Planet Money

Planet Money is a long-running economics podcast and blog produced by NPR that explains complex financial and economic topics through narrative storytelling. Launched in 2008 to help listeners understand the global financial crisis, it has grown into one of public radio’s most influential business journalism brands, with more than 1,500 episodes released as of 2026.

Origins

Planet Money debuted on September 6, 2008, created by Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson following the success of “The Giant Pool of Money,” an episode they produced for public radio’s This American Life that explained the causes of the subprime mortgage crisis. Building on that episode’s popularity, NPR launched Planet Money as a standalone show dedicated to making economics accessible and engaging for a general audience, right as the 2008 financial crisis was unfolding.

Rise to Prominence

The show built its reputation through ambitious, hands-on projects that turned abstract economic ideas into concrete stories. Its best-known undertaking followed the production of a t-shirt from raw cotton to finished garment, a project inspired by economist Pietra Rivoli’s writing that the team crowdfunded on Kickstarter, raising more than ten times its $50,000 goal and eventually selling over 25,000 shirts. Other notable projects have included buying and tracking 100 barrels of crude oil, launching a satellite into orbit, and creating an algorithmic cryptocurrency-trading experiment. This mix of rigorous reporting and inventive storytelling helped the show build a large, loyal audience well beyond typical business-news listeners.

Format and Growth

Episodes typically run 15 to 30 minutes and publish twice weekly, covering everything from Federal Reserve policy to the economics of everyday life. The Planet Money brand has expanded over the years to include the daily spin-off podcast The Indicator, a presence on TikTok and other social platforms, and periodic newsletter and blog content. Alex Goldmark serves as executive producer overseeing the broader team.

Recognition

Planet Money won a Peabody Award in 2016 for its coverage of the Wells Fargo fake-accounts scandal, and took top honors for best podcast at the 2015 RAIN Internet Radio Awards. The show has had a rotating cast of hosts over its history, including original co-creator Adam Davidson, along with past contributors Jacob Goldstein, Robert Smith, Stacey Vanek Smith, Ailsa Chang, Noel King, Karen Duffin and Cardiff Garcia. Its current team of hosts includes Amanda Aronczyk, Erika Beras, Mary Childs, Nick Fountain, Sarah Gonzalez, Jeff Guo, Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi and Kenny Malone.

Nearly two decades after launching to explain the 2008 financial crisis, Planet Money remains one of the most widely listened-to economics podcasts in the world, having released more than 1,500 episodes while continuing to translate complex financial topics into accessible, story-driven journalism.