The Tradeoff
Fast context on how policy and market decisions actually affect you. Every episode is under 15 minutes.
Latest episodes
- 01.What Happens After the Midterms And How History Can Predict Future Economic Policy Decisions
The headline is who won the election. The tradeoff is the people who just lost are still holding the checkbook. Government funding runs out December 11, which means the first big decision after this election gets made…
- 02.Cheap Money, Locked Doors: The Generational Wealth Gap
Americans have never been richer on paper. Household net worth hit $195.9 trillion this summer. The headline is record wealth. The tradeoff is who was standing in the right place when money got cheap. Mattie walks thr…
- 03.How the Midterms Show Us Society is Built for a Household That Doesn't Exist
Campaigns have spent $5.7 billion on House, Senate and governor races this cycle. Cost of living, taxes, health care, energy and crime all made the top ten issues in the ads. Child care didn't - not for either party.…
- 04.The Stock Market Isn't the Economy - Why Bonds Will Send the Bill
On October 2, the economy added 29,000 jobs against 90,000 expected, unemployment rose to 4.2%, and the stock market went up . The headline is that the economy had a bad day. The tradeoff is that the stock market had…
- 05.If "Consumer Spending is Strong" Why Does the Economy Feel Anything But?
Consumer spending jumped 0.9% in August, and the economy grew at a 2.2% annual rate in the second quarter. The headline is that consumer spending is strong. The tradeoff is that it's coming out of savings. Mattie walk…
Episode notes
The short version of each episode, in writing: what happened, who pays, and what to watch next.
What Happens After the Midterms: Why December 11 Is the Real Test
Government funding runs out December 11. Here's what 15 lame duck sessions since 1994 tell us about what the outgoing Congress does next.
Why Forward Strategies is starting a newsletter four days before an election
Mattie Duppler’s podcast The Tradeoff is now a twice-weekly newsletter, and Forward Strategies has a new home. Here’s why, and why now.
Why Child Care Isn’t in the Midterm Ads
Campaigns spent $5.7 billion on midterm ads. Child care isn’t in either party’s top ten issues. Here’s what it costs families, and why it keeps losing.
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