Planet Money Review: The Best Thing To Come Out of the Economic Crisis

Planet Money got its start late last summer, just before the stock market began its staggering meltdown. It came not a moment too soon.

Macroeconomics is a tricky topic to make interesting, but when our country's collective 401(k) balances circled down the drain, our homes' values crumbled, and pink slips got passed out faster than paychecks, people needed—and wanted—an education.

What's remarkable about Planet Money is how good it was right off the bat. Most public radio shows meet a basic level of competence, but this one was never short of astonishing. While somehow keeping abreast of the economic news that changed minute-to-minute, the show has broken down and explained everything from credit default swaps to deflation in a way that's easy to understand.

Every 30-minute show features a Planet Money indicator. It's a number that could something obvious, like unemployment statistics. It might also be something wacky, like the decreasing availability of sawdust for composting toilets. (Only on public radio, right?) Either way, it's always an interesting snapshot of what's happening to us, both as individuals and as a global economy.

Planet Money has gained a ton of credibility during the past 6 months. They've broken big news about the bank bailout and they've been featured at least twice on This American Life. They recently scored an interview with Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner. Sound boring? Well, for money folks, Planet Money getting Tim Geithner on the show is something akin to an upstart teeny-bopper blog getting a sit-down interview with the Jonas Brothers.

What's even more delightful about the show is how un-stuffy it feels. In the lead-in to the Tim Geithner show, the hosts talked about how the NPR offices were all atwitter for the interview. Host Adam Davidson admitted they were so confident that they wouldn't get an interview with the top dog at the Treasury that they didn't even bother asking for him, but for an underling. When the administration offered up Geithner, they all practically had heart attacks. Everybody was listening in on headphones, ready to pull a sound bite and put it on air as breaking news. 

The great thing about the podcast is that you feel like you're sitting in on their conversation, not being provided a packaged show all wrapped up in a ribbon. You may not feel a lot better by the end of the show, but you will feel like you're getting a better handle on this whole mess.

And as everything around us seems to be worth an awful lot less money, this podcast is one thing that's proved to be invaluable.