Shawn Allee tells a story of the oldest kind of million dollar idea, the scam. Or was it an honest venture? Back in the 1980s Michael Larson made the most money ever on the game show Press Your Luck. And it was no accident. Larson had a plan to get rich that surprised everyone. (18 minutes)
More in Personal Finance
Act Two: Taxes
Al Drucker used to work for the IRS doing tax enforcement.
Act One: Money for Nothing and Your Cows for Free
Planet Money reporters David Kestenbaum and Jacob Goldstein went to Kenya to see the work of a charity called GiveDirectly in action.
Act Two: Fall 2009
We catch back up with the people we met in 2008, to see how they've fared over the last 18 months.
Staff Recommendations
Lower 9 + 10
We go to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans to talk to residents about what matters most to them ten years after the hurricane.
Prom
While the seniors danced at Prom Night 2001 in Hoisington, Kansas—a town of about 3,000—a tornado hit the town.