Money In The News Episodes

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 explain why a credit card limit is not an emergency fund, plus what late tax filers owe and why a bride billed her wedding guests $350. In This Episode ✓ Third-quarter GDP grows 3.4% as September inflation hits 3.6% ✓ What late filers owe after the October 15 extension deadline ✓ How a leaky toilet runs up your water bill ✓ A bride bills every wedding guest $350 ✓ One Good Question: can a $12,000 card limit count as your emergency fund? ✓ An A...

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet talk through whether Social Security will be there for millennials and how an engaged couple should handle $42,500 in debt before the wedding. In This Episode ✓ All 100 economists polled expect a Fed rate hike in December ✓ 40% of homeowners got family help with a down payment, and why lenders want a gift letter ✓ Fake Medicare ads can show up above the real site ✓ One Good Question: engaged with $42,500 in debt, where do you start? ✓ Side Hust...

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 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 sit down with retired banker Tina Poole and break down convenience store overcharging, AI bill negotiators, and the condo market. In This Episode ✓ A $3.99 pack of gum rang up at $4.99, and Circle K failed 35% of price checks ✓ AI bots now call your cable company and haggle your bill, but who wins when the bots talk to each other? ✓ A $260,000 Colorado condo, a $470 monthly HOA, and a buyer who says he feels trapped ✓ Tina Poole’s 40 years in ba...

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 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, 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: Amway (an MLM) will have to payout $225 million after promising recruits that they will make $40,000 a year, when in reality it is only $657 A $694 million settlement is wiping out car loan debt for thousands of people, so it's important to check your credit report Amazon Prime refunds just jumped from $51 to $200 Community mailbag: Should I loan my brother...

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 Fed raised interest rates a quarter point. What does this mean for your variable credit cards & home equity lines? State Farm is returning $5 billion to drivers who had a 2025 policy. Do you qualify? A $120 million settlement covers MLS home buyers since 2006, with an October 27 deadline to file. Check if you qualify. Love scams, and a story from one of...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: Why you should check in on your CDs once it matures You may qualify for a car loan interest deduction worth up to $10,000 a year Is personalized pricing legal? Considerations on whether side hustling on Rover is for you How to read your credit report Tomorrow, we're getting into timeshares, and Juliet puts Ralph on the hot seat with questions that Ralph c...

Join Ralph Estep Jr (licensed public accountant) & Juliet (not an accountant) as they dive into: What options are there saving for a grandchild (savings account, Trump Account, 529) Annual Notice of Change are being mailed out before September 30, and why it matters even if you're not the one on Medicare Why naming beneficiaries for your 401K and IRA + a story where a missing beneficiary name turned a 12% tax hit into 35% Dive into the Dollar Job Framework, starting with naming a real money ...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public account of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur Here's what we got into today: I broke down the LIHEAP heating assistance program, why renters qualify too, and why applying this week matters since the money goes first come, first served I explained how to call your bank and opt out of debit and ATM overdraft coverage so you stop paying that $35 fee I talked through escheat laws and how to check missingmoney.com for cash your state may be h...

Happy Saturday, everybody! Mortgage rates just climbed to a 13-month high, the IRS changed the 1099 threshold to $2,000, and I finally answered the question I get asked more than almost any other: do you owe a dead relative's credit card debt? We also got into what financial confidence really means, the framework I use with clients to give every dollar a job, and a conversation with a finance coach about money and marriage that hit closer to home than I expected. I'm Ralph Estep Jr., a license...