Money In The News Episodes

Send Us Your Money Questions and Feedback Imagine getting a raise at work, only to discover that the extra income could leave you owing thousands of dollars when you file your taxes. That's just one of the financial surprises Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet revisit in this BFC Weekly Recap for November 2–6. From health insurance tax credits and fake job offers to retirement decisions and holiday debt, the week's conversations reveal how easily everyday financial choices can create unexpected conseque...

In today's episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet explain why adults now drive 55% of U.S. toy sales and how a job scam uses fake checks to take your money. In This Episode ✓ Kidults and why adults drive 55% of U.S. toy sales ✓ Job scams that send fake checks ✓ Services sector growth hits a 28th straight month ✓ How to budget on irregular income, starting with your slowest month ✓ Beneficiary forms, transfer-on-death accounts, and healthcare proxies ✓ Money move: sell $75 of stuff toward a $2...

In today's episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet focus on selling your unused stuff without getting scammed or surprised at tax time, plus an Election Day money check and a listener question about negotiating a job offer. In This Episode ✓ Cost of living is the top voter concern on Election Day ✓ 72% of Gen Z investors changed course before the midterms, versus 17% of baby boomers ✓ Stocks have risen in the 12 months after all 19 midterms since 1950 ✓ Job openings rise to 7.5 million in Septem...

In today's episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet focus on what an LLC actually changes for a growing freelancer, along with a new marketplace repayment rule, holiday pay-later plans, and credit applications. In This Episode ✓ Marketplace open enrollment and the end of the repayment cap on excess premium credits ✓ Nearly 2 in 5 holiday spenders plan to use buy now, pay later ✓ Employers think workers have enough saved, and workers say otherwise ✓ What a hard credit pull really costs, and how ra...

In today's episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet look back at the week's biggest money moments, from Ralph canceling his iPhone pre-order to what happens when Social Security's retirement fund runs short in 2032. In This Episode ✓ Ralph picks needs over wants and skips his iPhone upgrade ✓ What $200 a month can grow to by age 67 ✓ Social Security's 2032 shortfall and a $2,000 check that could become $1,560 ✓ Fake Medicare ads and the one address to type yourself ✓ A $350 wedding Venmo bill an...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet focus on what to do with your 401(k) when you leave a job, and why cashing it out can cost far more than most people expect. In This Episode ✓ The FTC sends $15.8 million in Cleo AI refunds by PayPal ✓ Consumer confidence jumps to 91.7 as gas prices ease ✓ Debt payments eat 52 cents of every dollar of income gain ✓ Carla’s $3,800 ER bill in collections and what to ask for first ✓ Your four 401(k) options after leaving a job ✓ Why cashing out c...

In this week’s recap, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet look at why your Social Security raise is smaller than the headline, plus the 401(k) fees most people never see. In This Episode ✓ Social Security goes up 3.6%, and what Medicare Part B may take back ✓ The viral $200 Social Security bonus is not real ✓ 401(k) fees, forgotten retirement accounts, and a bank text scam ✓ Biweekly mortgage payments and starting to invest early ✓ Inherited IRAs, stepped-up basis, and leaving a plan for your family...

In today's episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet react to kidulting and the blind box craze, and share how to keep fun spending inside your budget. In This Episode ✓ Kidulting, blind boxes, Funko Pops, and why a Honda Passport beat a Lexus ✓ Why a budget line for fun beats a guilt trip ✓ Initial jobless claims fall to 194,000 while continuing claims rise 25,000 ✓ What to check if your hours get cut, including partial benefits in some states ✓ Biweekly mortgage payments and the one question to...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet break down what the 3.6% Social Security raise really nets after Medicare Part B, and why the viral $200 bonus isn’t real. In This Episode ✓ Social Security’s 3.6% raise, about $75 a month before Medicare Part B ✓ The viral $200 bonus that Congress never approved ✓ The Claiming Age Clarity Act and the new age labels ✓ High-yield savings near 4.2% vs. 0.01% at big banks ✓ Wall Street’s $32 billion week and why only 63% of adults can cover $400 ...

In this week’s recap, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet revisit the week’s best money moves, from surveillance pricing and credit card minimum payments to why a credit union may be a better home for your savings. In This Episode ✓ Surveillance pricing and how to check your shopping preferences ✓ What to say when a promo rate expires ✓ Why the credit card minimum payment keeps you in debt ✓ Why you should always request a direct rollover ✓ How credit unions and banks differ, and what it means for s...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet explain how to calculate how much life insurance you need, and why Ralph’s own health nearly priced him out. In This Episode ✓ IRS employees snooped on taxpayer records 86 times ✓ Housing affordability at a 19-year low ✓ Why boomers’ $93 trillion may not reach their kids ✓ The DIME formula: debt, income, mortgage, education ✓ Term vs. whole life, and what a medical exam checks ✓ How losing 200 pounds changed Ralph’s rating If you’ve been putt...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet focus on understanding the differences between backs and credit unions, and why Ralph is such a fan of credit unions. In This Episode ✓ A startup selling AI audit tools to state tax agencies ✓ 52% of working retirees say money is the reason ✓ Car loan interest deduction: up to $10,000 a year, minus negative equity ✓ Banks vs. credit unions: ownership, rates, fees, and FDIC vs. NCUA safety ✓ Money move: find your real life insurance number If y...

In today’s episode, we unpack how much Amazon knows about you, cover a few money stories from the news, and answer listener questions, then Ralph kicks off Life Insurance Week with a quick 15-minute check. In This Episode ✓ What Amazon’s About You page knows about you ✓ How to find and edit your own profile ✓ Money stories from the news that could hit your wallet ✓ Three listener questions on bills, debt, and retirement accounts ✓ Life Insurance Week: a 15-minute check to get started Resou...

What do a $5.49 phone fee, a $55 weekly holiday plan, and a $225,000 IRS bill have in common? They can all change how much of your paycheck you actually keep. In this weekly recap, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet cover what you missed from Oct. 5-9: a rising phone fee, a simple Christmas savings plan, tax preparer red flags, a $600,000 scam that came with a $225,000 IRS bill, and why a $5,000 raise pays about $3,500. In This Episode ✓ A phone fee that keeps climbing ✓ A $55 a week plan to pay for...

What do a recalled grill brush, a 31% jump in Thanksgiving airfare, and a $5,000 raise have in common? They can all affect your wallet in ways you might not expect. In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet unpack the money stories worth paying attention to, from millions of recalled products to rising travel and streaming costs. Then they shift into a bigger conversation about the difference between making money, having money, and keeping money. You’ll also hear a simple three-number ex...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet cover many topics. Today’s Topics ✓ T-Mobile’s fee increases to $5.49 per voice line ✓ What T-Mobile’s price lock does not cover ✓ When a flu shot may cost you $0 ✓ The $55-a-week Christmas savings plan ✓ Costco Gold Star vs. Executive for a one-person household ✓ Sweepstakes entries and scam calls ✓ Social Security benefits for qualifying children ✓ Separating fixed and variable expenses Resources Watch live weekdays at 11:30 AM Eastern: ...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr., LPA & Juliet, first-time entrepreneur What happens when even six-figure earners stop feeling high income? In this episode of Becoming Financially Confident, Ralph Estep Jr. breaks down why a Dollar General CEO says shoppers earning $100,000 or more no longer feel high income, plus a simple grocery price check you can try this week. Ralph and Juliet also cover how to split a restaurant check without the awkwardness, why one in five Americans call sports betting an inves...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr., LPA & Juliet, first-time entrepreneur What happens when a small IRS notice sits unopened in your junk drawer? In this episode of Becoming Financially Confident, Ralph Estep Jr. breaks down how an IRS notice can escalate from a CP14 to a final notice, plus what you should do as soon as a letter arrives. Ralph and Juliet also cover why retirees still need emergency savings, a proposed homebuyer savings match, the iPhone Siri settlement, using AI for money questions, and ...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: Average credit scores drop for the first time since 2013, and why you should care about yours What happens when you win $2,000 or more at a casino HSAs versus FSAs, and why you should put as much as you can if you have an HSA This week's giveaway update and the money move: checking your withholding Got a money question for me? Send it to us at becomingfin...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: What is direct primary care as a healthcare solution What to consider when evaluating your mileage credit card benefits Why stacked buy now, pay later plans at the grocery checkout worry me What to consider between mechanical breakdown insurance versus a dealer warranty Thoughts on the proposed 32-hour workweek bill Our new weekly Amazon gift card giveaw...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: The IRS deadline for anyone who filed an extension is October 15, and I'm telling clients to file even if they can't pay in full, since the penalty for not filing is steeper than the one for paying late. A new poll has 89 percent of people 65 and older saying they'd rather raise taxes on younger workers than touch their own Social Security, and I think we're...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: A fake bank login scam that's cost people $262 million since January, and the bookmark trick I use to stay out of it Why card surcharges up to 3% are pushing more shoppers back to paying cash A new prison bail scam where inmates use smuggled phones to trick families, including one case where someone sent $12,000 over Cash App Juliet and I go back and forth...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: Consider getting a Trump Account for kids born 2025-2028, the government automatically puts $1,000 in the account Open enrollment is coming up, so check if your employer provides a Flexible Savings Account (FSA) You can get cash if an airline cancels your flight Review several side hustles from renting out a parking spot to getting paid as a mock juror. We...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: A Maryland law banning those unsolicited home equity loan checks starting October 1, and what to look out for yourself The December 31 deadline to open a Solo 401k or SEP IRA and maximum your money if you picked up side income this year Dollar Job Framework: Discover your net worth and get clarity on what you want versus what you do, then Design the financia...