Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

Who wins in today's housing market?

Aug 29, 2023
Prices are rising, rates are climbing and supply is dwindling. That puts people who already own a home ahead.
For renters looking to buy their first home, "it's tough right now," said Thomas LaSalvia with Moody's Analytics.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

What would happen if paper money became obsolete?

Apr 21, 2023
A large number of Americans have gone cashless, but many still have to rely on it.
Cash is still here to stay.
OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

You can pay your taxes in cash — if you're up for the challenge

Apr 17, 2023
Jay Zagorsky of Boston University paid his taxes in $100 bills and exact change. A cashless society has some disadvantages, he says.
"There are some advantages of cash that we're going to lose once we suddenly go to a pure cashless economy," says Boston University professor Jay Zagorsky.
Murtaja Lateef/AFP via Getty Images

People have moved billions from bank accounts to money market funds. What are those?

Apr 5, 2023
This type of mutual fund invests in short-term, low-risk debt. Currently they're earning higher interest than savings accounts.
Depositors have been moving cash into money market mutual funds in search of higher interest income as well as safety because of the shaky condition of some banks.
courtneyk/Getty Images

Cash: Who needs it? Britons mull over the potential disappearance of physical money

Sep 15, 2022
Digital payment methods may render notes and coins obsolete in the United Kingdom and turn it into a cashless economy.
As many as 8 million Britons are thought to depend on physical money because they don’t have an internet connection, a smartphone or digital skills.
Daniel Leal/AFP via Getty Images

Economists aren't clear on why $100 bills are spiking in circulation

Feb 28, 2019
The number of notes out there has doubled since 2008, the Federal Reserve says.
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

Going cashless in Shanghai

Jan 15, 2019
Chinese mobile payment apps have surged in popularity. Could U.S. credit card companies compete?
A driver pays a highway toll using mobile payment method Alipay in Zhejiang province.
STR/AFP/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

As digital payments grow, an ATM maker looks beyond cash

Nov 8, 2018
How will ATM makers manage in a world where digital transactions are becoming more popular and cash is optional?
People walk past an ATM machine logo near Penn Station on January 8, 2018 in New York.
BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP/Getty Images

Real estate tech firm Opendoor gets cash infusion from SoftBank

Sep 28, 2018
Here’s a very different way to sell a home from the usual: Go to a website. Plug in your address. Answer a few questions about the house. And wait about 24 hours to see if you get a cash offer. A handful of companies are buying up houses this way, including Zillow. The biggest player […]

Big U.S. companies have a lot of cash. Here’s what they’re doing with it

Apr 24, 2018
When you’ve got a little extra money to work with — or a lot — what do you do with it? Maybe you stuff it under the mattress. Maybe you try to invest it and put it to work. Or maybe you spend it on yourself and some important people in your life. That last option […]