Making Cents of Money

Making Cents of Money
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Podcast by Making Cents of Money

  1. 5d ago

    Episode 134: Renting or Buying a Home, Part 2: How to Buy a Home

    Show Notes: PRIOR RELATED EPISODES Ep. 133: Buying or Renting a Home, Part 1: https://soundcloud.com/idfpr/episode-133-buying-or-renting Ep. 114: The Role of Loan Servicers: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/681485881 Ep. 96: Zombie Properties & Mortgages: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/335854242 Ep. 87: Appraisal Bias: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/114554675 Ep. 63: Help for Homeowners: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/573142985 Ep. 38: Mortgages: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1865423950 Ep. 5: Understanding Credit: https://soundcloud.com/idfpr/episode-5-understanding-credit GET SAVVY: GROW YOUR GREEN STUFF WEBINARS Buying vs. Renting a Home (May 2026): https://youtu.be/QqsIu9GE3vw Mastering the Consumer Credit Game: https://youtu.be/Q0W7qMUFRbA Series details: https://www.studentmoney.uillinois.edu/events/webinars RESOURCES SMMC University Resources: https://www.studentmoney.uillinois.edu/guides/resources HUD Homeownership Assistance in Illinois: https://www.hud.gov/states/illinois Illinois Housing Development Authority: https://www.ihda.org/ Free credit reports: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ IDFPR license lookup: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/checklicense.html NMLS Consumer Access: https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/ OTHER REFERENCES Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-a). Making the decision to rent or buy. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/making-decision-rent-or-buy/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-b). What is private mortgage insurance? https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-private-mortgage-insurance-en-122/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-c). Contact multiple lenders. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/process/explore/contact-multiple-lenders/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-d). Key terms: Amortization. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/consumer-tools/mortgages/answers/key-terms/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-e). Build a network of advisors. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/owning-a-home/process/prepare/build-a-network-of-advisors/ Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.-f). Example periodic mortgage statement. https://files.consumerfinance.gov/f/2012/02/20120213_cfpb_draft-periodic-mortgage-statement.pdf CFPB & FFIEC. (n.d.). Median total loan costs by quarter [HMDA Data Browser]. https://ffiec.cfpb.gov/data-browser/graphs/quarterly/tlc Freddie Mac. (n.d.). Primary Mortgage Market Survey. https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms Larrimer, A. (n.d.). Do you need a real estate attorney when buying or selling a house? Forbes Advisor. https://www.forbes.com/advisor/mortgages/real-estate-attorney/ Martin, E. (n.d.). Average down payment on a house by state. Bankrate. https://www.bankrate.com/mortgages/average-down-payment/ Pellegrini, A., & Beyer, K. (2026, May 6). Buying vs. renting a home [Webinar]. University of Illinois System SMMC & IDFPR. https://youtu.be/QqsIu9GE3vw Realtor.com. (2026). Illinois housing market data. https://www.realtor.com/local/market/illinois U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.-a). Homeownership assistance in Illinois. https://www.hud.gov/states/illinois U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.-b). Affordable places to live. https://www.hud.gov/helping-americans#Affordable

    Episode 134: Renting or Buying a Home, Part 2: How to Buy a Home

  2. Oct 6

    Episode 133: Buying or Renting a Home, Part 1: The Big Picture

    Renting or Buying a Home, Part 1: The Big Picture RELATED MAKING CENTS OF MONEY EPISODES - Understanding Credit (Ep. 5): https://soundcloud.com/idfpr/episode-5-understanding-credit - Renting! (Ep. 37): https://soundcloud.com/idfpr/episode-37-renting - Ep. 63 - Help for Homeowners: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/573142985 - Ep. 64 - Help for Renters: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/510305827 - Ep. 83 - Lines of Injustice: What is Redlining?: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/2012625903 - Ep. 85 - The Federal Community Reinvestment Act (CRA): https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/371603808 - Ep. 86 - The Illinois Community Reinvestment Act: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/747261263 GET SAVVY WEBINARS - Buying vs. Renting a Home (May 2026): https://youtu.be/QqsIu9GE3vw - Read Before You Sign: Renting & Leasing (August 2026): https://youtu.be/rwMFvS_ZbHs - Mastering the Consumer Credit Game: https://youtu.be/Q0W7qMUFRbA RESOURCES - SMMC University Resources: https://www.studentmoney.uillinois.edu/guides/resources - HUD: https://www.hud.gov/ - Free credit reports: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/ SOURCES Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. (n.d.). Making the decision to rent or buy. https://www.consumerfinance.gov/about-us/blog/making-decision-rent-or-buy/ Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. (n.d.). Rental vacancy rate in the United States [Data series RRVRUSQ156N]. FRED. https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/RRVRUSQ156N Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. (2020). The state of the nation's housing 2020. https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/reports/files/Harvard_JCHS_The_State_of_the_Nations_Housing_2020_Report_Revised_120720.pdf Internal Revenue Service. (n.d.). Publication 936: Home mortgage interest deduction. https://www.irs.gov/publications/p936 Kochhar, R., & Cilluffo, A. (2021, August 2). As national eviction ban expires, a look at who rents and who owns in the U.S. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/08/02/as-national-eviction-ban-expires-a-look-at-who-rents-and-who-owns-in-the-u-s/ Pendley, A. (2019). State and federal laws every renter should know. Stacker. https://stacker.com/stories/3670/state-and-federal-laws-every-renter-should-know Realtor.com. (2026). Illinois housing market data. https://www.realtor.com/local/market/illinois Thompson, D. (2021, March). 'This is unprecedented': Why America's housing market has never been weirder. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2021/03/why-are-housing-prices-and-rents-down/618212/ University of Illinois System IGPA. (n.d.). Policy spotlight: Mitigating housing instability during the COVID-19 pandemic. https://igpa.uillinois.edu/reports/mitigating-housing-instability-during-the-covid-19-pandemic U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). Household Pulse Survey. https://www.census.gov/data/experimental-data-products/household-pulse-survey.html U.S. Census Bureau. (2019). American Housing Survey table creator [Table 9]. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/ahs/data/interactive/ahstablecreator.html?s_areas=00000&s_year=2019&s_tablename=TABLE9&s_bygroup1=20&s_bygroup2=1&s_filtergroup1=1&s_filtergroup2=1 U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.-a). Measuring housing insecurity in the American Housing Survey. HUD User. https://www.huduser.gov/portal/publications/Measuring-Housing-Insecurity-Index-Development-Using-AHS-Data.html U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. (n.d.-b). Tenant rights by state. https://www.hud.gov/topics/rental_assistance/tenantrights

    Episode 133: Buying or Renting a Home, Part 1: The Big Picture

  3. Sep 17

    Episode 132: Avoid Student Loan Scams: How Enforcement Actions Help Borrowers

    Press Release: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/news/2026/idfpr---idfpr-takes-action-against-unlicensed-student-loan-debt-.html Please note: under the Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act, entities providing debt settlement services in Illinois generally must be licensed by IDFPR, subject to certain statutory exemptions, including for attorneys, banks, and institutions of higher education, among others. Show Notes: Resources for checking licenses and reporting scams • IDFPR license lookup: https://idfpr.illinois.gov/checklicense.html • Illinois Attorney General Student Loan Helpline: https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/student-loan-debt-assistance/ • Illinois Secretary of State's Business Entity Search: https://apps.ilsos.gov/businessentitysearch/ • Federal Trade Commission's Fraud Report Portal: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ References • Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (n.d.-a). Student loan servicers. https://idfpr.illinois.gov/banks/student-loan-servicers.html • Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. (n.d.-b). Consumer credit. https://idfpr.illinois.gov/dfi/ccd/ccd-main.html • Illinois Administrative Code, tit. 38, § 145.5 (2023). Purpose and definitions, Debt Settlement Consumer Protection Act rules. https://www.law.cornell.edu/regulations/illinois/IL-Admin-Code-38-145-5 • Illinois Attorney General's Office. (2026). Student lending. https://www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/student-loan-debt-assistance/ • Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act, 110 Ill. Comp. Stat. 983, as amended by Public Act 104-0504 (2025). https://ilga.gov/Legislation/PublicActs/View/104-0504 • Consumer Finance Monitor. (2022, July 27). Illinois provides guides and templates for Know Before You Owe Private Education Loan Act reporting requirements. Ballard Spahr LLP. https://www.consumerfinancemonitor.com/2022/07/27/illinois-provides-guides-and-templates-for-know-before-you-owe-private-education-loan-act-reporting-requirements/ • Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. (2021, August 26). Student lending: Illinois enacts 'Know Before You Owe' law. https://www.manatt.com/insights/newsletters/financial-services-law/student-lending-illinois-enacts-know-before-you-o • Federal Trade Commission. (2023, June 14). FTC sends more than $3.3 million to consumers harmed by student loan debt relief scam [Press release]. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2023/06/ftc-sends-more-33-million-consumers-harmed-student-loan-debt-relief-scam • Federal Student Aid. (n.d.). How to avoid student loan forgiveness scams. U.S. Department of Education. https://studentaid.gov/articles/avoid-student-loan-forgiveness-scams/ • Young, J. R. (2026, April 30). Fake student loan debt offers proliferate as federal government rolls back enforcement. The Hechinger Report. https://hechingerreport.org/fake-student-loan-debt-offers-proliferate-as-federal-government-rolls-back-enforcement/

    Episode 132: Avoid Student Loan Scams: How Enforcement Actions Help Borrowers

  4. Sep 4

    Episode 131: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why it Works, Part 3: Know the Game

    Show Notes: Chaudhry, S., & Kulkarni, C. (2021). Design patterns of investing apps and their effects on investing behaviors. In Proceedings of the 2021 ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference (DIS '21) (pp. 777–788). https://doi.org/10.1145/3461778.3462008 Dickinson, D. (2026). Dark patterns and consumer protection law for app makers. Consumer Law Review. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/400702824_Dark_Patterns_and_Consumer_Protection_Law_for_App_Makers Farronato, C., Fong, J., & Larkin, I. (2025). Designing consent: Choice architecture and consumer welfare. Management Science. https://doi.org/10.1145/3736252.3742627 International Organization of Securities Commissions. (2023). Online choice architecture: How digital design is used to influence investors (IOSCO PD794). https://www.iosco.org/news/pdf/IOSCONEWS688.pdf Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, fast and slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Lai, L. (2024). Playful finance: Gamification and intermediation in fintech. Journal of Financial Regulation, 10(1), 1–35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfr.2023.100174 Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O. S. (2014). The economic importance of financial literacy: Theory and evidence. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(1), 5–44. https://doi.org/10.1257/jel.52.1.5 Madrian, B. C., & Shea, D. F. (2001). The power of suggestion: Inertia in 401(k) participation and savings behavior. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(4), 1149–1187. https://doi.org/10.1162/003355301753265543 Mathur, A., Mayer, J., & Kshirsagar, M. (2019). Dark patterns at scale: Findings from a crawl of 11K shopping websites. Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction, 3(CSCW), 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1145/3359183 Rakovic, M., & Inal, Y. (2023). Dark finance: Exploring deceptive design in investment apps. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 170, Article 102944. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhcs.2022.102944 UK Financial Conduct Authority. (2024, July). Review of online choice architecture and vulnerability [Regulatory discussion paper]. https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publications/review-of-online-choice-architecture-and-vulnerability/ Savitha, B., & Hawaldar, I. T. (2022). What motivates individuals to use FinTech budgeting applications? Evidence from India during the COVID-19 pandemic. Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2127482 Thaler, R. H. (2015). Misbehaving: The making of behavioral economics. W. W. Norton & Company. Thaler, R. H., & Sunstein, C. R. (2008). Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. Yale University Press. Veigas, P. (2023). A comprehensive analysis of the user experience in digital platforms concerning the practice of nudging user behaviour. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 104, Article 101986. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2023.101986 Report a Dark Pattern with the FDIC: https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/

    Episode 131: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why it Works, Part 3: Know the Game

  5. Jul 28

    Episode 130: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior & Why it Works - Part 2, Designed to Spend

    Show notes: - SMMC Investing Web Page: https://www.studentmoney.uillinois.edu/learn/investing - Get Savvy Webinars on Investing: o Investing 101 – Wealth Building Basics: https://youtu.be/o2SNtTE2ZC4 o Investing 102 – Risks & Rewards: https://youtu.be/TCcp5qdsnGk?si=JW5LSxqkDkaCe9KB - SMMC Blog Posts: o Want to Start Investing? Read This First: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/2032887516 o Stocks vs. Crypto: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1168754267 o Ready to Invest? Here’s How to Actually Get Started: https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1951795281

    Episode 130: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior & Why it Works - Part 2, Designed to Spend

  6. Jul 10

    Episode 129: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why It Works Part 1: The Invisible Nudge

    Hershfield, H.E., et al. (2011). Increasing Saving Behavior Through Age-Progressed Renderings of the Future Self. Journal of Marketing Research, 48(SPL), S23–S37. Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O.S. (2014). The Economic Importance of Financial Literacy: Theory and Evidence. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(1), 5–44. Madrian, B.C., & Shea, D.F. (2001). The Power of Suggestion: Inertia in 401(k) Participation and Savings Behavior. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(4), 1149–1187. Thaler, R.H. (2015). Misbehaving: The Making of Behavioral Economics. W. W. Norton & Company. Thaler, R.H., & Sunstein, C.R. (2008). Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. Yale University Press.

    Episode 129: How App Design Shapes Financial Behavior and Why It Works Part 1: The Invisible Nudge

  7. Jun 15

    Episode 128: Comparing Private Education Loans

    Pellegrini, A. (2026, January 26). Comparing private student loans. University of Illinois System Student Money Management Center Blog. https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/54213092   Prior Relevant Episodes: Student Loan Management Transitioning in 2026 (ep. 126). https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/280186564 The Role of Loan Servicers (ep. 114). https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/681485881 Back to School: College and Credit (ep. 90). https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1942070018 The Impact of Compound Interest (ep. 70). https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/650946740   Other References: Hanson, M. (2025, October 21). Total student loan debt in the United States. EducationData.org. https://educationdata.org/total-student-loan-debt   National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. (2024). You have questions, we have answers: Making sense of the student loan changes from OBBBA's RISE Committee. https://www.nasfaa.org/news-item/37700   U.S. Department of Education. (2024). U.S. Department of Education concludes negotiated rulemaking session to implement One Big Beautiful Bill Act loan provisions. https://www.ed.gov/about/news/press-release/us-department-of-education-concludes-negotiated-rulemaking-session-implement-one-big-beautiful-bill-acts-loan-provisions     University of Illinois System Resources: University of Illinois System. Know what you owe. https://paymybill.uillinois.edu/student_loans/know_what_you_owe   University of Illinois Chicago, Office of Student Financial Aid. Alternative loans. https://financialaid.uic.edu/types-of-aid/loans/alternative-loans/   University of Illinois Springfield, Office of Financial Aid. Private student loans. https://www.uis.edu/financial-aid/types-aid/loans/private-loans   University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Office of Student Financial Aid. Alternative educational loans. https://osfa.illinois.edu/types-of-aid/loans/types-of-loans/alternative-educational-loans/

    Episode 128: Comparing Private Education Loans

  8. May 29

    Episode 127: What happens to the data you feed LLMs?

    Show Notes & References Resources mentioned in this episode: Tither, E. (2025, December 10). ⁠⁠What happens to the data you feed LLMs?⁠⁠ University of Illinois System, Student Money Management Center. https://blogs.uofi.uillinois.edu/view/7550/1055573584 Chen, K., Zhou, X., Lin, Y., Feng, S., Shen, L., & Wu, P. (2025). A survey on privacy risks and protection in large language models. ⁠⁠Journal of King Saud University – Computer and Information Sciences⁠⁠, ⁠⁠37⁠⁠(7). https://doi.org/10.1007/s44443-025-00177-1 Farooqui, A. (2025, February 12). ⁠⁠Samsung lets employees use ChatGPT again after secret data leak in 2023⁠⁠. SamMobile. https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-lets-employees-use-chatgpt-again-after-secret-data-leak-in-2023/ Han, X., Peng, H., & Liu, M. (2025). The impact of GenAI on learning outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis of experimental studies. ⁠⁠Educational Research Review⁠⁠, 100714. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2025.100714 Imperial War Museums. (2018). ⁠⁠How Alan Turing cracked the enigma code⁠⁠. https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-alan-turing-cracked-the-enigma-code Kwak, R. (2023, November 30). ⁠⁠Announcing Microsoft Copilot with Data Protection⁠⁠. Technology Services, University of Illinois. https://www.techservices.illinois.edu/2023/11/30/announcing-microsoft-copilot-with-data-protection/ Kwak, R. (2025, November 11). ⁠⁠ChatGPT arrives at U of I⁠⁠. Technology Services, University of Illinois. https://www.techservices.illinois.edu/2025/11/11/chatgpt-arrives-at-u-of-i/ Microsoft 365, Copilot with Data Protection – AI Chat for the Web. (2024). University of Illinois System KnowledgeBase. https://answers.uillinois.edu/133037 OpenAI. (2023). ⁠⁠Privacy policy⁠⁠. https://openai.com/en-GB/policies/row-privacy-policy/ Ray, S. (2023, May 2). ⁠⁠Samsung bans ChatGPT among employees after sensitive code leak⁠⁠. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2023/05/02/samsung-bans-chatgpt-and-other-chatbots-for-employees-after-sensitive-code-leak/ Yao, Y., Duan, J., Xu, K., Cai, Y., Sun, Z., & Zhang, Y. (2024). A survey on large language model (LLM) security and privacy: The good, the bad, and the ugly. ⁠⁠High-Confidence Computing⁠⁠, ⁠⁠4⁠⁠(2), 100211. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hcc.2024.100211

    Episode 127: What happens to the data you feed LLMs?
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Podcast by Making Cents of Money

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  • Creator
    Making Cents of Money
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    134
  • Rating
    Clean
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    © All rights reserved
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    Making Cents of Money