Podcast Summary: How to Money – Friday Flight: Soft Switching, Tariff Turnaround & Ozempic Face (#1065)
Podcast: How to Money
Hosts: Joel & Matt
Episode Title: Friday Flight – Soft Switching, Tariff Turnaround & Ozempic Face
Date: November 21, 2025
Overview
In this lighthearted but deeply practical Friday Flight episode, Joel and Matt dive into recent headline-driven money topics, offering personal anecdotes, financial analysis, and actionable advice. This week, the duo covers the evolving landscape of credit cards and banking, how tariffs are impacting your grocery bill, ways to fight back on high meat prices, the proliferation of weight loss drugs, and some eyebrow-raising new consumer products. In true “How to Money” fashion, the episode is rich with useful money-saving strategies, skepticism toward financial fads, and plenty of laughs.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Turkey Talk and Tire Deals
[02:40–06:12]
- Joel and Matt start with Thanksgiving chatter, joking about turkey’s reputation (“It's a dry meat, man.” – Matt, 03:08) but highlighting turkey as an affordable, overlooked protein.
- Buying Tires on Black Friday:
- Joel shares his recent search for tire deals, concluding Sam’s Club beat out Costco, especially because of their roadside assistance offer.
- Notable Deal: 4 new tires installed for $725, including 4 years of roadside assistance and road hazard protection.
2. The Credit Card Rewards Arms Race
[06:26–11:24]
- Discussion on how high-end credit cards are upping annual fees and complicating rewards to the point where “maximizing perks is basically becoming a part-time job.”
- Matt suggests, “It’s okay to downgrade...or even cancel an expensive card if it’s not working for you” [07:59].
- Joel bemoans new credit card trends, like the US Bank card that merges buy-now-pay-later with credit cards, calling it a red flag for responsible users [09:24].
- Robinhood Gold Card: Matt applied for the freshly launched card offering 3% cashback. The only “fee” is the $5/month Robinhood Gold membership, which may be worth it for some [10:39–11:24].
3. Soft Switching Banks – A New Trend
[14:18–15:24]
- Joel explains “soft switching”—opening new bank accounts to get better rates or service but not moving everything over at once. It’s an “easy, low-pressure way to shift toward better banks...instead of going all-in and having to completely overhaul your direct deposits and bill pays immediately.”
- Matt adds, “It gives you a longer amount of time to get used to...the new platform” [15:24].
4. Tariff Turnarounds and Grocery Price Hikes
[15:24–18:32]
- Discussion of how tariffs, even when intended to support US manufacturers, are finally being felt by ordinary Americans at the grocery store.
- Joel shares an anecdote from a friend in manufacturing who says, “We've been eating the tariffs...we’ve had to reduce staff. Pretty soon those prices are going to have to go up.” [16:07]
- President announced new rollback on food tariffs, implicitly acknowledging tariffs contributed to price spikes on staples like coffee, bananas, and steak.
- Matt: “Tariffs act as a tax...which just make things more expensive” [18:32].
5. Fighting Back Against High Meat Prices
[18:32–21:50]
- Many consumers are shifting from beef to chicken as beef prices soar (chicken up 28% YOY, beef sales down).
- Matt boasts about scoring a whole ribeye at Costco—by exploiting $75-off-per-package deals, the cost came down to $15/lb for prime ribeye.
- “It’s been 4-5 years since I bought prime ribeye at $15/lb.” [19:54]
- They celebrate buying meat bulk and processing at home to save long-term—and even accept venison from listeners!
6. Ludicrous Headline of the Week: Absurd Consumer Products
[28:24–33:41]
- Apple's $229.95 “iPhone Pocket Sock”:
- “I can't imagine anyone out there is going to desire a glorified sock...for $230.” (Matt, 29:12)
- Joel questions Apple’s brand halo, hoping the “product fails miserably.” [30:00]
- $300 Water Bottle & $520 White T-shirt:
- Both scoffed at as highly engineered, overpriced fads (“It’s called a technical feat of engineering beyond reason—for a water bottle!” – Joel, 31:21)
- Emphasis that some status goods offer little value over classic/cheap alternatives (“I'm using my free Nalgene...” – Joel, 33:13)
7. The Cost and Controversy of Weight Loss Drugs
[33:41–37:33]
- President Trump’s new “Trump RX” partnership will offer GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound direct-to-consumer for $150/month—down from $600+.
- “Prices are dropping dramatically on these GLP-1s” [34:35].
- Side effects and social impacts discussed—e.g. the fast, recognizable “Ozempic face” (35:17).
- Thinness and workplace discrimination: “Research does show...thinner people tend to get paid more and attain higher status jobs.” (Joel, 36:04)
- Matt: “I think it could be [table stakes]...but what are the long-term impacts of these drugs?” [36:53]
8. EV Market Turmoil and Toyota’s Hybrid “Win”
[37:43–39:12]
- A look at how car manufacturers like Toyota (sticking with hybrids) outmaneuvered those who rushed all-in on EVs.
- Ford Lightning’s quick price spike ($40k→$60k+) and weak sales show how “brands have not found a way to reliably produce vehicles that turn a profit” [38:00].
9. Credit Scores & Your Car Insurance
[39:12–40:01]
- NPR investigation: Poor credit can mean thousands more per year in auto insurance premiums. Only 3 states prohibit this.
- Joel: “You need to know your credit score and you need to make sure it’s solid...740+ is really the goal.” [40:15]
10. The Ongoing Subscription-ification of Cars (& Demise of CarPlay)
[42:10–43:41]
- GM announces it will drop Apple CarPlay and Android Auto in future models, pushing its own software.
- Matt: “Apple and Android make it free. Consumers like it...Proprietary GM software is not going to be better than this.”
- The move is seen as a data grab and attempt to get subscription revenue from navigation and in-car Wi-Fi. [43:29]
11. End of the Penny
[43:44–44:22]
- The US has minted its last penny; hosts are “glad we’re not wastefully creating pennies anymore.”
- Matt recommends saving a sleeve of pennies as a bit of Americana.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “Soft switching...people are opening up another bank account to get better service or higher interest rates, but they’re just not moving all their deposits or direct payments over...because it’d be too much of a hassle.” – Joel [14:18]
- “Are you just trying to get my money without giving me anything of value in return? I think so. I hope this product [the iPhone sock] fails miserably.” – Joel [30:00]
- “$300 for a water bottle? If a sock is $230, I guess that sounds reasonable...” – Matt [31:21]
- “Thinner people tend to get paid more and attain higher status jobs. In a world where everyone's doing it, could weight loss drugs make sense even if you’re not diabetic?” – Joel [36:04, 36:53]
- “GM software is not going to be better than this [CarPlay]. So this might be GM shooting itself in the foot.” – Joel [42:51]
- “The best thing to do with a penny these days: put it on a railroad track and let it get smashed.” – Joel [44:18]
Timestamps by Segment
- 02:40 Turkey Talk, Thanksgiving Meals, Tire Shopping Tips
- 06:26 Credit Card Rewards Becoming Complicated & Costly
- 09:24 Trends: Buy-Now-Pay-Later Credit Cards, Robinhood Card
- 14:18 Soft Switching Banks: How & Why
- 15:24 Tariff Backlash at Grocery Stores; Price Relief
- 18:32 Meat Prices: Bulk Buying, Chicken vs. Beef, Costco Ribeye Hacks
- 28:24 Ludicrous Headlines: iPhone Sock, $300 Water Bottle, Premium White Tee
- 33:41 Weight Loss Drugs: Price Drops & Social Implications
- 37:43 The Fizzling EV Boom; Toyota’s Hybrid Advantage
- 39:12 Credit Score Impact on Auto Insurance
- 42:10 Car Subscription Features, GM Ditches CarPlay
- 43:44 Last US Pennies Minted
Episode Tone & Style
The show’s trademark is its friend-next-door relatability mixed with sharp scrutiny of financial trends and gimmicks. Joel and Matt’s banter is playful and grounded, with sincere attempts to help listeners sidestep common money traps while celebrating small wins and community connections.
Conclusion
This episode delivers a rapid-fire, engaging look at how everyday financial choices are shaped by industry trends, government policy, and plain common sense. Whether you’re trying to outsmart credit card companies, beat high grocery prices, or simply laugh at the absurdity of a $230 phone sock, Joel and Matt provide the context, analysis, and humor to help you thrive financially.