NPR's Planet Money is social-powered news at its best.

Maybe you’re the kind of financial genius who finds it easy to digest all this talk of economic crisis and daily financial discord.

If not, you’re in the majority with “Main Street America” folks like me who just want to know what all this bailout talk means, and whether we should be loading the family into a covered wagon and caravanning west to Californie.

Thankfully, there’s NPR’s new podcast, Planet Money.

Sparked by the popularity of This American Life’s stellar report on the subprime mortgage collapse, “The Giant Pool of Money,” Planet Money is a regularly updated podcast featuring interviews and analysis from reporters, government officials and financial experts.

It sounds boring, but it’s not. And what makes it so fascinating is the show’s excellent use of social media as a way to connect with mainstream America.

Instead of taking the lame old approach of a call-in show, Planet Money answers questions sent via e-mail, voicemail or comments on the npr.org/money blog. You can also interact with the Planet Money staff in real time, thanks to their Twitter feed.

The end result of all this openness is a wonderfully educational show that brings the epic problems of Wall Street down to a common-sense level that everyone can appreciate. What are you waiting for? Go give it a listen!