In This Economy?: How Money & Markets Really Work

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The book Jon Stewart (The Daily Show) hailed as “essential reading” for anyone who wants to “make informed decisions” and “have a basic understanding of the economy”: an illustrated guide to economics from one of the internet’s favorite financial educators.

FEATURING A NEW AFTERWORD ON TARIFFS, AI, AND THE FORCES RESHAPING THE ECONOMY

“Few people can communicate how the economy actually works better than Kyla Scanlon.”—Morgan Housel, author of The Psychology of Money

Is our national debt really a threat? What is a “mild” recession, exactly? If you’re worried about your bank account balance, job security, or mortgage rate, what data should you be keeping tabs on?

For anyone trying to make sense of disorienting headlines, there’s no better interpreter than Kyla Scanlon. Through her trademark blend of witty illustrations, creative analogies, and insights from behavioral economics, literature, and philosophy, Scanlon breaks down everything you need to know about how money and markets really work. This indispensable handbook reveals the hidden forces driving key economic outcomes, the most common myths to steer clear of, and the dusty, outdated assumptions that constrain our political imagination, offering a bold new path to building a prosperous society that works for everyone.

Kyla Scanlon is the founder of a financial education company and a creator. She writes a weekly newsletter, makes YouTube videos, hosts the “Let’s Appreciate” podcast, and posts almost daily short form videos about the economy and markets. She majored in finance, economics, and data analytics. Upon graduation, she was a CAP Associate at Capital Group. She then joined an education startup to spin out their investment education arm before starting her own company. She is currently writing an introductory book on economics and the Federal Reserve. She has worked with Bloomberg, New York Magazine, the Financial Times, New York Magazine, and the New York Times, as well as many other major publications. Her main goal is to conduct human-centric economic analysis to help connect the dots between what is happening and why it is happening.

“Kyla’s singular style is approachable, witty, and endlessly informative, helping readers decipher everything from the labor force to housing to what Jay Powell’s thinking.”—Kai Ryssdal, host of NPR’s Marketplace

“Kyla is a master at explaining even the most complex and arcane subjects with verve, wit and creativity—whether it’s the mechanics of the US debt ceiling, the ‘vibecession’ or the nuances of meme investing. We’re lucky we have Kyla around to show us how it all works.”—Tracy Alloway, Bloomberg journalist and co-host of the Odd Lots podcast