Stacey Vanek Smith : NPR Accessibility linksStacey Vanek Smith Stacey Vanek Smith is the co-host of NPR's The Indicator from Planet Money, and is a correspondent for Planet Money.
Monday August 7, 2023
With ice cream theft up, some grocery stores add lid locks to pints as a deterrence
Sunday August 6, 2023
Grocery stores are trying to protect ice creams from getting stolen off their shelves
Friday August 4, 2023
Taylor Swift is the anti-hero to some Argentinians, as inflation soars
Why people in Argentina are in a race against time to spend their earnings
Saturday July 29, 2023
The numbers are in and the economy is booming. Thank summer travel, high spending and the Barbie bump (Photo by Ian Waldie/Getty Images) Ian Waldie/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Ian Waldie/Getty ImagesWhat recession? It's a summer of splurging, profits and girl power
Friday July 28, 2023
American companies report surprisingly high spending from shoppers despite inflation
Thursday July 27, 2023
Hidden fees or "junk fees" are on the rise, as companies work to bring in more money while keeping prices looking low. U.S. consumers pay more than $65 billion in fees each year. Photo illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Photo illustration by Scott Olson/Getty ImagesWhat my $30 hamburger reveals about fees and how companies use them to jack up prices
Wednesday July 26, 2023
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell attends a meeting at the Spain's Central Bank in Madrid, Spain, Thursday, June 29, 2023. In the U.S., Powell and the central bank are trying to navigate a "soft landing" for the economy. Manu Fernandez/AP hide caption
toggle caption Manu Fernandez/APThe Fed's hot pause summer gets an ice bath: Interest rates rise again
The Federal Reserve is expected to raise key interest rate again on Wednesday
Tuesday July 25, 2023
Fees added to bills are costing consumers billions. Now, regulators are cracking down
Wednesday July 19, 2023
Got tipping rage? This barista reveals what it's like to be behind the tip screen
Monday July 17, 2023
Dylan Schenker got his first barista job about a decade ago. He says, "At first it was just a job," but he then got passionate about it. But increasingly he's becoming dependent on tips and says people have a fundamental misunderstanding about tipping. Dylan Schenker hide caption
toggle caption Dylan SchenkerGot tipping rage? This barista reveals what it's like to be behind the tip screen
Wednesday July 5, 2023
Tipping machines have replaced tip jars in many places as more people pay electronically. Ethan Miller/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Ethan Miller/Getty ImagesTo tip or not to tip? 3 reasons why tipping has gotten so out of control
Wednesday June 28, 2023
The driving forces behind 'tip-flation'
Monday June 12, 2023
The fight against inflation in the U.S. is currently in a very difficult phase
The dollar is not just the currency used in the U.S., it is very much the world's currency. It's been that way for 80 years – but that could change. Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Luis Robayo/AFP via Getty ImagesThe U.S. dollar conquered the world. Is it at risk of losing its top spot?
Thursday June 1, 2023
Former President Eisenhower, addresses the nation on the American intervention in Formosa (now Taiwan) in an undated archival picture. Eisenhower was involved in the country's first debt ceiling fight when he asked Congress to raise the limit by $15 billion. The Senate refused, ushering the first tussle over the country's debt. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Keystone/Getty ImagesThe first debt ceiling fight was in 1953. It looked almost exactly like the one today
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Alexandra Prokopenko poses at a marathon event back in Russia. She used to run in Moscow's Meshchersky Park all the time: It was her favorite place in the city. But she's doubtful she will see it again, at least for the near future. Shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, she left her country, along with hundreds of thousands of her peers. Alexandra Prokopenko hide caption
toggle caption Alexandra ProkopenkoShe had a dream job. Now, she's part of a massive brain drain hammering Russia
Could Russia's economy finally be feeling the heat because of sanctions over the war?
Wednesday May 24, 2023
President Biden meets with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., in the Oval Office of the White House on Monday. The U.S. can seem like the country that cried debt ceiling, but many say this year, the country might actually default. What happens to the economy and to regular people if it defaults? Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption
toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesSo would a U.S. default really be that bad? Yes — And here's why
Monday May 22, 2023
A look at some of the consequences if the U.S. defaults on its debt
Thursday May 4, 2023
The Bank of Bird-in-Hand in Pennsylvania is one of the country's more than 4,000 lenders. It has thrived by catering to the Amish community in the town of Bird-in-Hand. Its mobile branches, like the one pictured here, travel to remote parts of the state, carrying with them ATMs and a teller window. Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption
toggle caption Bank of Bird-in-HandThe U.S. has more banks than anywhere on Earth. That shapes the economy in many ways
Sunday April 30, 2023
A horse looks in the drive-window of the Bank of Bird-in-Hand. The bank serves the Amish community. There are more than 4,000 small banks in the U.S.--more than any other country. And that has shaped the U.S. economy. Amanda Hall/Bank of Bird-in-Hand hide caption
toggle caption Amanda Hall/Bank of Bird-in-HandWhy does the U.S. have so many small banks? And what does that mean for our economy?
Saturday April 29, 2023
France's new retirement age goes against a quintessential French notion
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