David Brancaccio, host of public radio's rambunctious and eclectic business program Marketplace, took an irreverant jaunt around the country to investigate what Americans do with their money. His travels took him from Minnesota's Mall of America to Wall Street. He encountered entrepreneurs in California, homeowners in New York, retirees in Arizona, and some folks following their lifelong dreams in Texas. A drifter in the desert offered advice. So did a U.S. secretary of the treasury.

Along the way, Brancaccio was challenged by a cascade of practical issues: If consumption drives the economy, is there something wrong with saving? Is there such a thing as a socially responsible investment? Is charity an investment? If you can't beat a Las Vegas casino, can you beat the stock market?

Although Brancaccio's financial pilgrimage was a personal one, his eye-opening adventures reveal a great deal about American attitudes toward money at the dawn of the new century -- and they provide entertaining lessons about how best to spend, invest, and save.