Stacey Vanek Smith Stacey Vanek Smith is the co-host of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money, and is a correspondent for Planet Money.
Stories By

Stacey Vanek Smith

Eric Korenman
Stacey
Eric Korenman

Stacey Vanek Smith

Co-Host, The Indicator from Planet Money; Correspondent, Planet Money

Stacey Vanek Smith is the co-host of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money. She's also a correspondent for Planet Money, where she covers business and economics. In this role, Smith has followed economic stories down the muddy back roads of Oklahoma to buy 100 barrels of oil; she's traveled to Pune, India, to track down the man who pitched the country's dramatic currency devaluation to the prime minister; and she's spoken with a North Korean woman who made a small fortune smuggling artificial sweetener in from China.

Prior to coming to NPR, Smith worked for Marketplace, where she was a correspondent and fill-in host. While there, Smith was part of a collaboration with The New York Times, where she explored the relationship between money and marriage. She was also part of Marketplace's live shows, where she produced a series of pieces on getting her data mined.

Smith is a native of Idaho and grew up working on her parents' cattle ranch. She is a graduate of Princeton University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in comparative literature and creative writing. She also holds a master's in broadcast journalism from Columbia University.

Story Archive

Thursday

Former President Eisenhower, addresses the nation on the American intervention in Formosa (now Taiwan) in an undated archival picture. Eisenhower was involved in the country's first debt ceiling fight when he asked Congress to raise the limit by $15 billion. The Senate refused, ushering the first tussle over the country's debt. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption

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Keystone/Getty Images

The first debt ceiling fight was in 1953. It looked almost exactly like the one today

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Wednesday

Alexandra Prokopenko poses at a marathon event back in Russia. She used to run in Moscow's Meshchersky Park all the time: It was her favorite place in the city. But she's doubtful she will see it again, at least for the near future. Shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she left her country, along with hundreds of thousands of her peers. Alexandra Prokopenko hide caption

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Alexandra Prokopenko

She had a dream job. Now, she's part of a massive brain drain hammering Russia

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Could Russia's economy finally be feeling the heat because of sanctions over the war?

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Wednesday

President Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. The U.S. can seem like the country that cried debt ceiling, but many say this year, the country might actually default. What happens to the economy and to regular people if it defaults? Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

So would a U.S. default really be that bad? Yes — And here's why

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Monday

A look at some of the consequences if the U.S. defaults on its debt

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Thursday

The Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Pennsylvania is one of the country's more than 4,000 lenders. It has thrived by catering to the Amish community in the town of Bird-in-Hand. Its mobile branches, like the one pictured here, travel to remote parts of the state, carrying with them ATMs and a teller window. Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption

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Bank of Bird-in-Hand

The U.S. has more banks than anywhere on Earth. That shapes the economy in many ways

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Sunday

A horse looks in the drive-window of the Bank of Bird-in-Hand. The bank serves the Amish community. There are more than 4,000 small banks in the U.S.--more than any other country. And that has shaped the U.S. economy. Amanda Hall/Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption

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Amanda Hall/Bank of Bird-in-Hand

Why does the U.S. have so many small banks? And what does that mean for our economy?

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Saturday

France's new retirement age goes against a quintessential French notion

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Wednesday

The tax free bagel from H&H Bagels injects the cream cheese inside of the bagel to avoid New York's 8% Sandwich Tax Stacey Vanek Smith hide caption

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Stacey Vanek Smith

Behold the tax free bagel: A New York classic gets a tax day makeover

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Tuesday

A tax loophole for bagels: An NYC company added another, inner bagel hole

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Wednesday

Ben Sand, CEO and founder of Strong Compute, a medical imaging start-up, stood in line outside Silicon Valley Bank all night, hoping to get his company's money out. Ben Sand hide caption

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Ben Sand

Of bank runs & animal spirits: the force inside us that keeps regulators up at night

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Saturday

ShantaQuilette Develle Carter-Williams, 44, was prescribed Ozempic after a stroke put her life in danger. The drug worked wonders — until she couldn't get it. Cormeshia Batty hide caption

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Cormeshia Batty

'You forget to eat': How Ozempic went from diabetes medicine to blockbuster diet drug

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Wednesday

Ozempic's weight loss side effect can make it harder to find for people with diabetes

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Sunday

UBS rescues Credit Suisse in deal brokered by Swiss government

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A Credit Suisse bank branch seen in Geneva. The bank was acquired by UBS on Sunday. Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

UBS to buy troubled Credit Suisse in deal brokered by Swiss government

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The banking sector has been hammered by the failure of Silicon Valley Bank. But the bank had money stashed into what's supposed to be the safest asset around. What happened? TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images

Bank fail: How rising interest rates paved the way for Silicon Valley Bank's collapse

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Tuesday

Women earn about 82 cents for every dollar men make, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. That means on March 14, women's pay catches up to what men made in 2022. Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images hide caption

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Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

It's Equal Pay Day. The gender pay gap has hardly budged in 20 years. What gives?

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Wednesday

Stephanie Roth and her three children. Roth works full time but struggles to keep up with bills as prices rise. Like millions of Americans, she has found herself in mounting credit card debt. Stephanie Roth hide caption

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Stephanie Roth

Credit Card Nation: How we went from record savings to record debt in just two years

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Tuesday

Many Americans have exhausted their savings as credit card debt hits a record high

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Wednesday

Tomato shortages in the U.K. are being blamed on bad weather, energy prices and trade policy AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP via Getty Images

Let them eat... turnips? Tomato shortage in UK has politicians looking for answers

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Tuesday

British stores are experiencing shortages of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and other vegetables (Photo by Christophe SIMON / AFP) (Photo by CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images) CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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CHRISTOPHE SIMON/AFP via Getty Images

Tomato shortages hit British stores. Is Brexit to blame?

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Sunday

Is it better to have more meetings at work or none at all?

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Saturday

Are we heading toward a recession? Here's why economists are divided

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Friday

Are we in a recession right now? Economists are divided. mikroman6/Getty Images hide caption

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mikroman6/Getty Images

Is the economy headed for recession or a soft landing?

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