We finish our exploration of money by answering a simple but puzzling question: if money is just one thing, why does it show up as paper notes, plastic cards, and numbers on a screen? Many people feel modern money has become invisible. This confusion comes from mixing up the idea of money with the ways … Read more
Money feels straightforward at home because everyone uses the same bills and coins. Yet the first time you travel or get paid in another currency, you discover something curious: the same amount of money doesn’t buy the same things everywhere. A cup of coffee that costs $3 in New York might cost €3 in Paris. … Read more
Every day we tap cards or send payments online, rarely thinking about where this system came from. If barter once worked, why did money have to exist at all? From what I’ve seen, confusion about modern money usually starts here. This article tells the story of money in plain language, showing how real problems in … Read more
Money touches your life every day. If you’ve ever watched someone hand over cash at a market, paid for streaming with a credit card, or sent money to a friend on a phone app, you’ve seen money in action. Money is everywhere, yet many of us use it without really knowing what it is. I’ve … Read more