In many parts of the country, if you tune your FM radio to the left of the dial, you’ll hit at least one public radio station. While some play mostly music, others feature news and talk shows that can help you better understand the economy, make smarter career decisions or become a savvier consumer. Here’s a look at just a few public radio shows and podcasts that can help you save or make money.
[See: 9 Financial Tools You Should Be Using.]
1. National Public Radio News. National Public Radio offers two daily news shows — Morning Edition during morning drive time and All Things Considered in the afternoon. In between, NPR News delivers headlines and updates. While not every newscast covers money topics in depth, they will keep you updated on the business, political and economic stories that may financially impact you and your family.
2. Marketplace. Marketplace is NPR’s daily half-hour roundup of economic news and commentary. In those 30 minutes, you’ll hear the latest numbers from the nation’s stock exchanges and interviews with business and political leaders. Marketplace uses a sharp, engaging presentation to deliver timely news about what’s going on in our economy and how these events may affect your pocketbook and investments. If you like to stay on top of major changes that affect consumers — like mortgage rate adjustments or credit card interest rate hikes — this is the show to follow.
3. Planet Money. Planet Money describes itself as a fun barroom conversation with friends about money and economics. Not every Planet Money story is of the news-you-can-use variety. For example, in the episode ” Tax Hero” Planet Money explains why our income tax reporting system is so complicated. Instead of a dry lecture on tax tips, Planet Money presents a compelling story of one man’s attempt to reform the income tax reporting system and the forces that stood in his way.
These types of Planet Money stories are designed to help you understand complex economic issues in a way that is relatable and fun. This show is a great way to introduce economic issues to people who normally don’t care about economics.
[See: Basic Money Lessons You (Probably) Missed in High School.]
4. Freakonomics. You may be familiar with the Freakonomics books (“Freakonomics” and “SuperFreakonomics”) in which economist Steven Levitt and journalist Stephen Dubner talk about the economic, social and moral incentives that drive human behavior — usually uncovering strange or surprising revelations. Joining the books are a blog, a movie and a weekly podcast and public radio show. The blog, podcast and radio segments cover a wide range of topics that can save you money or advance your career. Some great examples include episodes that discuss whether payday loans are really evil, how to be more productive at work and how to reach peak performance at your career.
5. The Splendid Table. NPR’s weekly cooking and food show features interviews with chefs and foodies, tips on food prep and sourcing, the science and economics of our food culture and, of course, recipes and advice. Episodes cover everything from the right way to roast a chicken, to the true cost of eggs from backyard hens ( as much as $1 each). This delightful show makes cooking sound fun and accessible for everyone. After a few episodes, you may be inspired to cook more at home instead of wasting money on expensive restaurants.
[See: 10 Ways to Shop Smarter at the Grocery Store.]
6. TED Radio Hour. The TED Radio Hour collects talks and lectures from government, business and industry leaders into themed podcasts and radio shows. Many of the episodes offer great personal finance or career insights, such as how to ask for a raise and whether machine learning will eventually steal our jobs.
One recent episode called ” Decisions Decisions Decisions” explored how choosing is often hard. Contrary to the common belief in our culture that more choice is always better, economists say too much choice can be overwhelming. That’s the kind of information that can help you get through mundane economic decisions more easily by, say, shopping at stores that carry fewer items and eating at restaurants with limited menus.
7. Pop Culture Happy Hour. Speaking of choices, with so much smart and entertaining media available to buy (or rent, if you’re into streaming), it can be hard to choose which book, music, comic book, movie or TV show is worth paying for. The Pop Culture Happy Hour is an NPR podcast that gives you smart reviews of the latest releases, to help you make the best use of your entertainment dollars. On top of that, it’s a lot of fun.
For more programming that can help your bottom line, check your local public radio station’s website to learn about locally produced shows that don’t air nationally. Depending on your station, you may find shows about gardening in local soils, visiting local restaurants or attending local events. All of them are free, and many can help you get the most value for your dollar.
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7 Public Radio Shows That Can Save or Make You Money originally appeared on usnews.com
