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The Economy Explained

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Investing in mediocrity
AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

Investing in mediocrity

Is the key to success in financial markets a matter of luck or skill? One former bond manager shares his strategy: Win big by avoiding winning. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Investing in mediocrity

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How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)
NPR

Planet Money

How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)

A sandwich is generally defined as something delicious slapped between two slices of bread. New York tax code would beg to differ. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

How the burrito became a sandwich (Classic)

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Buy now, pay dearly?
Courtesy of Amelia Schmarzo

Planet Money

Buy now, pay dearly?

A wave of companies that allow customers to pay for items from their favorite stores in four interest-free installments has taken over the country. But is "buy now, pay later" lending too good to be true? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Buy now, pay dearly?

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A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)
Imangi Studios

Planet Money

A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

When Maddie Messer was 12 years old, she noticed an unfair dynamic in the video games she loved: playing as a man was often free, but she had to pay to play as a woman. So ... she decided to take on the video game industry. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

A 12-year-old girl takes on the video game industry (UPDATE)

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The day Russia adopted the free market
AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

The day Russia adopted the free market

In the early 90s, American economist Jeffrey Sachs was a part of a team that tried to transform Russia's economy. It did not go as planned. He tells us what he thinks went so wrong. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The day Russia adopted the free market

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Risky business
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Planet Money

Risky business

Two stories on how businesses are using insurance to navigate new kinds of risks. First, how music venues are handling pandemic-related risks. And how Russia's invasion of Ukraine is affecting cyber insurance. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Risky business

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Finally, our comic book
NPR

Planet Money

Finally, our comic book

After many, many delays, the Micro-Face comic book is here! And we answer the burning question: Why did it take so long to make a comic book? | Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only. Tickets on sale here. And buy our now-ready Micro-Face comic book.

Finally, our comic book

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TikTok to the top
Switched on Pop

Planet Money

TikTok to the top

Thanks to TikTok, Tai Verdes went from struggling musician to Top 40 hitmaker. But first, he had to crack the algorithm of how to go viral. | Come see Planet Money Live in NYC on May 10th! One night only. Tickets on sale here.

TikTok to the top

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The student loan paaaaauuuuuse
AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

The student loan paaaaauuuuuse

The pause on federal student loan payments was just extended for the sixth time in two years. So...what's that been like for the borrowers, and what's in store for them when the system eventually restarts? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here. | Planet Money TikTok has been nominated for a Webby award! Cast your vote for us here.

The student loan paaaaauuuuuse

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Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)

Jose Magrass, hot dog selling machine. NPR hide caption

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Planet Money

Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)

Ballpark vendors share their strategies and other secrets to selling the most hot dogs at baseball games. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Peanuts and Cracker Jack (Classic)

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How manatees got into hot water

Burrkey, a rehabilitated manatee prepares to be released back into the wild at the Manatee Viewing Center, at Tampa Electric's Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida. NPR hide caption

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Planet Money

How manatees got into hot water

While on the brink of extinction in the 1970s, manatees found sanctuary in the warm waters of Florida power plants. Now, they're hooked on fossil fuels. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

How manatees got into hot water

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Turkey's runaway inflation problem
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Planet Money

Turkey's runaway inflation problem

Turkey is facing really high inflation, over 60 percent. Its president is taking an unorthodox approach to dealing with it. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Turkey's runaway inflation problem

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When bricks were rubles
AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money

When bricks were rubles

For a brief, strange period after the U.S.S.R. collapsed, "real" money was less valuable than tradeable objects like bricks or towels. We look back at the Russian barter economy and we see the nature of money and value underneath all currency. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

When bricks were rubles

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The Bond King
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Planet Money

The Bond King

Investing legend Bill Gross revolutionized the bond market, built an empire, and lost it all. Our very own Mary Childs talks about her new book, The Bond King. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The Bond King

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Fashion Fair's makeover
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Planet Money

Fashion Fair's makeover

Fashion Fair was the first big national brand to make makeup for Black women, but it slowly faded into obscurity. Now that it's relaunched, can it compete in an industry it helped create? | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

Fashion Fair's makeover

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Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates
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Planet Money

Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates

Corporate profits are soaring. So are prices. Can corporations just not raise prices? Would that fight inflation? We examine this theory making the rounds. Then, we go inside the pipes of the economy to see how mortgage rates connect to that recent rate hike by the Federal Reserve. | Subscribe to our sister podcast, The Indicator from Planet Money. It's daily, and always less than 10 minutes.

Two inflation Indicators: Corporate greed and mortgage rates

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The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)

English economist John Maynard Keynes attends the United Nations International Monetary and Financial Conference at the Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire. Getty Images hide caption

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Planet Money

The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)

After World War II devastated the global economy, there was a push for a new universal currency. This is the story of how the U.S. dollar won. | Subscribe to our weekly newsletter here.

The dollar at the center of the world (Classic)

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