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, which 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.
This one was a little more complex. Here are some questions you can ask to figure out how well your child understood the episode.
What is inflation? What does it look like in our day-to-day life?
What happens if inflation gets too high, too fast?
Would inflation be easier to deal with if everyone stopped buying things for a while? Why? Or why not?
How does the United States’ central bank, the Federal Reserve, keep inflation under control?
If your kid got a little lost in this one, that’s OK! We don’t need to tell you that inflation can be a drag for grown-ups right now, too. It’s worth talking to your kids about what inflation is and how it might change some of the decisions you’re making in your household.
We mentioned the “basket of goods” the government uses for one measure of inflation, the consumer price index. Check out this video demonstrating the concept in more detail, then try it for yourself! Over a few weeks (or longer), have your kid note the price of a grocery store staple, like eggs or toilet paper. Note the changes in price over time and talk about what might be influencing those changes.
If your kid has a good handle on the concepts from this episode, consider taking it a step further with this lesson plan from The New York Times (it’s not behind a paywall, though some of the articles might be). There’s a tool to help your kids understand charts as well as timely articles showing inflation in the real world.
If you do decide to make a negotiation opportunity out of this inflationary moment, consider refreshing your negotiating skills with our episode all about it.
Our other Marketplace shows want to hear your kids’ best metaphors for explaining inflation. Send them to us using this online form and we might put your kid on air!
Million Bazillion: S3 E3 Inflation Script/Transcript
Note: Marketplace podcasts are meant to be heard, with emphasis, tone and audio elements a transcript can’t capture. Scripts may contain errors. Please check the corresponding audio before quoting it.
(SFX: CLASSIC OLD MOVIE SCORE PLAYING THROUGH A TV)
BRIDGET: Hey Ryan, whatcha watching?
RYAN: It’s one of my favorite holiday movies, The Man Who Saved Arbor Day. It may be old and scratchy and in black and white, but it’s a classic.
(SFX: SMALL CROWD OF PEOPLE FOR AMBIANCE)
OLD TIMEY MALE ACTOR (ON TV): Oh, dear! How will we afford the Arbor Day turkey this year? It costs 75 cents. We don’t have that kind of money! We can’t even afford 10 cents for Arbor Day yams!
OLD TIMEY FEMALE ACTOR (ON TV): Perhaps your boss, Mr. Spendthrift, could help us. He’s the richest man in town. He has over a thousand dollars to his name!
OLD TIMEY MALE ACTOR: But Mr. Spendthrift is the meanest man in town! He didn’t even offer to pay for my heart surgery, which costs 4 dollars.
BRIDGET: So what is this movie about?
RYAN: It’s mostly the characters worrying about money and saying prices out loud- but in a larger sense, it’s about a man who’s been cruel his whole life suddenly deciding to be a good person. Here, lemme fast forward to my favorite part.
(SFX: FAST FORWARDING SOUNDS)
(SFX: SWELL OF SENTIMENTAL MUSIC, DOOR OPENS, FOOTSTEPS)
OLD TIMEY MALE ACTOR/FEMALE ACTOR: Mr. Spendthrift!
SPENDTHRIFT: Yes, it is I, Mr. Spendthrift. And I’m here to save your Arbor Day celebration … with a 75 cent turkey, some ten cent yams, your 4 dollar heart surgery…
BRIDGET: Wow, things used to be cheap back then, eh?
SPENDTHRIFT: And, last but not least, I’m buying you all a new car… for $300 dollars.
OLD TIMEY FEMALE ACTOR: Oh thank you, Mr. Spendthrift!
SPENDTHRIFT: I’m a good person now. Forget all those years I was mean. This cancels that out! And may the Arbor Day spirit live on with you aaaallll!
RYAN: (CRYING) Gets me every time.
BRIDGET: Yeah, it’s a pretty sweet ending.
RYAN: (CRYING) Sometimes you just need a good cry.
–Theme Music–
BRIDGET: Welcome back to Million Bazillion. I’m Bridget.
RYAN: (STILL CRYING) I’m Ryan… .Ok, pull it together, man… I’m Ryan. And We Help Dollars Make More Sense.
BRIDGET: We’re here to answer the questions you have about money! And here’s a good one that just came in:
ALDER: “Hi Ryan, Hi Bridget! My name is Alder and I live in Helena Montana. My question is why is a dollar today worth more than a dollar in the future?
RYAN: How does Alder know what a dollar will be worth in the future? Wait. Can Alder…. see the future?
(SFX: QUICK SCI-FI MUSIC STING)
BRIDGET: I don’t think so. I think Alder must have figured out that you used to be able to buy more stuff with a single dollar. That’s because stuff was cheaper. Like you could buy a hula hoop in the 1950s for about a $1.99 but now, a hula hoop costs like, $12. She’s probably guessing that a dollar in the future will be able to buy even less than it does today. Maybe a hula hoop will cost $20?
RYAN: Ok, so we’re sure she’s not psychic? What number am I thinking of, Alder?
BRIDGET: Pretty sure she’s not psychic. And you don’t need to be one to guess that prices of things will continue to go up as time goes on. They’ve been going up for years. It’s called inflation. And we’re gonna talk about it. When we come back.
–Asking Random Kids NOT SO Random Questions–
ANNOUNCER: And now it’s time for Asking Random Kids NOT SO Random Questions. Today’s question is: If you had a ton of money, what would you do to help the world?
RANDOM KIDS: “I would spend the money to clean the ocean water.” “I would use my money to help Ukraine.” “To be used for animals.” “I would probably donate to a shelter.” “Help snakes.” “I would buy lots of trees and I would plant them to help air pollution.” “donate to charity to save people who don’t have homes and I just think that’s important.”
ANNOUNCER: That was Emma, Audrey, Ellie, and Roman in Michigan, Eloise in Illinois, Aida in Georgia, and Matteo in California. This has been Asking Random Kids NOT SO Random Questions.
Part 1:
RYAN: Alright, let’s do this. Let’s explain … filtration!
BRIDGET:What?? Not filtration, Inflation!
RYAN: I’m pretty sure you said filtration back there…
BRIDGET: I’m pretty sure I said inflation. That’s when the cost of a bunch of things go up at about the same time. It’s a pretty normal thing that happens in our money system. Right now, inflation is higher than it’s been in a while, so you might hear a lot of grown ups talk about how the prices of the things they buy have gone up.
RYAN: Oh, I sure have noticed it. Like gas and food got more expensive. It is so frustrating to go to the store and realize that my HARD earned dollars don’t buy as much. What does that have to do with Alder’s question?
BRIDGET: Oh, well, Alder wants to know why dollars buy less over time. And that is a side effect of Inflation.
RYAN: [SKEPTICAL] Got it. How do we explain what’s happening here?
BRIDGET: Well, first, we really need to see how much prices have changed over time, so this is the perfect chance for us to jump in a time machine!
(SFX: “BACK TO THE FUTURE”-SOUNDING LIGHTNING WHOOSH)
(MUSIC – 70s DISCO TRACK)
(SFX – STREET AMBIENCE)
RYAN: Woooow! We’re in the 70s?
BRIDGET: 1972 to be exact! 50 years ago.
RYAN: Everyone here looks how cool people look now! It’s like a whole land of cool people!
BRIDGET: I knew I should’ve worn my high-waisted jeans, I’d have fit right in.
RYAN: What should we do while we’re here? Oh, I know! Let’s go watch a Scooby-Doo that’s not a re-run!
BRIDGET: Wait, Ryan, look at the sign in that window over there, at that restaurant! Hamburgers, 55 cents! French Fries, 20 cents! Are you thinking what I’m thinking?
RYAN: That in the ‘70s, all the food looks smothered in mayonnaise?
BRIDGET: No, everything costs less here. Now, are you thinking what I’m thinking?
BRIDGET/RYAN: Candy store!
(SFX – ENTERING A STORE, THAT LITTLE BELL DOOR RINGER SOUND)
RYAN: Wow, I don’t even recognize these candy brands. Snik Snack? Cris-P-Nut? Reggie Jackson’s Reggie Bar?
BRIDGET: These must’ve all been discontinued.
RYAN: Let’s buy one of each!
(SFX – CANDY BARS SLAMMING ON COUNTER)
RYAN (WHISPERING TO BRIDGET) Be cool. Be cool. (CLEARS THROAT) Pardon us, esteemed confectioner of candied treats, we kindly request these three sweet-
BRIDGET (WHISPERS): This is 1972, not 1872, you can talk more normal.
RYAN: Oh, uh, right. How much for three candy bars?
CLERK: 30 cents.
RYAN: Whuaaaa? Surely you’ve made some kind of adding error.
CLERK: Nope. Each candy bar is ten cents. Wanna throw in a newspaper for an extra ten cents? Or a soda pop for 5 cents?
RYAN: Um, yeah, I think I’m gonna like it in 1972! Maybe we just stay here and live in this paradise where candy bars cost a mere dime??
BRIDGET: Whoa whoa whoa, slow down, Ryan. Remember, prices were lower back then, but people made less money too.
CLERK: What do you mean by “back then”?
BRIDGET: Oh. We’re from the future.
CLERK: Groovy. We’re all on our own journey, man.
RYAN: Right on. So, as a shaggy-haired gentleman of the ‘70s, this stuff doesn’t seem cheap to you?
CLERK: No way, man! I make $1.60 an hour. And, now that you mention it, everything’s way more expensive now than when I was kid… in the 1950s. Back then, a Snick Snack bar was only 5 cents!
RYAN: Ohh, I think I get it. Everything cost less in the past but people made less money too. And over time prices go up, but so does what people get paid to work.. So things sorta, kinda balance over time. Prices go up, paychecks go up. Prices go up, paychecks go up, It’s like a little dance.
CLERK: Paychecks go up? Far out, man! So what’s minimum wage in the future? Like 40 dollars an hour?
BRIDGET: Uhhhh not quite…
RYAN: Wait, though! Why do prices go up? Is there like, a meeting once a year where everyone decides, time to slap an extra three cents onto all my price tags?
BRIDGET: No, stores will usually raise their prices when they need to. Like maybe it got more expensive to make bicycle tires because it got harder to find the rubber those tires are made out of. Then the price of the rubber goes up. That might mean the whole bike is going to cost you more because the tires are part of the total bike price. Things also get more expensive when the price of oil goes up because everything has to travel to get to us…and oil is a key ingredient in the fuel for cars and trucks and planes and boats.
RYAN: Okay. I’m with you.
BRIDGET: Or maybe everyone has more money and they want to spend it. You know, everyone wanting to buy stuff can push up the prices.
RYAN: Slow down there, explain that last point to me.
BRIDGET: Oh, Okay so this candy store has all different types of candy. And let’s say everyone, decides they MUST have candy — RIGHT NOW. Here’s how that could drive up the price.
(SFX: DOOR RINGER BELL, MANY FOOTSTEPS ENTERING, COMMOTION IN THE STORE)
CUSTOMER #1: All right, word on the street is they’re discontinuing Reggie Bars. Can I buy seven?
CUSTOMER # 5: I’ll have three cases of ZZ Tarts and an Almond Brothers Crunch!
CUSTOMER #3: I’ll pay double the price for this king sized bag of Fleetwood Smacks!
RYAN: What are these candies you ‘70s people eat?
CUSTOMER #2: Did I hear we’re all buying all the candy? I want in! You got any Snick Snacks?
CUSTOMER #6: I’ll take two Agnew Chews and a gallon of candy corn.
CLERK: Sold! Man, if people all want candy this bad, I could raise my prices and still sell out this whole store! Plus I’d make more money!
(SFX: MORE CUSTOMER COMMOTION)
BRIDGET: Now let’s say that happens in stores all up and down this street. Everyone wants to buy more hamburgers and flowers and bellbottomed jeans and gas and they’ve got the money to do it. All these store owners realize that they can increase their prices and people won’t stop buying stuff. So that’s what happens.
RYAN: And so THAT’s the inflation? Oh – I get it. Inflation! Like when you inflate a balloon it gets bigger. The prices are inflating — they’re getting bigger too!
BRIDGET: Exactly. But inflation isn’t just the price of one thing going up, it’s when a whole bunch of prices go up, at about the same time..Okaaay, this store is getting a little too crowded. How bout we ditch the ‘70s and head back to the future!
CUSTOMER #2: Say, that gives me a good idea for a movie!
(SFX: OLD FASHIONED PAYPHONE COIN AND PHONE DIALING)
CUSTOMER #2: Robert! Bob! it’s your cousin, Marvin Zemeckis! You know that movie idea you’ve been looking for! Listen to this!
(SFX: “BACK TO THE FUTURE”- SOUNDING LIGHTNING WHOOSH)
(SFX: STREET AMBIENCE)
RYAN: Ahhh! Are we back in the present day?
BRIDGET: Yes, everyone’s looking down at their phones and seems more stressed out. This is definitely 2022.
RYAN: Ok, so I think I get how inflation works. It’s like a little dance between prices getting a little higher and then paychecks getting a little higher.
BRIDGET: Ah. well…I’ve got something else to show you. How ‘bout we take a ride on that merry-go-round across the street?
RYAN: Ooo, I always enjoyed a spin around a fixed center! Let’s do it!
(SFX: MERRY GO ROUND CALLIOPE)
RYAN: Ahhh, this is exactly my speed. A nice, chill merry go round.
BRIDGET: Yes, just a nice, normal merry-go-round. And this is the type of inflation that we usually like. It’s a gentle circle of prices go up, and then our paychecks get a little bigger too so we don’t really notice prices going up. That’s what SHOULD happen.
(SFX: MACHINERY BREAKING DOWN, THE MERRY GO ROUND WHIRRING FASTER)
BRIDGET: Oh no, we’re starting to spin out of control!
RYAN: Ahh, you tricked me! This merry-go-round is really a scary-go-round! Did you do this on purpose? What are you trying to prove with this, Bridget?!?!
BRIDGET: I promise you’re totally safe but I needed a way to show you that, like a broken merry go round, a world where prices go up too fast can be a little frightening! This is sorta what it feels like right now, because inflation got pretty high, pretty fast.
RYAN: But what about paychecks going up too – to even it out? You said that’s what happens.
BRIDGET: Right — but it takes time to ask for a raise, some people may never get the raise they ask for, and even when they do, it might take a while for that paycheck to get bigger. So for now things might be off balance!
RYAN: I get it, I get it, and what am I supposed to do right now, when my grocery bill just got way more expensive?
BRIDGET: Believe it or not, there are people who are supposed to keep an eye on inflation and they have some ways they can help. This is when they usually try to step in…
(SFX: MERRY GO ROUND MACHINERY STARTS TO WHIRS SLOWER, QUIETER, EVERYTHING CALMS DOWN)
BRIDGET: … and cause it to slow down.
RYAN: Whew, it took a minute, but, yeah, we slowed down. Nice way to illustrate a point, Bridget! We really did it. We really…. (HORRIFIED) Look at the snack bar!
BRIDGET: You really want to eat after all that spinning?
(SFX: ANGRY CROWD SOUNDS, MUSIC: ORCHESTRAL HORROR MOVIE)
RYAN: No, look! Those snowcones now cost $10. And those hot dogs are now $18!
BRIDGET: Oh no! I think my Merry Go Round metaphor actually spun inflation out of control!
RYAN: We need to fix this!
BRIDGET (TO SELF): Oh no, you’ve really done it this time, Bridget. What are we gonna do? What are we gonna do?
RYAN (IN THE DISTANCE, FADING UNDER CROWD/MUSIC): I can’t afford a hot dog! And now I am actually starting to get hungry! And I’m in the mood for a hot dog! We need to fix this, Bridget! I need a hot dog!
Part 2:
RYAN: Alright, so what can be done to slow down this inflation so we can afford regular stuff again? We’re podcasters, and not famous ones!
BRIDGET: We have no choice but to go to the people who watch inflation. They’ve got some things they can do to help. And they’re actually some of the coolest people in the world!
RYAN: Uhh, professional snowboarders?
BRIDGET: No, the folks at the Federal Reserve!
RYAN: Awww.
(SFX – WHOOSH)
(SFX – MUNDANE OFFICE SOUNDS)
BRIDGET: Ahhh, we’re here at the Federal Reserve! I’m so psyched! The people who work at the Federal Reserve are in charge of making sure our economy works the way it’s supposed to and that includes keeping prices steady, free from wild inflation. Well, as much as they can.I’ve always wanted to visit this place! These people are my rockstars! (SEES SOMEONE) Woah, it’s Lisa Cook, she’s on the board of governors. And we just made eye contact! Did I mess that up? Do you think she thought I was cool?
RYAN: I think you nailed it. So these people just try to stop inflation all day?
BRIDGET: Well, not all inflation. In fact, they say the right amount of inflation is good. In a year, about 2%.
RYAN: 2% Exactly how I like my milk. Okay so, tell me- what do these inflation watchers spend all their time doing?
BRIDGET: Okay so first the “Fed” as its friends call it, keeps an eye on how much things cost. Oh, they have this thing they call a “basket” as in like, “shopping basket.” And every month, they go out, fill it up with a whole bunch of things like food and clothes and whatever, and they, look at the total cost of buying all the stuff, see if that price is going up or down. If one month the basket total is say, $150 and the next, it’s $175…they know inflation has arrived!
(SFX: PANTRY DOOR OPENING)
RYAN: Well ,whoever’s filling the Fed’s shopping basket should get better snacks. All they have here is granola. No thank you!
BRIDGET: Ryan, don’t open that. You’re embarrassing me. And besides, the basket is not an actual basket, it’s just a way to follow the price of things. And if the prices of all the things in the basket are rising too fast or not fast enough, the Fed can do something about it. Sorta.
RYAN: Sorta? They’ve got marble crusted hallways and they can only SORTA fix inflation?
BRIDGET: There are only certain things they can do…they have very specific tools. Like they can make borrowing money MORE expensive.
RYAN: How is that supposed to help?
BRIDGET: Oh, it’s just something that can slowwww the economy down, like when we were on that merry go round. But the problem is, there are plenty of things the Fed can’t do. Congress can, but the Fed can’t. And as for the stuff they CAN do, well…there’s just a lot the Fed doesn’t control about the world and the people in it. And their tools just don’t always work the way they think they will. But in general, in a crisis, the Fed is pretty good at keeping our economy working the way we need it to.
RYAN: Hmm, the Federal Reserve seems like it has a lot of power. I just assumed the president controlled inflation.
BRIDGET: Not really. Presidents can’t really push a magic button to make prices go down. I mean, no one can, even sometimes the Federal Reserve is like “I don’t know” but definitely not a President.
RYAN: I knew it! All Presidents do is attend inaugurations and pardon turkeys. Big whoop. Try working retail for one day. That’s a tough job.
BRIDGET: Oh wow, it’s Janet Yellen… just taking a coffee break! Do you think she’d take a selfie with me?
RYAN: I mean, one can dream.
BRIDGET: Awww, I’m too nervous, let’s duck out of sight before she sees us! Ooh, what’s in this room?
(SFX – DOOR OPENING INTO A ROOM WITH AN ELECTRONIC BUZZING)
BRIDGET: Hey, look! I knew it! It’s the Federal Reserve’s room of levers that they use to keep inflation under control! Ooh, Ryan…I’ve always kinda thought that, if given the chance, I could probably be really good at fixing runaway inflation. Wanna pull some of these with me and see what happens?
RYAN: I don’t know, from everything you’ve been saying, inflation sounds like a really delicate balance of many different factors without an easy solution.
BRIDGET: Yes. Excellent point. But may I present a counterpoint? Let’s just start pulling them!
RYAN: Ok, why not?
BRIDGET: When are they ever going to let us into this room again? OK, let’s try this one. This one just gives everyone more money.
RYAN: Sounds like the obvious solution.
BRIDGET: Let’s pull it.
(SFX – LEVER PULLING SOUND, CHEERS, MONEY COUNTING MACHINE, WARNING ALARM)
BRIDGET: Ahhhhh! What’s happening??
RYAN: Do something!!
BRIDGET: Wait, I’ve got an economist on speed dial! [DIAL + RINGING UNDER NEXT BIT] Her name is Martha Olney and she teaches economics to college students at the University of California, Berkeley.
MARTHA: Hello?
BRIDGET: Martha, it’s Bridget!
MARTHA: What up, B?
BRIDGET: I don’t have time to explain, but I’m in the Federal Reserve-
MARTHA: And you snuck into the room with big levers and started pulling them?
BRIDGET: Yeah, how did you know?
MARTHA: Typical Bridget hijinks. So what’s the situation? Gimme the facts.
BRIDGET: I pulled the lever to give everyone more money and everything went bananas.
What’d we do wrong??
MARTHA OLNEY: If we gave money to all the families so that everybody got more money, then everyone having more money would be able to go out and buy more things and that would increase what we call the demand for all these things, and that would just push the prices up higher.
BRIDGET: Ok, thanks, I’m gonna put you on hold.
(SFX – LEVER SNAPS BACK, ALARM STOPS)
BRIDGET: This was apparently the wrong lever. When we gave everyone money, it just meant everyone was able to pay the higher prices and the prices went even higher! So we just made inflation worse!
RYAN: How bout this lever? It just says “Spending Freeze” on it. It’ll make everyone stop buying new stuff for three months. If people buying stuff is one of the things that drives up inflation, let’s just STOP the shopping!
BRIDGET: Ok lemme ask Martha-
(SFX – LEVER PULLING SOUND, WARNING ALARM)
RYAN: Ahhhh!
BRIDGET: You were supposed to wait.
RYAN: Martha! Help! We froze all spending for 3 months! Why didn’t that work?
MARTHA OLNEY: If when those 3 months are over, everyone has been earning money over those 3 months and so they have a lot of money saved up and then they go out and go shopping, then all of a sudden there’s this big surge in demand and it pushes prices up. That’s in fact what we saw with the pandemic.
BRIDGET: Okay, fair, I see now where we went wrong with that.
RYAN: Oh, of course. It doesn’t help to stop people from buying things if they’re just going to do all that buying a little later. You’re just putting off something that WILL still happen!
(SFX – LEVER SNAPS BACK, ALARM STOPS)
BRIDGET: Wait, Ryan, watch out!
RYAN: OOF! [CRASH]
BRIDGET: Oh no, you just slipped on the lever that makes the government lower the prices of everything.
(SFX – LEVER PULLING SOUND, WARNING ALARM)
MARTHA OLNEY: During World War Two, we tried that. We had the office of price administration. And it determined the prices for things and told companies how much they could charge for each thing.
BRIDGET: And please say “it solved inflation forever”…
MARTHA OLNEY: And what developed are called secondary markets or black markets. Companies were told they could only charge a certain amount. But then either the people who were able to buy at that low amount turned around and sold it to other people at a higher price. Or the companies themselves cheated and broke the laws and sold things at a higher price.
(SFX – LEVER SNAPS BACK, ALARM STOPS)
RYAN: Secondhand market? That reminds me of when I tried to buy fancy sneakers, but could only get them from this guy on ebay.
BRIDGET: Yeah, or these secondhand tickets I bought for a Belly Eyelash concert.
RYAN: You mean Billie Eilish?
BRIDGET: Oh darn, I think I was sold fake tickets!.
RYAN: Wait, now I’m curious who “Belly Eyelash” is. They sound cool.
BRIDGET: Well, I really thought we had a solution there. Oh, you know what, my bad, this room is actually the Levers-That-Don’t-Work-and-the-Fed-doesn’t-have-the-power-to-do-anyway Room. It said it right there on the door! How silly of me!
RYAN: Wow, I guess inflation really is a complicated thing to solve. Lots of unintended consequences. I guess let’s go home then.. I gotta find the bathroom first though, cause my bladder doesn’t have a huge reserve, if you catch my drift.
BRIDGET: Yeah, it’s subtle, but I think I get it.
RYAN: And, in my opinion, the perfect joke to take us to the break!
-mini-seg-
ANNOUNCER: You’ve heard some kids answering some NOT SO random questions this season. Now it’s time to hear from some grownups. Here is professional skate boarder, Tony Hawk. Take it away Tony!
Tony Hawk: What do I wish I had a million bazillion of? I wish I had a million bazillion skateboards to give away because that way anyone that ever wanted to try skateboarding could try it for themselves and decide if they like it. And a million bazillion would take care of, well I think it would take care of everyone. And if they broke one, we’d have spares. Yes and surprisingly, I don’t have a million bazillion skateboards. I know that’s what I do for a living, but I don’t even have a hundred. So I gotta work on that. Thanks for including me. This is Tony Hawk.
Part 3:
RYAN: Well, turns out we weren’t able to solve inflation, even with all the powers of the Federal Reserve at our fingertips.
BRIDGET: Yeah, but I did stop by the gift shop and get this cool airbrushed t-shirt of fed chair Jay Powell riding a unicorn.
RYAN: Yeah, it is a cool shirt. So not a totally wasted trip.
BRIDGET: Anyway, what did we learn from all this? Do you want to wear the shirt while you do this one?
RYAN: No need, I’ve got my cape. Inflation is like a balloon on a broken merry ground. It is confusing and might make you a little angry.
BRIDGET: No, that’s not it. Seriously, do you want to try the shirt?
RYAN: I just needed to get that off my chest, Okay, here goes…. Things today cost more than they did when your grownups were kids. And Alder is right. A dollar today will probably be worth less in the future. It’ll buy fewer things. It’s because of something called “inflation” but it’s not something to be afraid of. It just means that prices of a whole bunch of things went up. There are times when inflation might go up so fast we really DO notice it. And it makes buying the stuff we need more difficult. Like right now. The folks at the Federal Reserve are trying to slow down that inflation. But they’ve got to be careful they don’t slow down the rest of our economy too. It might take some time for us to see if their plan worked or didn’t. It definitely won’t happen overnight.
BRIDGET: If you want to learn more about inflation, check out our tipsheet at Marketplace.org/million. And remember, some experts say when inflation is high, it’s a good reason to ask for a raise so…maybe this is the time to ask for a little increase on your allowance.
RYAN: (UNCONTROLLABLE LAUGHTER) Oh, I’m sure this will go over great with your parents. Try that one out, kids. Ask you parents for a raise because of… inflation (MORE CONSTANT LAUGHTER)
BRIDGET: What’s so funny? Maybe with the right approach to the negotiation–
RYAN: (STILL LAUGHING) Nothing. Be sure to call in, kids, and tell us about all the extra money you were successful in negotiating. (HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER) We’ll be waiting patiently by the phone….. Hahahaha…. Until 2032!
BRIDGET: It *could work!
RYAN: Hahahaha… when a candy bar costs a thousand dollars! (HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER THAT JUST KEEPS GOING)
–Theme Music-
CREDITS:
RYAN: Thanks for listening to Million Bazillion — we help dollars make more sense. We’ll be back next week with a whole new episode. If you liked this show, please subscribe and leave us a review, and tell your friends about us!
BRIDGET: If you want to keep getting smarter about money, sign up for the Million Bazillion Academy and get four weeks of lessons you can do at your own pace. Sign up today at Marketplace.org/MBA.
RYAN: Million Bazillion is brought to you by Marketplace and American Public Media.
This episode was written and hosted by me, Ryan Perez, and Bridget Bodnar, who’s the senior producer too.
BRIDGET: This episode was also produced by Marissa Cabrera with help from Tiffany Bui, edited by Jasmine Romero and Sanden Totten. Sound designed by Chris Julin and Bekah Wineman. Bekah also mixed this episode. Our theme music was created by Wonderly.
RYAN: Our digital producer is Tony Wagner, Donna Tam is the Director of On Demand at Marketplace.
Neal Scarbrough is the VP and General Manager
BRIDGET: We are grateful for the voicing talents of Kimberly Adams, Marissa Cabrera, Chris Julin, Matt Levin, Melody Perkins, Jeff Peters, Andy Uhler, Tony Wagner, and Bekah Wineman.
RYAN: And special thanks to the people who provided the startup funding for Million Bazillion, and who continue to help keep us going: The Ranzetta Family Charitable Fund and Next Gen Personal Finance, supporting Marketplace’s work to make younger audiences smarter about the economy.
BRIDGET: To all the grown-ups listening right now – we hope that you and the kids in your life are having some good conversations about money thanks to Million Bazillion. Help us keep those conversations going. Donate today at marketplace.org/givemillion. Your support means a whole lot.
The Ranzetta Family Charitable Fund and Next Gen Personal Finance, supports Marketplace’s work to make younger audiences smarter about the economy. Next Gen Personal Finance is a non-profit that believes all students benefit from having a financial education before they cross the stage at high school graduation.
Greenlight is a debit card and money app for kids and teens. Through the Greenlight app, parents can transfer money, automate allowance, manage chores, set flexible spend controls and invest for their kids’ futures (parents can invest on the platform too!) Kids and teens learn to earn, save, spend wisely, give and invest with parental approval. Our mission is to shine a light on the world of money for families and empower parents to raise financially-smart kids. We aim to create a world where every child grows up to be financially healthy and happy. Today, Greenlight serves 5 million+ parents and kids, helping them learn healthy financial habits, collectively save more than $350 million to-date and invest more than $20 million.
The Sy Syms Foundation: Partnering with organizations and people working for a better and more just future since 1985.
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