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Happy Hour Econ

Happy Hour Econ

By: Free To Choose Network
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A comedian and an economist walk into a bar... and somehow, you learn more about inflation than in all your years of school. And, unlike your student loans, this round is on us.

Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choose Network, where comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness serve up weekly shots of economic reality with a chaser of sanity. No PowerPoints, no pretense—just two guys who've figured out that the best way to understand why everything costs more is to stop taking it so seriously.

While politicians promise solutions and pundits peddle panic, Lou and Phil cut through the noise with the kind of clear-eyed perspective that only comes from a duo who's seen it all before. Lou brings the punchlines. Phil brings the receipts. Together, they explain why your grocery bill keeps climbing, why "free" government programs aren't, and how the same economic principles that govern happy hour pricing also explain most of what's wrong with the world.

This isn't economics made simple. It's economics made honest. The result is a conversation that treats important topics with respect, but never forgets that sometimes the best response to economic nonsense is a well-timed joke.

Pour yourself a drink, pull up a stool, and join Happy Hour Econ—because understanding the economy shouldn’t require a Ph.D. or a hangover.

Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify December 2025.

2025 Free To Choose Network Economics
Episodes
  • Who Wants to Be a Trillionaire?

    Who Wants to Be a Trillionaire?
    Jun 29 2026

    Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choose Network, where comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness serve up weekly shots of economic reality with a chaser of sanity.

    No PowerPoints, no pretense—just two guys who've figured out that the best way to understand why everything costs more is to stop taking it so seriously.

    Pour yourself a drink, pull up a stool, and join Happy Hour Econ—because understanding the economy shouldn’t require a Ph.D. or a hangover.
    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • No Taxation Without Representation (We Mean It)

    No Taxation Without Representation (We Mean It)
    Jun 22 2026

    Happy Birthday, America! What better way to celebrate 250 years than by arguing about taxes? Turns out the Founders had some thoughts on the matter. Lou and Phil dig into the surprisingly economic origins of the American Revolution, and why the tariff debate happening right now looks a lot more familiar than anyone in D.C. wants to admit. Also, was the Revolution actually just class warfare against billionaires? AOC thinks so. Phil has receipts.

    Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choose Network, where comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness serve up weekly shots of economic reality with a chaser of sanity.

    No PowerPoints, no pretense—just two guys who've figured out that the best way to understand why everything costs more is to stop taking it so seriously.

    Pour yourself a drink, pull up a stool, and join Happy Hour Econ—because understanding the economy shouldn’t require a Ph.D. or a hangover.
    Show More Show Less
    25 mins
  • In Fed We Trust (Sort Of)

    In Fed We Trust (Sort Of)
    Jun 15 2026

    The Federal Reserve: everyone's heard of it, nobody really knows what it does, and somehow it controls your mortgage rate. Lou and Phil crack open the black box of America's central bank—what it's supposed to do, and its, uh, mixed track record of actually doing it. Also: is there a world where it just… doesn't exist?

    Welcome to Happy Hour Econ from Free To Choose Network, where comedian Lou Perez and economist Phil Magness serve up weekly shots of economic reality with a chaser of sanity.

    No PowerPoints, no pretense—just two guys who've figured out that the best way to understand why everything costs more is to stop taking it so seriously.

    Pour yourself a drink, pull up a stool, and join Happy Hour Econ—because understanding the economy shouldn’t require a Ph.D. or a hangover.
    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
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