One of my resolutions for the new year is to listen to more podcasts to feed my curiosity and continue to build my financial knowledge base. I have a 20 minute walk to work so that fits well with the standard podcast format. This post lists podcasts from Planet Money from 2015 that I thought might be interesting to personal finance educators (of course, don’t forget to also check out the new NGPF podcast show also!)

Here’s ten to get you started for the New Year. From Planet Money:

• An Insider Trader Tells All: Today on the show: A man who got caught insider trading explains everything — what he did, how he did it, and why. Though he’s still struggling with that last one.

• The Planet Money Workout: Today on the show, the mind games that gyms play with you. From design to pricing to free bagels, gyms want to be a product that everyone buys, but no one actually uses.

• A or B: That’s A/B testing. And it is everywhere. It shapes everything online. It’s invading stores. And schools. Even the first paragraph of this post was A/B tested. Today on the show: What you want and how we, and the rest of the world, give it to you.

• Why the Price of Coke Didn’t Change for 50 Years: On today’s show, we find out why. The answer includes a half a million vending machines, a 7.5 cent coin, and a company president who just wanted to get a couple lawyers out of his office.

• Birth of the Fed: On today’s show, we tell the origin story of the Federal Reserve — the most powerful financial institution on the planet.

• Bubblicious: There is a boom on. But economists say you can’t call it a bubble till… well, until it goes POP. Today on the show: We visit three bubbly barometers that some say signal a coming bust in Silicon Valley.

• The Signature: Today on the show: the signature. It’s supposed to say, “This is me.” But where did the idea come from? And why are we still using it? We consult a rabbi, a lawyer and a credit card executive.

• Pay Patients, Save Money: We shop around when we get a plane ticket or buy a couch. But we spend thousands of dollars on health care without comparing prices. Today on the show: What happens if we pay patients when they choose the cheaper option?

• The Hydrox Resurrection: Today on the show, a man tries to build a nostalgia-fueled empire of iconic but forgotten brands. His biggest prize yet: the once-famous Hydrox cookie, it was Oreo, before Oreo existed. Can it come back?

• Hard Work Is Irrelevant: Patty McCord helped create a workplace at Netflix that runs more like a professional sports team than a family. If you’re not up to scratch, you’re off the team. Is this the future of work?

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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