And now to matters of personal finance. How much do you pay to maintain your 401(k)? The question may seem trivial, but according to the AARP, the average American has no idea how much they pay in management fees for that retirement fund or that they're even paying management fees at all.
It's estimated, though, that brokers and banks make anywhere from $30 billion to $60 billion a year in 401(k) fees. That's led to an outcry by some consumer advocates who say there needs to be more disclosure about why banks charge for this service.
Jasmin Darznik left Iran as a child, knowing very little about her family's past. Years later, she found a photograph of her mother as a child-bride with a groom who was not Darznik's father. That starts a long journey of discovery that she chronicles in her book The Good Daughter. Darznik discusses her book with guest host Jacki Lyden.
And now, it's time for the feature we call In Your Ear. That's when we talk with some of our guests about the music they love. Today, we get the personal playlist of another author featured in our Women's History Month series. She's Brenda Dixon Gottschild, and we spoke with her recently about her book, "Joan Myers Brown & the Audacious Hope of the Black Ballerina." And here's some of the music that keeps her on point.
BRENDA DIXON GOTTSCHILD: I am Brenda Dixon Gottschild and this is what's playing in my ear.
Family relationships are becoming more complicated as they expand to include surrogate parents, donor siblings, or birth parents. Guest host Jacki Lyden is joined by three parents who all have non-traditional families: Carrie Goldman, mom of three girls, Jay Rapp, dad of two, and Tina Testa, mom of twin boys.
The novel Half-Blood Blues explores the plight of black musicians living in Germany on the cusp of World War II. Guest host Jacki Lyden takes listeners on a musical journey through some of the sounds that might have been heard in the fictional clubs of Esi Edugyen's award-winning novel.
Ever wish you had studied a little harder in your high school French or Spanish class? According to a recent New York Times article, being bilingual has benefits that extend well beyond language skills. Guest host Jacki Lyden explores this issue with Ellen Bialystock, professor of psychology at York University.
Spring has sprung and thousands of tourists are flocking to the nation's capital for the annual Cherry Blossom festival. But there is a rich story behind the famous tree that connects the United States to Japan. Guest host Jacki Lyden talks with Adrian Higgins about his feature article "Hidden Zen" in this week's Washington Post Magazine.
April is National Poetry Month and Tell Me More is asking listeners to tweet original poetry. Poems that are 140 characters or less can be marked #tmmpoetry, and some of the poetic tweets will be aired throughout the month of April.
The novel Half Blood Blues explores an often overlooked slice of history: black jazz musicians in Germany on the eve of World War II. The book moves from 1992 to 1939, from Baltimore to Berlin to Paris. It's told by an elderly black jazz musician and his friend who survived the war. Guest host Jacki Lyden speaks with author Esi Edugyan.
Journalist Barbara Walters, Congressman John Lewis, and comedian Margaret Cho will join scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to trace their family trees. His new PBS series, Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. , premiers this weekend. Gates discusses the series with host Michel Martin.
