Why money requires trust and cooperation to function. How much money is there above and beyond coins and bills. What happens when individuals lose trust in digital money.

Does gold have these three attributes of money: 

1. A store of value.
2. A medium of exchange.
3. Unit of account.

This was the very first Money For the Rest of Us episode. It covers:

1. An introduction to the podcast.
2. Why money is no longer physical and why it's no longer backed by gold.
3. How the gold standard worked.
4. How federal governments and banks create money out of thin air. How money is destroyed.
5. How federal governments force us to use their money.
6. Why money has value.
7. What keeps federal governments from creating too much money.
8. How knowing what money is and how it is created can change how you invest.

An introduction to Season One of Topics by Money For the Rest of Us: What is money, how is it created, how it has changed over the years, why it's no longer backed by gold and why it requires trust.