NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

Learn 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 Locked Out: 3 Outdated Myths About Manufactured Homes: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/news/locked-out-manufactured-homes-affordable-housing-crisis Best 0% APR Credit Cards of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

Learn 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

Learn 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

Learn 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

Hear money lessons from NerdWallet moms and learn how to budget for healthcare on a high-deductible plan. What does motherhood teach you about money? In honor of Mother's Day, hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola gather money lessons from NerdWallet moms — including Erin El Issa, Amanda Barroso, Kate Ashford, and Pamela de la Fuente — as well as from Sean's mom, Jeanne. They explore the pressure to keep up with influencers and other parents, the costly belief that core childhood memories can be bought, the role allowances play in helping kids feel the weight of their own money, and what becoming a parent reveals about long-term saving. How do you budget for healthcare when your employer switches you to a high-deductible plan and bills are coming in faster than you can build up your HSA? Sean and Elizabeth are joined by personal finance writer Kate Ashford to answer a question from a listener whose routine doctor visit ballooned from a $30 quote to nearly $500 out of pocket. They dig into the triple tax advantages of HSAs, the math behind comparing high-deductible and traditional coverage, why the first year on an HDHP can feel especially brutal, and what to do when medical expenses outpace your savings. 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