This week has been a nightmare for many people: The U.S. is getting a ratings downgrade, dramatic market losses and gains, people sitting on the sidelines not knowing what to make out of it.

So this week Marketplace Money tried a little something different. We opened the phones up and answered your questions LIVE! And while we can’t air every question on the show — you know, time limitations and all — we thought you might enjoy hearing the full raw conversation.

Listen to the full audio:

Thanks for all of your questions and to the panel of people who helped us out: Chris Thornberg, an economist and founder of Beacon Economics, Ron Lieber, who writes the “Your Money” column for The New York Times, and Carl Richards, a certified financial planer and founder of Prasada Capital Management. Send us a note to let us know what you thought of our conversation. And stay tuned for this weekend’s Marketplace Money show for more of our coverage.