Posted by Christina Huh

For Marketplace Money, Friday, October 28, 2011

The idea of not repaying a debt makes a lot of people uneasy. But an anthropologist researched 5,000 years of debt and says that historically, debt has always been negotiable. However, we learn about the crippling weight of medical debt, which is on the rise. A man shares how a single accident changed his life.

We get some insights on how to improve the economic outlook from Austan Goolsbee, former economic adviser to President Obama. Los Angeles Times columnist Meghan Daum has a more unconventional idea: Marshmallows and people who will impulsively eat them. We learn about the Census Bureau’s new poverty measure will change our understanding of America’s poor. Many Greeks are trying to change their economic situation by moving abroad. We hear from one family who is leaving Athens for the hopefully greener pastures in Italy. And here are the songs we played:

• The Roots – Stereolab

• Chords – Kleerup

• Ride – Supreme Beings of LeisureBuy

• Lullaby – OneRepublicBuy