In our final episode of the season, Bridget and Ryan get a question from Will in Ohio and are taking a cross-country road trip to answer it. Will wants to know why there are so many of the same stores. From Starbucks to Home Depot and all the McDonald’s in between, we’ll break down the reason why. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Million Bazillion

Why are there so many of the same stores?

For this week’s question, both Henry and Nathanial wanted to know why workers don’t get paid the same. Ryan and Bridget help break down what’s known as the “wage gap” with the help of the Vindicators superhero squad who are on a mission to make pay more fair. Plus, we brainstorm ways to fix the problem. Check out our website for a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents. This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Why do some people get paid more than others?

It’s the inaugural (maybe the only one ever?) “Money Mania,” a game show from “Million Bazillion” in which five lucky listeners compete in an elaborate obstacle course to get their questions answered. This week, we’ll tackle questions like: What is profit? Why do receipts have so many words? And, what do stores do with all their leftover holiday stuff? This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

“Million Bazillion” Presents: “Money Mania” game show

On a trip to Washington, D.C., Bridget and Ryan take this question from Oliver in Illinois: Why do different countries use different currencies? There’s the U.S. dollar, the Mexican peso and Japanese yen, just to name a few. This week, we’ll explain why so many countries decided to make their own type of money. And we meet the ghost of Alexander Hamilton, who has an important money lesson to share … through song. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

Why do countries have different currencies?

Bridget and Ryan are stuck inside during a major rainstorm, which means it’s the perfect opportunity to answer a question they got from Archer in Los Angeles: What is insurance? Archer’s dad is an insurance agent, and he wants to get to the bottom of how his parent makes a living. We’ll learn the ins and outs of insurance and how it became a thing. Plus, we have a catchy song to help you remember the difference between some confusing insurance terms: “premium” versus “deductible.” For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).  

What is insurance?

Bridget and Ryan go back to school to talk with students for career day about their jobs as podcasters. But when hunger strikes, they get caught up in an underground black market snack operation that gets them into a bit of trouble. Today, we’ll learn all about the black market, what it is, why it exists and why it’s even necessary sometimes. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight.  (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).

What is the black market?

Bazillionaires, get ready! A new season of “Million Bazillion” is dropping earlier than usual this year. Bridget and Ryan are back February 7 answering more of the big questions kids send us about money. In Season 4, we’re digging into everything from the black market to the wage gap and why different countries use different currencies. Plus, our first ever “Million Bazillion” money mania game show. Don’t forget to sign up for our “Million Bazillion” newsletter, where you’ll find episode extras including a tipsheet, trivia, and cool comics to keep your student learning about how money works in the real world. We’ll be making dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting next month. Check us out on your favorite podcast app and be sure to subscribe! And, if you’d like to binge our last season, you can do that here.

“Million Bazillion” returns Feb 7

After hearing Ryan and Bridget talk about money all season, one of our young listeners wants to know when she can start earning some money. This week we’ll look back to the time when lots of kids had jobs and learn about what’s changed and why. Along the way, we’ll learn that kids actually do have jobs, just not in the way you might think. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Why can’t kids have jobs?

One of our GOAT listeners called in with a question about cryptocurrency, and Ryan is psyched. Crypto is everywhere right now, but it can be kinda hard for kids (and grown-ups!) to know how it all works. We’ll head to the far reaches of the internet to learn about the promise and peril of crypto, and why any form of money only works if you believe it will … whoa. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

What is cryptocurrency?

If you add up all the money a grown-up makes in their lifetime, it might sound like a lot! Surely they must have more to show for it. Where are the castles, the ponies, the fancy cars? In this episode, with the help of a magic necklace, we’ll do the numbers on the stuff grown-ups have to pay for every day. It’s not all pizza parties and ice cream sundaes! For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

What do grown-ups do with all their money?

A listener wants to know how the creators behind his favorite online videos get paid. It’s a surprisingly complicated question, and Ryan and Bridget have to go viral themselves to find out the answer. Accompanied by their new dog and a bunch of influencers, we’ll learn all about the wild economics of online videos. Put on your tap-dancing shoes, we’re making content! For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

How do big video platforms make money?

It’s a rainy day, the perfect time to answer a question from one listener who started looking at the bottom of his toys. A lot of them say “Made in China,” but why? Ryan Perez and Bridget Bodnar get some help from some familiar (but legally distinct!) toy friends to find the answer. Turns out there are some pretty interesting reasons why the stuff we buy — not just toys, but clothes and food too — sometimes come from far away places. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Why are so many toys made in China?

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, something that 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. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

What’s the deal with inflation?

Ryan and Bridget tackle one of their most challenging questions to date: Why is it so awkward to talk about money? Using a board game that comes to life and a catchy song, they’ll find an answer that’s better than “Because I said so” and give kids (and their parents) the tools they need to have helpful and positive conversations about money. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey

Why is it so awkward to talk about money?

Bridget gets to know her new co-host, Ryan, who has a lot of fun ideas but doesn’t know much about money. They’ll work together on a question that quite a few listeners were wondering about: What are credit cards, besides little pieces of plastic with chips in them? Together, we’ll learn how grown-ups use credit cards and some potential pitfalls of swiping. Then things really get out of hand when the ghost pirates show up. For a special cartoon, discussion questions and tips for parents, check out our website! Take a second to let us know what you think of the show at marketplace.org/survey  

What is a credit card, and how does it work?

Million Bazillion is a podcast from Marketplace that inspires families to talk about money. Described as “a godsend for anyone who knows a little kid with big questions about money,” by The New York Times, the podcast tackles questions from: “What is cryptocurrency?” to “How do I save money?” and “How does inflation work?” Hosts Ryan Perez and Bridget Bodnar take listeners on an awesome adventure to answer the awkward, complex and sometimes surprising money questions from real kids. Million Bazillion is made possible in part by The Ranzetta Family Charitable Fund and Next Gen Personal Finance, supporting Marketplace’s work to make younger audiences smarter about the economy. This podcast is presented by Greenlight, the debit card and investing app for kids and teens.

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Million Bazillion

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