Jacob Goldstein
Jacob Goldstein is an NPR correspondent and co-host of the Planet Money podcast. He is the author of the book Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing.
Goldstein's interest in technology and the changing nature of work has led him to stories on UPS, the Luddites and the history of light. His aversion to paying retail has led him to stories on Costco, Spirit Airlines and index funds.
He also contributed to the Planet Money T-shirt and oil projects, and to an episode of This American Life that asked: What is money? Ira Glass called it "the most stoner question" ever posed on the show.
Before coming to NPR, Goldstein was a staff writer at the Wall Street Journal, the Miami Herald, and the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. He has also written for the New York Times Magazine. He has a bachelor's degree in English from Stanford and a master's in journalism from Columbia.
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In a small town in New Jersey, there is a deli. Just a little sandwich shop. But according to the stock market, this one deli is worth roughly $100 million. What's going on?
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What can President-elect Joe Biden do without his party in charge of the Senate? One idea that's gaining steam: Force banks to offer low-cost, no overdraft bank accounts.
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Every large federal income tax refund is reviewed by a little-known committee in Congress. NPR's Planet Money podcast goes over the committee's purpose and a refund for Trump its been reviewing.
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The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case that involved both a 300-year-old pirate ship — and a contemporary fight between two powerful forces: states' rights and property rights.
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Tech companies are getting into the house-flipping business, buying up billions of dollars in homes from ordinary Americans. The companies are being funded in part by global investors.
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Those online tests where you click boxes to prove you're not a robot are going away. A new test is here, it's always running in the background, trying to figure out if you're really a human being.
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There's a new way to pay for college. It's not debt — but students are on the hook after they graduate.
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The Federal Reserve targets an inflation rate of 2 percent. Why 2 percent? And how close are we to the target?
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Many developed countries are issuing bonds at negative interest rates. That means people are buying them expecting to get paid back less than they invested. Why then are people buying them?
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In the campaign leading up to the Brexit vote, economist Tim Harford played the role of independent fact checker. Now that it has passed, he's letting out some strong feelings.
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The MacArthur Foundation wants to give away $100 million to a single project. This is part of a growing belief in the philanthropy world that piecemeal solutions aren't as effective as huge bets might be. But bigger bets can be risky.
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If Greece isn't a good place to do business anymore, then businesses will leave. When solid businesses close up or leave, then Greece becomes even worse for the remaining firms.