PBS NewsHour - Making Sen$e

Money manager turned country crooner Merle Hazard has made a name for himself singing about fiscal policy. His latest tune considers whether the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates -- and according to one of the world’s leading investment experts, it’s brilliant, especially since the nation’s economic future hinges on the central bank’s decision. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

Why have both Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders taken the country by storm this year? One cause might be fear for the future. Many Americans today are living paycheck to paycheck, worrying that their children won’t be any better off. Those anxieties are driving them into the arms of antiestablishment populists. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

'Tis better to give than to receive, goes the old saying. But better for whom? Economics correspondent Paul Solman talks with psychology scholars about the ways altruism can benefit those who give.

A pebble that reminds your daughter to take a shorter shower. A device to remind your dad to get up off the couch. Economics correspondent Paul Solman revisits ideas42, a behavioral economics consultancy, to get more gift ideas that could help your loved ones adopt better habits in the new year.

Middlebury College, a liberal arts school in northern Vermont with just 2,500 students, has become an unlikely hothouse for cultivating entrepreneurs. Does using college to start a business help support the larger liberal arts mission? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

A battle is brewing on Capitol Hill over the advice and fees financial advisers can use with their customers. The Department of Labor has proposed new rules to ensure that retirement experts have their clients' best interests at heart. William Brangham joins Gwen Ifill to discuss.

In northeastern Vermont, a half-billion dollar development is helping to transform a lagging economy into the state's job-creation leader. It seems like a win for tourists and for foreign investors, who put up the money in return for green cards for themselves and their families on the EB-5 visa program. Are these investors getting what they paid for? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

The EB-5 visa program allows foreign investors to obtain green cards, provided they invest $500,000 to $1 million. The program is up for reauthorization in Congress, and as economics correspondent Paul Solman reports, there is some controversy over whether or not the program should continue.

For two economists, the probability of true catastrophe due to human-caused global warming prompted them to write "Climate Shock: The Economic Consequences of a Hotter Planet," which examines looming dangers and possible solutions. Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes a look at how we might weigh the costs and benefits of taking serious action to prevent disaster.

Four hundred years ago, a group of pilgrims founded a colony in Plymouth. But what did they hope to accomplish there, how did they live? Economics correspondent Paul Solman jumps back in time to interview some of these early settlers and find out how they made a living.

How does the Islamic State militant group make money to fund its operations? A key source is oil extraction, which has helped make the group one of the richest terrorist armies in history. Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes a look at the Islamic State’s revenue sources, while William Brangham learns more from Cam Simpson of Bloomberg Businessweek.

It started with a hole in the wall. Sugata Mitra, working for a software company in Delhi, cut a gap between his firm and the slum next door, putting out an Internet-connected computer for kids in the community to use. That simple experiment has turned into a radical idea that children can teach themselves in self-organized learning environments. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.

As the ranks of the self-employed swell, why not set up shared office space with amenities and camaraderie to attract contingent workers? That's the idea behind WeWork, a company offering cool and convenient places for the outsourced to set up shop. Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports on rise of the freelance economy.

The so-called carried interest loophole is a tax break used by hedge funds and other investment groups that lets wealthy money managers pay a relatively low investment tax rate. Economics correspondent Paul Solman takes a close look at the controversial tax break.

Colorado's New Belgium Brewing is known for its quirky culture, its Fat Tire beer and its distinction as a worker-owned business. Why did the founder of this successful craft brewery sell to her employees? Economics correspondent Paul Solman reports.