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Episode 518

Are Personal Finance Gurus Giving You Bad Advice?

One Yale economist certainly thinks so. But even if he’s right, are economists any better?…

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…Your Personal Information. In addition to the uses described above, we may collect and use personal information to: Provide, Maintain, Improve and Develop the Service. We may use the personal



Episode 159

How Much Personal Space Do You Need?

How do you deal with a close talker? Is Angela drinking too much water? And why can’t Mike keep his phone out of his bedroom?

Episode 40

Harold Pollack on Why Managing Your Money Is as Easy as Taking Out the Garbage

He argues that personal finance is so simple all you need to know can fit on an index card. How will he deal with Steve’s suggestion that Harold’s nine rules…

Episode 298

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask)

The bad news: Roughly 70 percent of Americans are financially illiterate. The good news: All the important stuff can fit on one index card. Here’s how to become your own…

Episode 571

Greeting Cards, Pizza Boxes, and Personal Injury Lawyers

In a special episode of The Economics of Everyday Things, host Zachary Crockett explains what millennials do to show they care, how corrugated cardboard keeps your food warm, and why…

Episode 37

Personal Injury Lawyers

If you can make it through three years of law school, you too might end up on a billboard. Zachary Crockett makes the case.

Episode 298

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Money (But Were Afraid to Ask) (Replay)

The bad news: roughly 70 percent of Americans are financially illiterate. The good news: all the important stuff can fit on one index card. Here’s how to become your own…

Are We a Nation of Financial Illiterates?

…that economics is being taught much more in high school now than it was 20 or 30 years ago. (While “economics” is of course not the same as “personal finance”…



Episode 297

The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money

It’s hard enough to save for a house, tuition or retirement. So why are we willing to pay big fees for subpar investment returns? Enter the low-cost index fund. The…

Episode 297

The Stupidest Thing You Can Do With Your Money (Replay)

It’s hard enough to save for a house, tuition, or retirement. So why are we willing to pay big fees for subpar investment returns? Enter the low-cost index fund. The…

Episode 90

If America Is a Train Wreck, Why Am I Doing Fine?

Why do so many Americans say they’re satisfied with their own lives but upset about the way the country is going? Why don’t other countries experience the same gap? And…

Robert Reich Answers Your Labor Questions

…U.S. do to help educate our youth for a sound personal financial foundation? A: An introductory course in personal finance and economics should be required in all high schools. Q:…



Episode 378

23andMe (and You, and Everyone Else)

The revolution in home DNA testing is giving consumers important, possibly life-changing information. It’s also building a gigantic database that could lead to medical breakthroughs. But how will you deal…

My Target-Date Fund Is Bigger Than Yours

…ever, and if you don’t care at all about personal finance or investing then you probably shouldn’t go near it. But if you care even a little bit, the paper…





Episode 340

People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard.

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. The founder of behavioral economics…

Episode 340

People Aren’t Dumb. The World Is Hard. (Replay)

You wouldn’t think you could win a Nobel Prize for showing that humans tend to make irrational decisions. But that’s what Richard Thaler has done. The founder of behavioral economics…

Episode 510

What Problems Does Crypto Solve, Anyway?

Boosters say blockchain technology will usher in a brave new era of decentralization. Are they right — and would it be a dream or a nightmare? (Part 3 of “What…

Suze Orman Answers Your Money Questions

…that is what you need to finance a secure retirement. If your new employer offers a retirement plan with a company match, start with that. Always contribute enough to qualify…



Episode 366

This Economist Predicted the Last Crisis. What’s the Next One?

In 2005, Raghuram Rajan said the financial system was at risk “of a catastrophic meltdown.” After stints at the I.M.F. and India’s central bank, he sees another potential crisis —…


Episode 312

Not Your Grandmother’s I.M.F.

The International Monetary Fund has long been the “lender of last resort” for economies in crisis. Christine Lagarde, who runs the institution, would like to prevent those crises from ever…


Michael, Meet Curtis: Philanthropy Gets Personal

…consultants’ overall wealth management strategies utilized predictable business models, while their estate planning suggestions were cautious and conservative. And, to my surprise and Michael’s, their responses about personal growth were…



Episode 451

Can I Ask You a Ridiculously Personal Question?

Most of us are are afraid to ask sensitive questions about money, sex, politics, etc. New research shows this fear is largely unfounded. Time for some interesting conversations!…

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Straight From the Black Swan’s Mouth

…and its focus on finance. A: Finance is invaluable for the following reason: it is the only place where I can pull my routine pranks without diplomatic incidents. For instance,…



Episode 224

How To Win A Nobel Prize (Replay)

The gist: the Nobel selection process is famously secretive (and conducted in Swedish!) but we pry the lid off, at least a little bit.