Can you live without a bank account?

In this fascinating episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck explore what it's like to live in modern America without a bank account – something that 7% of American households actually do. They dive into the surprising history of banking (turns out modern banks are only about 500 years old!), examine alternatives like payday lenders and prepaid cards, and discover some pretty cool solutions like local currencies such as Berkshares and Kenya's revolutionary M-Pesa mobile money system. It's an eye-opening look at how millions of people navigate daily life outside the traditional banking system.