Podcast Episodes

An unwelcome surprise for some student loan borrowers

People who are in default on their federal student loans could start seeing their wages garnished in the new year. Next week, the Department of Educa…

2 weeks, 2 days ago

A gig worker strike threatens New Year's Eve deliveries in India

From the BBC World Service: Tens of thousands of app-based delivery workers in India are holding a day-long strike that is likely to impact food deli…

2 weeks, 2 days ago

A whiplash year for electric vehicles

2025 brought some new speed bumps for electric vehicle sales, namely the Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act. It cut federal EV tax credits — up …

2 weeks, 2 days ago

Good news for prospective homebuyers

Home price growth is cooling, new reports show. Though homeowners may be struggling to sell at asking price, it is good news for prospective buyers. …

2 weeks, 2 days ago

Cheers to hosting better parties this holiday season (rerun)

Hey smarties! We’re on a break for the holidays and revisiting some of our top episodes from 2025. We can’t do this show without you and we still nee…

2 weeks, 2 days ago

A housing roundup and lookahead

This morning, we're recapping the 2025 housing market, which was — in a word — sluggish. Even though mortgage rates have come down, affordability rem…

2 weeks, 3 days ago

US humanitarian aid — with an asterisk

The Trump administration is pledging $2 billion in humanitarian aid to the United Nations. The official State Department announcement of the U.N. don…

2 weeks, 3 days ago

Frustrations over state of Iran’s economy

From the BBC World Service: Annual inflation in Iran is running at more than 40%, and business owners are angry at the rapid devaluation of the natio…

2 weeks, 3 days ago

AI-powered chatbots sent some users into a spiral

AI psychosis became a thing in 2025. That's when a chatbot leads a user into a delusional spiral.

The technology's tendency to affirm what people say …

2 weeks, 3 days ago

A glimmer of hope for the housing market

The housing market is showing modest improvement, with pending home sales rising over 3% in November and prices growing just 1.2% year over year. Ris…

2 weeks, 3 days ago