!["I understand that I'll probably end up paying a lot ... But right now, I need the tires."](http://media.npr.org/assets/img/2013/06/13/tire-11d58d6a0e4c1110d287ece84c6b2b288c4e4fd9-s3.jpg ""I understand that I'll probably end up paying a lot ... But right now, I need the tires."")
Podcast
Episode 466: DIY Finance
Mike Smith has thousands of dollars stashed around his house in different accounts. Tamara Bullock is part of an informal savings club. Miguel Rada has a whole bank in his pocket — he takes deposits from some people and lends to others.
This One Page Could End The Copyright War Over 'Happy Birthday'
by Jacob Goldstein
The birthday song — Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, etc. — is still under copyright protection. That may soon change.
Podcast
Episode 396: A Father Of High-Speed Trading Thinks We Should Slow Down
Thomas Peterffy's life story includes a typing robot, a proto-iPad, and a vast fortune he amassed as one of the first people to use computers in financial markets.
©2013 NPR
Radio
When People Make Their Own Banks
by Marianne McCune
An ex-con lends money to people in need; a group of friends creates a savings club. Even without banks, people often figure out how to get the money they need, when they need it.
Radio
Why More People Are Renting Tires
by Zoe Chace
"I understand that I'll probably end up paying a lot," one customer says. "But right now, I need the tires."
Jobs
Pop Stars And The Rise Of Inequality In America, In 2 Graphs
by Jacob Goldstein
What ticket sales tell us about what's driving the gap between the 1 percent and everybody else.
The 17th Century Version Of The Fight Over Uber
by Jacob Goldstein
Taxi drivers and their predecessors have been fighting threatening technology for 500 years.
Podcast
Episode 465: Myanmar Opens Up
On today's show, we meet two businessmen in Yangon. One is launching a startup. The other works for Coca-Cola — which is going back into Myanmar after a 60-year absence.
Trade
NYT Excerpt: When Fancy Car Seats Make Babies Safer
Car-seat manufacturers add bells and whistles to try to justify higher profit margins. Sometimes, everyone benefits.
A Giant, Secret Vault Where Rich People Store Their Stuff Tax-Free
Art, wine and tons of gold: Freeports are the safe-deposit boxes of the offshore tax-haven world.
Podcast
Episode 464: When A Poor Country Gets A Lot Richer*
*Note: The country is only getting richer on paper, but that change may make a difference in the real world.*
Trade
Translating The Coca-Cola Experience
Lam Thuy Vo and Robert Smith
For 60 years, Myanmar was officially without Coca-Cola. Now, Coke is back, and the new Myanmar bottle says a lot about the challenges of re-establishing a brand.
Radio
How To Sell Coke To People Who Have Never Had A Sip
by Robert Smith
Coca-Cola is returning to Myanmar after 60 years. They'd been kept out of the country by international sanctions. This week they officially opened their new plant outside of Yangon.
Trade
NYT Excerpt: How Much Is Michael Bolton Worth to You?
To an economist, the very existence of scalpers and companies like StubHub proves that tickets are far too cheap to balance supply and demand.
Trade
Freeway Rick Ross Has A New Business
by Caitlin Kenney
The former crack dealer is now selling weaves. "Just like crack, you don't need a weave," Rick says. "It takes advantage of people's ignorance, I guess you could say. But there's a lot of stuff people don't need, and still we consume it."
