The Next Step: Leaping to Adulthood

Nichole Harken
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Think of this as Adulting 101. This podcast is focused on everything you *should* learn in school - but you likely didn't.  What EXACTLY is a deducible?  How does insurance ACTUALLY work?  What is the difference between a defined-benefit and defined-contribution plan? What does a good job offer look like?  How do I negotiate a job? We'll cover these topics AND more. We'll break down complicated concepts with industry professionals - you know, like what are the differences between a HMO, PPO, and HSA? Discover more about the Next Step Program here. Get the book here!

  1. 4d ago

    Episode 25: Moving Carriers, Meeting Agents-Megan Maps it All, Part 2

    In this final of a two-part series you get to hear more from Megan Schofield about the four key types of insurance for people graduating college: life, property, auto, and commercial.  Key terms for life insurance are discussed and differentiated. When it comes to renters and homeowners policy, Megan explains the difference between liability, structural, and property. For auto insurance, Nikki and Megan discuss  insurance scores, liability, comprehensive, collision, and choosing deductibles. Commercial packages are touched on for those who are interested in entrepreneurship. They conclude that young adults should ask questions, review parents’ policies, and choose a transparent professional who fits their needs.

    27 min

  2. Jun 4

    Episode 24: Moving Carriers, Meeting Agents-Megan Maps it All, Part

    On the Next Step podcast, former student Megan Schofield (UNI ’08) describes her career path from communications/public relations to collegiate athletics, marketing leadership, to entrepreneur!  In this episode, Megan explains how to choose an insurer carrier and emphasizes agents’ role in guiding clients through claims, policy understanding, and switching agents or carriers when needed

    21 min

  3. May 28

    Episode 23: Insurance Guy Steve Wraps it Up

    In the final of a three-part series, Nikki and Steve discuss insurance and credit scores. The conversation emphasizes how inconvenient claims can be and shifts to liability coverage, urging listeners to know about their "three number" liability. Especially because medical costs can quickly exceed low limits. For final advice to young adults, they advise renter's insurance, talking to an agent, understanding chosen coverages, and selecting a reputable company.

    15 min

  4. May 21

    Episode 22: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Beyond Terms

    The second of a three-part series, the host and Insurance Guy Steve explore why insurance premiums and claim payouts change, noting that people often blame insurers without understanding broader factors. It describes how premiums are regionalized based on local risk and how insurers rely heavily on investment returns to meet solvency requirements. The discussion delves deeper into deductibles. Finally, it contrasts replacement cost versus actual cash value policies, showing how depreciation can greatly reduce roof claim payouts.

    21 min

  5. May 14

    Episode 21: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Terms

    Episode 21 of the Next Step podcast begins a three-part series on insurance basics with guest Steve, an “insurance guy” with nearly 20 years in the industry. The discussion explains why insurance feels like a “necessary evil” and traces its origins to ancient merchants spreading cargo risk, defining insurance as transferring risk to a larger pool. Key terms are clarified: premium, term, policy, claim/loss, and adjuster/adjustment. They stress the value of talking to an agent, gap insurance, rental/roadside coverage, and storm-related claims.

    30 min

  6. May 7

    Episode 20: Owe, Grow, Give, Live-Budgeting with Brittany

    Brittany Heard, a financial advisor at Foster Group in Des Moines, shares how a PR degree led her from event planning to PR work and into insurance and finance, which she enjoys for its mix of relationship-building and analytical planning. Nikki and Brittany discuss how digital banking has changed spending habits, the importance of budgeting from net pay, and how pay frequency affects monthly calculations. Brittany introduces a simple framework—“owe, grow, give, live”—to organize debt payments, saving/retirement, philanthropy, and living expenses, emphasizing budgets must be reviewed and adjusted.

    21 min

  7. May 5

    Episode 19: Credit Scores with Bad Banker Ben, Part 2 of 2

    Episode 19 of the Next Step podcast concludes a conversation with Ben Anderson of empeople Credit Union about maintaining and repairing credit scores, especially for college students. He discusses student loans as a long-term burden, recommending not sacrificing current financial stability to pay them off early.For monitoring, he suggests quarterly score updates from card issuers, reviewing reports with a banker when applying for loans, and using annualcreditreport.com for free reports. He strongly urges freezing credit with all three bureaus to prevent identity theft.

    15 min

  8. Apr 30

    Episode 18: Credit Scores with Bad Banker Ben, Part 1 of 2

    In Episode 18 of the Next Step podcast, the host welcomes Ben Anderson (“Bad Banker Ben”), with empeople Credit Union, to discuss credit scores. Ben explains why credit scores were created to replace biased lending decisions, tracing history from the origins in the 1950s to today. He explains that what counts as a “good” score shifts with economic conditions and details how credit scores affect approval, loan size, and interest rates alongside debt-to-income ratio. A bonus episode will cover student loans, repairing credit, and monitoring scores.

    21 min
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About

Think of this as Adulting 101. This podcast is focused on everything you *should* learn in school - but you likely didn't.  What EXACTLY is a deducible?  How does insurance ACTUALLY work?  What is the difference between a defined-benefit and defined-contribution plan? What does a good job offer look like?  How do I negotiate a job? We'll cover these topics AND more. We'll break down complicated concepts with industry professionals - you know, like what are the differences between a HMO, PPO, and HSA? Discover more about the Next Step Program here. Get the book here!

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