In a time of economic uncertainty, where you get your advice matters more than ever. And in an age where everyone can be an “expert,” it can be hard to find the voices that are actually going to help you.That's part of the idea behind Marketplace's new series, "Must Be the Money." Hosted by journalist and author Lee Hawkins, the series features candid and practical conversations with athletes, entrepreneurs, investors, and creators about everything from financial literacy and entrepreneurship to surviving early-career struggles and building wealth.“Marketplace Morning Report” host Kimberly Adams spoke with Hawkins to learn more about the program. The following is an edited transcript of their conversation.Kimberly Adams: Why do you want folks to learn about the economy from people like former NBA players, these media entrepreneurs, and other content creators? Lee Hawkins: I think because these content creators and entertainment and sports figures are very accessible to the young people, and they also understand that there are cottage industries around that you don't have to be an NBA athlete. You could be a sports agent, you could be a lawyer, you could be a marketer for an NBA athlete. There are all kinds of careers that are springing up in an era in which the idea of the industrial economy, going into an office and getting a job is not as, you know, practical as it used to be. I think that we are in a gig economy where a lot of young people are thinking about being influencers, being entrepreneurs, and how do I build a business around the things that I'm interested in?Adams: Several of your guests on the show didn't start off wealthy; they didn't have trust funds, wealthy parents. What common threads have you been hearing about people's journeys to their own financial success?Hawkins: One of the things that I loved the most was an interview that we did with former LA Laker Matt Barnes, who said just that. He didn't come up wealthy — he came up far from it — but his sons are the second generation of, you know, following him, and they are both Amateur Athletic Union players, and they didn't grow up in the same kind of economic reality that their dad did. And so we brought them together to have a conversation about the next generation of wealth and what they want their vision as a family to be and the roles that these young men will play in that as they are entering a sports arena that is much different than the one that their father entered because of the advent of the Name, Image, and Likeness deal, otherwise known as NIL. It's changed the way that young athletes have to think about their careers and about their sport.Adams: I love the fact that at the end of your interviews with these folks, you asked them if they had $500 to spend right now, what would they do with it? How would you answer that question? Hawkins: Right now, I'm very curious about the world of AI, and I'm feeling a little behind, and I want to learn, because I feel there are a lot of ways to increase productivity using AI. So, I probably would use that $500 to invest in premium AI services that would allow me to play around with them, take some training in ChatGPT, Claude, and GeminiAI, and use that opportunity to get as proficient with AI as possible. And to try a lot of new things while it's not very expensive to do so.