Million Bazillion

It’s board game night and Ryan and Bridget are also planning to answer Amala’s question about the price of rent. She wants to know who sets it. Luckily for everyone, Bridget happens to have handy her version of “Real Estate-Opoloy.” It’s the classic board game about renting and buying that’s inspired family fights and feuds for generations. But before they can get started, the duo are sucked into the game. While they try to figure out a way out, they’ll learn the answer to Amala’s question and a whole lot more about renting and owning a home.

If your family is interested in learning more about rent and housing, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

“Ten News” Road Trip Remix: 👟 Grab your AirPods, favorite pair of tennis shoes, and hop outside, Ten’ers. Today’s episode is meant for a long walk or bike ride as we learn about ways to be more climate friendly. Let’s start with “Nature Nerds'” Laine Farber’s take on reducing your carbon footprint. Oh, we can’t forget Laine’s rundown of potty training cows.🌱 And last, but certainly not least, we’re talking futuristic farming and revisiting Garrison Harward at his aquaponics farm in Brooklyn!

Listener Kaitlyn was talking to her dad about investments and things strayed into the world of Ponzi schemes. Kaitlyn’s wondering what they are and how they work — good question! Bridget and Ryan want to answer Katilyn’s question but the topic conjures up some bad memories for Ryan. Luckily they get some help from Brenda Hammer, lead investigator from Bridget’s favorite show, “Scam Slammers!” Brenda uses her expertise and investigative skills to help Ryan pick out where he went wrong in the past and give some good tips for avoiding scams our listeners (even young ones!) might encounter in their everyday lives.

If your family is interested in learning more about ponzi schemes, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

“Jamming on the Job” is a multigenerational, music-inspired podcast for kids ages 4 to 8 and their parents and caregivers. It stars Christina Sanabria and Andrés Salguero, the Latin Grammy Award-winning kids’ music duo known as 123 Andrés. Join Christina and Andrés as they tour the country and perform songs about the world of work. At each place they go, they meet a grownup with a different kind of job who helps them along their way. As Christina and Andrés learn about the new and inspiring career of the day and the skills needed to succeed in that job, they compose an original song about it with help from their Magic Beatmaster Boombox, voiced by Grammy Award-nominated musician Pierce Freelon. In addition to exposing kids to a wide variety of career paths, each episode will highlight foundational skills relevant to each job, such as empathy, social problem-solving and responsibility as well as flexible thinking, impulse control and persistence.

In our previous episode, Bridget promised Ryan she’d take him to Happy Land Theme Park and Resort. And Bridget keeps her promises! It’s the perfect place to answer Henry’s question. He wants to know why some jobs get tips and others don’t. This proves to be a tricky one to answer, as Ryan and Bridget soon find out. They enlist the help of Happy Land Founder, Mort Bisby. Inside Mort’s hidden lair, they’ll learn some tips on well… tipping.

If your family is interested in learning more about tipping, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

When listener Lulu asks a question about economic recessions and depressions, Ryan and Bridget know they have to go to where some of the best scholars of recessions and depressions are working: the Federal Reserve! While learning about how the Federal Reserve keeps an eye on the health of our economy, the pair accidentally unleash an economic disaster. They’ll need the help of the Fed’s Recession Crushers to get things back in line. Who ya gonna call? The Recession Crushers!

If your family is interested in learning more about recessions, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

It’s a new season of Million Bazillion and in this episode, Ryan and Bridget are answering Hezekiah’s questions about auctions. He wants to know everything about them — what are they, how do they work, and what’s up with those paddles and the fast talkin’? Ryan and Bridget head to their very first auction to find out. But the pair get caught up in the excitement and end up accidentally buying the very first Million Bazillion mascot. They’ll use the help and experience of their new friend, a real-life 16-year-old auctioneer, to navigate the auction and steer out of trouble.

If your family is interested in learning more about auctions, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Hey Million Bazillionaires, are you ready? We’ve got another season of “Million Bazillion” coming out Sept. 5!

This season, Bridget and Ryan will be answering your questions about recessions, auctions and something called a Ponzi scheme. It’s gonna be an adventurous season, so buckle in!

Don’t forget to sign up for the “Million Bazillion” newsletter, so you never miss an episode and get access to episode extras, including conversation starters for grownups and kids.

We’ll be making dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting Sept. 5. Listen to a sneak peek above, get caught up on any episodes you may have missed and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!

In our final episode of the season, Bridget and Ryan get a question from Will in Ohio and are taking a cross-country road trip to answer it. Will wants to know why there are so many of the same stores. From Starbucks to Home Depot and all the McDonald’s in between, we’ll break down the reason why.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

For this week’s question, both Henry and Nathanial wanted to know why workers don’t get paid the same. Ryan and Bridget help break down what’s known as the “wage gap” with the help of the Vindicators superhero squad who are on a mission to make pay more fair. Plus, we brainstorm ways to fix the problem.

Check out our website for a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents.

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

It’s the inaugural (maybe the only one ever?) “Money Mania,” a game show from “Million Bazillion” in which five lucky listeners compete in an elaborate obstacle course to get their questions answered. This week, we’ll tackle questions like: What is profit? Why do receipts have so many words? And, what do stores do with all their leftover holiday stuff?

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

On a trip to Washington, D.C., Bridget and Ryan take this question from Oliver in Illinois: Why do different countries use different currencies? There’s the U.S. dollar, the Mexican peso and Japanese yen, just to name a few. This week, we’ll explain why so many countries decided to make their own type of money. And we meet the ghost of Alexander Hamilton, who has an important money lesson to share … through song.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Bridget and Ryan are stuck inside during a major rainstorm, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to answer a question they got from Archer in Los Angeles: What is insurance? Archer’s dad is an insurance agent, and he wants to get to the bottom of how his parent makes a living. We’ll learn the ins and outs of insurance and how it became a thing. Plus, we have a catchy song to help you remember the difference between some confusing insurance terms: “premium” versus “deductible.”

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Bridget and Ryan go back to school to talk with students for career day about their jobs as podcasters. But when hunger strikes, they get caught up in an underground black market snack operation that gets them into a bit of trouble. Today, we’ll learn all about the black market, what it is, why it exists and why it’s even necessary sometimes.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Bazillionaires, get ready! A new season of “Million Bazillion” is dropping earlier than usual this year.

Bridget and Ryan are back February 7 answering more of the big questions kids send us about money. In Season 4, we’re digging into everything from the black market to the wage gap and why different countries use different currencies. Plus, our first ever “Million Bazillion” money mania game show.

Don’t forget to sign up for our “Million Bazillion” newsletter, where you’ll find episode extras including a tipsheet, trivia, and cool comics to keep your student learning about how money works in the real world.

We’ll be making dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting next month. Check us out on your favorite podcast app and be sure to subscribe! And, if you’d like to binge our last season, you can do that here.

After hearing Ryan and Bridget talk about money all season, one of our young listeners wants to know when she can start earning some money. This week we’ll look back to the time when lots of kids had jobs and learn about what’s changed and why. Along the way, we’ll learn that kids actually do have jobs, just not in the way you might think.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

One of our GOAT listeners called in with a question about cryptocurrency, and Ryan is psyched. Crypto is everywhere right now, but it can be kinda hard for kids (and grown-ups!) to know how it all works. We’ll head to the far reaches of the internet to learn about the promise and peril of crypto, and why any form of money only works if you believe it will … whoa.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

If you add up all the money a grown-up makes in their lifetime, it might sound like a lot! Surely they must have more to show for it. Where are the castles, the ponies, the fancy cars? In this episode, with the help of a magic necklace, we’ll do the numbers on the stuff grown-ups have to pay for every day. It’s not all pizza parties and ice cream sundaes!

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

A listener wants to know how the creators behind his favorite online videos get paid. It’s a surprisingly complicated question, and Ryan and Bridget have to go viral themselves to find out the answer. Accompanied by their new dog and a bunch of influencers, we’ll learn all about the wild economics of online videos. Put on your tap-dancing shoes, we’re making content!

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

It’s a rainy day, the perfect time to answer a question from one listener who started looking at the bottom of his toys. A lot of them say “Made in China,” but why? Ryan Perez and Bridget Bodnar get some help from some familiar (but legally distinct!) toy friends to find the answer. Turns out there are some pretty interesting reasons why the stuff we buy — not just toys, but clothes and food too — sometimes come from far away places.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

This week, Ryan and Bridget hear from a kid who can see the future! Or, at least, a kid who knows our dollars will be able to buy less stuff as time goes on. It’s all because of inflation, something that seems to have the grown-ups concerned. After traveling back in time to stock up on snacks, the pair get a chance to try to control runaway inflation … but their ideas don’t quite go as planned.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Ryan and Bridget tackle one of their most challenging questions to date: Why is it so awkward to talk about money? Using a board game that comes to life and a catchy song, they’ll find an answer that’s better than “Because I said so” and give kids (and their parents) the tools they need to have helpful and positive conversations about money.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Bridget gets to know her new co-host, Ryan, who has a lot of fun ideas but doesn’t know much about money. They’ll work together on a question that quite a few listeners were wondering about: What are credit cards, besides little pieces of plastic with chips in them? Together, we’ll learn how grown-ups use credit cards and some potential pitfalls of swiping. Then things really get out of hand when the ghost pirates show up.

For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website!

Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Calling all Bazillionaires! “Million Bazillion” is back with a brand-new season starting June 21! Bridget has a new co-host named Ryan, and together they’re taking on the toughest money questions your kids can think of. Questions like: How do credit cards work? What do grown-ups do with all of their money? How do social media influencers make money? And what the heck is a cryptocurrency anyway?

We’re back helping dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting June 21. Here’s a sneak peek!

Hey Million Bazillionaires! We’re coming back soon for an all-new season of “Million Bazillion,” answering the questions you have about money! This season, Bridget’s joined by a new co-host, Ryan, and they need your help! With the permission of your grown-ups, we’d love to hear your money jokes, money poems and best money tips so we can feature them on the podcast!

Send them to us using this online form. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Having a job is how we earn money to pay for the things we need. Money is important but it’s not the only reason people work. This week we’re going out to the pizzeria, where we’ll learn how every job is connected to lots of other jobs — and how those connections keep our economy running. Plus we’ll hear from a bunch of people with cool jobs that you probably didn’t even know existed, and we’ll ask a group of kids to tell us about the jobs of their dreams. Got a money problem you need help solving? Tell us about it at Marketplace.org/million.

This week we’re tracking down answers to a bunch of your questions about why money looks the way it does. A lot of you were curious about stuff like why American money is green, why other countries have more colorful currency, and who decides whose picture goes on each bill. We’ll get you all those answers — and more! Plus, we’ll meet a museum’s money curator, learn about the way money art protects us from fakes and think about how we’d design our own money … if anyone asked us.

P.S. We want to hear your jokes about money. Click here to send us a voicemail!

One of our inquisitive listeners, Isabella, noticed when she was shopping online that women’s clothing was more expensive than men’s clothing — and she thought that was unfair. Turns out, it happens a lot.

The same or really similar items, from school supplies to sports equipment, often cost more when they’re designed to look like they were made for girls. People have taken to calling this phenomenon the “pink tax.” This week, we’ll learn more about why it happens and what’s being done about it. We’ll also ask some random kids a not-so-random money question, and Bridget will introduce us to her new smart speaker — which has oddly great taste in music.

Don’t forget: We want to hear from you about your money problems! Go to Marketplace.org/million for instructions on how to send us a voicemail.

When banks first started thousands of years ago, they were known as places to borrow money, not to keep your own money safe. Through loans, they’d provide funding to farmers or traders to help them with a project — like building a fence or traveling to another country. Borrowers often had to leave something valuable with the bank until they paid off the loan. To keep all that valuable stuff safe, banks became supersecure. That made them great places for everyday folks to deposit their money.

This week, we’ll learn about the history of banks and how they work today and why they don’t work for all of us. Our old friend Bill Maurer will help us sort it all out, while Jed and Bridget see if they have what it takes to run their own bank.

Don’t forget to send us your questions about money at Marketplace.org/million!

Back in Robin Hood’s day, tax-collecting sheriffs forced people to pay money to a king, who decided how those taxes were spent. These days our tax system works a bit differently. We get to vote for people who’ll spend that money on things we care about — like schools and libraries, health care for elderly people, police, parks, sewers and so on. With the help of a rambling troubadour and a tax policy expert, Jed and Bridget teach Robin Hood that the way tax dollars are spent today reflects what we prioritize as a society. Plus, we’ll ask random kids some not-so-random questions.

Sign up for our bonus newsletter to get a tip sheet, episode extras and cool comics about each week’s episode! It’s all at marketplace.org/bonus!

Keep sending us your questions about money at marketplace.org/million!

We’re back for our second season! Thanks for sending in so many great questions about money. One that a whole bunch of you wanted to know more about is how money is made. To help us find out, Jed called his old economics teacher, Ms. Grizzle, who took us on a very hands-on field trip to the factory that stamps out U.S. coins. Plus, we talked to an expert about all the ways that money moves through our economy. You may never look at coins the same way again!

Sign up for our bonus newsletter to get a tipsheet, episode extras and cool comics about each week’s episode! It’s all at marketplace.org/bonus!

Keep sending us your questions about money at marketplace.org/million!

Calling all Bazillionaires! Jed, Bridget and the gang are back for brand-new episodes of “Million Bazillion”! This season, we’re answering one tough money question each week from real kids! Questions like “How is money made?” “Why are women’s clothes sometimes more expensive than men’s?” “How do banks work, anyway?”

And for season two, we’re putting out a bonus email newsletter for kids and their grownups. Each week you’ll get a tip sheet, episode extras, and cool comics all about that episode’s big question. Sign up at Marketplace.org/bonus.

The fun starts June 22. Here’s a sneak peek.

Hey, Million Bazillionaires! Jed and Bridget are hard at work on season two of our show. But to get it over the finish line, we need a favor (or two)! Kids, we need your money questions! You can send them to us, with a grown-up’s help, here. Grown-ups, we need your help closing a funding gap for our new season! Your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar at marketplace.org/givemillion! Please help us reach our $50,000 goal!

Advertisers have lots of ways of persuading us to buy their stuff. Sometimes you might not even realize it’s happening … until you find yourself riding around town on an ice-cream-making scooter. (Don’t worry, we’ll explain.) This week on the show, we’ll learn how to spot an ad and identify the tricks they use to win you over. And we’ll learn how to defend against them — from our special guest, Captain Kimberly. Plus, this week’s Dollar Scholar shares great ways you can help out in your community. Don’t forget to send us your questions about money at Marketplace.org/million!

There’s a reason things cost what they do — sneakers, pizza, you name it. Businesses put a lot of thought into how much they charge, because they have to consider their behind-the-scenes costs. But you might put just as much thought into what you’re willing to pay — so in a way, you get the final word on whether the prices are right. This week on the show, we’ll talk about how we value the things we buy. Plus, two Dollar Scholars talk to each other about their saving and spending habits, and we’ll hear pastry chef Duff Goldman’s idea for a pizza rover. Don’t forget to send us your questions about money and your ideas for what businesses you wish existed at Marketplace.org/million!

For our very first episode, we’re traveling back thousands of years to learn about all the ways people got what they needed from each other before money was invented: bartering with whatever they had, making pacts with close friends and eventually inventing coins and other forms of money! Plus we’ll ask some random kids not-so-random questions, and Kristen Bell designs her own money.

By the way, we want to keep answering your questions about money! Send your questions and your money designs to Marketplace.org/million.

Marketplace’s first-ever kids podcast is out next week! In collaboration with “Brains On!,” “Million Bazillion” helps dollars make more sense. We’re tackling the big questions, like: Who invented money? How do you get your parents to agree to buy something you want? How do advertisers make you want what they’re selling — and how do you take your brain back? And why do things like pizza cost what they do? Host Jed Kim will help answer all these questions, with help from super-smart experts, kids and some famous friends. The first episode drops July 21! Here’s a trailer.