The Indicator from Planet Money

Some of the earliest signs of dementia can show up in your financial portfolio. Missed bill payments and erratic investments could be indicators, and they can happen years before an official diagnosis. Today on the show, we dig into the connection between finances and dementia, and why the financial health of seniors is falling through the cracks.

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Related episodes: 
The dementia tax
What does the next era of Social Security look like?
Saving, borrowing, spending: an economist's take on popular advice (Planet Money+)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Tax cuts for the middle and working classes, and tax hikes for the rich. What's behind this trend? We ask Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen to explain his bill that eliminates federal income tax for many workers while hiking taxes for high earners. We also hear from a tax policy expert who has some reservations. 

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Related episodes: 
What if our income was taxed ... totally differently? 
Will the tax cuts pay for themselves? 

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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It’s Indicators of the Week (now on YouTube!). It’s our weekly look at some of the most fascinating economic numbers from the news. 

On today’s episode: who wins and loses their Polymarket bets, an American lithium motherlode, and the economics of lightweight running shoes. 

Related episodes: 
The race to produce lithium 
Advanced Fairness At The Marathon 
For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Julia Ritchey and Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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With the Iran War underway, the United Arab Emirates is looking for some economic certainty. The rich Arab nation is home to a lot of foreign-held deposits, and they’re worried investors will pull those funds. So, they’re looking for an economic backstop. Enter: currency swap lines. Today, we explain why the UAE is looking to its close ally, the U.S., for a currency swap line and how it would work.

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Related episodes: 
Where the US got $20B to bail out Argentina
Scott Bessent’s $20 billion dollar gamble on Argentina

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.  

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Iran’s weaponization of the Strait of Hormuz is the perfect example of how modern warfare is increasingly waged, not only with drones and bombs, but also through the weaponization of economic choke points. 

Today on the show, we talk to author Edward Fishman, who says the U.S. innovated a new kind of economic warfare a couple of decades ago, and that has sparked a new economic arms race. 

Edward Fishman’s book is “Chokepoints: American Power in the Age of Economic Warfare”.

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Related episodes: 
Think the oil shock is bad in the US? Look here
Fixing the oil crisis might not fix the Persian Gulf
How are drivers riding out the gas crisis?

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org. Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

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