Planet Money
Hosted by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi, Amanda Aronczyk, Erika de la Vega, Jeff Guo, Kenny Malone, Mary Childs, Nick Fountain & Sarah Rodriguez · 18 decoded episodes · newest Oct 7, 2026
Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At <em>Planet Money</em>, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.<br><br><em> Support public media by joining NPR+ at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening for Planet Money.</em>
Episodes 18
- Oct 7, 2026 · 26 minPonzi’s original scam still powers modern financial fraudThe episode shows how extraordinary-return promises and fear of missing out can turn a simple fraud into a self-sustaining financial disaster.
- Oct 2, 2026 · 30 minThree forces are reshaping the beverage aisleFlavor science, functional ingredients, and affordable manufacturing have lowered the barriers to creating and selling new drinks.
- Sep 30, 2026 · 29 minSocial Security faces a political math problemBenefits could fall by roughly 22% by 2032, but every credible solution shifts costs among workers, employers, retirees, or taxpayers.
- Sep 25, 2026 · 31 minMain Street owners quietly reshape wealth and policyThe episode connects overlooked business fortunes to tax advantages and regulations that can influence competition and everyday prices.
- Sep 23, 2026 · 30 minThe debt debate moves beyond the 90% red lineWith U.S. debt at $40 trillion and interest costs rising, the episode examines why fiscal danger may arrive without a precise threshold.
- Sep 18, 2026 · 32 minDomino’s turns waiting into a productThe episode shows how status updates can make uncertainty feel manageable while blurring the line between reassurance and deception.
- Sep 16, 2026 · 18 minEasy market access is turning investing into a riskier betRecord margin borrowing and sports-betting habits show how financial access can blur the line between investing and gambling, especially for younger adults.
- Sep 11, 2026 · 29 minBaltimore’s foreclosure wave exposes risks in fast-growing investor loansThe collapse shows how lightly regulated housing credit can connect distant investors, institutional money, and neighborhood-level damage.
- Sep 9, 2026 · 24 minInflation creates different economies for different generationsThe episode shows how prices, wages, assets, and economic timing shape financial stress in ways national statistics can obscure.
- Sep 5, 2026 · 25 minVenezuela’s oil revival faces an old political trapThe episode tests whether foreign investment can rebuild Venezuela’s oil industry without repeating the coercion, instability, and backlash that derailed earlier efforts.
- Sep 2, 2026 · 26 minA dating stunt exposes surveillance’s intimate reachThe episode tests whether tools built to connect and analyze vast datasets can create romance without sacrificing privacy, accuracy, or consent.
- Aug 30, 2026 · 23 minHow secretaries turned workplace frustration into a movementThe story shows how organizing and popular culture challenged workplace sexism while leaving childcare, harassment, pay inequality, and union decline unresolved.