Planet Money

By NPR

Business

What's Planet Money about?

The economy explained. Imagine you could call up a friend and say, "Meet me at the bar and tell me what's going on with the economy." Now imagine that's actually a fun evening.Want to really power up your fandom? Try Planet Money Plus. Your subscription supports the show and unlocks a sponsor-free feed. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney

4.6

25,959 ratings

Download our free app to listen on your phone

LAST EPISODE

Investing in mediocrity

05.20.2022

Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares his strategy: Win big by avoiding winning. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Planet Money episodes:

05.20.2022 Investing in mediocrity Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares his strategy: Win big by avoiding winning. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
05.18.2022 How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic) A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York tax code would beg to differ. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
05.14.2022 Buy now, pay dearly? A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interest-free installments has taken over the country. But is "buy now, pay later" lending too good to be true? \| Subscribe to our ...
05.11.2022 A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE) When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: playing as a man was often free, but she had to pay to play as a woman. So ... she decided to ...
05.07.2022 The day Russia adopted the free market Jeffrey Sachs explains why he thinks "shock therapy" was so tough in Russia
05.04.2022 Escheat show (Classic) If you're looking for money you've forgotten about, there's a chance the government might have it. The good news is that you can get it back. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.29.2022 Planet Money book club Behind every Planet Money episode is a ton of reading. Today, we share some of our favorite books from along the way. Here are our picks: From Mary, American Bonds: How Credit Markets Shaped a Nation by Sarah L. Quinn ...
04.27.2022 Risky business Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music venues are handling pandemic-related risks. And how Russia's invasion of Ukraine is affecting cyber insurance. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.22.2022 Finally, our comic book After many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why did it take so long to make a comic book? \| Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night ...
04.21.2022 TikTok to the top Thanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to crack the algorithm of how to go viral. \| Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only. ...
04.15.2022 The student loan paaaaauuuuuse The pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...what's that been like for the borrowers, and what's in store for them when the system eventually restarts? \| Subscribe to our weekly ...
04.13.2022 Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic) Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball games. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.08.2022 How manatees got into hot water While on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florida power plants. Now, they're hooked on fossil fuels. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.06.2022 Turkey's runaway inflation problem Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox approach to dealing with it. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.01.2022 When bricks were rubles For a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradeable objects like bricks or towels. We look back at the Russian barter economy and we see the nature of money and value underneath all ...
03.30.2022 The Bond King Investing legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our very own Mary Childs talks about her new book, The Bond King. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.25.2022 Fashion Fair's makeover Fashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded into obscurity. Now that it's relaunched, can it compete in an industry it helped create? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.24.2022 Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates Corporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fight inflation? We examine this theory making the rounds. Then, we go inside the pipes of the economy to see how mortgage rates connect to ...
03.18.2022 Tech giants and tiny dogs What a business that makes ramps for wiener dogs teaches us about the massive power of tech giants. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.16.2022 Escape from Russia An American business owner with employees in Russia extracts her colleagues from the country. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.11.2022 Grocery delivery wars Behind the scenes at a new kind of grocery store that promises delivery in minutes. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.10.2022 The dollar at the center of the world (Classic) After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. This is the story of how the U.S. dollar won. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.05.2022 Of oligarchs, oil and rubles Three stories about how the sanctions imposed on Russia are playing out – for regular Russian people, for Russia's super-rich, and for Russia's energy exports. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.02.2022 'Fortress' Russia put to the test The U.S. is putting Russia's defense plan against sanctions to the test. Meanwhile, Russia's role as a huge exporter of oil and natural gas could cause ripple effects throughout the global economy. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.25.2022 Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing Russia The U.S. is imposing economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for invading Ukraine. But Russia has spent years trying to make its economy immune to sanctions. So, will these new sanctions be enough? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter ...
02.24.2022 How bad is inflation? Two stories about the effects of inflation on the economy. We meet a gig worker who's seen an increase in wages, but because of inflation, how much of that increase in earnings is an illusion? Then, we break down how ...
02.18.2022 Predictions: Inflation! It's time for another round of "Planet Money Predictions!" Economic forecasters square off to predict the future of inflation and explain what's going on in the economy.\| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.17.2022 SPAM strikes back Hormel Foods makes SPAM, and for generations, the company also created jobs for families in Austin, Minnesota. Today, the story of a labor strike that threatened to tear one small town apart. (This episode was made in collaboration with The ...
02.14.2022 Waste land (Bonus) Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil companies misled the public into thinking plastic would be recycled. That episode just won a duPont-Columbia award. Here it is. \| Subscribe ...
02.11.2022 Our Valentines 2022 We profess our love for our curiosities, obsessions, and the things we wish we'd thought of first. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.10.2022 A SWIFT getaway In 2016, thieves tried to steal nearly a billion dollars from the Bank of Bangladesh's reserves without ever entering the building. And six years later, justice hasn't been so SWIFT. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.05.2022 Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflation How war bonds, controlled prices, and a national network of nosy neighbors helped beat inflation during WWII. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.02.2022 The M&M anomaly (Classic) Despite costing the same price, a pack of peanut butter M&M;'s weighs 0.06 ounces less than a pack of milk chocolate M&M;'s. A trade secret explains why. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.29.2022 The Spider-Man Problem Spider-Man isn't the first film franchise to be rebooted over and over again. But the infamous off-screen drama between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures explains why it happens so frequently. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.26.2022 Two indicators: supply chain solutions Two stories about people trying to overcome supply chain challenges. We follow a ship that is forced to get creative to bypass clogged ports, and we visit a warehouse that is running out of space. \| Subscribe to our weekly ...
01.21.2022 'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy When Soul Train first launched in 1970, Black audiences weren't understood as a viable target market. Don Cornelius changed that forever with his weekly TV dance show. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.19.2022 Patent racism (classic) Economist Lisa Cook has been nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve board. In 2020, she talked to us about proving that racism stifles innovation. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.15.2022 The rapid testing show The Planet Money team fans out across the nation with one goal: to get a Covid test in 24 hours. It is easier said than done. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.13.2022 No such thing as a free return Lenient policies have shoppers making more returns than ever — around half a trillion dollars worth of products. Today, we find out the fate of some of those returned goods.
01.08.2022 HBO 2.0 What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve their sonic brand. This episode was adapted from the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.05.2022 The rest of the story, 2021 On protests, pasta and forgiven payments. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.31.2021 The holiday industrial complex (Classic) Where do holidays like National Potato Chip Day and Argyle Day come from? We trace the roots of one made-up holiday until we find out who is running the global holiday machine. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.30.2021 The economic indicator of the year Will it be inflation? Striketober? The supply chain? Our hosts make their case, and the choice is up to you.
12.24.2021 Bell wars (Classic) The two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.23.2021 Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Did the supply chain wreck your holiday shopping? Planet Money comes to the rescue. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.18.2021 No shortages of labor stories We asked for your dispatches from the labor market, and boy did we hear back. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.15.2021 We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic) Nick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get schooled in the tree market. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.11.2021 Two music indicators Ticket scalping frustrates fans, but it fascinates economists. It's been a favorite topic of ours in the past. This time, Darian turns to friends and experts to navigate the world of concert tickets like an economist who is also a ...
12.08.2021 Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic) Many music aficionados will tell you that violins and violas made by legendary craftsman Antonio Stradivari represent the pinnacle of the instruments. But what if it's all just an example of really good branding? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter ...
12.04.2021 Consider the lobstermen A tense conflict between Indigenous fishermen and commercial lobstermen flared up in Nova Scotia in the fall of 2020. Today, how it all got started and how the Canadian government added fuel to the fire. \| Subscribe to our weekly ...

Older episodes

05.20.2022 Investing in mediocrity Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares his strategy: Win big by avoiding winning. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
05.18.2022 How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic) A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York tax code would beg to differ. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
05.14.2022 Buy now, pay dearly? A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interest-free installments has taken over the country. But is "buy now, pay later" lending too good to be true? \| Subscribe to our ...
05.11.2022 A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE) When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: playing as a man was often free, but she had to pay to play as a woman. So ... she decided to ...
05.07.2022 The day Russia adopted the free market Jeffrey Sachs explains why he thinks "shock therapy" was so tough in Russia
05.04.2022 Escheat show (Classic) If you're looking for money you've forgotten about, there's a chance the government might have it. The good news is that you can get it back. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.29.2022 Planet Money book club Behind every Planet Money episode is a ton of reading. Today, we share some of our favorite books from along the way. Here are our picks: From Mary, American Bonds: How Credit Markets Shaped a Nation by Sarah L. Quinn ...
04.27.2022 Risky business Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music venues are handling pandemic-related risks. And how Russia's invasion of Ukraine is affecting cyber insurance. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.22.2022 Finally, our comic book After many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why did it take so long to make a comic book? \| Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night ...
04.21.2022 TikTok to the top Thanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to crack the algorithm of how to go viral. \| Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only. ...
04.15.2022 The student loan paaaaauuuuuse The pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...what's that been like for the borrowers, and what's in store for them when the system eventually restarts? \| Subscribe to our weekly ...
04.13.2022 Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic) Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball games. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.08.2022 How manatees got into hot water While on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florida power plants. Now, they're hooked on fossil fuels. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.06.2022 Turkey's runaway inflation problem Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox approach to dealing with it. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
04.01.2022 When bricks were rubles For a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradeable objects like bricks or towels. We look back at the Russian barter economy and we see the nature of money and value underneath all ...
03.30.2022 The Bond King Investing legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our very own Mary Childs talks about her new book, The Bond King. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.25.2022 Fashion Fair's makeover Fashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded into obscurity. Now that it's relaunched, can it compete in an industry it helped create? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.24.2022 Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates Corporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fight inflation? We examine this theory making the rounds. Then, we go inside the pipes of the economy to see how mortgage rates connect to ...
03.18.2022 Tech giants and tiny dogs What a business that makes ramps for wiener dogs teaches us about the massive power of tech giants. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.16.2022 Escape from Russia An American business owner with employees in Russia extracts her colleagues from the country. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.11.2022 Grocery delivery wars Behind the scenes at a new kind of grocery store that promises delivery in minutes. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.10.2022 The dollar at the center of the world (Classic) After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. This is the story of how the U.S. dollar won. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.05.2022 Of oligarchs, oil and rubles Three stories about how the sanctions imposed on Russia are playing out – for regular Russian people, for Russia's super-rich, and for Russia's energy exports. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
03.02.2022 'Fortress' Russia put to the test The U.S. is putting Russia's defense plan against sanctions to the test. Meanwhile, Russia's role as a huge exporter of oil and natural gas could cause ripple effects throughout the global economy. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.25.2022 Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing Russia The U.S. is imposing economic sanctions on Russia to punish it for invading Ukraine. But Russia has spent years trying to make its economy immune to sanctions. So, will these new sanctions be enough? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter ...
02.24.2022 How bad is inflation? Two stories about the effects of inflation on the economy. We meet a gig worker who's seen an increase in wages, but because of inflation, how much of that increase in earnings is an illusion? Then, we break down how ...
02.18.2022 Predictions: Inflation! It's time for another round of "Planet Money Predictions!" Economic forecasters square off to predict the future of inflation and explain what's going on in the economy.\| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.17.2022 SPAM strikes back Hormel Foods makes SPAM, and for generations, the company also created jobs for families in Austin, Minnesota. Today, the story of a labor strike that threatened to tear one small town apart. (This episode was made in collaboration with The ...
02.14.2022 Waste land (Bonus) Recycling most plastic doesn't work. It never has. In 2020, we ran an episode showing how big oil companies misled the public into thinking plastic would be recycled. That episode just won a duPont-Columbia award. Here it is. \| Subscribe ...
02.11.2022 Our Valentines 2022 We profess our love for our curiosities, obsessions, and the things we wish we'd thought of first. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.10.2022 A SWIFT getaway In 2016, thieves tried to steal nearly a billion dollars from the Bank of Bangladesh's reserves without ever entering the building. And six years later, justice hasn't been so SWIFT. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.05.2022 Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflation How war bonds, controlled prices, and a national network of nosy neighbors helped beat inflation during WWII. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
02.02.2022 The M&M anomaly (Classic) Despite costing the same price, a pack of peanut butter M&M;'s weighs 0.06 ounces less than a pack of milk chocolate M&M;'s. A trade secret explains why. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.29.2022 The Spider-Man Problem Spider-Man isn't the first film franchise to be rebooted over and over again. But the infamous off-screen drama between Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures explains why it happens so frequently. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.26.2022 Two indicators: supply chain solutions Two stories about people trying to overcome supply chain challenges. We follow a ship that is forced to get creative to bypass clogged ports, and we visit a warehouse that is running out of space. \| Subscribe to our weekly ...
01.21.2022 'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy When Soul Train first launched in 1970, Black audiences weren't understood as a viable target market. Don Cornelius changed that forever with his weekly TV dance show. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.19.2022 Patent racism (classic) Economist Lisa Cook has been nominated to serve on the Federal Reserve board. In 2020, she talked to us about proving that racism stifles innovation. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.15.2022 The rapid testing show The Planet Money team fans out across the nation with one goal: to get a Covid test in 24 hours. It is easier said than done. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.13.2022 No such thing as a free return Lenient policies have shoppers making more returns than ever — around half a trillion dollars worth of products. Today, we find out the fate of some of those returned goods.
01.08.2022 HBO 2.0 What happens when the iconic symbol of your brand no longer makes sense? Today, HBO tries to evolve their sonic brand. This episode was adapted from the podcast Twenty Thousand Hertz. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
01.05.2022 The rest of the story, 2021 On protests, pasta and forgiven payments. Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.31.2021 The holiday industrial complex (Classic) Where do holidays like National Potato Chip Day and Argyle Day come from? We trace the roots of one made-up holiday until we find out who is running the global holiday machine. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.30.2021 The economic indicator of the year Will it be inflation? Striketober? The supply chain? Our hosts make their case, and the choice is up to you.
12.24.2021 Bell wars (Classic) The two biggest handbell companies in the world have been locked in a feud for decades. Why? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.23.2021 Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza Did the supply chain wreck your holiday shopping? Planet Money comes to the rescue. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.18.2021 No shortages of labor stories We asked for your dispatches from the labor market, and boy did we hear back. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.15.2021 We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic) Nick and Robert head to the world's largest Christmas tree auction with $1,000 and a truck. And get schooled in the tree market. \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.
12.11.2021 Two music indicators Ticket scalping frustrates fans, but it fascinates economists. It's been a favorite topic of ours in the past. This time, Darian turns to friends and experts to navigate the world of concert tickets like an economist who is also a ...
12.08.2021 Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic) Many music aficionados will tell you that violins and violas made by legendary craftsman Antonio Stradivari represent the pinnacle of the instruments. But what if it's all just an example of really good branding? \| Subscribe to our weekly newsletter ...
12.04.2021 Consider the lobstermen A tense conflict between Indigenous fishermen and commercial lobstermen flared up in Nova Scotia in the fall of 2020. Today, how it all got started and how the Canadian government added fuel to the fire. \| Subscribe to our weekly ...

Planet Money

What's Planet Money about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Planet Money episodes:

Investing in mediocrity

How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)

Buy now, pay dearly?

A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

The day Russia adopted the free market

Escheat show (Classic)

Planet Money book club

Risky business

Finally, our comic book

TikTok to the top

The student loan paaaaauuuuuse

Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)

How manatees got into hot water

Turkey's runaway inflation problem

When bricks were rubles

The Bond King

Fashion Fair's makeover

Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates

Tech giants and tiny dogs

Escape from Russia

Grocery delivery wars

The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)

Of oligarchs, oil and rubles

'Fortress' Russia put to the test

Putin's big bet: Sanction-proofing Russia

How bad is inflation?

Predictions: Inflation!

SPAM strikes back

Waste land (Bonus)

Our Valentines 2022

A SWIFT getaway

Uncle Sam wants YOU to fight inflation

The M&M anomaly (Classic)

The Spider-Man Problem

Two indicators: supply chain solutions

'Soul Train' and the business of Black joy

Patent racism (classic)

The rapid testing show

No such thing as a free return

HBO 2.0

The rest of the story, 2021

The holiday industrial complex (Classic)

The economic indicator of the year

Bell wars (Classic)

Planet Money's Supply Chain Holiday Extravaganza

No shortages of labor stories

We buy a lot of Christmas trees (Classic)

Two music indicators

Is a Stradivarius just a violin? (Classic)

Consider the lobstermen

Other shows like Planet Money: