Best Financial Podcasts on iTunes

“Among the lessons of the recent financial crisis is the need for virtually everyone -- both young and old -- to acquire a basic knowledge of finance and economics” said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke in an April 4, 2013 speech in Ohio.

Yet many people have trouble finding time to educate themselves about personal finance. There just aren't enough hours in the day after working, taking care of family and performing household chores.

Luckily, even the busiest people have the time to become financially literate by listening to financial podcasts. They can listen while driving to work, exercising at the gym or walking their dogs.

Best of all, high-quality financial podcasts are available--for free!--on iTunes.

The Marketplace series of podcasts from American Public Media cover a wide range of business and economic topics with a focus on personal finance. Marketplace is a daily podcast covering the latest financial news. Marketplace Money is a weekly one-hour personal finance podcast featuring expert advice and information on personal finance issues impacting the wallets of everyday Americans.

Each Money Girl podcast provides succinct and practical tips covering a specific personal finance issue such as "How to Get Out of Debt Faster" or "What is an IRA Rollover?". Each episode is less than 10 minutes long, but provides comprehensive coverage of its specific topic. iTunes includes a deep library of Money Girl podcasts collectively forming a comprehensive reference library.

The Dave Ramsey Show is a daily one-hour personal finance podcast with a call-in format. Dave's emphasis is on managing money, getting out of debt, building wealth and gaining financial peace. Dave's sound advice helps his call-in guests manage their financial problems. A frequent theme is people calling in to celebrate becoming debt free and explaining how they accomplished this feat.

The NPR: Planet Money podcast brings in economists, financiers and everyday people to explain complex economic events in layperson's terms. A recent podcast entitled "Bitcoin Goes to the Moon" attempted to explain the boom (bubble?) in the value of the bitcoin digital currency. The staff often reports on the outcomes of in-depth investigations. Recently, they illustrated the use off-shore tax havens by actually setting up a corporation in Belize.

Freakonomics Radio podcasts are entertaining extensions of the Freakonomics book by Stephen Dubner and Stephen Levitt. Each podcast takes a thought-provoking view of the economic world. For example, a recent episode entitled "Parking is Hell" looked at the hidden but staggering costs of providing "free" parking spaces and the distribution of these costs on our society at large.