Episodi

  • How your bank account might predict dementia

    How your bank account might predict dementia
    May 5 2026
    Some of the earliest signs of dementia can show up in your financial portfolio. Missed bill payments and erratic investments could be indicators, and they can happen years before an official diagnosis. Today on the show, we dig into the connection between finances and dementia, and why the financial health of seniors is falling through the cracks.

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    Related episodes:
    The dementia tax
    What does the next era of Social Security look like?
    Saving, borrowing, spending: an economist's take on popular advice (Planet Money+)

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    10 min
  • How taxing the wealthy could work

    How taxing the wealthy could work
    May 4 2026
    Tax cuts for the middle and working classes, and tax hikes for the rich. What's behind this trend? We ask Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to explain his bill that eliminates federal income tax for many workers while hiking taxes for high earners. We also hear from a tax policy expert who has some reservations.


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    Related episodes:
    What if our income was taxed ... totally differently?
    Will the tax cuts pay for themselves?
    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    8 min
  • Polymarket bots, lithium found: lots!, marathon shoe thoughts

    Polymarket bots, lithium found: lots!, marathon shoe thoughts
    May 1 2026
    It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news.

    On today’s episode: who wins and loses their Polymarket bets, an American lithium motherlode, and the economics of lightweight running shoes.

    Related episodes:
    The race to produce lithium
    Advanced Fairness At The Marathon
    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey and Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 min
  • The UAE wants a dollar lifeline

    The UAE wants a dollar lifeline
    Apr 30 2026
    With the Iran War underway, the United Arab Emirates is looking for some economic certainty. The rich Arab nation is home to a lot of foreign-held deposits, and they’re worried investors will pull those funds. So, they’re looking for an economic backstop. Enter: currency swap lines. Today, we explain why the UAE is looking to its close ally, the U.S., for a currency swap line and how it would work.

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    Related episodes:
    Where the US got $20B to bail out Argentina
    Scott Bessent’s $20 billion dollar gamble on Argentina

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.


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    9 min
  • The new economic arms race

    The new economic arms race
    Apr 29 2026
    Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz is the perfect example of how modern warfare is increasingly waged, not only with drones and bombs, but also through the weaponization of economic choke points.

    Today on the show, we talk to author Edward Fishman, who says the U.S. innovated a new kind of economic warfare a couple of decades ago, and that has sparked a new economic arms race.

    Edward Fishman’s book is “Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare”.

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    Related episodes:
    Think the oil shock is bad in the US? Look here
    Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf
    How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 min
  • Jan. 6ers already got pardoned. Will they get their money back too?

    Jan. 6ers already got pardoned. Will they get their money back too?
    Apr 28 2026
    In 2025, President Trump pardoned more than 1,500 of the Jan.6 rioters who ransacked the U.S. Capitol in an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election. In addition to being convicted of crimes, many of the Jan. 6ers paid fines, the bulk of which went toward repairing the damage to the Capitol. After being pardoned, some of them want their money back. Today on the show, are they entitled to get those fines refunded?

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    Related episodes:
    Chaos At The Capitol
    The Supreme Court struck down a bunch of Trump’s tariffs. Now what?


    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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    9 min
  • Premium and affordable products are having a moment

    Premium and affordable products are having a moment
    Apr 27 2026
    It’s the Beigie awards! Our less than ten times a year salute to the art and science of telling stories about the economy.

    Today on the show, Kevin Dancy, vice president and regional executive at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, lays out a worrying consumer trend that’s affecting how retailers do business.

    Come see Planet Money live on stage! 12 cities. Details and tix here: planetmoneybook.com/#tour

    The Indicator has a weekly newsletter! Be among the first and sign-up now: npr.org/indicatornewsletter

    Related episodes:
    A little doomsday feeling is weighing on the economy
    How to beach on a budget

    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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    8 min
  • The Devil Wears Prada Index, SNAP, and flight cancellations

    The Devil Wears Prada Index, SNAP, and flight cancellations
    Apr 24 2026
    It’s Indicators of the Week, our weekly look at some of the most fascinating numbers from the news! And unlike florals for spring, these numbers ARE groundbreaking.

    On today’s episode: A dramatic SNAP decrease, fuel costs ground flights, and the Devil Wears Wages Increasing Slightly Faster Than A Small Sample Of Luxury Items!

    The Indicator has a weekly newsletter! Be among the first and sign-up now: npr.org/indicatornewsletter

    Related episodes:
    After the shutdown, SNAP will still be in trouble
    How far can philanthropy go to fill government gaps?
    Your next flight doesn't have to be so expensive. Here's why
    For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
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    9 min