blog posts Podcast: Time to Travel! Jul 7, 2021 12:00 pm28 views In episode 21 of Making Cents of Money, Time to Travel!, Nikki, Andrea, and Jake discuss travel aspirations, goals, and tips for planning a trip to help you make your next dream vacation a reality. Podcast: The Financial Impact of Digital Illiteracy Aug 23, 2023 12:00 pm28 views In episode 68 of Making Cents of Money, The Financial Impact of Digital Illiteracy, Andrea and Nikki explore the financial implications of digital Illiteracy in our digital age. Podcast: Credit Reports Update Nov 29, 2023 12:00 pm27 views In episode 74 of Making Cents of Money, Credit Reports Update, we had a Consumer Alert! Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion are allowing access to free, weekly credit reports indefinitely now. Podcast: Emergency Funds Sep 16, 2021 12:00 pm26 views In episode 26 of Making Cents of Money, Emergency Funds, Jake, Nikki, and Andrea discuss the value of building emergency funds and a few ways to get started. Podcast: Protecting Pets May 10, 2022 12:00 pm25 views In episode 39 of Making Cents of Money, Protecting Pets, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki discuss pet insurance and other ways to handle the financial risk of vet bills for our pets with Presley Fee, Digital Financial Planning Program Coordinator at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Podcast: Understanding Your Paycheck Sep 5, 2023 12:00 pm25 views In episode 69 of Making Cents of Money, Understanding Your Paycheck, Nikki and Andrea talk about something you're bound to love: your paycheck! Podcast: Buying a Home! Mar 16, 2022 12:00 pm24 views In episode 36 of Making Cents of Money, Buying a Home!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki explain terminology, tools, and the basics steps of buying a home. Podcast: Gross Domestic Product (GDP) Dec 22, 2021 12:00 pm24 views In episode 32 of Making Cents of Money, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Andrea, Nikki, and Jake explain Gross Domestic Product as part of an ongoing mini series on economic indicators. Podcast: Financial Education and Financial Literacy Jan 14, 2021 12:00 pm23 views Episode 9 of Making Cents of Money, Financial Education and Financial Literacy, reviewed the state of financial literacy in the United States, programs for pre-K through high school students, and resources to help parents and teachers support learning about finances in a variety of ways. Podcast: Taxes Jan 26, 2021 12:00 pm23 views Episode 10 of Making Cents of Money, Taxes, discussed common terms, forms, and considerations for filing taxes in preparation for our Get Savvy: Grow Your Green Stuff webinar, Tackling Taxes, on 1/27. Podcast: Dealing with Emergencies Oct 5, 2022 12:00 pm23 views In episode 49 of Making Cents of Money, Nikki and Andrea talk about dealing with a financial emergency, not just how to plan but how to recover once an emergency happens. Podcast: Financial Resolutions! Dec 14, 2022 12:00 pm22 views In episode 54 of Making Cents of Money, Nikki & Andrea talk about some recent changes in setting new years resolutions and how to make finances part of your goals for 2023. Podcast: Mortgages Apr 14, 2022 12:00 pm21 views In episode 38 of Making Cents of Money, Renting!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki interview IDFPR's Anti-Predatory Lending Database Director, Kari Beyer, about the ins and outs of mortgages. Podcast: Fending Off Fraud Nov 19, 2020 12:00 pm20 views Episode 6 of Making Cents of Money, Fending Off Fraud, discusses what you need to know about the different types of fraud scamers use (especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, how to prevent fraud, and what to do if you become a victim. Podcast: Cryptocurrencies Aug 18, 2021 3:00 pm19 views In episode 24 of Making Cents of Money, Cryptocurrencies, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki talk to Professor Lamont Black from DePaul University about cryptocurrencies, discussing everything from the blockchain technology behind them to their utility in the world of fintech. Podcast: Employment Feb 23, 2022 12:00 pm18 views In episode 35 of Making Cents of Money, Employment, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki continue the podcast series on economic indicators by discussing metrics related to employment. Podcast: Investing Basics Mar 9, 2021 12:00 pm18 views Episode 13 of Making Cents of Money, Investing Basics, covered common terms and concepts related to investing in the stock market in preparation for our Get Savvy: Grow Your Green Stuff webinar, Investing Basics, on 3/10. Podcast: Real Estate May 5, 2021 12:00 pm17 views Episode 17 of Making Cents of Money, Real Estate, explains the world of real estate professions and what to consider when hiring professionals to help you buy or manage a home or other real estate property! Podcast: Buying a Car! Jul 21, 2021 12:00 pm17 views In episode 22 of Making Cents of Money, Buying a Car!, Nikki, Andrea, and Jake explain the true costs of car ownership as well as the terms and tools to know about before you buy your next vehicle. IOUs: There's an App for That! Oct 14, 2016 3:30 pm17 views Have you heard of Venmo? Squarecash? These are just a few of the apps that allow you to send money to anyone, anywhere, anytime. From a convenience standpoint, these advances are amazing—but what are the costs of convenience? Podcast: Tackling Insurance! (Part 1) Oct 20, 2021 12:00 pm17 views In episode 28 of Making Cents of Money, Tackling Insurance! (Part 1), Deputy Director of Consumer Education & Protection at the Illinois Department of Insurance, Patrice Dziire, talked to us about auto, home, renters, and life insurance. Podcast: Financial Planner vs AI Jul 12, 2023 12:00 pm16 views In episode 65 of Making Cents of Money, Financial Planner vs AI, we discuss the pros and cons of using Artificial Intelligence language model, ChatGPT, to answer financial planning questions with the help of Donovan Sanchez, CFP®. Podcast: Holiday Savings Tips and New Year's Goals Dec 17, 2020 12:00 pm16 views Episode 8 of Making Cents of Money, Holiday Savings Tips and New Year's Goals, explored tips to help prepare for a less stressful holiday season over the coming year as well as ways to set S.M.A.R.T. goals, be it financial or otherwise. Podcast: Short-selling Mar 24, 2021 12:00 pm15 views Episode 14 of Making Cents of Money, Short-selling, allowed us to interview Chasse Rehwinkel about the investing method that's become so popular in the media over the past few months. Podcast: Technology and Your Money Oct 5, 2020 12:00 pm15 views Episode 3 of Making Cents of Money, Technology and Your Money, explores how financial technologies are evolving and what that means for keeping our money safe. Podcast: Inflation Nov 17, 2021 12:00 pm15 views In episode 30 of Making Cents of Money, Inflation, Jake, Nikki, and Andrea discuss what inflation is as one of many metrics to gauge how an economy is doing and how it impacts our spending power as consumers. Podcast: Renting! Mar 30, 2022 12:00 pm14 views In episode 37 of Making Cents of Money, Renting!, Andrea, Jake, and Nikki discuss the basic steps and what to watch for when renting a place to live. Podcast: The Community Reinvestment Act Aug 17, 2022 12:00 pm13 views In episode 47 of Making Cents of Money, Chasse Rehwinkel joined Nikki & Andrea to discuss the Community Reinvestment Act and how it is intended to support economic equality. Expect the Unexpected: Saving For Emergencies Jan 15, 2015 11:00 am12 views Planning for the unexpected can ensure that you are able to weather a financial hardship should you lose your job, have a car repair, or any other unplanned expense. By having savings set aside for emergencies, you decrease the need to rely on credit cards or loans to cover emergency situations. Your college years can be an ideal time to create and build your emergency savings. Podcast: Professional Licensure in Illinois May 19, 2021 12:00 pm12 views Episode 18 of Making Cents of Money, Professional Licensure in Illinois, helps us understand the scope of professional licensing in Illinois across many different industries and some protections in place for consumers. Podcast: What's a Credit Report Anyway? Aug 9, 2023 12:00 pm12 views In episode 67 of Making Cents of Money, What's a Credit Report Anyway?, Nikki and Andrea discuss what's in your credit reports and how to get them at AnnualCreditReport.com. Podcast: Password Managers Jul 28, 2023 12:00 pm10 views In episode 66 of Making Cents of Money, Password Managers, we explore what password managers are and how they can be leveraged to protect your important information. Inflation: When Prices Rise - Get Savvy Webinar Recording Sep 28, 2022 1:00 pm10 views Learn about how inflation impacts individual consumers by watching this webinar recording from September 28 2022. Podcast: Loan Payments Resumed in October Oct 31, 2023 12:00 pm10 views In episode 73 of Making Cents of Money, Loan Payments Resumed in October, we discussed the "on-ramp" to repayment being implemented by the U.S. Department of Education as millions of borrowers started making payments on their federal loans again in October. Podcast: Gross National Happiness Feb 9, 2022 12:00 pm9 views In episode 34 of Making Cents of Money, Gross National Happiness, Jake and Nikki discuss an alternative metric to Gross Domestic Product that some countries use to help monitor the health of their economies called Gross National Happiness. Student Loan Repayment - Get Savvy Webinar Recording Apr 14, 2021 1:00 pm9 views There are 8 repayment plans for federal student loans, 10 federal student loan servicers, and an abundance of terms, tools, and tips to remember to manage federal, institutional, and private student loans. Watch our Student Loan Repayment webinar recording to learn about your options as a borrower. Podcast: Is Crypto the Wild West? Feb 26, 2024 12:00 pm8 views In episode 78 of Making Cents of Money, Is Crypto the Wild West?, David DeCarlo and Jake Hamilton join us to discuss what regulation does and does not exist for consumers regarding crypto. Investing Basics - Get Savvy Webinar Recording Mar 10, 2021 1:00 pm8 views Investing - it's not for the faint of heart, because investing in the stock market involves risk. Knowing and understanding terminology, fees, types of professionals, as well as investment methods can be a whirlwind of terms and confusing concepts. Learn the basics and have a better understanding on how investing works! Podcast: World Investor Week Oct 4, 2023 12:00 pm8 views In episode 71 of Making Cents of Money, World Investor Week, Andrea interviews Alan Sorcher and Anne McKinley from the US Securities & Exchange Commission in honor of World Investor Week on ways investors can learn about securities throughout the year. Podcast: Student Loan Update Oct 6, 2021 12:00 pm8 views In episode 27 of Making Cents of Money, Student Loan Update, Jake and Nikki gave a quick update on the state of federal student loans. Podcast: Building Wealth After Graduation Mar 25, 2024 12:00 pm7 views In episode 80 of Making Cents of Money, Building Wealth After Graduation, Donovan Sanchez returns to talk about how to navigate juggling multiple goals during the transition to life after college. Podcast: Reintroductions Jun 2, 2021 12:00 pm7 views Episode 19 of Making Cents of Money, Reintroductions, lets us learn more about one of the co-hosts, Jake Hamilton, the history behind the podcast, and what's in store for the future of this audio teaching medium. Podcast: What is Crypto Anyway? Jan 29, 2024 12:00 pm6 views In episode 76 of Making Cents of Money, What is Crypto Anyway?, Jake Hamilton, a previous podcast co-host, comes back to provide an overview of how crypto works and what the future looks like for this financial technology. Podcast: Tax Talk Feb 9, 2024 12:00 pm6 views In episode 77 of Making Cents of Money, Tax Talk, Andrea and Nikki talk tax... forms, terms, and more as the April 15 federal tax deadline approaches. Podcast: What Happens When a Bank Fails? Mar 11, 2024 12:00 pm6 views In episode 79 of Making Cents of Money, What Happens When a Bank Fails?, Chicago City Comptroller and former Illinois Director of Banking, Chasse Rehwinkel joins us to discuss recent incidents of bank failure and how these differed from others in history. Podcast: Help with Utility Bills May 3, 2023 12:00 pm6 views In episode 61 of Making Cents of Money, we learn about the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP). If you're struggling to pay utilities, apply by May 31! Podcast: Help for Renters Jun 21, 2023 12:00 pm6 views In episode 64 of Making Cents of Money, Kari Byer, Director of the APLD & Investigations, joins us again to talk about programs designed to help find and afford renting a place to live. Podcast: Tackling Insurance! (Part 2) Nov 3, 2021 12:00 pm6 views In episode 29 of Making Cents of Money, Tackling Insurance! (Part 2), Nikki and Jake talked with Laura Pellikan from the Illinois Department of Insurance about the basics of health insurance and ways you can get covered. Podcast: Get Covered, Illinois May 22, 2023 12:00 pm5 views In episode 62 of Making Cents of Money, Brian Gorman, Director of Outreach & Engagement for Get Covered Illinois, answers our questions about managing healthcare costs. Identity Theft & Fraud - Get Savvy Webinar Recording Sep 16, 2021 1:00 pm5 views Find out how to protect yourself from fraud, recognize identity theft, and what to do if you're affected with this webinar recording from September 15, 2021.
