NPR: Planet Money

The market for beef explains a lot about what works about the relationship between Mexico and the U.S.

The 401(k) retirement plan turned 40 this week! Today on the show, we chronicle the rise of the 401(k), the fall of the pension, and talk to the man who started it all.

How one bank gave a whole new meaning to the term "mobile banking."

The Falcons are trying something radical: Making their food cheaper. It could break stadium economics.

You may not know it, but companies are silently scoring you... and using that score to figure out how to treat you.

We answer questions from our listeners and issue a couple of mea culpas.

Taxes get a bad reputation, but they were central to the formation of representative government, says financial historian William N. Goetzmann.

Seattle's radical solution to big money in politics: Flood elections with even more money.

Wage growth has (finally) been accelerating, but what else are companies doing to bid for workers?

One of our youngest listeners asked us why Ecuador changed its currency to U.S. dollars, so we found out!

Horror movies are good business. Scary good. They are more likely to be profitable than any other kind of movie. Today on the show, we look at why.

Two reporters walk into a haunted house, in this special Halloween episode.

Weekly, biweekly, or every month — which payday makes the most sense?

Municipalities are increasingly going to the bond market to pay their court settlement costs.

China is trying a bold experiment to help people trust each other more: The social credit score. Will it work? Does it go too far?

You won't have to get coffee. But you might have to ride a hoverboard.

We assume that winning the lottery will make us happier. In some ways it does, in others — not so much.

The deficit normally shrinks when the economy is strengthening, but not now.

In just six years, robots could achieve parity with humans in the workplace, with machines working the same number of hours as people.

Warehouse jobs are growing even faster than the rest of the booming labor market. Are they good jobs?

The first lottery was a royal affair with poems, golden flatware and invited criminals. Also, how someone won the lottery over and over.

Short sellers get a bad rap. Sometimes with good reason. But overall, they're an inevitable and useful part of a healthy financial system.

President Trump promised to slash regulations. How has he done?

A storied American retailer has filed for bankruptcy.

Amazon and Netflix are trying to take on India. But, so far a Hollywood ending, south-Asian style, has eluded them.

We try to tell the difference between correlation and causation.

Just because marijuana is now legal in Canada doesn't mean the market for it is easily quantifiable.

The Supplemental Poverty Report provides a more accurate and nuanced picture of poverty in America

Tyler Cowen rates Nobel prizes, blogs, and the importance of weirdness in conversation

Seth Frotman worked overseeing student loans for the government. He saw things that made him quit.

Turns out nothing says 'I'm sorry' like cold, hard cash

China is piloting a so-called social credit system, which allots every citizen a certain number of points. If you do the "right thing" you can extra points. If you don't, you can lose points.

In China, if you don't pay back your loans, you could end up on a blacklist. When you're on it, you can't get a credit card or a plane ticket. Today on the show, we talk with someone on the blacklist.

China has a problem: it's economy grew fast and that led to a trust problem. If someone doesn't pay back a loan, there's no real enforcement. But the solution might cause problems of its own.

The reverse stock split is the Iron Lotus of the financial world. It looks complicated and absurd, and it often doesn't end well.

Bill Nordhaus just won the economics Nobel. In this show: He shows how history of light is the history of economic growth — of things getting faster, cheaper, and more efficient.

Today on the Indicator: stolen jobs-day trends ... from our clever jobs-day friends!

We follow writer Oliver Bullough as he explores how stolen money moves around the world, and what that might mean for democracies.

The US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement keeps in place the basic NAFTA framework, with a few twists.

You've seen these ads: "You can work from home and get rich. It's easy. Call this number!" So, what happens when you respond?

General Electric used to be a household name — a pillar of the U.S. economy. Now, it's fighting to survive.

How financial bubbles reflect the particular psychology of the times in which they inflate.

Washington, D.C. is being sued for a billion dollars... for gentrification.

We tell the story of a massive crackdown on asylum fraud, and the fallout.

Corn prices are falling, but the price of Fritos in the White House press corps break room is up by 20%. What's going on? Team Indicator is on the case!

In 2012, a Justice Department probe shut down law firms that helped Chinese asylum-seekers fabricate or inflate claims of persecution. The clients were left alone, but now 13,500 may have to leave.

Companies are buying back stock from shareholders more than ever. Not everyone thinks that's a good thing.

We rethink everything we know about government spending, taxes, the nature of money... All of it.

The U.S. trade war with China escalated this week. The Trump administration might be underestimating how many options the Chinese government has for responding to American tariffs.

The psychological scars wrought by the 2008 financial crisis are taking a long time to heal. We're a lot more cautious, which has serious implications for the economy.