NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

NerdWallet Personal Finance
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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/

  1. 7H AGO

    What AI Gets Wrong About Your Money and What a New Study Reveals About Credit Card Debt

    New research upends assumptions about credit card debt, and we explore what AI gets wrong about money. Could you be making credit card debt worse without realizing it? Should you trust AI with your finances? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss the pros and cons of using AI for financial guidance. But first, senior news writer Anna Helhoski and NerdWallet writer Kurt Woock join them to unpack the findings of a new NerdWallet study that challenges common myths about credit card debt. They discuss why income is a poor predictor of who carries it, what expenses actually drive balances higher, and why Baby Boomers carry multi-card debt at surprisingly high rates. Then, Sean and Elizabeth sit down with Ryan Sterling, wealth advisor with NerdWallet Wealth Partners, to explore how large language models and agentic AI fit into your financial life, where DIY money managers and delegators diverge, what "human value" a financial planner provides that no chatbot can, and how to think about AI-generated answers when your money is on the line. 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  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

    41 min
  2. You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    7H AGO ·  BONUS

    You Might Also Like: The Oprah Podcast

    Introducing Oprah with Belle Burden on the Collapse of Her 20 Year Marriage & Her Bestselling Memoir from The Oprah Podcast. Follow the show: The Oprah Podcast It’s the new memoir that has captured the attention of women and as Oprah describes, “everyone is talking about it." From the outside, Belle Burden seemed to have the perfect life: three thriving kids, a happy marriage and a summer home on the island of Martha’s Vineyard. Then, one day, she gets a phone call that shatters everything she believed to be true about her marriage and her life. Oprah sits down with Belle to talk about the devastation that followed the shocking end of her marriage and how she slowly rebuilt her life into something better than she could have imagined. Drawing on revelations shared in her New York Times bestseller, Strangers: A Memoir of a Marriage, Belle tells Oprah how her prestigious family pedigree couldn’t protect her from the pain of divorce. She also explains how sharing her story has empowered her to become the person she was meant to be. BUY THE BOOK! https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/760850/strangers-by-belle-burden/ Vote now to support The Oprah Podcast for the Webby Awards https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2026/podcasts/individual-episode/interview-or-talk-show 00:00:00 - Welcome Belle Burden, author of ‘Strangers’ 00:03:30 - Belle learning of her husband’s affair 00:12:10 - After learning of the affair 00:16:00 - Being told she was crazy 00:17:48 - Telling their kids 00:25:00 - The search for why 00:26:15 - Is divorce worse than death? 00:27:40 - The shame of being left 00:30:35 - Why she wrote the NYT essay 00:34:00 - Her path forward 00:35:35 - Why she wrote the book 00:36:30 - What she hopes her book gives other women 00:38:50 - Her prenup 00:42:36 - Belle’s mother Amanda joins 00:46:15 - He didn’t want joint custody 00:49:20 - What she had to do every day 00:53:30 - How she feels now 01:01:22 - Belle on her book Follow Oprah Winfrey on Social: https://www.instagram.com/oprahpodcast/ https://www.facebook.com/oprahwinfrey/ Listen to the full podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/0tEVrfNp92a7lbjDe6GMLI https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-oprah-podcast/id1782960381 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

  3. 3D AGO

    Car Leasing vs. Buying: Hidden Fees, Dealer Agendas, and When to Buy Your Leased Car

    When your lease ends, should you lease again, buy the car, or return it and walk away? What is a car lease, and how do its true costs compare to financing? Sean Pyles, CFP®, Elizabeth Ayoola, and lead writer Shannon Bradley break down how car leases work — including money factors, residual values, mileage limits, and the acquisition fees dealers rarely tell you about. They also explore why leasing-then-buying a car typically costs more than financing from the start, when it makes sense to lease an EV, what to watch out for in dealer offers, and how tariffs may be affecting your end-of-lease options right now. For more information on the topics discussed in this episode: Should I Lease or Buy a Car? https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/7-lease-vs-buy-questions-right   Should I Buy My Leased Car? 5 Times to Say Yes https://www.nerdwallet.com/auto-loans/learn/5-times-buy-leased-car  How to Lease a Car: Everything You Need to Know https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/loans/auto-loans/7-steps-getting-great-auto-lease-deal  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

    34 min

  4. MAR 26

    Are Corporate Investors Wrecking Housing? Plus How to Date Without Wrecking Your Budget

    Big investors aren’t wrecking housing the way you think they are, and dating on a budget could be more romantic than you think. What role do corporate investors actually play in making homes unaffordable, and would banning them fix the problem? We examine the data behind one of housing’s most contentious debates with senior news writer Anna Helhoski and mortgage writers Abby Badach Doyle and Kate Wood, who look at why institutional investors have become a political flashpoint, what the proposed investor ban in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act would actually mean for everyday buyers, and what the numbers reveal about who really owns most investor-held single-family homes in America.  How do you keep dating from draining your budget when you feel the pressure to spend? Host Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola dig into a listener’s question about navigating dating with traditional values, including the expectation to pay for everything and where romance fits into a healthy financial plan. They explore how to make meaningful, lower-cost dates work without seeming cheap, what “equal versus equitable” looks like when two people with different incomes are dating, and when the right moment is to bring up money with someone you’re seriously considering building a future with. What Is the Housing for the 21st Century Act? https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/news/locked-out-housing-for-the-21st-century-act  Survey: Most Say Men Should Pay for First Date in Hetero Couples https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/survey-pay-for-date  Survey: 17% of Americans Say Credit Card Debt Is a Dating Dealbreaker https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/2026-dating-dealbreakers  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

    35 min

  5. MAR 23

    Talking Taxes With a Tax Professional: What's New in 2026 and How to Navigate Filing Season

    A tax expert breaks down what's new for the 2026 tax filing season and how to decide between a CPA and DIY software. What do you actually need to know about filing your 2025 taxes? When is it actually worth hiring a CPA instead of going it alone? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with Tom O'Saben, and enrolled agent and director of tax content for the National Association of Tax Professionals, to explore what changed under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. They discuss new rules around tips, overtime pay, car loan interest deductions, and an expanded SALT deduction that could shift the math on whether itemizing makes sense for you. They also dig into how major life changes like getting married, starting a business, or moving to a new state can create unexpected tax complications — and how to make sure nothing falls through the cracks. Plus: the common myths and costly mistakes that show up every year, options if you end up with a surprise tax bill, and what dealing with the IRS directly looks like now that the agency has cut more than a quarter of its staff. Federal Income Tax Calculator and Refund Estimator 2025-2026 https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/calculators/tax-calculator  Best Tax Software of 2026 https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/learn/best-tax-software  IRS Free File: What It Is, How It Works https://www.nerdwallet.com/taxes/learn/irs-free-file-tax-preparation-help  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

    33 min

  6. MAR 19

    Why Credit Report Errors Are Harder to Fix and How to Prepare for Involuntary Early Retirement

    Learn how to prepare for early retirement and deal with credit report errors that won’t go away. Why are credit report errors getting harder to fix? How do you prepare for retirement if you may have to stop working earlier than expected? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss early retirement planning to help you understand how to build a backup plan before an income shock forces your hand. But first, news writer Anna Helhoski joins Sean Pyles to discuss ProPublica’s reporting on weaker Consumer Financial Protection Bureau oversight and credit bureau complaint handling with Joel Jacobs, data reporter at ProPublica. They discuss falling relief rates at Experian and TransUnion, how errors can damage borrowing and housing options, and what records to keep when you challenge a mistake. Then, after a prompt from listener Lisa, Sean and Elizabeth discuss preparing for an early or forced retirement. They discuss how to pressure-test your nest egg with a CFP, how tools like the 72(t) rule and Social Security can help cover an income gap before age 59½, and how part-time work, lower debt, and cheaper housing can make an unexpected retirement more manageable. Thrivent article: https://www.thrivent.com/insights/social-security/social-security-break-even-point-what-it-is-how-to-calculate-yours#how-to-calculate 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

    37 min

  7. MAR 16

    Points and Miles vs Cash Back: Pick a Credit Card That Matches Your Spending

    Learn how to choose your next credit card by weighing airline perks, annual fees, and simple cash back rewards. How do you choose a credit card when the options feel endless? Should a family of four choose an airline credit card or a more flexible rewards card? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss travel rewards and everyday rewards to help you understand how to match a card to your real spending habits. Joined by credit card Nerd Sara Rathner, they discuss how co-branded airline cards differ from general travel cards, why store cards can be risky if you carry a balance, and how cash back cards can reward everyday spending like groceries and dining. They also discuss budgeting for annual fees, reevaluating cards at renewal time, tracking a sign-up bonus spending deadline without overspending, and what can happen to your credit score if you cancel or downgrade a card. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: NerdWallet’s 2026 Best-Of Awards Winners: Credit Cards Best Travel Credit Cards of March 2026 Best No Annual Fee Credit Cards of March 2026 Atmos Rewards Ascent Review: Well Worth $95 a Year  Chase Sapphire Reserve Review: A High-End, High-Maintenance Card  American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits  American Express Blue Cash Preferred Review  AmEx Blue Cash Everyday Review: Rewarding, for no annual fee  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

    32 min

  8. MAR 12

    Does Your Retirement Portfolio Match Your Values? Plus: Apple’s New MacBook Neo

    Learn what chip shortages could mean for tech prices and how to align your target-date fund with your values. Will chip shortages make laptops and phones more expensive? How can you make a Roth 403(b) target-date fund reflect your politics and values? Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola discuss values-based retirement investing to help you understand how to check what’s inside your portfolio and what options you have when your workplace plan feels limiting. But first, news editor Rick VanderKnyff and personal finance writer Tommy Tindall join Elizabeth to discuss the latest consumer tech headlines. They discuss the tentative Live Nation/Ticketmaster settlement and what it could change about fees, Apple’s new lineup including the budget MacBook Neo, and how an AI-driven memory chip crunch could push up PC and smartphone prices. Then, investing Nerd Bella Avila joins Sean and Elizabeth to discuss how to make your retirement portfolio better match your values without having to pick individual stocks. They discuss ways to find the “nested” funds and holdings inside a target-date fund, how to use tools like AI and third-party screeners to spot value conflicts and double-check what you find, and alternatives that may offer more control such as an IRA, a self-directed brokerage option in your plan, direct indexing, or a robo-advisor. Subscribe to MoneyNerd, our weekly email newsletter, at https://moneynerd-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

    32 min
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4.3
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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/

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