As The Money Burns

About As The Money Burns

All they want is love. Everyone else wants their fortune. Based on historical research, As The Money Burns is a deep exploration into the lives of actual heirs and heiresses to some of America’s most famous fortunes and what happens when the Great Depression hits. A narrative podcast that explores history, psychology, and finance.

Publisher

Nicki Woodard

Category

fiction · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

2 Apr 2020

Latest episode

29 May 2026

Latest episodes

1 of 139 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   29 May 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Kiss the Bride, Part 2 of 2

   Host Emily Jane Johnson interviews historian Dr. Sarah Miller about Madeleine Astor's scandalous second marriage and subsequent honeymoon.

2. 

   17 Apr 2026

   Unholy Alliance, Part 1 of 2

   Once for money, twice for love, maybe thrice for lust. Some women become brides more than bridesmaids. Part 1 of 2 Returning from Bermuda to New York in November 1933, Madeleine Astor prepares for her third wedding to Enzo Fiermonte and more press scandals. She takes back a trip down memory lane of the seduction and scandal with her first marriage to John Jacob Astor IV leading to their fateful trip on the Titanic. Other people and subjects include: Madaleine Talmage Force Astor Dick Fiermonte, Colonel John Jacob Astor IV aka “Jack,” John Jacob Astor VI aka “Jakey,” Enzo Fiermonte, William Vincent Astor, Daisy Van Alen, James Van Alen, Katherine Force Spencer, Mrs. Katherine Talmage Force, William Force, William Dick, William Dick Jr., John Henry Dick, Caroline Astor, Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, Carrie Astor Wilson, Grace Wilson Vanderbilt, Ava Lowle Willing Astor, Charlotte Astor Drayton, Gertrude Vanderbilt Payne Whitney, “Birdie” Virginia Graham Fair Vanderbilt, Margaret Brown – Unsinkable Molly Brown – Maggie Brown – Mrs. James J. Brown – Mrs. J.J. Brown, Catherine Ellen Brown aka “Helen,” William Waldorf Astor, Lawrence Gillespie, Irene Sherman Gillespie, Mrs. Ogden Mills, Mrs. Helen Roosevelt Robinson, Dr. Carnes Weeks, Edith Searle, Josephine Wright, Reverend George Chalmers Richmond, Father David Phelan, Western Watchmen, Reverend Dr. J.J. Muir, St. Valentine, Valentine’s Day, Valentine themed party favors, ball, annual Astor dinner dance, cotillon, fashion, jewelry, diamond solitaire engagement ring, “Runaway” drama, Billie Burke – Folies Bergere – Glinda the Good Witch, Reverend Joseph Lambert, Elmwood Congregational Temple, sermons, The Fee Refused, Sodom, unholy alliance, Henry Beattie, Jr., murder, electric chair, divorce, cuckoo, vampire, age mismatched marriage, divorced, adultery, remarriage, scandal, snub, “Dream Girl” play, Women’s League for Animals, talisman, Ushabti statue, Social Register, press scandal, Butte Miner newspaper, St. Valentine, charmed circle – the 400, Monarch of Bermuda, Lifeboat 4, Lifeboat 6, Titanic, Carpathia, Nourmahal, Noma, Doctors Hospital, Bar Harbor Swimming Pool Club, Metropolitan Opera, Plaza Hotel, St. Regis, Beechwood cottage, Astor Mansion 65th Street and Fifth Avenue, first Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, Manhattan, Rhinebeck, Newport, Rhode Island, Bar Harbor, Maine, Reno, Nevada, Bermuda, Egypt, Denver Museum, rabbit holes, names, married and divorced names for women, Titanic passenger lists, 1925 Breaker Hotel fire, hypochondria, anxiety, heroine, widowhood, motherhood, The Second Mrs. Astor novel, Shana Abe, folklore vampires, literary vampires, Sheridan LeFanu, Carmilla, Bram Stoker, Dracula, cinematic vampires, The Vamp archetype, seductress, Gene Fowler, Timber Line book 1933, James Cameron, Titanic (1997), Titan submersible, Oceangate, Stockton Rush, Wendy Weil, FX Hulu Love Story tv series, Caroline Bessette Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, Jr. – JFK Jr – John John, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis – Jackie, Daryl Hannah, Princess Diana, antagonized and villainized in the press, press friendly, recycle and resurrect past tragedy via social media, more favorable press decades after death, public disapproval… Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

3. 

   4 Apr 2026

   Glass Cage - 6th Anniversary Bonus

   This is the 6th Year Anniversary recap and teaser of future storylines. Allegory about seduction and betrayal in greenhouse with parallels to storylines. Playful hints and teasers of themes involving love and fortune, along with updates on podcast history and goals of the series. Other people (*referenced not specifically mentioned) and subjects include: Barbara Hutton, Doris Duke, John Jacob Astor VI aka “Jakey,” Prince Alexis Mdivani, Louise Van Alen, James H.R. Cromwell aka “Jimmy,” Prince Serge Mdivani, Prince David Mdivani, Eileen Gillespie, Ellen “Tucky” French, Madeleine Talmage Force Astor Dick Fiermonte, Enzo Fiermonte, Lindbergh baby kidnapping, heirs, heiresses, marriages, divorces, weddings, scandals, betrayals, sports, life changes, challenges, envy, listener interactions Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.

Inside a recent episode

Kiss the Bride, Part 2 of 2

Published 29 May 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] Madeline and family's return trip, also aboard the Barangaria, is overshadowed by another more famous passenger, the Prince of Wales, Prince David, future King Edward VIII, Duke of Windsor, arriving in the United States on August 29, 1924. Stories delight over his dancing on the ship with his own private orchestra and follows his trip to Long Island for polo and fun. Luckily, the prince takes all the attention and Madeline is left to a relatively more quiet existence for a little while, though she is spotted driving around with a young Jakey in the car. Madeline is never completely free of scandal or attention. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

YouTube views

10,045

Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.1 / 5

28 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

16 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 66 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

67

Social presence

0

YouTube

76

Engagement

84