Jun 26, 2018

Podcast Review: The Indicator from Planet Money

I had an hour long drive and wanted to try a new podcast: The Indicator. Here's what I liked about it:

  • Duration: It's short at 10 minutes 
  • Topical: Lots of content that would interest a personal finance teacher
  • Format: The two podcasters (Stacey Vanek Smith and Cardiff Garcia) have great rapport and make it entertaining. I also like the data that they share to buttress their key points. It will help me come up with good Questions of Day. 
  • Frequency: it's daily so you have lots of content to choose from.

Here were four that I listened to (podcast hack: I now listen at 1.5X speed which allows me to listen to more!):

  • MoviePass/Fail?:  Is MoviePass's unlimited movies for $10 deal too good to be true? Listen to this podcast and weigh in whether you think MoviePass has a bright future. 
  • Teenage (Employment) Wasteland: Why are fewer young people taking a summer job? Listen to this podcast to find out what young people are missing out by not having this formative experience. 
  • Gettin' Giggy With It: You might be confused by the recent BLS report that suggested that the gig economy hasn't grown in the past decade. Listen to this podcast to parse recent research to understand what is really happening with the "side hustles." 
    • Great blog post and infographic to get your students talking about side hustles 
    • Here's a Question of the Day to get the conversation started about the alternative economy
  • Trading Spaces: Ever wonder about the history of Wall Street? Listen to this podcast to see what was originally being traded in downtown Manhattan (hint: it wasn't Apple stock). 

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We have a weekly podcast too! Here's one of my favorites, a conversation with investing legend, Charley Ellis!

About the Author

Tim Ranzetta

Tim's saving habits started at seven when a neighbor with a broken hip gave him a dog walking job. Her recovery, which took almost a year, resulted in Tim getting to know the bank tellers quite well (and accumulating a savings account balance of over $300!). His recent entrepreneurial adventures have included driving a shredding truck, analyzing executive compensation packages for Fortune 500 companies and helping families make better college financing decisions. After volunteering in 2010 to create and teach a personal finance program at Eastside College Prep in East Palo Alto, Tim saw firsthand the impact of an engaging and activity-based curriculum, which inspired him to start a new non-profit, Next Gen Personal Finance.

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