Uncover the true cost of making financial decisions (and financial indecision) and get tips for shopping for a new bank. 01:19 This Week in Your Money: Explore the concept of financial opportunity cost and the trade-offs we make with our money with hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner. They discuss the risks associated with sticking with the status quo, the importance of periodically reassessing your financial decisions, the potential pitfalls of always relying on automatic payments, and the benefi...
Nov 27, 2023•33 min
Learn which prices are slowing down—or even dropping—as a result of deflation, including your Thanksgiving feast. Before focusing on price deflation, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski explore recent financial updates, including the rising income among first-time homebuyers, the United Autoworkers Union (UAW) ratifying new contracts with the Big Three automakers, and Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales trends. Then, Sean and Anna explain what’s happening behind recent price deflation. They highl...
Nov 22, 2023•13 min
Do you really need money to be happy? Or is money the reason you’re unhappy? Either way, chances are your relationship to money and happiness is a little, well, messy. To kick off this Nerdy deep dive into money and happiness, Sean talks with happiness experts Gretchen Rubin and Robert Puff to understand what happiness really means. Then Sean talks with Morgan Housel, author of “The Psychology of Money,” about where money and happiness intersect. If you’re looking for an app to track all your mo...
Nov 20, 2023•41 min
Learn tactics to make and manage a budget, understand credit scores, and manage debt to improve your financial health. 02:02 Budgeting Basics: Personal Finance Nerd Elizabeth Ayoola discusses how you can create and stick to a budget. She explains how to use the 50-30-20 method to allocate your income, gives tips on how to adjust your budget to fit your needs, and methods for budgeting and stretching your paycheck when it arrives at different intervals, like monthly or biweekly. 13:35 Credit Scor...
Nov 16, 2023•42 min
Delve into recent stock market developments. Plus, tax bracket adjustments. Before taking an in-depth look at what’s going on in the stock and bond markets, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski delve into the recent developments in personal finance news. They start by breaking down the latest inflation numbers. Then, they discuss the concerning increase in credit card delinquencies, shedding light on rising balances and the generational shift in credit card usage before offering smart tips on mana...
Nov 15, 2023•17 min
Craft your holiday shopping plan with Black Friday insights, then understand options for buying a home in today’s market. 01:24 This Week in Your Money: Unlock the secrets of savvy shopping by learning about the biggest sales events of the year. Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss the holiday shopping season with Personal Finance Nerd Tommy Tindall, who talks about the value of shopping on Black Friday versus other annual sales events like Cyber Monday, the best days of the season to find ...
Nov 13, 2023•44 min
Understand employer-provided benefits, from dental and vision coverage to more unique perks like legal assistance. In the third and final episode of our special series on open enrollment, hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston discuss the various benefits that employers offer during open enrollment season aside from health insurance. Liz speaks with Amber Clayton (Society for Human Resource Management) about dental and vision coverage, long-term care insurance, pet insurance, legal assistance, adoption...
Nov 09, 2023•30 min
Learn how recent headlines could impact your finances, including a federal real estate ruling and new employment figures. Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski start by dissecting the latest monthly jobs report and its potential impact on the Federal Reserve's interest rate policies, then explain how a recent federal jury's decision on real estate agent commissions could reshape the way homes are bought and sold in the United States. They then turn their attention to former cryptocurrency billionai...
Nov 08, 2023•12 min
Learn about two quick credit tips, 403b and 529 plans, delinquencies on old loans, and budgeting when you only get paid once a month. 01:11 This Week in Your Money: Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner provide two quick tips for improving credit scores. The first tip involves credit utilization, which is the amount of available credit that you're using. They also discuss the option of asking for an increased credit card limit. For their second tip, they discuss the benefits and risks of becoming an...
Nov 06, 2023•30 min
Explore coverage options to protect your income in worst-case scenarios, such as life insurance and disability insurance. Hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston discuss the importance of insurance coverage, highlighting statistics around how many people are underinsured or lack adequate coverage. To dive deeper into different types of coverage, Liz welcomes Insurance Nerd Ryan Brady and John Ryan, founder and CEO of Ryan Insurance Strategy Consultants, to explain various types of insurance. In this epi...
Nov 02, 2023•37 min
Understand the costs of renting versus buying a home. Plus: the UAW strike, GDP growth, debit card fees, and AI policy. Before discussing housing affordability, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski review noteworthy financial headlines, including an update on the UAW strike against major US automakers, the latest Commerce Department numbers on GDP growth, debit card merchant fees, and the White House’s wide-ranging executive order pertaining to artificial intelligence. Then, Sean and Anna welcome ...
Nov 01, 2023•23 min
Hear Nerds’ “financial horror stories” and explore solutions for paying credit card debt, from 401k loans to bankruptcy. 01:20 This Week in Your Money: Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner share their personal “financial horror” stories, including Sean’s rejected credit card application and what happened to some of Sara’s retirement account funds. They’re cautionary tales that will help you make sure you’re getting the most out of your money. 09:46 Today’s Money Question: Sean welcomes Nerd Liz Wes...
Oct 28, 2023•32 min
Expert Nerds talk through the complexities of open enrollment, starting with ways to assess healthcare plans and costs. This episode takes a deep dive into specific terminology and scenarios relevant to choosing health insurance coverage. Hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston start with an overview of open enrollment period timelines for November and December 2023 before welcoming guest Nerd Kate Ashford to explain deductibles, premiums, HMOs, PPOs and HDHPs. Then, NerdWallet’s Tina Orem joins the sho...
Oct 26, 2023•34 min
Learn practical financial tips to save on rising commuting costs as workers increasingly return to the office. Before discussing the rising costs of commuting, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski review noteworthy financial headlines, including the Federal Reserve's influence on interest rates, the latest Commerce Department report on retail sales, the Mercer CFA Institute’s Global Pension Index ranking of 47 different kinds of retirement systems from around the world, and the IRS's pilot program...
Oct 25, 2023•20 min
Get budgeting tips for conventions and hobbies straight from New York Comic Con, then learn about money saving strategies for car and home insurance. 01:20 This Week in Your Money: Having just returned from New York Comic Con, host Sean Pyles discusses what he learned about budgeting for conventions, hobbies and cosplay outfits. He also shares an interview with Kayden Phoenix, a Los Angeles-based comic book writer known for her Latina superheroes. Kayden shares her experiences attending Comic Co...
Oct 23, 2023•42 min
Understand the financial and legal challenges in LGBTQ+ health care, including HIV treatment and gender-affirming surgery. NerdWallet’s Sean Pyles and Sam Taube delve into the intricate financial and legal issues faced by the LGBTQ+ community regarding their health care. They start by exploring the struggle to prevent and treat HIV, focusing on the effectiveness and financial burden related to pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and highly effective antiretroviral treatment (HEART). Sam speaks with ...
Oct 19, 2023•29 min
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Oct 18, 2023•15 min
Learn how to plan for the golden years with a deep dive into long-term care, Social Security, Medicare and estate planning. 3:23 Long-Term Care Insurance: Kate Ashford, a certified senior advisor specializing in Medicare and retirement topics, discusses the intricacies of long-term care insurance, including exactly what Medicare covers in terms of long-term care costs. Kate also discusses alternative options to long-term care insurance such as hybrid policies that combine permanent life insuranc...
Oct 16, 2023•41 min
Understand recent and upcoming changes in costs and access to reproductive care, as well as resources to manage them. This episode delves into the complex and ever-changing landscape of reproductive care costs. Hosts Sean Pyles and Sam Taube discuss the financial implications of recent high-profile court cases, including the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the Burwell v. Hobby Lobby decision, which significantly transformed insurance coverage for birth control. Sean and Sam break down the before-...
Oct 12, 2023•26 min
Learn how removing medical debt from credit reports will protect consumers. Plus: rising interest rates and falling stock prices. Before discussing news from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) that could reshape the way medical debt impacts your credit score, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski discuss the latest news around student loan forgiveness, rising auto and mortgage rates, and recent losses in the stock market. They then turn their attention to the benefits of omitting medic...
Oct 11, 2023•16 min
Learn why it’s a good time to check your credit card interest rates, and why to start planning your holiday travel now. 01:03 This Week in Your Money: NerdWallet’s Rosalie Murphy joins host Sean Pyles to discuss rising credit card interest rates and how they can impact debt repayment. They offer tips on adapting to higher interest rates and how you may be able to negotiate a lower rate or payment plan with your credit card issuer if you're struggling to make repayments. They also discuss balance...
Oct 09, 2023•29 min
Understand how legal restrictions and policies are increasing health care costs, especially for marginalized communities. This episode explores rising health care prices at the intersection of law, policy and personal health decisions. Investing Nerd Sam Taube interviews Vina Smith-Ramakrishnan, a senior policy associate on the health care equity and reform team at the Century Foundation, about the systemic barriers to accessing health care faced by the LGBTQ+ community, people of color, and low...
Oct 05, 2023•21 min
Learn about federal student loan payments resuming, alongside an analysis of this week’s biggest financial stories. Before discussing this week’s resumption of federal student loan payments after a three-and-a-half-year pause due to the pandemic, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski break down this week’s most relevant financial headlines. The discuss the recently averted government shutdown, the impact of crude oil costs on gas prices, an update on Delta’s SkyMiles program, and a new Pew Research...
Oct 04, 2023•15 min
Understand how to avoid “dark patterns” companies use to trick you, then learn different financial approaches for buying a car. 01:11 This Week in Your Money: Dark patterns are manipulative tactics used by companies to influence customer decisions, often to the consumer’s detriment. To start the show, hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston explain how you can spot dark patterns, which are not exclusive to sketchy websites. Sean and Liz also discuss confirmshaming, a tactic companies use that could make...
Oct 02, 2023•41 min
Learn why the Fed paused interest rates. Plus: the Supreme Court's CFPB hearing, NFT prices, and a new GameStop movie. Join hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski as they break down the latest headlines in the world of personal finance. They explain the Supreme Court's upcoming hearing on the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's funding structure, the risks of investing in "dumb money" like the Powerball lottery and NFTs, and the new movie "Dumb Money," which tells the sto...
Sep 27, 2023•21 min
Learn methods for planning a wedding that makes sense for your budget, then hear how the Nerds think about gift-giving etiquette. 01:12 This Week in Your Money: Get an inside look at the latest trends in wedding planning, as Zola.com Director of Communications Emily Forrest joins host Sean Pyles to discuss findings from a recent survey of more than 2,000 American adults. They discuss the financial challenges many engaged couples face during the wedding planning process, ways to prevent money mat...
Sep 25, 2023•36 min
Experts discuss how millennials are redefining the American dream and finding ways to thrive despite hard economic times. Have you ever wondered how younger generations are maneuvering around traditional milestones in the face of mounting financial hurdles? That’s what Personal Finance Nerd Tiffany Curtis discusses with Dr. Jatali Bellaton, a neuropsychologist and the founder of Brilliant Minds Unite, a youth and adult financial literacy movement. She dives into the daunting financial realities ...
Sep 21, 2023•31 min
Learn how a government shutdown would impact your finances. Plus: updates on inflation, retail sales and Delta SkyMiles. In this financial news roundup, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski touch on key headlines such as what the latest Consumer Price Index tells us about inflation, the reason why retail sales are surging, and controversial changes to Delta Airlines' SkyMiles program. They then take a close look at the looming threat of a government shutdown in Congress, particularly in the House ...
Sep 20, 2023•15 min
Learn how to travel abroad on a budget and how to part ways with a financial advisor whose services are unsatisfactory. 1:15 This Week in Your Money: It’s possible to travel abroad on a budget, according to NerdWallet Travel editor Meghan Coyle. She joins hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston to discuss the pros and cons of using budget airlines for international travel. She discusses the overall change in flight prices over the last few years, how reliable budget airlines are when compared with other...
Sep 18, 2023•45 min
Explore the impact of generational financial trauma on millennials, how social media amplifies it and ideas for healing. Personal Finance Nerd Tiffany Curtis delves into the complex topic of generational financial trauma, particularly its impact on millennials, with two special guests: Aja Evans and Rahkim Sabree. Aja Evans is a licensed mental health counselor and financial therapist, and Rahkim Sabree is a certified financial education instructor and author. Together, they explore how past fin...
Sep 14, 2023•28 min
