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Planet Money

Planet Money

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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
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Episodes
  • After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble

    After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble
    Nov 1 2025
    This week’s SNAP crisis is just a preview. Tucked inside the giant tax-cut and spending bill signed by President Donald Trump this summer are enormous cuts to SNAP: Who qualifies, how much they get, and who foots the bill for the program. That last part is a huge change.

    For the entire history of the food stamp program, the federal government has paid for all the benefits that go out. States pay part of the cost of administering it, but the food stamp money has come entirely from federal taxpayers. This bill shifts part of the costs to states.

    How much will states have to pay? It depends. The law ties the amount to a statistic called the Payment Error Rate -- the official measure of accuracy -- whether states are giving recipients either too much, or too little, in food stamp money.

    On today’s show, we go to Oregon to meet the bureaucrats on the front lines of getting that error rate down -- and ask Governor Tina Kotek what’s going to happen if they can’t.

    Looking for hunger-relief resources? Try here.

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    This episode was hosted by Nick Fountain and Jeff Guo. It was produced by James Sneed and Willa Rubin, edited by Marianne McCune and Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez, and engineered by Debbie Daughtry and Robert Rodriguez. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.

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    30 mins
  • The remittance mystery

    The remittance mystery
    Oct 30 2025
    For decades, the U.S. has been the single biggest source of remittances worldwide. A remittance is a transfer of money, typically from an immigrant to their family in their country of origin. But we are in the middle of a big, loud and very public immigration crackdown on those who are here without legal status. And that crackdown is disrupting the global remittance market.

    People who have come to the U.S. from a handful of countries — especially some Central American countries — have been sending more money back to their countries of origin. And it’s a bit of a puzzle because … you might think the opposite would be the case.

    As immigration plummets, we try to figure out why remittances are surging in some countries, and not others. And we learn why a surge in money sent home inspires joy — but also fear.

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    Register here for our live Zoom event about our board game project on November 1st.

    This episode was hosted by Erika Beras and Greg Rosalsky. It was produced by Luis Gallo with help from Sam Yellowhorse Kesler. It was edited by Marianne McCune with fact-checking help from Sierra Juarez. It was engineered by Patrick Murray. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money’s executive producer.

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    28 mins
  • Should the fine have to fit the crime?

    Should the fine have to fit the crime?
    Oct 24 2025
    The U.S. Constitution famously outlaws “cruel and unusual punishments.” But there's another, far more obscure part of the Constitution called the Excessive Fines Clause, which basically says that the fine has to fit the crime. So far, the Supreme Court has been pretty mysterious about what that means. But for Ken Jouppi, the fate of his $95,000 plane hinges on it.

    Ken is a bush pilot. He used to run an air taxi service in Fairbanks, Alaska. In 2012, police caught one of Ken’s passengers with a six-pack of Budweiser in her luggage. Over that six-pack, Ken was convicted of bootlegging. As punishment, he was ordered to forfeit his $95,000 Cessna.

    The Supreme Court is now considering whether to take Ken’s case. And what’s at stake here is more than just a plane. Hanging in the balance is an increasingly popular — and controversial — business model for criminal justice.

    More on economics and the law:
    - Fine and punishment
    - The prisoner's solution
    - Paying for the crime
    - Rescues at sea, and how to make a fortune

    Pre-order the Planet Money book and get a free gift. / Subscribe to Planet Money+

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

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    Today’s episode was produced by James Sneed and Sam Yellowhorse Kesler with help from Luis Gallo. It was edited by Jess Jiang, fact-checked by Sierra Juarez and engineered by Ko Tagasugi Chernovin with help from Robert Rodriguez. Planet Money's executive producer is Alex Goldmark.

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    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
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Its very interesting they talk about tax loopholes in a way that makes you want to listen to it.

Very Interesting

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This is one of my all time favorite podcasts! keep up the great work 😃

Best!

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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!

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

planet skibidi toilet slay

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This show is a classic, everybody performs so great and such good stories, I highly suggest.
Thank you for reading 

Nice

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Way too much advertising which makes it real annoying to listen. otherwise the content is good.

too much advertising

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