WhyFI Matter$

Tune into the final episode of our India Giving Day series as I chat with Preeti Nandanar from Aarti for Girls! Aarti for Girls leads efforts to support orphaned, abused, and abandoned girls in India, providing not only education and essentials for girls to become successful and independent adults. Join me in learning how Preeti and her team at Aarti for Girls are creating empowering opportunities through community engagement and supportive programs that help young women in Andhra Pradesh thr...

Tune in to the second episode of our series dedicated to India Giving Day! This time, I'm excited to talk to Mathangi Swaminathan, Founder & CEO of Parity Lab. Mathangi shifted from a tech and consulting career to leading initiatives against gender-based violence in India through her feminist accelerator. Parity Lab uniquely addresses the trauma experienced by survivors, empowering them to drive community change. Donate to India Giving Day! Donate to Parity Lab! Support the show

Welcome to the first episode of our three-part series celebrating India Giving Day on March 14, 2025! In this series, we will explore significant efforts in child and maternal health, combating gender violence, and promoting education for girls across India. Today, I'm excited to speak with Shannon Paz, CEO of Antara International, who has been at the forefront of advancing global health for women and children in remote areas. Join me as Shannon shares her journey from global nonprofits to le...

Over the summer, I had the pleasure of working with the NeuroArts Blueprint, an initiative from Johns Hopkins Medical School and the Aspen Institute aimed at strengthening and advancing the emerging field of NeuroArts. This field, which we’ll dive into in today’s episode, sits at the intersection of science, technology, and art. I’m thrilled to have Susan Magsamen with us today. Susan is one of the brains behind the NeuroArts Blueprint. She is the executive director of the International Arts+...

In a recent address, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said, “It is still too hard to be a working parent.” Her words highlight a significant challenge in America, especially for mothers. Inspired by my college research paper, we’ll dive into the American childcare system and its negative impact on working women. We will start with an overview of the current state of the U.S. childcare system. and then discuss how traditional gender norms exacerbate the issue. Following this, we’ll ...

I'm super excited about today's episode with Dr. Jordan Frey. He's a plastic surgeon and the Prudent Plastic Surgeon blog and website founder. I stumbled upon his work during a deep dive into the financial viability of becoming a doctor. With the high costs of medical training and increasing burnout rates among doctors and medical professionals, I wanted to dig into the financial aspects of pursuing a career in medicine. Is it still worth it, financially, to become a doctor? While it's undeni...

I recently attended a comedy show at the Lincoln Center's "Summer in the City," where Indian comedians humorously highlighted the complexities of healthcare and health insurance. In today's episode, I'm thrilled to interview Prof. Tal Gross, co-author of Better Health Economics. During my spring semester, I took a Health Economics course that I loved, and this book was a key part of our curriculum. Prof. Gross, a full professor at BU and a research associate at the NBER, specializes in health...

This summer has been all about sports. I've been glued to the TV, watching Wimbledon, the Euros, and the Olympic Tryouts. While admiring the Olympic gymnastics tryouts, especially Simone Biles' incredible routine, I started thinking about the economics of the Olympic Games. The event is a massive spectacle involving sports, athletes, arenas, advertising, and fans, and it's all deeply intertwined with money. In today's episode, I'll explore the cost-benefit analysis of hosting the Olympic Game...

After an 11-month hiatus, we're back with more content on financial literacy, economics, and entrepreneurship. In this episode, I discuss mastering money as a college student. I'll share my freshman-year financial experiences and tips to help younger listeners. Plus, I've gathered advice and stories from my college friends to give you even more insights! Support the show

Hey, guys. I wanted to update you on what’s coming from WhyFI Matter$ over the next few weeks and the summer. So my school, during the month of May, has us all do a May project. As some of you may know, I love tennis. I’ve been playing it for ages, and it’s a huge part of my life. For my project, I am creating a five-episode podcast series all about the upcoming grandslam tennis tournament, Roland Garros. So instead of the usual topics - economics and finance related- don’t be surpri...

Insulin is expensive. While it costs around 10-13 dollars for manufacturers to produce insulin, big pharma companies are selling it for $250-500 dollars per month. This is because America’s warped pharmaceutical market allows three companies, Eli-Lilly, Sanofi, and Novo Nordisk, to dominate the insulin businesses and set insanely high prices for their drugs. Today I am talking to my friend Siara Patel, a freshman at Boston University and a Type 1 Diabetic. We learn about her journey living wi...

It has been a while since the last podcast episode (don't blame me, blame it on senior year) but things have slightly calmed down and I am excited to talk about the musical Mastermind, Miss Americana herself, Taylor Swift. She's one of my top three favorite musical artists of all time and there is some very interesting economics at play with her upcoming ERAS tour. Listen to learn more about supply and demand economics, monopolies, consumerism, and scarcity mindsets. Support the s...

This is a special episode about tartufi or in English, truffles! No not chocolate truffles but the ones you find underneath the earth’s soil. Ever since I got Auggie, my Lagotto Romagnolo (Italian water dog), I’ve been incredibly fascinated by the world of truffles; Lagotto's with their amazing noses, are at their core truffle hunters. I’ve been reading a lot lately and stumbled upon a book at my public library called: Truffle Hound- On the trail of the world’s most seductive scent wi...

Podcasting about sports has been a long time coming, so I'm super excited to talk about the gender pay gap in the sports industry. I've been reading tennis icon, Billie Jean King's autobiography, All In, and was very inspired by her journey championing pay equality in tennis. Listen to learn more about equal pay for equal play in tennis, my favorite sport, and soccer, which has recently made some big strides in this area! CBC article Support the show

I am back in my Stranger Things obsession phase...I was wondering why I am so invested and in love with this show and I know it can't just be Steve Harrington's doing. Today I wanted to talk about nostalgia's effect on the economy and consumer decision-making. So many companies, especially in the entertainment industry, do a phenomenal job of exploiting nostalgia for economic gain, and I want to dive deeper into this by dissecting the business models of both Netflix and Disney. Listen to lear...