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 how our names sometimes shape who we are inside, written by a 9-year-old from Illinois named Scottie. 

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.

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 by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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?

After you listen to this episode, be sure to check out our website. We’ve got conversation starters and tips!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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 did as a kid that helped set her on the path to becoming a CEO as a grownup.  

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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 is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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 credit cards going at home.

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. Sign up for Greenlight today at greenlight.com/million.

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 today at greenlight.com/million.

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 endorsements. The hosts realize that making a living as an Olympian involves a lot more than just training and competing in sports.

“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 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 today at greenlight.com/million.