Understand your options for buying or selling a home in the rapidly evolving 2024 housing market — and how to time it, or not. When will homes become more affordable? Is it a buyer’s market or a seller’s market? How can you figure out how much house you can afford? Homes and Mortgages Writer Kate Wood joins host Sean Pyles with an in-depth analysis of the 2024 housing market, providing strategies for both buyers and sellers to tackle the challenges posed by high mortgage rates and a limited hous...
Jan 18, 2024•20 min
Understand the implications of Americans’ $1.2 trillion credit card debt, the latest inflation stats, and SAVE plan news. Are you eligible for student loan forgiveness if you’ve been on the SAVE plan? What do the Commerce Department’s latest inflation figures mean for how much things cost? How can you pay off debt, which more Americans faced in 2023 than in the previous year? Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski break down this week’s headlines to help you understand how they could affect you — an...
Jan 17, 2024•16 min
Listen to our webinar on how banking right can help you grow your money, with tips for choosing accounts and changing banks. What are the benefits of online banks or credit unions over traditional banks? What should you consider before changing banks? How can you passively grow your wealth by putting your money into savings accounts and CDs? NerdWallet’s Kim Palmer moderates a discussion on banking-specific topics that could help you get more from your money. 01:34 Choosing a Banking Institution...
Jan 15, 2024•38 min
Prepare for financial health in 2024 with expert strategies for managing your credit and getting and staying out of debt. What’s the right amount of credit utilization to maintain a high credit score? How can reviewing your credit reports impact your financial health? Credit Nerd Lauren Schwahn joins host Sean Pyles to answer these questions and more as they delve into the intricate world of credit and debt management. They discuss how you can overcome the financial strain that typically follows...
Jan 11, 2024•25 min
Explore FAFSA’s impact on college finances, including changes to the application process and shifts in aid eligibility. How do changes to FAFSA affect your eligibility for federal student loans and need-based grants? What’s the best way to navigate the recent rollout amid technical issues with the website when it launched last month? What information do you need in order to complete your FAFSA application, and what happens after you submit it? Hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski delve into the ch...
Jan 10, 2024•15 min
How can couples split housing expenses without splitting up? Learn how to keep your finances — and relationship — healthy. 01:30 This Week in Your Money: What part of your life can have an unexpected impact on your finances? Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss how personal experiences with ADHD and side hustles have had financial implications for them beyond what you might expect. Learn how unexpected opportunities and even scrolling social media can impact your buying decisions and affect...
Jan 08, 2024•40 min
Gain 2024 investment insights and get answers to questions on long-term strategies, stock market volatility, real estate investments trusts and more. Investing writer Alana Benson joins host Sean Pyles to discuss investing in 2024. They discuss the importance of having a long-term investment strategy, the performance of the stock market in 2023, the impact of interest rates on investments, and the potential for growth in sectors such as AI and green energy. They also touch on the benefits of inv...
Jan 04, 2024•18 min
Take your New Year’s Resolutions to the next level by establishing SMARTR financial goals that you can achieve in 2024. Wondering how to set financial goals you’ll actually follow through on? Have questions about how to avoid end-of-year financial regrets? The Nerds have you covered! Explore strategies for setting realistic goals in 2024 with hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Renter as they discuss “regrets and resolutions” and share ideas to help you take your 2023 experiences in stride, learn fro...
Jan 01, 2024•26 min
Learn pro tips for shopping on social media so you don’t overspend, and smart strategies for investing your spare cash. This Week in Your Money: Get equipped with practical tips to shop smart on social media platforms and stay vigilant against overspending. Personal finance Nerd Kimberly Palmer joins hosts Sean Pyles and Liz Weston for a Nerdy look at how your social media feed may be leading you to spend more money than you should. You’ll learn about useful browser extensions to help you compar...
Dec 25, 2023•28 min
In this episode of NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner share the best money moves of 2023 as submitted by their fellow colleagues. Some of the highlights include saving aggressively to prepare for future expenses, getting rid of private mortgage insurance, automating finances for budgeting and planning, setting up 529 college savings plans for children, shopping around for the best mortgage rates, and understanding the difference between an emergency fund and a ra...
Dec 21, 2023•24 min
We recap the financial rollercoaster that was 2023, including interest rates, market movements, travel mishaps and more. Before reviewing this year’s biggest financial news headlines, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski discuss federal interest rates, dropping mortgage rates, strong holiday spending numbers, and two new record highs — one for the stock market, and the other for a Southwest Airlines fine. Then, Sean and Anna turn their attention to an analysis of the economy's bizarre yet resilien...
Dec 20, 2023•14 min
Learn about practical money management tasks to set yourself up for success in 2024 and tips for choosing a budgeting app. 01:11 This Week in Your Money: Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner propose three money tasks to tackle this winter. The first is a task to do this week, the next is something to do over the course of a month, and the last is something you can do over the whole winter season. By completing these tasks, you may be able to put yourself in a better financial position going into th...
Dec 18, 2023•32 min
In this episode of NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast, hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner share feedback and constructive criticism from listeners over the past year. They discuss topics such as the need for more representation minority groups in financial discussions, the importance of highlighting issues related to race and gender, the coverage of alternative healthcare in insurance plans, and the challenges of discussing controversial topics from a financial perspective. They also address listen...
Dec 14, 2023•30 min
Learn how to use AI for help with budgeting and saving money, then learn whether credit cards or debit cards are safer. 01:30 This Week in Your Money: NerdWallet banking writer Chanelle Bessette joins hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner to discuss how AI can be used to help with budgeting and saving money. They explore how AI chatbots can assist in creating a budget and setting savings goals, why it’s important to double check chatbots’ math and consider seeking official financial advice for more ...
Dec 11, 2023•25 min
In this episode of the Smart Money podcast, hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner share the best money moves made by their listeners in 2023. Some of the wins include listeners who moved their Roth IRA account away from a pricey financial advisor, one who paid off their student loans and started a business, and another who successfully managed their money with ADHD. In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: Roth IRAs, credit scores, student loans, estate planning, home buying, credit cards, financia...
Dec 07, 2023•23 min
Learn how the Department of Justice is tackling the ticketing industry — and what it could mean for buyers and sellers. Before focusing on Congress’ latest ticketing industry crackdown, hosts Sean Pyles and Anna Helhoski discuss the IRS' delayed online seller rule, a revision to Q3 GDP figures, a new survey on money and happiness, the merger between Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, and self-serve airplane snacks. Get ready for an episode that dissects the struggle for fair ticket prices an...
Dec 06, 2023•16 min
Protect yourself from sophisticated holiday shopping scams and explore the psychology behind changing your money mindset. 01:07 This Week in Your Money: Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss tactics for avoiding three common money scams, including social media ad scams, charity scams, and gift card scams. 10:08 Today’s Money Question: Sean and Sara answer a listener’s question about how to change your money mindset. They discuss methods you can use to understand your current attitudes and be...
Dec 04, 2023•32 min
Welcome to NerdWallet’s Smart Money podcast, where we answer real-world money questions. In this episode: Nerds Sean Pyles and Kimberly Palmer speak with Farnoosh Torabi, author of the new book, “A Healthy State of Panic.” She explains how we can use our fears as a superpower to make better decisions when it comes to finances, career and life. Torabi is a personal finance expert and host of the “So Money” podcast. In their discussion, Torabi shares how her upbringing as the daughter of immigrant...
Nov 30, 2023•21 min
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
