Episodes

In today’s episode, Ralph Estep Jr. and Juliet focus on why debt collectors are suing more people and winning, and what to do the moment a summons arrives. In This Episode ✓ Debt collectors are suing more, and 3 in 4 cases end in a default judgment ✓ A $600 deposit from a former employer: whose money is it? ✓ Every $100 in minimum payments cuts thousands off what a lender will approve ✓ Side hustle pitfalls: separate accounts, a tax jar, real pricing, boundaries, and paperwork ✓ Roth vs. tr...

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...

Thinking about borrowing from your own 401(k)? This episode covers the four costs most people miss, plus a scam tax twist and the Zelle trap. In This Episode ✓ A pig butchering victim who lost $600,000, then got a $225,000 IRS bill ✓ The friend who pays for everything, and the red flags to watch for ✓ The 401(k) loan: four costs of paying yourself back ✓ A $4,000 hybrid premium and five drawbacks dealers skip ✓ The Zelle "friends and family" trap ✓ Check in on this week's Money Move: list ...

If you’ve ever walked onto a car lot without a number in mind, this episode shows you the four mistakes that cost people thousands and the 2410 rule that keeps you in control. In This Episode ✓ A We Buy Ugly Houses franchise owner’s 15-year sentence for a $40 million fraud, and the one search that could have flagged it ✓ A Georgia tax preparer accused of keeping truck drivers’ IRS payments, and how to confirm yours arrived ✓ Why you pay the IRS directly and ask any preparer for proof of filin...

If you've ever wondered whether the debt you carry is helping you or holding you back, this episode gives you three questions to find out. In This Episode ✓ Ralph's 2.5 hour call with a chain of customer service bots pretending to be human ✓ The new IRS app, what it does, and why to download it only from official sources ✓ Four checks for vetting a tax preparer after a former IRS employee's indictment ✓ Side gig or career growth: the after-tax math on $10,000 of side income ✓ Good debt vs. ...

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: ...

This week on Becoming Financially Confident, Ralph Estep Jr., a licensed public accountant with more than 30 years of experience, and Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur, dig into the money decisions that can get expensive fast. From IRS letters and credit scores to adult kids moving home, rising health insurance premiums, grocery-store financing, car maintenance, medical bills, and surprise expenses, this episode covers the everyday financial choices that can have a much bigger impact than you e...

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., LPA & Juliet, first-time entrepreneur In this episode of Becoming Financially Confident, Ralph Estep Jr. explains Why parents should put a simple written agreement in place before an adult child moves back home College freshman money skills: Needs versus wants, compound growth, and responsible credit card use. Medicaid family caregiver programs: How family caregiver pay may work in some states and why approved hours, paperwork, and state oversight matter. Credit util...

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. This week was heavy on scams and money habits. Quick recap: Three scams to watch: kill switches on subprime auto loans, home equity checks disguised as junk mail, and AI callers targeting new widows and bail-money victims, together costing people millions. Two settlements working in your favor: Amazon Prime refunds are jumping to $200, and Amway's own numbers confirm most people lose mone...

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...

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 are some of the highlights from this week: Ralph's grandmother collected a $3,500 unclaimed money windfall from an old credit union account. A missing beneficiary form cost a client 35% in estate taxes, a 15-minute fix Ralph walks through. Juliet on the self-doubt behind leaving corporate life, and reframing an 18-month payoff goal as $6.60 a day. The Dollar Job Framework, and the r...

Hosts: Ralph Estep Jr, a licensed public accountant of over 30 years + Juliet, a first-time entrepreneur. Here's what we got into today: Rent payments can now count toward my mortgage credit score, thanks to a new rule from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Check in on this week's money move: opening a high-yield savings account & set up an automatic transfer. A caller question asking if she should cash out an old 401(k) as a 30-year-old, and I explain why that could cost her close to 40% of it Go...

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...