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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

Most Recent Episodes

The veteran loan calamity

The US Department of Veterans Affairs building is seen in Washington, DC, on July 22, 2019. Alastair Pike/Getty Images hide caption

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Alastair Pike/Getty Images

The veteran loan calamity

Ray and Becky Queen live in rural Oklahoma with their kids (and chickens). The Queens were able to buy that home with a VA loan because of Ray's service in the Army. During COVID, the Queens – like millions of other Americans – needed help from emergency forbearance. They were told they could pause home payments for up to a year and then pick up again making affordable mortgage payments with no problems.

The veteran loan calamity

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So your data was stolen in a data breach
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

So your data was stolen in a data breach

If you... exist in the world, it's likely that you have gotten a letter or email at some point informing you that your data was stolen. This happened recently to potentially hundreds of millions of people in a hack that targeted companies like Ticketmaster, AT&T, Advance Auto Parts and others that use the data cloud company Snowflake.

So your data was stolen in a data breach

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Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?
MarsBars/Getty Images

Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?

There's something strange going on in hospitals. Cheap, common drugs that nurses use every day seem to be constantly hit by shortages. These are often generic drugs that don't seem super complicated to make, things like dextrose and saline (aka sugar water and salt water).

Why do hospitals keep running out of generic drugs?

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Romance on the screen and on the page: Two Indicators
Kaitlin Brito for NPR

Romance on the screen and on the page: Two Indicators

On today's show, we have two stories from The Indicator, Planet Money's daily podcast. They just launched Love Week, a weeklong series exploring the business and economic side of romance.

Romance on the screen and on the page: Two Indicators

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The Subscription Trap

Subscriptions can make users feel trapped, much like Admiral Ackbar, who got to the second Death Star and discovered its shields still fully operational and several Star Destroyers poised to ambush. Lucasfilm hide caption

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Lucasfilm

The Subscription Trap

Over the past two decades, there's been a sort of tectonic economic shift happening under our feet. More and more companies have switched from selling goods one by one to selling services, available as a subscription. These days everything from razor blades to meal kits to car washes have become subscriptions. But all that convenience has also come with a dark side – some companies have designed their offerings to be as easy as possible to sign up for and also as difficult as possible to cancel. Many consumers are now paying for way more subscriptions than they even know about.

The Subscription Trap

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So imPORTant: Bananas, frogs, and... Bob's??

Dockworkers strike at the Bayport Container Terminal in Seabrook, Texas, on October 1, 2024. Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Mark Felix/AFP via Getty Images

So imPORTant: Bananas, frogs, and... Bob's??

Even in our modern world with planes and jets and drones, the vast majority of goods are moved around the planet in cargo ships. Which means our ports are the backbone of our global economy. The longshoremans' strike closed the eastern ports for only three days, but those three days raised a lot of questions.

So imPORTant: Bananas, frogs, and... Bob's??

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Can cap and trade work in the US?
Ted S. Warren/Associated Press

Can cap and trade work in the US?

Recently, the state of Washington embarked on an ambitious new plan to combat climate change. Taking a page from economics textbooks, the state instituted a statewide "cap and trade" system for carbon emissions. The state establishes a cap on the total amount of carbon pollution it is willing to allow each year, and then gives away or auctions off carbon emission permits that add up to that total. Companies can then trade those permits on the open market.

Can cap and trade work in the US?

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What's up with all the ads for law firms?

These days, to be a successful lawyer it's often not enough just to be good at the lawyering part, you also have to be good at selling yourself. Maybe even swing on a vine with a monkey Jungle Law Group hide caption

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Jungle Law Group

What's up with all the ads for law firms?

The lawyer commercial is almost an art form unto itself. Learned practitioners of the law doing whatever it takes to get your attention, from impressive dirt bike stunts to running around half naked. All so when you land in trouble, you don't have to think hard to remember their name. Odds are you can name one or two right now.

What's up with all the ads for law firms?

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