This week: Larry Summers has stepped down from his public positions following the release of unsavory emails he exchanged with Jeffrey Epstein. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss Summers’ correspondence with the infamous sex trafficker, the veracity of his “genius” reputation, and his beef with Felix. Then, Meta has won its anti-trust case, highlighting the current struggle to regulate Big Tech. The hosts examine the landscape of anti-trust efforts in the US and whether it is the correct tool for regulating tech behemoths. Then, everyone is talking about the “AI bubble” right now, but what does that actually mean? The hosts break down the state of the AI market and whether or not calling it a “bubble” is the right way to think about it. 

In the Slate Plus episode: Thanksgiving Hot Takes!

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: FHFA director Bill Pulte convinced Trump to back 50-year mortgages with some posterboard and a photo of FDR.  Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck, discuss why Trump’s post about 50-year mortgages angered conservatives – officials and voters alike – and why they’re more of a hindrance than a solution to the housing crisis. Then, the White House is considering limiting the power of proxy advisers and index-fund managers on shareholder voting. The hosts explain what this would mean for shareholders and how billionaires like Elon Musk and Jamie Dimon, vocal opponents of these firms, stand to gain even more power if they do. Then finally, Robinhood has announced a new service that delivers cash to your door and the hosts ponder the use cases and mechanics of such a thing. 

In the Slate Plus episode: Can You Do That With a Comma?

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/SLATE⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new, very special, Death, Sex and Money and Slate Money crossover, Felix Salmon and Anna Sale are once again joined by Felix’s financial advisor Adrianna Adams from Domain Money to talk about…parents. They dig into the emotions of trying to take care of your aging parents while also growing your own wealth, the importance of setting goals, and to do with aging children AND aging parents at the same time, and so much more. Plus! Rent or buy?

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Video production by Micah Phillips.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman, to discuss her book The Double Tax: How Women of Color Are Overcharged and Underpaid. They discuss Anna’s extensive research into how racism and sexism create real economic barriers in the US, why it’s not just women of color who should be worried about this disturbing trend, and what can actually be done about it.

Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Trump’s team has argued to the Supreme Court that his tariffs weren’t about raising revenue, despite his many previous claims to the contrary. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, Emily Peck, and guest Jeff Horwitz of Reuters, discuss whether this argument will hold against the law that says only Congress has the right to raise revenue via tariffs and taxes, or if the Supreme Court will agree with the many lower courts that have deemed these tariffs illegal. Then, Jeff breaks down his deep dive into the documents that not only reveal that Meta platforms are rife with fraudulent ads they have failed to block, but also how the company is ultimately profiting from the proliferation of these scams. And finally, the ultimate ode to billionaire whimsy looks to be over before it can begin. The hosts and Jeff discuss the many reasons Mohammed bin Salman’s outlandish plans for a megacity in the desert have failed to be realized.

In the Slate Plus episode: Happy Ham Season to all!

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new, very special, Death, Sex and Money and Slate Money crossover, Felix Salmon and Anna Sale dig into the stressful world of financial advice and planning for retirement. How do you know if you’re set up financially to retire? Is it possible to think about retirement without having a panic attack? How much should you track your 401k? What apps should I delete? They’re joined by Felix’s financial advisor Adrianna Adams from Domain Money, to dig into these questions and so much more.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Video production by Micah Phillips.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: OpenAI has moved away from being run as a non-profit.  Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck discuss the stated reasons behind the move and what it actually means to be a not-for-profit company. Then, the rates for next year's Affordable Care Act marketplace insurance have come out, and the prices have skyrocketed, reflecting an increase in healthcare costs across the board in the US. The hosts examine the reasons for this depressing trend. And finally, lovers of Maurizio Cattelan’s “America”, rejoice. Though his original piece was stolen, it turned out there was a spare 14k gold toilet all along and it will be auctioned off at Sotheby’s amid record high gold prices. 

In the Slate Plus episode: AI Job Apocalypse…Now?

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a new, very special, Death, Sex and Money and Slate Money crossover, Felix Salmon and Anna Sale dig into the difficult decision of whether or not to have kids. 

Child care? School? New vehicle? All the baby gadgets? Kids are expensive! Felix is famously childless, Anna has a couple kids on the older side. Between the two of them they dig into their decisions to have and not have kids (including Anna’s family’s decision to have TWO kids), the budgeting and balancing of all the emotional and financial costs of kids, how kids can be a benefit later in life, and more.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Video production by Micah Phillips. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Money Talks: Emily Peck and Felix Salmon are joined by legal scholar Ray D. Madoff to discuss her new book The Second Estate: How the Tax Code Made an American Aristocracy. Ray lays out how the US tax code favors the wealthy to an unbelievable degree, helping them to essentially opt out of the system altogether. 

Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: A spectacular heist unfolded at the Louvre, with thieves stealing priceless jewels within 7 minutes in broad daylight.  Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck unpack what happened, why the world was so delighted by this particular crime, and the reasons the thieves might not get that big of a big score in the end. Then, ADP has decided to refrain from giving the Fed special data access, exacerbating the data shortage amid the government shutdown. The hosts discuss why this is happening along with the other effects of this drawn out Federal standstill. And finally, some Silicon Valley companies are adopting a controversial work schedule that originated in China known as 996 wherein employees work from 9am-9pm 6 days a week. The hosts delve into this concerning trend and how the AI arms race is changing things in Silicon Valley.

In the Slate Plus episode: The hosts share their favorite heist movies.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Get 50% Off Monarch Money, the all-in-one financial tool at ⁠www.monarchmoney.com/SLATE⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices