Podcast
NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
Hosted by NerdWallet Personal Finance · EN
NerdWallet’s trusted finance journalists answer real-world money questions to help you make smarter financial decisions with confidence.
Each episode dives deep into topics like budgeting, saving, investing, home buying, and credit cards, cutting through misinformation to bring you clear, actionable advice backed by thorough research.
By the end of every episode, you’ll have the latest financial insights and the tools you’ll need to manage your money wisely, build wealth, and plan for life’s milestones. And if you have questions for the Nerds, you can leave them a voicemail at 901-730-6373.
Join hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, Elizabeth Ayoola, and other expert Nerds as they answer your biggest money questions and share strategies to help you build wealth and reach your financial goals, including:
– Investing: Advanced investment strategies, integrating ETFs and mutual funds into a diversified portfolio, tax-efficient retirement planning, understanding Roth IRA conversions, and navigating robo-advisors.
– Credit Cards: Top credit cards for travel rewards and luxury perks, balance transfer strategies, maximizing credit card points, and optimizing credit card usage to boost your credit score.
– Personal Finance: Advanced budgeting tips, building generational wealth, creating effective savings plans, managing high-income expenses, and developing a strong money growth mindset.
– Home: Smart strategies for homebuying in competitive markets, leveraging home equity loans and HELOCs, refinancing for long-term savings, first-time homebuying tips, and budgeting for major home improvements.
If you’re searching for the best personal finance podcasts or want practical knowledge to make smarter money decisions, then follow NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast.
You’ll love NerdWallet’s Smart Money Podcast if you like podcasts like: Planet Money, The Personal Finance Podcast, DIY Money, Afford Anything, How to Money, The Ramsey Show, Money Rehab with Nicole Lapin, NPR’s Life Kit: Money, Popcorn Finance, Money Girl,Money Guy Show, Everyone’s Talkin’ Money, So Money with Farnoosh Tarabi, The Money with Katie Show, All the Hacks with Chris Hutchins, The Stacking Benjamins Show, MoneyWatch with Jill Schlesinger, or Your Money, Your Wealth.
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182episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Stop Guessing and Start Comparing: Is One Bank Enough for Everything?
Yesterday00:33:53Summary readyIs it time to ditch multiple bank accounts for an all-in-one hybrid account — and how do you transition to joint accounts with a partner without making a mess of your finances? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by banking Nerd Chanelle Bessette to answer a question about consolidating banking at one institution while also opening a joint account with a partner. They compare hybrid cash management accounts like Wealthfront Cash against traditional online banks like Ally and SoFi, walk through FDIC insurance limits for individual and joint accounts, and share best practices for merging finances with a partner for the first time, including how to divide contributions equitably and why it's probably still smart to keep an account of your own. Then, Sean and Elizabeth compare notes on their recent solo trips to Chicago, swapping recommendations on where to eat, walk and spend money in Sean's hometown. Wealthfront Cash Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/wealthfront-cash-account Ally Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/ally-bank SoFi Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/sofi Joint Bank Accounts: How and When They Work: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/learn/joint-checking-account Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary
Stop Assuming Payment Plans Are a Debt Trap and Start Doing the Math
5d ago00:41:39Summary readyLearn what's in a rare bipartisan housing bill in Congress, then find out whether a credit card payment plan beats buy now, pay later. Why did a housing bill with overwhelming bipartisan support suddenly stall on the president's desk? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP©, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by senior news writer Anna Helhoski, and mortgage writers Abby Badach Doyle and Kate Wood to unpack the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. It’s a nearly 400-page bill designed to ease the national housing shortage by cutting federal red tape around permitting, expanding small-dollar mortgages, limiting large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and creating incentives — not mandates — for local governments to build more housing, including manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units. Then, Sean and Elizabeth are joined by credit cards Nerd and NerdWallet spokesperson Sara Rathner to help a listener named Emma decide how to pay off a large purchase without draining her savings. They walk through how to compare the fees on a credit card issuer's payment plan against your card's regular APR, how these plans differ from third-party buy now, pay later services, and whether either option can help — or hurt — your credit score. Locked Out: 3 Outdated Myths About Manufactured Homes: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/news/locked-out-manufactured-homes-affordable-housing-crisis Best 0% APR Credit Cards of July 2026: https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/best/zero-percent Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SummaryBuilding Wealth Without Betraying Your Values: Tips for Mission-Driven Careers
1w ago00:35:35Summary readyLearn how to build wealth while staying true to your social values and choosing meaningful work over maximum pay. Can you be both wealthy and ethical? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola tackle a question from a nurse who earns less than her peers by choosing to work at a public safety-net hospital and deliberately charges minimal fees to teach wilderness medicine to nonprofits. They explore the tension people in service-oriented careers often feel when it comes to building personal wealth, including which strategies could help you earn more without abandoning your mission. They also discuss which financial tools — from retirement plans designed for public-sector workers to ways of investing that align with your values — could help you grow wealth while staying true to what you stand for. Plus: an accountability update from Sean and Elizabeth on their January goals. Find out what ESG investing could look like for your portfolio with our beginner's guide: https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/learn/esg-investing Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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Free Tools to Earn More Rewards Points on Online Shopping, Dining, and Rideshares
2w ago00:42:46Summary readyLearn how to earn more points and miles on everyday shopping using portals, dining programs, and partner apps. In a special holiday episode of Smart Money, we're bringing you our friends from the Smart Travel podcast, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, as they dig into online shopping portals, explaining how tools like Rakuten, airline-specific portals, hotel booking platforms like Gondola, and the up-and-coming Rove Miles program could help you stack rewards on top of your credit card earnings. They also cover airline dining programs, brand partnerships with Uber, Lyft, and Starbucks, and the aggregator Cashback Monitor so you can see at a glance which portal offers the best rate for any retailer. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: Bilt Blue Card: Complex Housing Rewards, Modest Everyday Ones Bilt Obsidian Card: Fine for Foodies, Complex for Housing Bilt Palladium Card: Rewards on Housing Are Almost Secondary American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits American Express Gold Card Review: Friendly for Foodies, Families Resources discussed in this episode: Credit Card Transfer Partners At a Glance The Capital One Shopping Portal Is Changing How I Book Travel The Guide to Rove Miles Subscribe to Smart Money’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SummaryBeyond Willpower: Building Financial Systems That Work for Your Brain
2w ago00:35:22Summary readyLearn how to approach finances if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with neurodivergency or had a brain injury. Not everyone thinks in the same way, so what are some strategies for folks with neurodivergence or brain injuries to help them manage their finances? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by Dr. Christine Hargrove, clinical assistant professor and assistant director of Love and Money Center at the University of Georgia. She specializes in ADHD and finances, and talks through some of the ways that people struggle with financial tasks and suggests strategies to bring structure to this area of life. Some of the tips they share include setting reminders, creating a system so that you don’t feel overwhelmed throughout a process, and finding resources that can help you each step of the way. Resources discussed in this episode: Find a CFA near you AnnualCreditReport.com Savvy Ladies Foundation for Financial Planning VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) National Disability Institute Financial Planning Association AFC Directory Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary
Stop Worrying About Your Financial Advisor and Start Finding the Right One
3w ago00:40:27Summary readyLearn what financial advisor fee structures could mean for your wealth and how to find someone who won't sell you out. What new threats are emerging for identity crime victims? Host Sean Pyles, CFP®, and news colleague Rick VanderKnyff are joined by Mona Terry, chief operating and programs officer of the Identity Theft Resource Center, to walk through the ITRC's 2026 Trends in Identity Report. They explore why more than 1 in 4 victims now face two or more simultaneous identity incidents, how device compromise differs from the scams most people think to watch for, and whether AI is already making identity crimes harder to detect and resolve. Do financial advisors have a built-in conflict of interest that could be costing you money? Sean is joined by co-host Elizabeth Ayoola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling to tackle a listener’s question about whether they should hire a financial advisor. They dig into how different advisor fee structures — from AUM (assets under management) percentages to flat-fee plans, hourly rates, and commissions — create different kinds of conflicts, what the fiduciary standard actually guarantees (and what it doesn't), and what red flags could signal that an advisor's priorities aren't aligned with yours. Learn more about working with a financial advisor at NerdWallet Wealth Partners: https://nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/smart How to Prevent Identity Theft: Warning Signs, Protection Services and More https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-prevent-identity-theft Read the ITRC's 2026 Trends in Identity Report: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/2026-trends-in-identity-report-hacked-devices-overtake-scams Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary$10,000 Lands in a Teen's Account — Here's What to Do First
3w ago00:34:34Summary readyLearn what to do when your teen receives a windfall and how to balance saving, investing, and giving. What's the smartest way to help your teenager manage $10,000 to $15,000 in unexpected cash — without turning the conversation into a lecture? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with personal finance Nerd Kate Ashford to answer listener Deb's question about her teen recently receiving a large sum as gifts after a life milestone. They dig into the biggest mistakes families make when a windfall hits, how to start the money talk in a way that actually sticks, and which financial tools and accounts could give your kid a head start on building wealth far earlier than most adults ever do. Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary
Prime Day Tips and Reddit's Brutally Honest Money Confessions
4w ago00:43:07Summary readyLearn what to buy and skip on Prime Day 2026 and Reddit’s lessons that reveal how a $250K earner can end up broke. Is Prime Day actually a good deal this summer, and how financially resilient are American consumers right now? Host Elizabeth Ayoola is joined by news colleague Rick VanderKnyff, NerdWallet personal finance writer Tommy Tindall, and NerdWallet Senior Economist Elizabeth Renter to dig into Prime Day deals and the latest on American consumers’ financial resilience. They discuss which product categories could be worth purchasing during Amazon Prime Day and competing retailer sales, how AI-powered price history tools are changing the shopping experience, and what NerdWallet's June Consumer Financial Resilience Index score reveals about how confident Americans feel about their finances as they get ready to shop. Then, host Sean Pyles, CFP®, joins Elizabeth to break down five candid personal finance posts from Reddit. They explore why a Redditor earning $250,000 a year feels broke after lifestyle creep took hold, what the concept of hedonic adaptation could mean for your own spending habits, how “chubby FIRE” factors into the real-world complexities of early retirement and dating, what kinds of decisions led millionaires to lose everything they'd built, and how to break free from the money comparison trap when someone in your circle has $20 to $50 million in AI startup equity. What to Buy (and Skip) on Prime Day 2026: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/what-to-buy-on-prime-day-2026 Explore the NerdWallet Consumer Financial Resilience Index: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/financial-resilience-index Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Reddit posts discussed: 250k a Year and Broke, 4 Years Ago I Made 120k And Was Happier CPI Just Came in At 3.8 Dating After FIRE Ex-Millionaires of Reddit, what made you lose all your money? How to Get Out of Money Comparison Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
SummaryUmbrella Insurance, Coverage Gaps, and What a $483 Bar Tab Taught Us About Money
4w ago00:29:23Summary readyLearn when umbrella insurance is worth buying and what a $483 bar tab can teach you about being an informed consumer. When does umbrella insurance actually make sense for your finances? What happens if a lawsuit leaves you on the hook for more than your home or auto policy could cover? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by insurance nerd Caitlin Constantine to tackle a listener’s question about umbrella coverage: what it actually is, how it layers on top of your existing home, auto, and renters policies, what umbrella insurance won't cover, and how to figure out whether your current assets and policy limits leave you exposed. Then, Elizabeth shares money lessons she took away after she and a friend accidentally racked up a $483 bar tab, including handling financial mistakes with grace and the secret power of forgiving yourself. Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Summary
SpaceX’s Biggest IPO in History and Funding a $117K Life Change
Jun 1100:38:16Summary readyLearn what the AI IPO boom could do to reshape your index funds and how to fund years of grad school with no income. With SpaceX set to debut as the biggest IPO in history — and OpenAI and Anthropic filing to follow — what does this landmark moment in the markets actually mean for your portfolio? Senior news editor Rick VanderKnyff and investing writer Sam Taub join hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola to break down the latest AI IPO news. They discuss what makes SpaceX's offering the largest public offering ever, what the historical track record of IPOs says about buying in at the opening price, and a quietly consequential change to index fund inclusion rules that could leave passive investors with a far bigger stake in mega-cap AI companies than they anticipated. They also explain what direct indexing is and how it could give you more control over what lands in your portfolio. How do you manage your money when you're leaving a career to spend up to three years in graduate school with no income? Sean and Elizabeth tackle a listener's detailed, multi-part question about funding a $117,000 occupational therapy doctorate. They explore whether a Roth IRA conversion could be a smart way to capitalize on low-tax years before graduation, what the new federal student loan borrowing caps under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act mean for graduate students' funding plans, how deferring an existing $17,000 in student debt could play out over time, and what to weigh before earning money on the side while in school. Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ Sign up for MoneyNerd, NerdWallet's free weekly newsletter, for tips on watching the 2026 World Cup for free: https://moneynerd-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ What Is the New Repayment Assistance Plan (RAP) for Student Loans? https://www.nerdwallet.com/student-loans/learn/what-is-the-new-repayment-assistance-plan-rap-for-student-loans Direct Indexing: What It Is, How It Works https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/learn/direct-indexing Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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