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Mail bag! Grad jobs, simplified branding and central bank independence

Monday, September 30, 2024

Penny for your thoughts? Today we open our mail bag to hear from Indicator listeners. A college graduate tells us about their job search, a researcher discusses why products advertised as 'simple' may not be so straightforward, and another listener thinks the debate over Fed independence is a little more nuanced than we let on.

Heard something on the show you liked (or didn't)? Have an insight to share about the economy? Send us an email: indicator@npr.org!

Related episodes:
Should presidents have more say in interest rates? (Apple / Spotify)
We grade Fed Chair Jerome Powell (Apple / Spotify)
Trade wars and talent shortages (Apple / Spotify)
If the world had no accountants (Apple / Spotify)
The case for inflation

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What does the next era of Social Security look like?

Thursday, September 26, 2024

Peak 65 is here. More than 4 million Americans will turn 65 between 2024 and 2027, representing the largest retirement surge in history. Years ago, older Americans could count on Social Security. But today there is some uncertainty on the program's solvency in the next decade plus. Now, many are entering their golden years with financial insecurity. Today on the show, how did Social Security become a thing? And what could the safety net for the Peak 65 generation and beyond look like?

Related episodes:
Iceberg ahead for Social Security (Apple / Spotify)
What would it take to fix retirement? (Apple / Spotify)
Social Insecurity

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Behind the Tiny Desk and other listener questions

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

The co-hosts return with answers to YOUR questions. In this episode of listener questions, we dive into why storefronts don't just fill up, how Tiny Desk found its secret sauce, and whether there's an ideal level of staff turnover.

Tiny Desk Donation Page

Related episodes:
Anatomy of a Layoff (Apple / Spotify)
Pay Cuts Vs. Layoffs

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Bad economics, smart politics

Monday, September 16, 2024

Nippon Steel says it wants to keep jobs in America as it looks to buy out US Steel. And economists say: that makes sense. But U.S. presidential candidates are pushing back. Today, we'll look at the role politics plays in distorting economics and find out whether that's what's happening in Pennsylvania and some other battleground states.

Related episodes:
The tensions behind the sale of U.S. Steel (Apple / Spotify)
How much do presidents ACTUALLY influence the economy (Apple / Spotify)

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The DOJ's case against Apple

Thursday, September 12, 2024

The Department of Justice thinks Apple has violated an antitrust law, pointing to its ecosystem of apps and products. Apple, for its part, thinks the DOJ is wrong on both the facts and the law. Today on the show, why the DOJ brought this lawsuit against one of the largest companies in the world and why it matters for all you smartphone owners out there.

Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees (Apple / Spotify)
Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)

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Is endless vacation a scam?

Monday, August 19, 2024

Unlimited paid time off may sound like a nice perk, but it's not always what it appears. Employers aren't typically obligated to pay out unused vacation balances when a worker leaves, and it can be hard for workers to understand just how much time they can actually take off.

And yet ... endless leave?? It doesn't sound so bad.

Today on the show, is unlimited paid time off really a benefit? We try to figure out whether it works.

Related episodes:
Vacation, and why the U.S. takes so little of it (Apple / Spotify)
The 28-Hour Work Week

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Why big banks aren't interested in your savings account

Thursday, August 15, 2024

Some bank customers are jumping to high-yield savings accounts to escape the shockingly low interest rates of personal savings accounts at big banks. So why aren't these banks raising their rates to attract more customers? Today on the show, we explore why big banks may not care about your savings account anymore.

Related episodes:
The dangers of money market funds (Apple / Spotify)
Interest rates up, but not on your savings account (Apple / Spotify)
Bad Form, Wells Fargo

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How insurance is affecting the cost of childcare

Monday, July 29, 2024

The childcare industry has been having a tough go of it. It's already expensive; pandemic-era programs have ended; plus there are too few providers. Enter a new challenge: increasing liability insurance premiums. Today, we look at why these premiums are rising for childcare providers, and how they're impacting both businesses and consumers.

Related episodes:
Baby's first market failure (Apple / Spotify)
When Uncle Sam stops paying the childcare bill (Apple / Spotify)

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Do polluters pay, or do they get paid?

Thursday, June 27, 2024

For years, rich nations have sent money to lower-income countries to help deal with the impacts of climate change. But it turns out, these wealthy nations are finding creative ways to funnel some of that financing back into their own economies. Today, we look at how the climate crisis is reviving a debate over how money should flow from rich to less-rich nations.

Related episodes:
A countdown to climate action (Apple / Spotify)
Gambling, literally, on climate change (Apple / Spotify)
Blue bonds: A market solution to the climate crisis? (Apple / Spotify)
Why a debt tsunami is coming for the global economy (Apple / Spotify)

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Is Google search getting worse?

Thursday, June 13, 2024

There are many anecdotal complaints about Google search not being what it used to be. A German computer scientist and his colleagues put this theory to the test recently focusing on product reviews. Today on the show, we bring their findings to Google's chief search scientist.

Related episodes:
How Fortnite brought Google to its knees (Apple / Spotify)
Microsoft vs. Google: Whose AI Is better? (Apple / Spotify)

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Is chicken getting cheap? And other questions

Monday, June 10, 2024

We are back to answer your questions that you, our listener's, have been sending. On today's show, is chicken actually getting cheaper? Why doesn't the Federal Reserve use different interest rates around the country? And: is election spending an indicator of economic health?

If you have a question you'd like us to answer, email us at indicator@npr.org.

Related episodes:
Can an old law bring down grocery prices? (Apple / Spotify)
How political campaigns raise millions through unwitting donors
How mortgage rates get made
The rat under the Feds hat (Apple / Spotify)
The interest-ing world of interest rates (Apple / Spotify)

ICYMI, preorder our new Indicator t-shirt at the NPR shop. For more ways to support our show, sign up for Planet Money+ where you'll get sponsor-free listening, bonus episodes, and access to even more Indicator merch!

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'The Indicator from Planet Money' sheds light on the 'winner-take-all' problem

Friday, May 17, 2024

Gender equality in the workplace has been stalled for years. And one big reason behind this trend is something called the "winner-take-all" approach to business.

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A debt hawk and a debt dove on what the future could hold for federal debt

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

The U.S. debt is close to the highest it's ever been as a share of the Gross Domestic Product. Should we be concerned? The Indicator spoke to a debt dove and a debt hawk for their thoughts.

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Should commercial space companies contribute to the FAA the way airlines do?

Friday, May 10, 2024

There's a fund that commercial airlines pay into for things such as safety inspections, but commercial space companies don't pay into that fund. (Story aired on All Things Considered on May 9, 2024.)

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Should commercial space companies contribute to the FAA the way airlines do?

Thursday, May 09, 2024

There's this fund that all commercial airlines pay into for things like safety inspections. But there's a growing user of FAA resources that doesn't pay into that fund: Commercial space companies.

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Some video game workers aim to unionize to push for better working conditions

Friday, May 03, 2024

The pressure on video game workers has intensified. They work long hours, face mounting layoffs and the games they make are more complex. Some employees call it a "passion tax" that must be addressed.

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'The Indicator from Planet Money': How video games became more accessible

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

The team at The Indicator from Planet Money explores the shifting status quo on accessibility in video games.

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'Planet Money' explores the specialized workforce in Britain known as working royals

Friday, April 19, 2024

The British royal workforce, like that of the global economy, is aging rapidly. But what do these working royals do all day, anyway?

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'The Indicator From Planet Money': Can an old law bring down grocery prices?

Friday, April 12, 2024

President Biden's strike force, whose aim is to crack down on unfair or illegal pricing by corporations, could get a boost via a dusty piece of law that some are looking to revive.

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Investigating the real reasons why youth employment is on the rise

Wednesday, March 27, 2024

For decades, youth employment was down. But now the labor market is stretched thin and young people are working again.

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