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.
NerdWallet Compare, Inc. NMLS ID# 1617539 NMLS Consumer Access: http://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/
192episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Is College Worth It in 2026? Plus, How to Split Solo 401(k) Contributions to Save More
May 700:39:05Summary readyLearn what 2026 grads could borrow for college and how solo 401(k) contributions can build retirement wealth. How much could it cost to go to college in 2026, and is a four-year degree still a smart financial move? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola dig into a new NerdWallet analysis of federal data with senior news writer Anna Helhoski and NerdWallet data writer Erin El Issa. They explore why most Americans say the federal student loan system feels broken even as they still see college as worthwhile, the rising appeal of the trades, how AI is shifting the way teens think about majors and careers, and what new borrowers could expect from the federal repayment options rolling out July 1. Then, Ryan Sterling, wealth advisor at NerdWallet Wealth Partners, joins Sean and Elizabeth to help answer a listener's question about how to split solo 401(k) contributions between the employer and employee sides of the account to maximize retirement savings. They discuss how solo 401(k)s differ from standard workplace plans, how to think about the contribution split if you also have a W-2 job, when traditional versus Roth contributions could make more sense, how solo 401(k)s stack up against SEP IRAs, the investment flexibility you could gain through a brokerage-based plan, and the common mistakes business owners make when trying to maximize retirement savings. NerdWallet Wealth Partners, LLC is an affiliate of NerdWallet Inc. NerdWallet Wealth Partners is a fiduciary online financial advisor, offering low-cost, comprehensive financial advice and investment management. Learn more at nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/smart Read NerdWallet's 2026 high school grad analysis here: https://www.nerdwallet.com/student-loans/studies/high-school-grad-analysis 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
Mrs. Dow Jones's New Rules for Getting Rich, Plus How to Combine Finances After Marriage
May 400:45:53Summary readyPersonal finance influencer Mrs. Dow Jones breaks down what it really takes to build wealth. Then, learn how to combine finances with your partner. What would you do differently today to make yourself wealthy in the future? Haley Sacks, the personal finance influencer known as Mrs. Dow Jones and author of the new book, Future Rich Person, joins hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola to discuss the new rules for building wealth. They dig into the mindset shifts required before you can truly reach your financial goals, why quiet quitting won’t get you to the wealth you want, how to break free from the sunk cost fallacy when a job is underpaying you, and what it really means to spend less but better. Then, Sean and Elizabeth answer a listener’s question from a Spotify comment about combining finances with a partner before getting married. They dive into how to vet financial advisors and what practical financial steps every couple should take before and after saying “I do.” Inspired to navigate your finances with an advisor? Use NerdWallet Advisors Match to find vetted professionals today at https://www.nerdwalletadvisors.com/match 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
Spring Homebuying in 2026 and the Case for Never Paying Off Your Mortgage
Apr 3000:36:07Summary readyIs spring still the right time to buy a home, and does carrying a mortgage forever actually make more financial sense? Before entering into the “forever mortgage” debate, 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 examine why 2026's spring housing market is falling short of expectations. They explain what declining home sales data and 30-year mortgage rates hovering above 6% reveal about buyer and seller hesitation, how economic uncertainty is driving different outcomes across local markets around the country, and whether the timing is right to make a move. Then, Sean, Elizabeth, and Kate unpack the question of whether carrying a mortgage into retirement could actually be a smarter wealth-building strategy than paying it off early. They break down what the life cycle hypothesis says about holding debt in retirement, what happens to the math when you weigh opportunity cost and market returns against mortgage payoff, and what personal and financial blind spots could make or break the strategy for you. Check out our Mortgage Amortization Calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/calculators/amortization Check out our Mortgage Calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/calculators/how-much-can-i-borrow Inspired to navigate your finances with an advisor? Use NerdWallet Advisors Match to find vetted professionals today at https://www.nerdwalletadvisors.com/match 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
SummaryPet Insurance vs Savings Account and the APR vs APY Rules That Could Save You Cash
Apr 2700:41:53Summary readyLearn when pet insurance is worth the cost and how APR and APY affect your loans and savings accounts. Is pet insurance worth the monthly premium, or is a high-yield savings account the smarter play? Host Elizabeth Ayoola moderates an in-studio debate on whether pet insurance is a sound financial product or mostly an emotional purchase. Smart Money host Sean Pyles, CFP®, and NerdWallet social media content creator Taylor Mitchell weigh in on reimbursement models, breed-specific exclusions, pre-existing conditions, and how to think through a vet bill that could outpace your emergency fund. Then, Sean and Elizabeth break down annual percentage rate and annual percentage yield, covering fixed versus variable rates, how compound interest builds over time, why the Schumer box matters when you shop for a credit card, and what a 1% swing on a mortgage APR can mean over 30 years. Free resources from NerdWallet: Credit Card Interest Calculator https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/learn/credit-card-interest-calculator Compound Interest Calculator https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/calculators/compound-interest-calculator Mortgage Calculator with PMI and Taxes https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/calculators/mortgage-calculator What Is APY? Annual Percentage Yield Definition and How It's Calculated https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/learn/what-is-apy 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
USPS’ Cash Crisis Hits More Than Your Mailbox, Plus The Debt Settlement Trap to Avoid
Apr 2300:36:46Summary readyCan the post office survive its cash crisis, and is a debt relief program actually making your debt situation worse? What does the USPS financial crisis mean for your everyday life? Senior news writer Anna Helhoski talks to Elena Patel, co-Director of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, to unpack how the post office ended up at a critical financial juncture — and what service cuts, price hikes, and ripple effects across the broader economy could mean for your wallet. Is a debt settlement program actually worth the risk? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola, joining each other live in-studio, tackle listener Edith’s question about National Debt Relief. They examine the real success rates of debt settlement programs, why stopping credit card payments can expose you to lawsuits and credit score damage, and what other debt payoff options exist for people carrying significant credit card balances. 2025 Household Credit Card Debt Study: 49% Say Card Debt is Normal https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/studies/household-debt-study 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
AI in the Home Buying Process: What Works, What Doesn't, and When to Call an Expert
Apr 2000:45:47Summary readyFind out how AI tools can help navigate the home buying process and where human expertise still matters most. Can AI help you buy a house with reliable information? What would you do if you had only ten years to live, received a $100,000 windfall, or lost your job with just one month of emergency savings? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with a NerdWallet colleague to unpack his journey using AI to buy a home. But first, they take turns putting each other through a series of hypothetical — and sometimes grim — financial scenarios, revealing how they'd really handle everything from lending money to a struggling family member to deciding between a millionaire's Camry and a thousandaire's Mercedes. Then, NerdWallet’s podcast strategist Cody Gough joins Sean and Elizabeth in-studio to share his experience using Claude AI to help him make homebuying decisions. He shares how he used AI to figure out his financing options, find and evaluate agents, work through mortgage applications, and even assess whether specific neighborhoods were the right fit for his family. NerdWallet mortgage writer Kate Wood joins virtually to offer an expert reality check on Cody's experience — weighing in on his financing choices, what the AI got right and wrong about contingent offers in a competitive market, and where tools like NerdWallet's calculators and articles would have served him better than an AI chatbot. 2026 Home Buyer Report – 48% of Prospective Buyers Will Use AI: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/studies/home-buyer-report Compare Today’s Mortgage Rates: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/mortgage-rates See how far your homebuying budget could take you with NerdWallet’s free home affordability calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/calculators/how-much-house-can-i-afford 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
Is Your Portfolio Ready for Energy Price Swings? Plus, Tackling Debt on a High Income
Apr 1600:48:24Summary readyLearn what rising oil prices mean for your investments and how to make savings work on a high income with heavy debt. How worried should you be about oil market swings? With global energy prices reacting to geopolitical conflict, senior news writer Anna Helhoski joins hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola to speak with NerdWallet investing writer Sam Taub about what rising crude oil means for your investments, which portfolio sectors are holding steady, and whether the current calm around a fragile ceasefire is masking deeper volatility ahead. Then, what do you do when a hard-earned PhD and a $168,000 salary still leave you feeling behind? A listener named Melise shares how decades of living paycheck to paycheck, with $127,000 in debt across eight payment plans, and a late-in-life neurodivergent diagnosis are making financial progress feel impossible — even with her highest income ever. Sean and Elizabeth break down how to navigate scarcity trauma, impulse spending, quarterly tax obligations, and building an emergency fund when you're stretched thin. Learn how underpayment penalties work: https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/learn/underpayment-penalty-what-it-is-how-to-avoid-it Learn how to set up an IRS payment plan: https://www.irs.gov/payments/online-payment-agreement-application Learn about the IRS failure-to-file penalty: https://www.irs.gov/payments/failure-to-file-penalty Learn how estimated taxes work: https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/estimated-taxes 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
What Does "Rich" Really Mean? Reddit's Personal Finance Questions, Answered by the Nerds
Apr 1300:55:15Summary readyWe discuss real Reddit posts that reveal how people actually think about wealth, financial breakups, frugal habits, idle cash, and 529 overfunding. What does it mean to be “rich” in 2026? What can you learn about personal finance from scrolling Reddit? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola delve into Reddit’s most relatable money posts to explain what Reddit gets right and where the commenters lead each other astray. But first, they kick things off by sharing their own financial confessions, with Elizabeth reflecting on the true cost of a private school decision she second-guessed, and Sean opening up about a years-long pattern of financial avoidance in his early 20s that finally caught up with him at tax time. Then the Nerds turn to Reddit, reacting to actual posts from the personal finance and HENRY subreddits. Are you “rich” when you hit an income level, a net worth milestone, or something more personal? When a soon-to-be ex-fiancé secretly builds $50,000 in debt while planning to liquidate his 401(k) for an OnlyFans creator, how do you legally protect your home? Plus: a 27-year-old teacher with $70,000 in cash and zero investments, a parent questioning whether $500,000 in a 529 is overkill, and high earners asking which frugal habits are worth finally dropping. 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 Reddit threads referenced in this episode: What is 'Rich' to you? When will you graduate from this sub? https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/comments/1qoftu1/what_is_rich_to_you_when_will_you_graduate_from/ Protecting myself from my soon to be ex-fiancée https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1rf5wpx/protecting_myself_from_my_soon_to_be_exfianc%C3%A9e/ What are frugal habits you are looking to break and/or have broken for the better? https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/comments/1rbt1hp/what_are_frugal_habits_you_are_looking_to_break/ My girlfriend (27) has $70k sitting in cash and no investments, what would you do? https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1rx7hv0/my_girlfriend_27_has_70k_sitting_in_cash_and_no/ Is $500k in 529 too much or right amount? https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/comments/1rb9anm/is_500k_in_529_too_much_or_right_amount/ 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
What Warflation Costs You and Whether a Short-Term Rental Beats Investing Your Home Sale Proceeds
Apr 900:39:26Summary readyWar is pushing everyday prices higher, and a listener wonders if a Utah vacation rental beats investing home sale proceeds. What does the Iran war mean for the price of your groceries, your next flight, and everyday household goods? Is buying a short-term rental property a smart way to diversify your investment portfolio, or is it more risk than it's worth? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola dig into the pros and cons of vacation rental investments. But first, senior news writer Anna Helhoski joins them to explain how oil supply disruptions ripple outward through fertilizers, plastics, shipping, and airline fuel — and why the timeline for price increases on most goods could stretch six to twelve months beyond what you're already seeing at the pump and the store. Then, fellow Nerd and experienced real estate investor Lisa Green joins Sean and Elizabeth to answer a listener’s question about buying land to build a mountain vacation rental. She discusses when building and managing a property from several states away may make financial sense, what unique risks come with short-term rentals specifically, and how that compares to simply investing the proceeds in the stock market. Learn about the capital gains tax rules that apply when you sell your home: https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/learn/selling-home-capital-gains-tax 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
Budget Rehab: How to Optimize Your Savings Goals When You've Already Paid Off All Your Debt
Apr 600:33:22Summary readyLearn how to budget an extra $1,000 a month when you already have no debt, a high savings rate, and multiple financial goals. What do you do with extra money when you've already paid off all your debt and you're saving more than half your income? Why would a 26-year-old with $50K in assets still not feel financially safe? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola review listener Manny’s budget to see how a high saver with no debt is managing his money. Then, with him, they talk through where an extra $1,000 a month could go, from healthcare savings to a home fund to more room for fun. They explore how to prioritize across goals like an HSA, a future home with his partner, and guilt-free spending without losing the structure that has helped him save so aggressively. How to Choose the Right Budget System: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-choose-the-right-budget-system How to Build a Holiday Budget: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-build-a-holiday-budget-that-works-every-year See your money clearly, save smarter, and unlock sophisticated hassle-free investing — all in one app. https://nerdwallet.com/app 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