Million Bazillion

Calling all Bazillionaires! Jed, Bridget and the gang are back for brand-new episodes of “Million Bazillion”! This season, we’re answering one tough money question each week from real kids! Questions like “How is money made?” “Why are women’s clothes sometimes more expensive than men’s?” “How do banks work, anyway?”

And for season two, we’re putting out a bonus email newsletter for kids and their grownups. Each week you’ll get a tip sheet, episode extras, and cool comics all about that episode’s big question. Sign up at Marketplace.org/bonus.

The fun starts June 22. Here’s a sneak peek.

Hey, Million Bazillionaires! Jed and Bridget are hard at work on season two of our show. But to get it over the finish line, we need a favor (or two)! Kids, we need your money questions! You can send them to us, with a grown-up’s help, here. Grown-ups, we need your help closing a funding gap for our new season! Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar at marketplace.org/givemillion! Please help us reach our $50,000 goal!

There are lots of great reasons to want to start a business: solving a problem, pursuing a passion, even making some money. It takes a lot of dedication and hard work, and even if you do everything right, it may not work out. But that doesn’t necessarily mean you failed — thinking through a business idea can build some really great skills! This week, we talk with a bunch of expert kids and grown-ups about turning an idea into a full-blown business. Plus, Jed bakes us some cookies! And just because the season is over doesn’t mean we don’t still want to hear from you! Keep sending us your questions about money at Marketplace.org/million!

Jed’s treehouse needs repairs, but it’s gonna cost more than he has right now. Saving money can be tough — and even tougher to talk about! So this week on the show we’re gonna get the conversation started and learn a few ways to think about spending and saving our money. We’ll sit down with some experts, do some mythbusting around saving and hear from a young Dollar Scholar who’s got a unique way of keeping track of her savings. Plus, singer Natasha Bedingfield’s got a cheeky idea for a twist on the piggy bank. Don’t forget to send us your questions about money at Marketplace.org/million!

Advertisers have lots of ways of persuading us to buy their stuff. Sometimes you might not even realize it’s happening … until you find yourself riding around town on an ice-cream-making scooter. (Don’t worry, we’ll explain.) This week on the show, we’ll learn how to spot an ad and identify the tricks they use to win you over. And we’ll learn how to defend against them — from our special guest, Captain Kimberly. Plus, this week’s Dollar Scholar shares great ways you can help out in your community. Don’t forget to send us your questions about money at Marketplace.org/million!

There’s a reason things cost what they do — sneakers, pizza, you name it. Businesses put a lot of thought into how much they charge, because they have to consider their behind-the-scenes costs. But you might put just as much thought into what you’re willing to pay — so in a way, you get the final word on whether the prices are right. This week on the show, we’ll talk about how we value the things we buy. Plus, two Dollar Scholars talk to each other about their saving and spending habits, and we’ll hear pastry chef Duff Goldman’s idea for a pizza rover. Don’t forget to send us your questions about money and your ideas for what businesses you wish existed at Marketplace.org/million!

This week, we’re learning how to get what you want through negotiation. It’s about empowering kids — and hopefully avoiding big, nasty arguments — by employing new skills like active listening and compromise. We’ll use those skills to help our friend Ruby, who wants her parents to get her a new smartphone. Plus, we’ve got some great knock-knock jokes, and LeVar Burton tells us whom he wants to see on U.S. currency. Send us your questions about money along with your money designs to marketplace.org/million!

For our very first episode, we’re traveling back thousands of years to learn about all the ways people got what they needed from each other before money was invented: bartering with whatever they had, making pacts with close friends and eventually inventing coins and other forms of money! Plus we’ll ask some random kids not-so-random questions, and Kristen Bell designs her own money.

By the way, we want to keep answering your questions about money! Send your questions and your money designs to Marketplace.org/million.

Marketplace’s first-ever kids podcast is out next week! In collaboration with “Brains On!,” “Million Bazillion” helps dollars make more sense. We’re tackling the big questions, like: Who invented money? How do you get your parents to agree to buy something you want? How do advertisers make you want what they’re selling — and how do you take your brain back? And why do things like pizza cost what they do? Host Jed Kim will help answer all these questions, with help from super-smart experts, kids and some famous friends. The first episode drops July 21! Here’s a trailer.