Tagged: Planet Money Podcast

The folks over at the Haiti School Project recently sent us this letter in response to our show on their project, Episode 460: It's Hard To Do Good.

Two questions were discussed in the podcast that interest us greatly.

First, was donated money used effectively and efficiently to help people in Haiti?

On today's Planet Money, we meet a single mother who makes $16,000 a year — and who managed to fund a vacation at a Caribbean resort with an interest-free loan from one of the world's largest banks.

Edith Calzado gets credit cards with teaser zero-percent interest rates — then transfers her balance before the rate ticks up. She signs up for store cards to get discounts — then pays off her bill on time. She gets food stamps and lives in subsidized housing. Her son is doing well in school.

On today's show: Three short stories about trying to figure out what things are really worth.

When Lady Gaga writes a song, does that count as economic output? Is a $20 bill worth $20 in Myanmar? (Spoiler: Probably not.) And how should a young grad decide what to do with his life?

Also: An update on our t-shirt project.

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