Saving Paradise

A podcast by Todd Wu

Saving Paradise is a podcast about finance, business, and the economy, made by a high schooler in Hawaiʻi for people who are new to it. Each episode takes one thing happening in the world, breaks it down, looks past the headline, and leaves you with one thing you can actually do about it.

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Episodes

Every episode has a companion here: the numbers behind it, a tool to test the idea on your own situation, and a lesson that goes deeper.

Episode 2, October 19, 2026, 11:26

The Second Life of a Dollar: Why Where You Spend Matters

One thing you can do

Look at your last ten purchases. Count how many were from a business owned here, then try moving one regular purchase local for a month.

Explore the numbers behind this episode

~90%: of the food Hawaiʻi eats is shipped in, so money spent on imports leaves the islandsHawaii News Now, Sept 2026
4.5%: general excise tax on nearly every sale, groceries includedHawaiʻi Dept. of Taxation, Act 46 (2024)
$21.75B: spent by visitors in 2025, money that also circulates or leaks outDBEDT visitor statistics, 2025 preliminary

Try the toolFollow a dollar through the local economy Go deeperHow an island economy works

Episode 1, October 12, 2026, 12:17

Stay or Go? Why Young People Leave Hawai'i

One thing you can do

Pick a career you are curious about. Look up what it pays in Honolulu and in one mainland city, then run both through the Stay or go? calculator.

Explore the numbers behind this episode

22,447: fewer residents in July 2025 than in April 2020DBEDT, Census Vintage 2025 estimates
53%: of residents under 35 live below the ALICE thresholdAloha United Way, ALICE in Hawaiʻi 2024
37%: of households surveyed had considered leaving the stateAloha United Way, ALICE in Hawaiʻi 2024

Try the toolCompare a Honolulu job with a mainland offer Go deeperHousing and the cost of living

Planned topics

Ideas on the list for future episodes. Not yet recorded, and the order may change.

The power of compounding
Why starting at 16 beats starting at 30, even with less money.
What market cap really tells you
Why a $50 stock can be a smaller company than a $5 one.
How to value a company
Revenue, profit and the price investors pay for them, using a local business.
The psychology of money
Why smart people panic sell, and how to build habits that beat emotion.
The Jones Act
A 1920 shipping law, and the fight over what it costs island families.
Why electricity costs so much here
Oil, islands with no grid connections, and the race to 100% renewable by 2045.
What tourism really pays
Nearly 10 million visitors a year, and who ends up with the money.