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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Not all debt collectors work at banks or big, corporate agencies. Many work at small, storefront shops. At least one worked in a former karate studio. -
A typical UPS truck now has hundreds of sensors on it. That's changing the way UPS drivers work — and it foreshadows changes coming for workers throughout the economy. -
Over the past 50 years, both the way the federal government spends money and what the government spends money on has changed a lot.
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See average hourly wages and how many jobs have been lost (or gained) in health care, manufacturing and other big industries.
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Earlier this year, the percentage of Americans who are working or looking for work fell to its lowest level since 1979.
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The share of $100s held outside the U.S. has been rising for decades. That's good news for the U.S. economy. -
A brief history of America, as seen through energy sources — from wood to nuclear power, and beyond.
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A broader measure of unemployment shows millions of Americans who are out of work or can't find a full-time job.
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The U.S. housing market is still a ward of the state. Almost all new mortgages — $1.6 trillion last year alone — are guaranteed by taxpayer dollars.
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There are 4 million fewer jobs than there were five years ago. Here's a look at jobs lost (and gained) in manufacturing, health care and other key sectors.
