring some of Planet Money's other projects, with more playlists rolling out this year. If you're already a Planet Money+ listener, follow the instructions here to add the playlists: https://help.npr.org/contact/s/article?name=How-do-I-listen-to-playlists-exclusive-collections If you haven't signed up yet, now's your chance to enjoy all the benefits of PM+, including sponsor-free listening. Just go to plus.npr.org. PM+ PLAYLISTS ON APPLE: We Bought A Toxic Asset: https://n.pr/4kzcImN We Invested In Gold: https://n.pr/3FsOBWK We Set Up A Shell Company: https://n.pr/3FsOHxA

    26 min
  3. How to start a bank

    5 DAYS AGO

    How to start a bank

    In some ways, starting a bank is a lot like starting any other business. Who will you hire? Where will you be located? What color will the couches be? But it's also way more complicated. There are tons of regulations on banks–and you can understand why. Lots of new businesses fail. But if a bank fails, it can have ripple effects for the entire economy. Today on the show, a baby bank is born. We go along for the ride from idea to ribbon cutting as a community bank gets off the ground.This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee and edited by Katie Mingle. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is our executive producer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Music: NPR Source Audio- "Numbers Game," "Smoke and Mirrors," and "Lets Start A Movement" Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    26 min

  4. 6 MAR • PLANET MONEY+ ONLY

    A few words about the future of federal funding

    This is a special message providing updates to our supporters about the future of federal funding for public media. For nearly fifty years, a bipartisan majority in Congress has supported funding for public media, and these efforts. But, today calls to defund public media are getting louder. Federal funding for all of public media amounts to about $1.60 per person each year, and it's an essential component for the sustainability of many local media organizations' work. Whatever the challenges, whatever the tests, together, we remain committed to ensuring that all communities across America continue to have access to reliable information, news and educational resources for generations to come. For now, please stay informed about the future of federal funding through www.protectmypublicmedia.org.

    1 min
  5. The Parable of Peanut the Memecoin

    5 MAR

    The Parable of Peanut the Memecoin

    Memecoins are having a moment. Everyone from Hawk Tuah to President Donald Trump to animal influencers like Moo Deng the pygmy hippo have been turned into cryptocurrency. But what are the costs of all the hype? On today's show — a modern parable. How an orphaned baby rodent became a world famous animal influencer, became a political martyr, and was finally transmuted into a billion dollar cryptocurrency. It's a tale about how a chance encounter can lead to fame and fortune. But also how all that can spin wildly out of control in this brave, new – kind of terrifying – attention economy we're all living in. This episode was hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Nic Neves. This episode was produced by James Sneed. It was edited by Jess Jiang. Fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. And engineered by Jimmy Keeley. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    35 min
  6. The Memecoin Casino

    28 FEB

    The Memecoin Casino

    What do Moo Deng the pygmy hippo, social media sensation Hawk Tuah, and the President of the United States all have in common? They've all inspired highly valuable, highly volatile memecoins. The humble memecoin began as a sort of satirical send up of speculation in the crypto world. But it was a joke that soon became very real. In the decade since the launch of Dogecoin in 2013, a series of cultural shifts and technological leaps enabled an explosion in the number of new memecoins. And this memecoin explosion has not only minted millionaires but also led to hordes of unlucky investors and untold scams. On today's show, what's in a memecoin? How they went from a one-off joke to a speculative frenzy worth tens of billions of dollars? And who are the winners and losers in this brazen new market? wow such tease many listens Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    28 min
  7. The controversy over Tyson Foods' hiring of asylum seekers

    27 FEB

    The controversy over Tyson Foods' hiring of asylum seekers

    Last year, Tyson Foods shuttered a meat processing plant in Perry, Iowa. The company said it made the decision because the plant was old and inefficient. But the closure was devastating for the residents of Perry. The plant had employed some 1200 workers in a town with a population of only 8000. At the same time, Tyson was also busy hiring workers elsewhere. It was working with a non-profit group that helps connect companies with asylum seekers and refugees looking for work. Tyson ultimately hired hundreds of new workers through this partnership. Was this just a coincidence? Or were these two stories actually one story - a story about one of the country's biggest meat processors forcing out American workers and replacing them with migrants? On today's show we take a look at the controversy surrounding Tyson's hiring moves and how things look from the perspective of the workers themselves.Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter. Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts. Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    25 min
  8. The federal funding freeze and how one researcher is coping with uncertainty (PM+)

    24 FEB · BONUS • PLANET MONEY+ ONLY

    The federal funding freeze and how one researcher is coping with uncertainty (PM+)

    ​The Trump administration, last month, ordered a pause on a big chunk of federal spending. The courts blocked that freeze, but a lot of uncertainty remains. In today's bonus episode, Mary Childs talks with Christian Wells, an applied environmental anthropologist at the University of South Florida in Tampa, about getting caught up in the freeze. Christian's research includes working with communities to identify and clean up contaminated or polluted properties. Mary did an entire episode on The Big Government Money Pipe Freeze. You can check that out here: https://www.npr.org/2025/02/14/1231335530/treasury-payments-dogeShow your support for Planet Money and the reporting we do by signing up for Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. You'll be able to unlock this episode and other great bonus content! Regular episodes remain free to listen!Email the show at planetmoney@npr.org.

    12 min
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  • A little show about big ideas. From the people who make Planet Money, The Indicator helps you make sense of what's happening today. It's a quick hit of insight into work, business, the economy, and everything else. Listen weekday afternoons.Try Planet Money+! a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. You'll also get access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions. sign up at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

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  • Economics is a game you should know how to play. And once you get the fundamental concepts, you start to see it everywhere: the news, the supermarket and even your dating life. So it's time to learn the rules. Planet Money Summer School is a crash course in economics for your ears. See the world through the lens of an economist and you'll start to feel a little less overwhelmed when making financial decisions. And if you're in front of the classroom? Teachers, this is made for you, too. Let us be your breezy and fun companion to assigned readings. We'll even assign the homework (and spare you the groans). Go beyond summer school and stay up-to-date on the economy with the latest episodes of the Planet Money podcast.Got money on your mind? Try Planet Money+ — a new way to support the show you love, get a sponsor-free feed of the podcast, *and* get access to bonus content. A subscription also gets you access to The Indicator and Planet Money Summer School, both without interruptions.

    • 5.0 (1)
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  • We kept hearing how a ton of wealth is stored in offshore tax havens. How does this secret, shady world work? We set up not one, but two shell companies to find out. Turns out it's pretty easy? (This series originally ran in 2012.)

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  • Gold has been used as money for thousands of years. Why gold? We bought and sold some to find out. Along the way, we look at the gold standard and learn a lot about (economic) bubbles. (This series originally ran in 2010-2011.)

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  • Remember toxic assets? Those complicated mortgage bonds that almost brought down the financial system? We bought one to figure out how the 2008 housing crisis played out. We called it Toxie. (This series originally ran in 2010-2011.)Subscribe to Planet Money+ now to get access and get sponsor-free listening to Planet Money.

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    • BUSINESS

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4.7
out of 5
287 Ratings

About

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.Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

Information

  • Channel
    Planet Money
  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2008 - 2025
  • Episodes
    602
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2015-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    Planet Money
  • Provider

    NPR has identified itself as a trader for this podcast and confirmed that this product or service complies with European Union law. Address 1111 N Capitol St NE Washington District of Columbia 20002-7502 United States Phone Number +1 2025132000 Email dsa_inquiries@npr.org

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