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A Q-tip Valentine.

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Podcast

Episode 683: Our Valentines

Regret. Self-loathing. Jealousy. Happy Valentine's Day! We bring you little stories that we love so much, we wish we had thought of them ourselves.

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Harlem funeral directors Tamara Bullock and Patricia Hamilton are going to spend their next savings-club payout on a sky-diving trip (unless Bullock can get out of it).

Harlem funeral directors Tamara Bullock and Patricia Hamilton are going to spend their next savings-club payout on a sky-diving trip (unless Bullock can get out of it). Marianne McCune/NPR hide caption

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Podcast

Episode 466: DIY Finance

He has thousands of dollars stashed around his house. She's part of an informal savings club. And Miguelo Rada has a whole bank in his pocket.

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Graph of CEO pay, with a huge jump in the 1990s.

Graph of CEO pay, with a huge jump in the 1990s. Kevin Murphy hide caption

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Podcast

Episode 682: When CEO Pay Exploded

Politicians have argued for decades that CEOs should earn less money. But there was a moment in the 1990s when CEO pay suddenly shot up. What happened?

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A Cat 345C L Excavator, aka a big digging machine

A Cat 345C L Excavator, aka a big digging machine Keith Romer/NPR hide caption

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Episode 678: Auction Fever

We uncover the secrets of the auction world. There is conniving. There are tricks. Also: Hydraulic hammers.

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We're in!

We're in! Robert Smith hide caption

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10 11 51 52 62 18

If those had been the winning Powerball numbers, this would have been our last show. Instead, the story of the oldest lottery we could find and of the man who outsmarted the odds.

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The edge of a fence near the U.S.-Mexico border in Hidalgo, Texas, in 2014.

The edge of a fence near the U.S.-Mexico border in Hidalgo, Texas, in 2014. Kainaz Amaria/NPR hide caption

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Government

Episode 675: The Cost Of Crossing

Sneaking people across the U.S.-Mexico border is a well established, booming business. Today on the show, we meet a businessman and a client in the evolving industry of human smuggling.

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The Planet Money peacock pie, in all its glory.

The Planet Money peacock pie, in all its glory. Cameron Robert/NPR hide caption

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Trade

Episode 674: We Cooked A Peacock

In the 1600s, a good spice rub was the ultimate display of wealth. People would risk their lives for a sack of cloves. On today's show, we cook a recipe from the spice trade days.

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Rocky economic times in 2015 for Greece, the oil industry, and NYC's yellow cab owners.
Dalibor Tomic/Chris Goldberg/Sergio Russo/Flickr

Podcast

Episode 673: The Rest of the Story, 2015 Edition

Not every story has an ending. Sometimes after we finish a podcast and send it to you, the facts change, a new chapter unfolds. Today on the show, we update some of our favorite episodes from 2015.

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Insider trading in the act
United States Attorney's Office

Podcast

Episode 671: An Insider Trader Tells All

Today on the show: A man who got caught insider trading explains everything — what he did, how he did it, and why. Though he's still struggling with that last one.

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Planet Fitness's bagel breakfast is the second Tuesday of every month.

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Podcast

Episode 590: The Planet Money Workout

Today on the show: The mind games that gyms play with you. From design to pricing to free bagels, gyms want to be a product that everyone buys, but no one actually uses.

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Frank Sinatra poses for a mug shot after being arrested and charged with "carrying on with a married woman".

Frank Sinatra poses for a mug shot after being arrested and charged with "carrying on with a married woman". Michael Ochs Archives/GettyImages hide caption

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Podcast

Episode 668: Frank Sinatra's Mug

When you die you can pass on your money, your house. But your image--what you look and sound like--that's trickier. Today on the show: How Frank Sinatra made his image, and maybe yours, last forever.

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Images of the new noted of the Brazilian currency.
AFP/Getty Images

Government

Episode 216: How Four Drinking Buddies Saved Brazil

Two decades ago, shoppers in Brazil would run ahead of the worker who raised prices every day. Inflation was crazy. Today on the show: How four economists --who were also drinking buddies-- fixed it.

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