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Million Bazillion

Author: Marketplace

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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.

46 Episodes
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It’s our last episode of the season, Million Bazillionaires! And we’re answering Maddox’s question about what happens to your quarter when you put it inside a claw machine. It just zips away! Ryan and Bridget talk to an expert who lets them peek inside a claw machine to find out where that quarter goes. After getting some tips on how to win at the claw, Bridget gets a little too hung up on trying to win a stuffie, leaving it up to Ryan to bring her back to reality (shocking, we know). If your family is interested in learning more about claw machines, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).
It’s board game night and Ryan and Bridget are also planning to answer Amala’s question about the price of rent. She wants to know who sets it. Luckily for everyone, Bridget happens to have handy her version of “Real Estate-Opoloy.” It’s the classic board game about renting and buying that’s inspired family fights and feuds for generations. But before they can get started, the duo are sucked into the game. While they try to figure out a way out, they’ll learn the answer to Amala’s question and a whole lot more about renting and owning a home. If your family is interested in learning more about rent and housing, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).
Listener Kaitlyn was talking to her dad about investments and things strayed into the world of Ponzi schemes. Kaitlyn’s wondering what they are and how they work — good question! Bridget and Ryan want to answer Katilyn’s question but the topic conjures up some bad memories for Ryan. Luckily they get some help from Brenda Hammer, lead investigator from Bridget’s favorite show, “Scam Slammers!” Brenda uses her expertise and investigative skills to help Ryan pick out where he went wrong in the past and give some good tips for avoiding scams our listeners (even young ones!) might encounter in their everyday lives. If your family is interested in learning more about ponzi schemes, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).
In our previous episode, Bridget promised Ryan she’d take him to Happy Land Theme Park and Resort. And Bridget keeps her promises! It’s the perfect place to answer Henry’s question. He wants to know why some jobs get tips and others don’t. This proves to be a tricky one to answer, as Ryan and Bridget soon find out. They enlist the help of Happy Land Founder, Mort Bisby. Inside Mort’s hidden lair, they’ll learn some tips on well… tipping. If your family is interested in learning more about tipping, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).
When listener Lulu asks a question about economic recessions and depressions, Ryan and Bridget know they have to go to where some of the best scholars of recessions and depressions are working: the Federal Reserve! While learning about how the Federal Reserve keeps an eye on the health of our economy, the pair accidentally unleash an economic disaster. They’ll need the help of the Fed’s Recession Crushers to get things back in line. Who ya gonna call? The Recession Crushers! If your family is interested in learning more about recessions, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).  
It’s a new season of Million Bazillion and in this episode, Ryan and Bridget are answering Hezekiah’s questions about auctions. He wants to know everything about them — what are they, how do they work, and what’s up with those paddles and the fast talkin’? Ryan and Bridget head to their very first auction to find out. But the pair get caught up in the excitement and end up accidentally buying the very first Million Bazillion mascot. They’ll use the help and experience of their new friend, a real-life 16-year-old auctioneer, to navigate the auction and steer out of trouble. If your family is interested in learning more about auctions, check out the page for this episode at our website. We’ve got discussion questions and tips for learning more! This episode is sponsored by Greenlight. (For a limited time, get $10 when you sign up for a Greenlight account at greenlight.com/MILLION).
Hey Million Bazillionaires, are you ready? We’ve got another season of “Million Bazillion” coming out Sept. 5! This season, Bridget and Ryan will be answering your questions about recessions, auctions and something called a Ponzi scheme. It’s gonna be an adventurous season, so buckle in! Don’t forget to sign up for the “Million Bazillion” newsletter, so you never miss an episode and get access to episode extras, including conversation starters for grownups and kids. We’ll be making dollars make more sense every Tuesday starting Sept. 5. Listen to a sneak peek above, get caught up on any episodes you may have missed and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts!
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).
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).
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).
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).
What is insurance?

What is insurance?

2023-02-1427:333

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).  
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).
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.
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
What is cryptocurrency?

What is cryptocurrency?

2022-08-0227:565

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
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
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
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
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
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Comments (39)

Elliott Dilley

Where's jed!?

Nov 30th
Reply

Elliott Dilley

I wanna work there, if you know what I mean 😏

Nov 29th
Reply

Elliott Dilley

Meester krebs

Nov 28th
Reply

Elliott Dilley

this is SUCH a genius show! I needed this.

Nov 28th
Reply

Arthur Field

can't stop listening to this 😅😅😅

Jul 18th
Reply

Arthur Field

😀😄😄🤯🥳🤠🥳

Jul 9th
Reply

Arthur Field

Everything is perfect in this podcas👌🤌

Jul 9th
Reply

Arthur Field

love the song and I mean LLOOVVEE the song 🎵 🎶

Jul 4th
Reply

Arthur Field

LLLOOOLLL🤣😂😂🙂😂🙂

Jul 4th
Reply

Arthur Field

brilliant start brilliant middle brilliant everything

Jun 28th
Reply

C H

bitcoin actualy just crashed OFF the charts

Feb 4th
Reply

Kaylee Clark

😀😀😃😃😁😁😄😄

Aug 20th
Reply (2)

Charles Bradley

Bring back Jed!!!

Jul 29th
Reply

Oliver Adams

re-hire the other co-host he was way better

Jul 22nd
Reply (5)

C H

Bazillion is not a number

Jul 17th
Reply (13)

Kaylee Clark

it works:>]

Apr 6th
Reply

James Siverson

I don't even trust many of our banks, and for good reason. A lot of banks actually try to cheat me and that is why I searched long and scrupulously for a good banking system that I could trust. I therefore recommend everyone to take a look and read in detail https://capital-one.pissedconsumer.com/review.html information about one of them. I read here and was already able to make up my mind for sure, plus there are plenty of reviews about it and so you can learn a lot more.

Feb 23rd
Reply (2)
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