Category: Series

Happy Holidays from The Indicator! For the next week, we're running some of our favorite shows from this year. On today's show, why celebrities are increasingly investing in their own brands.

This piece originally aired August 14, 2025.Related episodes:
The celebrity crypto nexus
The Olympian to influencer pipeline (Apple / Spotify)

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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All children eventually learn that the presents under the Christmas tree come from family and friends, who must pay for them with their own money, and not from Santa Claus.

Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/more-largesse-santa-claus-trump

Scrooge was never mistreated by his nephew, by Cratchit, or by those seeking charitable donations. Scrooge was always free to refuse them all.

Original article: https://mises.org/mises-wire/was-scrooge-victim-christmas-carol

As Warren Buffett aged, he became a different sort of figure. He transformed from short-term investor into long-term builder. He used Berkshire Hathaway to start buying companies and build an empire. Today on the show, how did Buffett’s fame become an investment tool and hHow did he handle the biggest crisis of his career? 

Related episodes: 
Planet Money Summer School 2: Index Funds & The Bet
Brilliant vs. Boring 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.  

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Father Frost (the Soviet Santa Claus) asks: "To whom do we owe all the good things in our socialist society?,” to which, it is said, the children chorus the reply, "Stalin."

Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/how-soviets-replaced-christmas-socialist-winter-holiday

With employment fundamentals so weak, the real way to increase home sales is to cut prices further. That, of course, is not what sellers want to hear. 

Original article: https://mises.org/power-market/home-prices-and-sales-fall-can-sellers-count-lower-interest-rates

With an unprecedented decades-long run of success, Warren Buffett is retiring on December 31, 2025. Buffett’s turning point began with the acquisition of a failing textile mill called Berkshire Hathaway. What began as a “terrible mistake” became the foundation for his empire. Today on the show, how did Buffett become this legendary figure? 

Related episodes: 
Planet Money Summer School 2: Index Funds & The Bet
Brilliant vs. Boring 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.  

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy