In This Economy?!
Frequency Podcast Network
Real people with real problems get realistic solutions. Your guide to understanding an unpredictable economy.
Are you stressed out about your finances? Feel like the odds are stacked against you? We are too. It feels like we should be able to afford all of these things as adults — a house, a car, raising children...even just a social life— but so many of us simply find it out of reach. How did the economy find itself here? Why are things the way they are? And how can we make it work anyway?
Each week, we take one of your problems and bring it straight to the experts. We find out how we ended up in this mess, and what you can do to achieve your personal goals. The economy might be unpredictable, but your success doesn’t have to be.
Are you stressed out about your finances? Feel like the odds are stacked against you? We are too. It feels like we should be able to afford all of these things as adults — a house, a car, raising children...even just a social life— but so many of us simply find it out of reach. How did the economy find itself here? Why are things the way they are? And how can we make it work anyway?
Each week, we take one of your problems and bring it straight to the experts. We find out how we ended up in this mess, and what you can do to achieve your personal goals. The economy might be unpredictable, but your success doesn’t have to be.
Episodes
Mentioned books
May 23, 2025 • 16min
Buying a Cottage? In This Economy!?
The pandemic was a boom time in the cottage industry. As people decamped out of the city, the prices for cottages skyrocketed.However, in this softened real estate market, it's not easy to hold on to two homes, and that's becoming more obvious with the amount of cottages currently on the market.Host Mike Eppel digs into cottage life with Kingsley Ma, area VP of Re/Max Canada.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
May 16, 2025 • 17min
No federal budget this year: what does that mean for Canadians?
A big week on the budget front, for multiple reasons. Not only did Ontario release a budget that aims to get the province through the trade war, we learned that the new Liberal government will NOT be releasing a spring document. Host of "In This Economy" Mike Eppel digs into the consequences of all the budget news this week and has a sneak peek on what the Bank of Canada might do next.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
May 2, 2025 • 15min
Post-election, digging into whether or not our economy will fall into recession
We now have clarity now on Canada's new government, but predictions about the state of economy going forward are murkier. There are signs the economy is contracting, so what does that mean for you?Host Mike Eppel speaks with Dawn Desjardins, Chief Economist at Deloitte Canada.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Apr 29, 2025 • 10min
Quick listen: How Monday's vote is impacting markets and looking at the challenges ahead
Monday's vote is being closely analyzed, both to finalize the results, and to determine what the impact on the market and economy will be. In this episode of "In This Economy", host Mike Eppel looks at what happened last night, and what the upcoming challenges will be with guest Randall Bartlett, Deputy Chief Economist of Desjardins Group.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Apr 25, 2025 • 10min
Looking at the plight of small businesses in this very challenged year
Owning a small or medium sized business is never easy, and this year, it's been even more challenging. The small business sector is the country's largest employer and they're facing a ton of uncertainty from tariffs and the threat of higher inflation and a potential recession.Host Mike Eppel talks to Simon Gauldeault, Chief Economist and VP of Research for the Canadian Federation of Independent Business to get his take.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Apr 13, 2025 • 15min
Minding your mortgage in the midst of a trade war
It's a fluctuation that would - and did - send anyone over the edge, even those in the Canadian real estate market. Although the volatility didn't burn this side of the border nearly as much as it did to the south, the question still stands: what's in store for those Canadians cued up for a mortgage renewal this year?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Victor Tran, Mortgage and Real Estate Expert at rates.ca to discuss what the numbers mean and what we can expect to come in a seemingly never-ending tit-for-tat global trade war.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be
happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us
at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Apr 6, 2025 • 28min
How short-sighted was Trump's Liberation Day?
US President Donald Trump dubbed it 'Liberation Day', and it seemed like numbers across the North American stock market took the word 'liberate' and headed south. Besides the historic plunging of some of Wall Street's benchmarks as a result of the Trump's latest tariff announcement on April 2, his long-term goal of a stronger America seems more farther in the distance than he might've originally projected.
But what exactly did he project? And was there any sort of input from the big players he's now backing into a corner to make his domestic-grown dreams come true?
Host Mike Eppel speaks to Chief Deputy Economist at Desjardins, Randall Bartlett to make sense of the numbers. Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be
happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us
at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Mar 29, 2025 • 16min
Is Canada's economy in a strong place these days?
A Canadian economy once regaining its strength and gusto, is seeming to slip in its grip on success. GDP numbers from Statistics Canada were on the up to start off 2025...but the data now shows a different picture. So, where do we go from here? What's in store for Canada's economy amid Trump tariff threats? Are we in for a 'stagflation' scenario? And what does this all mean for your pocket?
Host Mike Eppel speaks with Richard Forbes, Principal Economist of the Conference Board of Canada about what the current inflation numbers mean, how Trump's tariffs (and possibly new ones) could further impact the economy, and what we can look for in the coming weeks.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thanks for listening! Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be
happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us
at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Mar 14, 2025 • 10min
How Canadian business operators are dealing with so much uncertainty
Trying to run a business in this economy is anything but easy. Uncertainty, unease and pressure from so many different factors are creating a very difficult situation for Canadian operators.Host Mike Eppel speaks with Mike Tzimas, president of the Napoleon Group of Companies about the current situation, the impact on tariffs, and how difficult it is to be a Canadian business operator in this climate.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
Mar 7, 2025 • 15min
Forecasting what's next...In This Economy!?
It's been another week of uncertainty for the financial markets. With back and forth announcements on tariffs happening this week, it's been next to impossible to gauge what will happen next.Host Mike Eppel is trying to make sense of it with Avery Shenfeld, Chief Economist at C-I-B-C.
Do you have a topic that's confounding you in this economy? We'll be happy to dig into it for you and get you the answers you need. Email us at: rogerspodcastnetwork@rci.rogers.com. Thank you for listening!
