When not-for-profits started filling your inbox with requests for donations on Giving Tuesday last week, did you respond to any of them? If so, was your contribution part of a larger plan for giving? Or were you moved by a particular message and donated on the spot? And does it matter?

Giving — and how it fits into your larger financial planning — is the subject of this week's podcast with Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn.

Host Mason King peppers Pete with questions about whether it's better to give one or two big gifts a year, as opposed to a bunch of smaller ones; how much is the right amount to give overall (or even whether there is a "right" number); and how you choose what organizations to invest your dollars in.

And Pete explains what's changing about his giving strategy this year.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Bloomington-based Cook Medical announced last week that it will invest $7 million to help build a $15 million medical device manufacturing facility at 38th Street and Sheridan Avenue that is expected to be transformational for the lower-income neighborhood on the northeast side of Indianapolis.

Cook has partnered with Goodwill of Central & Southern Indiana, The Indianapolis Foundation, Impact Central Indiana and the United Northeast Community Development Corp. to build the facility and hire 100 employees for jobs expected to pay an average hourly wage of $16 plus benefits.

Goodwill will operate the plant with the goal of hiring workers from the neighborhood—and will provide key wrap-around services to ensure those workers and their families have the food, housing and education they need to succeed.

Podcast host Mason King talked with Pete Yonkman, president of Cook Group and Cook Medical, and Ashley Gurvitz, executive director of United Northeast Community Development Corp., about the project and what it could mean for the neighborhood. And Yonkman explains why Cook is urging other companies to make similar moves.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

The NCAA announced last week that it is in negotiations with local officials to hold its entire March Madness tournament—not just the Final Four, but every single game of the event—in Indianapolis this spring.

It's part of an effort to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on the teams participates and the officials who are involved. The tournament would be treated as a virus-free bubble, similar to the way the NBA operated in Orlando.

So what would that mean for Indianapolis? And can the city pull it off?

To find out, podcast host Mason King talked with IBJ reporter Mickey Shuey, who has been covering the story, as well as Mark Ganis, co-founder of Chicago-based Sportscorp. Ltd., and Larry DeGaris, a University of Indianapolis professor and sports marketing consultant. They explain why Indianapolis is such a good candidate to take on the event and what challenges lie ahead.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Dozens of organizations and governmental agencies across central Indiana are trying to address hunger and food insecurity.

Schools provide meals to students. The federal government sends food assistance to low-income Hoosiers. Not-for-profits as big as Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana and as small as church food pantries are trying to make sure families have enough to eat.

Enter a new effort—Food Secure Indy.

But this group won't distribute food or build grocery stores or dig community gardens. Instead, the coalition of Indy companies, government leaders and not-for-groups will work to coordinate existing services. And by doing so, it hopes to The goal is to provide an additional 740,000 meals a month in Marion County on a regular basis by 2023.

Podcast host Mason King talks with Margie Craft, a senior adviser at Elanco (the lead company in the coalition) and the project lead for Food Secure Indy about the effort and what it will take to be successful.

To learn more, read reporter John Russell's story about Food Secure Indy and the hunger problem in Indianapolis.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

In a state that routinely rewards Republican candidates, Democrats were expected to have a somewhat breakthrough year here.

Sure, the Democratic gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Woody Myers, wasn't expected to do well. But in the 5th Congressional District, Democrats had high hope for Christina Hale in a race against Republican Victoria Spartz. And they spent heavily in an attempt to knock off several GOP lawmakers in Hamilton County. 

But Republicans swept all of those races and many others, actually strengthening their hold at the Statehouse.

So podcast host Mason King talked with University of Indianapolis political science professor Laura Merrifield Wilson and IBJ political reporter Lindsey Erdody about the messages Indiana voters sent at the polls.

For more politics news, check out IBJ stories here and sign up for Erdody's award-winning newsletter, "The Rundown."

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

If you think saving effectively for retirement simply means knowing the total amount of money you need on the day you tell your boss sayonara, you've only done part of the calculation.

After all, "knowing" that number — which is really a misnomer, given that almost none of us know how long we're actually going to live in retirement — doesn't tell you anything about how to get to the number.

That's why Peter "Pete the Planner" Dunn says the most important thing to know is how much you need to save every month to reach a total number that seems reasonable for retirement.

"It's the only prudent number to think about because it leads to action," Dunn tells IBJ Podcast host Mason King.

Dunn also wrote about the issue in last week's IBJ. 

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Artists of all kinds have been hit hard by the pandemic. The theaters, galleries, concert halls and other venues that share their work closed in the spring and at least part of the summer.

Many performing arts groups canceled their 2020-21 seasons altogether, while others are going virtual.

Yet, the social justice movement that erupted this summer and even the pain caused by the pandemic have provided new opportunities and inspiration for many artists.

So podcast host Mason King talked with Julie Goodman, president and CEO of the Arts Council of Indianapolis, about the group's fundraising efforts and grant programs meant to sustain artists and arts groups.

Rebecca Robinson, a visual artist and one of the painters on the Black Lives Matter street mural this summer, and Andrew Elliot, a makeup artist and musician, also join the conversation to talk about their personal pandemic experiences.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Back in March, as the pandemic was unfolding in Indiana, podcast host Mason King talked with Eddie Sahm, who owns the Sahm's restaurant group with his father. At the time, Eddie talked about the company's pivot to providing meals to Second Helpings, in part to keep their staff employed, and converting some of the restaurant to marketplaces.

Six months later, King catches up with Eddie about which Sahm's restaurants have survived, how business is going overall and how worried he is about the coming cold weather, which will end patio seating.

There's one thing Eddie is certain about: Without more government assistance, a large percentage of local restaurants will close. And that, he said, won't be good for the community.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Election Day is just weeks away and, already, thousands of Hoosiers are voting early in person and through mail-in absentee ballots.

So podcast host Mason King talks with IBJ politics reporter Lindsey Erdody and Andy Downs, director of the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics at Purdue University-Fort Wayne, about how the races are shaping up.

They break down battles for the Governors' Office and the 5th Congressional District and evaluate the vice presidential debate. Plus, they consider the impact of early voting and what mail-in ballots will mean for how quickly the votes are counted.

To learn more, click here to sign up for Lindsey's weekly politics email, called The Rundown.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.

Does Indianapolis need a new vision? A new strategy for its economic development, talent attraction and overall economy that will take the city into the next 40 or 50 years?

A growing chorus of community and business leaders are saying yes, says Nate Feltman, co-owner and CEO of IBJ.

He says the city's long-time strategy related to conventions and sports will continue to be a part of its strengths and successes. But he tells podcast host Mason King that a changing economy and the changing preferences of young workers and families means Indianapolis must find a new way to grow and thrive.

He's calling on young leaders from across the city to step forward with ideas. And he says IBJ can help play a role in hosting those conversations.

Plus, Feltman provides an update on how IBJ is doing during the pandemic and what he sees as the news organization's future.

Read more in Feltman's column at IBJ.com.

The IBJ Podcast is brought to you by the law firm Krieg DeVault.