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The powerful millionaires hiding in plain sight

September 14, 2026 • They own car dealerships, law firms, dental practices, and restaurant chains. Collectively, these overlooked business owners hold far more wealth than the Forbes 400 — and wield considerable political power.

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Has the economy gone C-shaped?

September 8, 2026 • A K means the rich and poor are pulling apart. A C supposedly means they're coming back together. We hear the case for both. Which letter you see may depend on what you choose to pay attention to.

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Scott Page

How the AIDS crisis helped create a multibillion-dollar death-speculation market

August 25, 2026 • Investors will buy your life insurance policy today — and collect the payout when you die.

This illustration shows a music conductor standing on the right and a humanoid robot standing on the left, both with their backs to the viewer. Each is holding a conducting baton, and a string of musical notes is floating in front of them.

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The grueling fight over who profits from AI music

August 18, 2026 • AI can generate songs in seconds. But behind every AI track is a complicated question: Who should get paid? And, how? The fights have started.

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The secret economics inside the new Planet Money board game

August 11, 2026 • From Nobel Prize-winning research to the Laffer Curve, Scabby the Rat, Veblen's peacock, and more — the economic ideas and inside jokes hiding throughout Planet Money's new board game.

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The sneaky economics of healthwashing

August 4, 2026 • Why food companies love labels like "organic" and "high protein," why our brains are misled by them — and how to avoid paying extra for marketing.

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AI tokens could become the kilowatt-hour of the AI age

July 28, 2026 • AI companies use tokens to track usage and bill customers. Now economists are using them to track the spread of AI through the economy.

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The best economic ideas from around the world — Planet Money Summer School is back

July 21, 2026 • Our free economics course for your ears is on a quest for great economics ideas.

In A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Monica introduces Teddy to David. The seemingly ordinary teddy bear quickly reveals himself to be an intelligent companion capable of conversation and emotional support. Warner Bros. Pictures hide caption

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Planet Money Newsletter

'The Trojan Teddy Bear': The promise and peril of childhood in the age of AI

July 14, 2026 • AI is moving beyond chatbots and into toys, dolls, and robots built to befriend children. A leading child-development expert says the technology offers real promise — but also risks crowding out the human relationships children need most.

Meet 'Project 2029' — and its war on the annoyance economy

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Planet Money Newsletter

Meet 'Project 2029' — and its war on the annoyance economy

July 7, 2026 • Remember Project 2025? Democrats are building their own governing blueprint, and one proposal takes aim at the "annoyance economy": robocalls, endless hold times, hidden fees and other everyday frustrations.

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Analysis

Planet Money Newsletter

When falling housing prices are good news — and when they're not

June 23, 2026 • Denver renters are celebrating falling housing costs. But sometimes cheaper housing is a sign of economic decline. How can you tell the difference?

The missing men of the American marriage market

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Planet Money Newsletter

The missing men of the American marriage market

May 19, 2026 • A new study suggests the growing educational and economic divide between men and women is reshaping marriage and family life in America — leaving many women with a shrinking pool of economically stable partners.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JANUARY 13: ICE agents approach a house before detaining two people on January 13, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

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Planet Money Newsletter

The economic chilling effect of Trump's immigration crackdown

May 12, 2026 • New research finds that ICE raids and deportation fears disrupted local economies, reduced work among undocumented immigrants, and may have hurt some U.S.-born workers too.

The Dollar General of the skies is having trouble

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Analysis

Planet Money Newsletter

Spirit Airlines tried to be the Dollar General of the skies. Then the big airlines beat it at its own game

April 29, 2026 • Spirit Airlines helped pioneer ultra-cheap flying and soared. Then legacy airlines copied them, outmaneuvered them with loyalty programs, and the economy turned against their core customers.

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Analysis

Planet Money Newsletter

The hidden power keeping wages low

April 21, 2026 • For decades, economists gave short shrift to the idea of monopsony — a power employers can have to suppress wages. Now a wave of research suggests it's everywhere, and a new book argues it's key to understanding today's inequality.

The labor economics of 'Alien' — and its lessons for inequality on Earth

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Planet Money Newsletter

The labor economics of 'Alien' — and its lessons for inequality on Earth

April 14, 2026 • Behind the acid blood and jump scares of the Alien franchise is an even more insidious horror: a single employer with unchecked power. How Weyland-Yutani helps explain monopsony — and the rise of inequality on Earth.

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Julian Frost for Planet Money: A Guide To The Economic Forces That Shape Your Life
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Planet Money Newsletter

How Bill Phillips used flowing water to model the economy

April 7, 2026 • Bill Phillips was an outsider to economics, but he used a machine and a chart to change the way we think about the government's role in a capitalist economy.

Is there a more fair way to sell World Cup tickets?

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Planet Money Newsletter

Is there a more fair way to sell World Cup tickets?

March 17, 2026 • World Cup tickets are expensive, and buying them has been frustrating and confusing. But this is what economics is for: figuring out the best ways to allocate scarce resources. FIFA, steal these ideas.

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KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money Newsletter

'Pro-worker AI,' streaming fatalities, and other fascinating new economic studies

March 10, 2026 • From artificial intelligence to fatalities from music streaming to the effects of immigrants on elderly health care, the Planet Money newsletter rounds up some interesting new economic studies.

The candy heir vs. chocolate skimpflation

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Planet Money Newsletter

The candy heir vs. chocolate skimpflation

March 3, 2026 • The grandson of the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups creator has launched a campaign against The Hershey Company, which owns the Reese's brand. He wants them to stop skimping on ingredients.

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Planet Money Newsletter

Is the YIMBY movement doomed?

February 24, 2026 • For decades, rising home prices have been an engine for middle-class wealth. Now a growing movement wants to slow — or even reverse — that trend. Are the politics around new housing development inherently stacked against them?

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LUIS ROBAYO/AFP via Getty Images

Planet Money Newsletter

The record-breaking cocaine boom — and its deadly fallout

February 17, 2026 • Cocaine has made a roaring comeback, and it's having some big negative effects in the U.S. and around the world.