Betsey Stevenson | How to Think Like an Economist (Pt. 1)

Hey there, MONEYO2 listeners! This is part 1 of 2 insightful conversations with Betsey Stevenson, a Harvard-trained PhD in economics who has served as the Chief Economist at the U.S. Department of Labor and as a direct advisor to President Obama on labor and social policy issues.

In this episode, Betsey shares her journey into economics and her passion for using economic tools to help individuals and communities make smarter financial decisions. We explore key economic principles for everyday life—like understanding opportunity costs, thinking incrementally, and weighing the costs and benefits of decisions.

Betsey also offers practical tips on protecting purchasing power during inflation, the value of side hustles to prepare for economic downturns, and emerging trends that could impact the average American’s financial health. This episode is a crash course in economics from a top professor at universities like the University of Michigan and UPenn.

For those interested in diving deeper, check out Betsey’s textbook, Principles of Economics.

Listen to Part 1 of this episode here.