Planet Money Podcast By NPR cover art

Planet Money

Planet Money

By: NPR
Listen for free

About this listen

 Wanna see a trick? Give us any topic and we can tie it back to the economy. At Planet Money, we explore the forces that shape our lives and bring you along for the ride. Don't just understand the economy – understand the world.

Wanna go deeper? Subscribe to Planet Money+ and get sponsor-free episodes of Planet Money, The Indicator, and Planet Money Summer School. Plus access to bonus content. It's a new way to support the show you love. Learn more at plus.npr.org/planetmoney
Copyright 2015-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only Economics Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer

    Summer School 1: A government's role in the economy is to make us all richer
    Jul 9 2025
    Government. The Big G. We like to imagine the free market and the invisible hand as being independent from political influence. But Nobel laureate, Simon Johnson, says that influence has been there since the birth of economics. Call it political economy. Call it government and business. Call it our big topic each Wednesday through Labor Day.

    We're kicking off another semester of Planet Money Summer School asking the biggest question: Why are some nations rich and others poor? With stories from India, New York City and Peru, we look at the ways in which government bureaucracy can help make or break an economy.

    Tickets for Planet Money Live at the Bell House available here. Planet Money+ supporters get a 10 percent discount off their tickets. Go to plus.npr.org to sign up, if you haven't already, and listen to the July 8th bonus episode to get the discount code.

    Always free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Find more Planet Money:     Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Planet Money+ supporters get early access to new episodes of Summer School this season! You also get sponsor-free listening, regular bonus episodes, and you'll help support the work of Planet Money.

    Sign up for Planet Money+ in     Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • The simple math of the big bill

    The simple math of the big bill
    Jul 4 2025
    If we think about the economic effects of President Donald Trumps big taxing and spending and domestic policy bill, we can roughly sum it up in one line. It goes something like this:

    We will make many big tax cuts permanent and pay for those tax cuts by cutting Medicaid and a few other things and also...by borrowing money.

    A lot of money.

    Even more than we've already been borrowing over the past twenty years. (And that was already a lot, too!)

    Today: simple arithmetic with profound ramifications. Tax cuts, spending cuts, and whether they balance out. (Spoiler: no.)

    We look under the hood to see how all this is calculated. And we ask: how will a bigger deficit play out for all of us, in our normal, regular lives?

    We've covered a bunch more having to do with the big taxing and spending bill and the federal debt recently on Planet Money and our short daily show The Indicator:

    - So, how's this No Tax On Tips thing gonna go?
    - A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
    - The paperwork trap: A sneaky way to cut Medicaid in the 'One Big Beautiful Bill'?
    - The debt limit, the origins of the X Date, and why it all matters
    - What's a revenge tax?
    - Is the federal debt REALLY that bad?

    Support Planet Money, get bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening and now Summer School episodes one week early by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

    Listen free at these links:     Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show more Show less
    32 mins
  • A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem

    A thought experiment on how to fix the national debt problem
    Jul 2 2025
    There's an economic fantasy you sometimes hear in D.C. It often gets trotted out when politicians are trying to add billions or trillions to the national debt. They claim that all the new spending will be worth it in the end because we will supercharge economic growth.

    This fantasy recurs again and again, because economic growth is a potent force. Over the next few decades, tiny changes in how fast our economy grows could decide the fate of the federal government — whether we can bring the massive national debt under control or whether we spiral into a fiscal crisis.

    Today on the show, we talk to three economists who have been sifting through the latest evidence. They're trying to figure out what the government could actually do to make the economy grow faster. Could we even grow fast enough to outrun our national debt?

    For a list of citations, check out our episode page.

    This episode of Planet Money was produced by Emma Peaslee with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Jess Jiang. It was fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Ko Takasugi-Czernowin. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer.

    Find more Planet Money: Facebook / Instagram / TikTok / Our weekly Newsletter.

    Listen free at these links: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, the NPR app or anywhere you get podcasts.

    Help support Planet Money and hear our bonus episodes by subscribing to Planet Money+ in Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/planetmoney.

    Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show more Show less
    26 mins

Featured Article: The best sales podcasts for all kinds of sellers and savvy buyers


The world of sales can be complicated, but it is vital to just about everything you do or want to achieve. From learning how to sell your own skills to promoting the products or services your employer offers to protecting yourself from people selling scams, knowing how sales works can open up a lot of doors and save you a lot of trouble. These sales podcasts will teach you some of the most important things you need to know about sales.

Featured Article The best sales podcasts for all kinds of sellers and savvy buyers
All stars
Most relevant  
Its very interesting they talk about tax loopholes in a way that makes you want to listen to it.

Very Interesting

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This is one of my all time favorite podcasts! keep up the great work 😃

Best!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Amazing podcast, the energy of the hosts is unmatched (is it just me or does Mary sound exactly like Cortana?)
Everyone should be tuning into every episode.

The tax loophole is still my favorite episode... so far!!

Incredibly informative analysis on... everything!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

planet money is so slay and it made me do the griddy. it gave me skibidi rizz 🤔😨😪😧

planet skibidi toilet slay

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
This show is a classic, everybody performs so great and such good stories, I highly suggest.
Thank you for reading 

Nice

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Way too much advertising which makes it real annoying to listen. otherwise the content is good.

too much advertising

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.