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 milestones. And if you have questions for the Nerds, you can leave them a voicemail at 901-730-6373.Join hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, Elizabeth Ayoola, and other expert Nerds as they answer your biggest money questions and share strategies to help you build wealth and reach your financial goals, including:– Investing: Advanced investment strategies, integrating ETFs and mutual funds into a diversified portfolio, tax-efficient retirement planning, understanding Roth IRA conversions, and navigating robo-advisors.– Credit Cards: Top credit cards for travel rewards and luxury perks, balance transfer strategies, maximizing credit card points, and optimizing credit card usage to boost your credit score.– Personal Finance: Advanced budgeting tips, building generational wealth, creating effective savings plans, managing high-income expenses, and developing a strong money growth mindset.– Home: Smart strategies for homebuying in competitive markets, leveraging home equity loans and HELOCs, refinancing for long-term savings, first-time homebuying tips, and budgeting for major home improvements.If you’re searching for the best personal finance podcasts or want practical knowledge to make smarter money decisions, then follow NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast.You’ll love NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast if you like podcasts like: Planet Money, The Personal Finance Podcast, DIY Money, Afford Anything, How to Money, The Ramsey Show, Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin, NPR’s Life Kit: Money, Popcorn Finance, Money Girl,Money Guy Show, Everyone’s Talkin’ Money, So Money with Farnoosh Tarabi, The Money with Katie Show, All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins, The Stacking Benjamins Show, MoneyWatch with Jill Schlesinger, or Your Money, Your Wealth.NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jun 19, 2023 • 37min
Nerdy Travel Tips, and Budgeting for a Non-Traditional Life
Avoid costly travel mistakes with expert tips from our Nerds. Then, learn how to budget for a non-traditional lifestyle.You can help us improve our show! Please take our listener survey at: https://nerdwallet.com/podsurvey 01:00 This Week in Your Money: Summer travel costs are soaring this year — but that doesn’t mean your expenses have to. Sean Pyles and Liz Weston offer tips for planning ahead to decrease your costs, from capitalizing on credit card rewards points to scheduling your trips when airfares aren’t so high. 08:54 Today’s Money Question: Gabe S. Dunn, host of the podcast Bad With Money with Gabe Dunn, joins Sean and Liz to help answer a listener’s question about planning for retirement as a gay man who finds planning templates and other financial resources to be heteronormative and not necessarily helpful in his financial planning. They discuss the challenges of living a “non-traditional” lifestyle — and the fact that you don’t have to be queer to be non-traditional. They also share tips on overcoming the fear of seeking financial help and advice, and discuss the importance of finding the right financial advisor who can explain things in plain language.33:00 Final ThoughtsIn their conversation, Sean and Liz discuss: vacation costs; credit card travel points; bonus rewards points from airlines and hotels; foreign transaction fees; buy now, pay later loans; gas prices; free night certificates; Google Flights; Hopper; hidden fees like resort fees; LGBTQ+ lifestyles; marginalized communities; Finance for the People by Paco de Leon; being afraid to ask questions; retirement planning; solo aging; and the unique freedom that living a non-traditional lifestyle can offer.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 15, 2023 • 33min
The Price of Parenthood: What It Takes to Adopt
The price of adoption can vary greatly — from under $1,000 to over $60,000. In this episode of our nerdy deep dive into the price of parenthood, Sean and Ronita explore the various avenues and expenses associated with adoption. A dad now in the adoption process shares his experiences, and a financial planner unpacks questions you should ask if you’re considering adoption.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 12, 2023 • 28min
Money Scams, and Renting Credit Card Tradelines for Cash
Learn about how to avoid the latest money scams and whether it’s worth using your credit score to earn extra income.This Week in Your Money (00:00 - 08:06): Sean and Liz discuss the latest financial fraud to watch out for, including Google Voice scams and AI-generated voice spoofing, and provide insights and advice on how to stay safe and avoid becoming a victim. They also recommend resources for staying informed and where to go if you get defrauded.Today’s Money Question (08:07 - 26:05): Sara Rathner joins this episode to help answer a listener's question about whether they should use tradelines to earn extra income, and she discusses the ethical concerns of selling authorized user slots on credit cards. She also suggests alternative ways to build credit and discusses the importance of setting financial goals and being disciplined with the extra income you earn.In their conversation, Sean, Liz and Sara discuss: how to avoid money scams; social engineering and identity theft; how tradelines work; credit score safety; credit card authorized users; methods for building credit; and ideas for approaching side hustles.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Timestamps:This Week in Your Money segment: 0:00 - 08:06Money Question segment: 08:07 - 26:05Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jun 8, 2023 • 35min
The Price of Parenthood: What It Costs to Be a Parent
Becoming a parent is unavoidably expensive. But this is a financial decision that’s about a lot more than just money. To kick off our nerdy deep dive into the price of parenthood, Sean Pyles and Ronita Choudhuri-Wade talk about how much it costs to have a child, including the cost of raising one to adulthood. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
4 snips
Jun 5, 2023 • 41min
Making Hobbies Affordable, and Saving Money Priorities
Learn how to make your hobbies more affordable. Plus, decide what to save for first: an emergency, a house or retirement.This Week In Your Money (0:00 - 12:03): Sean delves into the finer aspects of how you can plan ahead to make affordable gardening possible, including tips for sourcing tools and the surprising benefits of engaging with the gardening community. Liz then explains how you can enjoy your hobbies on a budget without sacrificing the fun factor by discussing how to avoid making some of the same mistakes she made when she got into her hobby of making miniatures.Today’s Money Question (12:04 - 39:59): Veronica, a 40-year-old listener in Oakland, California, joins Sean and Liz to discuss how she should prioritize her finances. Since she recently became debt-free, she wonders whether to first save for an emergency fund, a down payment on a house or retirement. Veronica also shares her story of student loan forgiveness.In their conversation, Sean and Liz discuss: high-yield savings accounts; guidelines for building an emergency fund; the challenges of finding affordable housing; homeowners association fees; home buyer programs; retirement planning with pensions; real estate as part of an investment portfolio; resources for financial planning; student loan forgiveness impact; debt avalanche and debt snowball payoff strategies; and critical financial aspects of building an emergency fund, homeownership and retirement, to help you walk away with some ideas for how you can prioritize your own financial goals.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Timestamps:This Week in Your Money segment: 0:00 - 12:03Money Question segment: 12:04 - 39:59Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 29, 2023 • 25min
Get Creative About Money With Paco de Leon
If traditional money advice doesn’t work for you, then you might want to consider a more creative approach. In this episode, personal finance Nerd Kim Palmer talks with Paco de Leon, author of the new personal finance book, “Finance for the People.” She is also an illustrator, musician and founder of a financial education firm and bookkeeping agency. De Leon shares how to take a visual and creative approach to budgeting and making money decisions, including why — and how — to write a letter to your own debt. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 25, 2023 • 31min
The Cost of Climate Change: Preparing for the Worst
How would you recover if your life was upended by a huge disaster — a fire, hurricane or flood? Getting your affairs in order before a disaster hits — and knowing what help is available afterward — can help you recover faster and more fully. In this episode of our nerdy deep dive into climate change and your money, we talk about how to rebuild your finances after the worst happens. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 22, 2023 • 30min
More Money Hot Takes, and When to Leave Your Job
A lot of influencers peddle classes with guarantees of helping you become rich and successful. But are they legit — or just another moneymaking scheme? Sean has strong feelings about these classes, and he shares them in another round of Money Hot Takes. Then Sean and Sara answer a listener’s question about when you should leave a job.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Timestamps:This Week in Your Money segment: 0:00 - 9:07Money Question segment: 9:08 - 28:00 Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 18, 2023 • 30min
The Cost of Climate Change: Investing (and Banking) for a Greener World
You really want to effect change around climate issues? Put your money to work for you. In this episode of our nerdy deep dive into how climate change affects your money, we discuss ways your banking and investing choices can reflect your climate goals — and how to avoid greenwashing.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
May 15, 2023 • 28min
Top Consumer Complaints, and Car Shopping in 2023
The car market has been a mess for … a while. Is now a better time to buy than a year ago? And how is the car market looking for the rest of the year? This episode, Sean and Sara answer a listener’s question about car buying in 2023. And to kick off this episode, Sean and Liz talk about the issues and providers that consumers are complaining about the most.To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.Timestamps:This Week in Your Money segment: 0:00 - 6:24 Money Question segment: 6:25 - 26:40 Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
