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PODCAST

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance

NerdWallet’s trusted finance journalists answer real-world money questions to help you make smarter financial decisions with confidence. Each episode dives deep into topics like budgeting, saving, investing, home buying, and credit cards, cutting through misinformation to bring you clear, actionable advice backed by thorough research. By the end of every episode, you’ll have the latest financial insights and the tools you’ll need to manage your money wisely, build wealth, and plan for life’s

business investing

All Episodes

33:50

Build Generational Wealth From Scratch: Four Pillars...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/10/05

Learn how to build generational wealth and navigate the complex financial issues of being the first in your family to get ahead financially.Generational wealth expert India Elliott, a financial advisor at Wells Fargo Advisors, joins hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola to answer listener questions about building — and protecting — wealth that lasts. One listener, a first-gen college grad who relocated out of a small Ohio town, wants to understand how to build “real wealth” for himself and

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50:43

Build a Forever Paycheck with Jean Chatzky of HerMoney

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/10/01

Learn how to turn your retirement savings into a steady retirement paycheck and how grocery stores may use your data to set prices.How do you turn decades of retirement savings into income you can count on for the rest of your life? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with Jean Chatzky, host of the HerMoney podcast and author of “The Forever Paycheck: The New Retirement Strategy to Spend More, Worry Less, and Never Run Out of Money,” about why spending down your savings in retirement

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38:41

Renting vs. Buying a Home: Can HOA Fees Be Worth the...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/28

Learn how condo and HOA fees change the math on renting vs. home ownership, and how to resist a pricey tech upgrade.Is buying a home with a hefty condo or HOA fee worth the money compared with renting? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with Ryan Sterling, CEO of NerdWallet Wealth Partners, about a listener trying to factor condo fees into the rent vs. buy decision. You’ll hear why the idea that renting is “throwing money away” overlooks the costs homeowners might not get back, how

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37:21

Get Out of a Timeshare and Find Down Payment Help to...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/24

Learn how to escape a timeshare contract, plus what kind of help exists if you want to buy a home.How do you get out of a timeshare you no longer want? Elizabeth Ayoola talks with travel Nerd Craig Joseph about a listener whose parents are paying yearly fees on an Orlando property they can barely use anymore. You'll hear why these timeshare contracts are so hard to unwind, what maintenance fees tend to run, and why there's often no cap on how fast they climb. Then, can you really get free money

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30:29

Real Estate Syndication 101: What to Know Before You...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/21

Learn what to weigh before investing in real estate syndications, including costs, risks and REIT alternatives.Should you diversify into real estate, and is real estate syndication the right way to do it? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with NerdWallet investing writer Sam Taube about what real estate syndication actually involves, the different ways to get in — from online crowdfunding platforms to launching your own deal — and the questions worth asking a sponsor before

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39:37

Drained Retirement, Maxed Credit Cards. How Scam...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/17

When a parent sends their retirement savings to someone they met online, learn how to help them recover – without letting it happen again.What do you do when a parent has spent most of their retirement savings on a romantic partner they’ve never met? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola help from a listener whose father, in his 70s, drained his retirement accounts and ran up massive credit card debt paying someone he met on OnlyFans. Sean shares what happened when his own father lost

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31:25

IUL Insurance: Recession-Proof or a Risky Bet for...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/14

Is indexed universal life insurance “recession-proof?” Learn how it really works and whether it belongs in your retirement plan.Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola speak with NerdWallet insurance writer Elizabeth Aldrich about what IUL actually is. Aldrich breaks down the zero-percent floor that sounds like guaranteed protection (but doesn't mean you can't lose money), the truth behind the "better than a 401(k)" and "tax-free retirement" claims circulating online, and the narrow

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37:40

Budget Rehab: A Debt-Free Couple Plans for a Wedding,...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/10

Learn how a debt-free couple budgets for a wedding, a house and a baby, plus why disaster betting markets are booming.How much of a $20,500 monthly income could go toward a wedding, a first home and a future baby, all within the same few years? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with a debt-free military couple, Jack and Lauren, to dig into their budget and figure out where their savings could be prioritized. You'll hear how the couple built their monthly numbers, how their

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44:18

Seven Steps for Prioritizing Money as a High Earner...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/07

Learn how high earners could prioritize their money across seven steps, from income growth to backdoor Roth strategies.Your Next Dollar host Andrew Giancola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling walk through the seven-step Your Next Dollar Blueprint — an order of operations high earners could follow to prioritize their savings across accounts, from growing income and building an emergency fund to maxing out an HSA, 401(k), mega backdoor Roth, and more. Download the Your Next Dollar

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40:04

How Get Rich Slowly's Founder Retired at 40. Plus,...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/09/03

Learn how Get Rich Slowly creator JD Roth paid off $35,000 in debt and retired at 40. Then, learn what rising bond yields mean for savers and investors.Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with JD Roth, founder of the personal finance blog Get Rich Slowly, about paying off $35,000 in consumer debt and eventually selling his blog to retire at age 40. JD explains the psychological shifts that got him out of debt, why growing his income mattered as much as cutting his spending, how he

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36:06

Does a Pension Mean You're Set for Retirement? How to...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/31

Learn how to measure your retirement progress when you have a pension and figure out how much more you really need to save.How do you know if your pension actually has you covered for retirement — or if you still need to keep saving aggressively alongside it? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with Anna, a journeyman electrician in Portland whose union job comes with a defined benefit pension — yet she isn't sure whether that's enough to retire at 60. They explore how to

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37:49

Putting the "7% Rule" to the Test on a Real Mortgage....

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/27

Learn whether the "7% rule" for prioritizing debt payoff over investing applies to your mortgage. Plus: why your grocery bill keeps climbing.Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with Max, a product designer in Portland who was laid off from his tech job earlier this year, about whether the so-called "7% rule" applies to something as big as a mortgage. They dig into when refinancing a 7.2% mortgage actually makes sense, why Max shouldn't wait to pay off his home before investing,

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44:36

How Homebuying Differs for LGBTQ+ People — and Tips...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/24

Learn how LGBTQ+ homebuyers navigate unique challenges and how anyone can compete in today's expensive housing market.What makes homebuying uniquely challenging for LGBTQ+ people — and could being queer also create unexpected advantages in the process? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with Steph Noble, a Portland-based mortgage loan officer with Crosscountry Mortgage, to explore why queer buyers often face a harder road to homeownership. They also discuss strategies that could

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48:33

CFP vs. CPA vs. CFA: The Only One Most People Need

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/20

Which financial pro do you need: a CFP, CPA or CFA? Plus, an economist explains why "good" economic data doesn't always feel that way.Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down live, in-studio, with a listener named Belle, who's in the process of launching her own veterinary practice. They help figure out which financial professional she actually needs — a CFP, a CPA or a CFA. They break down what each credential means, how to vet and select the right advisor, and the real cost of

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39:51

How to Balance Competing Financial Priorities When...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/17

Learn how to save for a home, pursue FIRE, and quiet money anxiety when every goal feels urgent at once.What does it really take to balance saving for a first home, building toward early retirement, and spending without guilt — when every goal feels like it needs to come first? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with listener Hana from Portland, a super-saver putting away over $4,000 a month who still worries she's falling short. They dig into how much she actually needs for a

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41:27

Going Back to Work Later in Life and Why the Housing...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/13

Learn why a 69-year-old retiree is returning to work and why homeowners are staying put in a stuck housing market.What happens when your nest egg doesn't grow fast enough to support your retirement? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola talk with a 69-year-old listener who's returning to work after years of overly conservative investing left her savings falling behind. NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling joins the conversation to help her think through how much investment risk to

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28:58

Where Are They Now? Five Smart Money Listeners on Job...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/10

Learn how five Smart Money listeners changed their money situations after talking with us about tackling job loss, debt, FIRE, and life moves.What really happens after the episode ends? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola check back in with five listeners who came on the show to find out whether the financial moves they made actually paid off. Bri navigated an unexpected job loss and a serious health crisis at the same time. Did a bare-bones budget, a marketplace health plan, and

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45:14

What You Need to Know About Starting a Business...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/06

Learn how to manage your finances before starting a business. Plus: what's next for the rapidly growing prediction markets.What should you have in place financially before leaving your job to start a business? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola bring on small business Nerd Rosalie Murphy to answer a question from listener Blake, who is 27 and on the verge of walking away from a steady paycheck to launch their own company. Together, they examine how much cash you really need before going

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22:35

When Marriage Ends: How to Protect Your Assets,...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/08/03

Learn how divorce can reshape your finances and what steps to take when legal fees and child support strain your budget.What does divorce mean for your financial life? How do you rebuild when child support and rent are already eating up half your income? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by personal finance Nerd Kim Palmer to tackle a listener's question about surviving the financial reality of a split. Kim walks through what to prioritize when a marriage ends, the real cost

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31:53

Sinking Fund Methods That Actually Work, Plus The...

NerdWallet"s Smart Money Podcast ·

2026/07/30

Learn how data centers could be raising your utility bills. Plus: how to use a sinking fund strategy to pay your bills.What does it actually cost your community when a hyperscale AI data center moves in nearby? Senior news writer Anna Helhoski joins host Sean Pyles, CFP®, to break down the growing national backlash against data centers. They discuss what costs communities are left to shoulder — from unexpected spikes in electricity bills to strained water supplies and persistent noise pollution —

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680 results

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