People Over Numbers

About People Over Numbers

Welcome to People Over Numbers, where I break down what's happening in current economics, how it works, and what you and your people can do about it!

Publisher

Isaac Cárdenas Casillas

Category

business

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 Mar 2025

Latest episode

1 Dec 2025

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   1 Dec 2025

   Tax Cuts: Was it Really a Beautiful Bill?

   The host of People Over Numbers analyzes the impact of tax cuts, questioning who benefits and how the cuts are funded, offering listeners insight into fiscal policy.

2. 

   24 Nov 2025

   Inequality by Design: Part 2 - An Interview with Dr. Ryan Mattson and Ben Johnson

   Dr. Ryan Mattson and Ben Johnson discuss race and voting, offering insights on what inspires their hope for addressing inequality in an interview on the book *Inequality by Design*.

3. 

   17 Nov 2025

   Inequality by Design: Part 1 - An Interview with Dr. Ryan Mattson and Ben Johnson

   Dr. Ryan Mattson and Ben Johnson discuss the driving issues behind inequality in the United States and some unique solutions in this interview episode.

4. 

   10 Nov 2025

   The Stock Market: It's not the Economy!

   The host of People Over Numbers breaks down the stock market, explaining its function and dispelling misconceptions about its relationship to the economy.

5. 

   3 Nov 2025

   The Statehouse: An Interview with State Rep. Mihaela Plesa

   Host interviews Texas State Representative Mihaela Plesa about her role, upcoming ballot propositions, and the impact of federal actions, offering insights into state-level politics.

6. 

   27 Oct 2025

   Immigration: Update Episode

   The host of People Over Numbers provides updates on immigration policies, Supreme Court decisions, and the potential impact of immigration on hospital closures.

7. 

   17 Sept 2025

   Christianity & Economics: A Fireside Chat

   The host of Second Rodeo Podcast interviews the host of People Over Numbers about the intersection of Christianity and economics, exploring personal and social responsibility.

8. 

   5 May 2025

   Democracy, Economics, and Us

   Welcome to the season finale of People Over Numbers! Today, I’m breaking down democracy and systems, how they work, and what you and your people can do about it! Without a stable system of government, is it possible to even have an economy? What are virtuous and vicious circles? And what does history have to do with it? Find out on this week’s episode of People Over Numbers! For more content, follow me on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/)

9. 

   28 Apr 2025

   The Federal Reserve, Interest Rates, and Central Bank Independence

   Today, I’m breaking down the Federal Reserve, how it works, and what the Fed is faced with as it looks to decide on rates! How does the Fed impact us? Why does it matter if it’s independent? And what the heck is the bond market, and why is that important? Find out what it is on this week’s episode of People Over Numbers! For more content, follow me on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/) Also, as promised in the episode, here is some more information on the Fed: The Federal Reserve sets the interest rate at which banks hold on to excess reserves; essentially, the Fed pays banks to hold money instead of lending it out. The reason that banks hold money in reserve is to ensure they have enough money to prevent their own failure and to prevent runs on the banks. So, the Fed pays them to hold that money. How does this influence interest rates, though? It has to do with the cost of holding money vs lending money. If the Fed raises interest rates using this method, it starts a chain reaction. Now, banks basically get free money from the Fed to hold more money in reserve, which means they then lend less money to peopleand businesses. This is used to slow down inflation. The opposite happens when trying to boost employment and investment.  The Fed lowers interest rates on reserves, so banks now have an incentive to lend money to more people and businesses. Open Market Operations means that the Fed will either buy or sell bonds and other similar securities from banks toinfluence the money supply. If they need to lower interest rates, they buy from the banks, meaning the banks have more money, which they then lend topeople and businesses. If they need to raise interest rates, the Fed sells to the banks, which means banks have less money, so they lend less. Discount Window Lending is something that is used to try and save banks and other depository institutions if they hit a crisis. Basically, banks can borrow money from theFederal Reserve so that they have enough cash, and they don’t crash. Specifying Reserve Requirements means that the Fed would tell banks how much money they have to have in reserve, but after the financial crisis in 2008, the Fed stopped doing this Non-traditional tools are used by the Fed when they don’t have room to move the fed funds rate, meaning the rate is at 0. This happened from around 2008-2016, and again during COVID, from 2020 to 2022. So, if the Fed can’t move the interest rate, what do they do? They use forward policy guidance. They tell markets what to expect in the near future, and if it’s good news, that will help stimulate the economy. The challenge with this is that people and businesses have to believe what the Fed is saying, or else their forward policy announcement won’t stimulate the way it should. For example, if the fed funds rate was at 0, and the Federal Reserve said it would stay that way for 2 years due to xyz economic conditions, people, and businesses would need to believe that, because if we all think that interest rates will rise before those 2 years are up due to inflation or something, then that might not stimulate the economy as much as it could’ve. The other unconventional tool they use isQuantitative Easing, which means that the Federal Reservewould buy large amounts of long-term securities, like long-term government bonds, and things like that, which would increase their prices, because of the lower supply, and also flood the market with cash. This cash would then be used to stimulate the economy. This is kinda what people think of when they hear about the government printing money The Fed Explained: https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/files/the-fed-explained.pdf#p23 (https://www.federalreserve.gov/aboutthefed/files/the-fed-explained.pdf#p23) Atlanta Fed Taylor Rule Tool: https://www.atlantafed.org/cqer/research/taylor-rule (https://www.atlantafed.org/cqer/research/taylor-rule)

10. 

    14 Apr 2025

    Tax Cuts: Who Benefits, and How?

    Today, I’m breaking down tax cuts, how they work, and what you and your people can do about it! This is the numberone legislative priority for Republicans this year, and these cuts will cost $4.5 trillion! Who benefits and how? And this week, I have a question for y’all! Find out what it is in this week’s episode of People Over Numbers! For more content, follow me on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/)

11. 

    7 Apr 2025

    Immigration: Everyone is Losing

    Today, I’m talking about immigration, how it helps everyone,and how what’s happening right now hurts everyone. Do immigrants take more than they give? Will mass deportations help? They’re only taking the criminals, right? Find out on this week’s episode of People Over Numbers! For more content, follow People Over Numbers on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/)

12. 

    31 Mar 2025

    Tariffs, Trade, and Your New Car

    Today, I’m breaking down tariffs, how they work, and what you and your people can do about it! President Trump has been pushing them since his first term, but this time, they’re even bigger than before. Who pays for them? Will prices go up? Are we in a trade war? Find out on this week’s episode of People Over Numbers! For more content, follow me on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/)

13. 

    21 Mar 2025

    Inflation: Why is Everything so Expensive?

    Welcome to the very first episode of People Over Numbers! Today I break down inflation: how it works, how we got here, and what our communities can do about it. Why aren’t prices coming down? Supply and demand. How did COVID mess with everything? Four main reasons. Want the details? Listen in to find out! For more content, follow me on Instagram and Facebook! Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/ (https://www.instagram.com/people_over_numbers/) Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/ (https://www.facebook.com/peopleovernumbers1/)

Who has been a guest on People Over Numbers

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Dr Ryan Mattson
• Ben Johnson
• Mihaela Plesa

Reach and audience

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

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 48 / 100

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

Quality

64

Social presence

90

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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