What happens when you suddenly strike it rich. And the power money has over our lives, for good and bad.
Reservations
Alix Spiegel reports on an entire community that's turned its back on easy money—for now. Nine years ago a native American community in Minnesota—the Mille Lacs band of Ojibwe—built a casino. The reservation had been poor for a century, but soon they were the second biggest tourist attraction in the state, second only to the Mall of America. They had hundreds of millions of dollars...but of course, too much money can be as destructive as too little...and it's unclear what to do with all the cash. (22 minutes)
Song:
“America” by Little Jack Melody and His Young Turks
But Baby It's Cold Outside
Seattle writer Dan Savage on how a windfall check he got in the mail is hurting his family life. (11 minutes)
Money Is Good
How one woman learned to stop worrying and start spending. Liz Gilbert and her husband Michael Cooper explain how their different ideas about handling money always divided them—until they stumbled into a $10,000 windfall. (8 minutes)
Pot Of Gold
Writer Scott Carrier in Salt Lake City tells the story of someone's life that improved with a huge insurance settlement—even though the money never arrived. (10 minutes)
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Act Two: Show Me The Annuity
This American Life producer Alex Blumberg talks with Ed Ugel, who had a very unusual dream job: He bought jackpots from lottery winners.
Act Three: The Moment Dad Left
Audio artist Jay Allison and writer Dan Robb present an audio montage on the moment Robb's parents divorced.
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