You've most likely got them on your phone before. Text messages appearing to be from legitimate companies like your bank, or maybe even Amazon. The messages seem urgent, like telling you someone made a fraudulent transaction from your checking account. Or, you've missed an important delivery and you're asked to click a link for more information. It's called "brand impersonation." Today, we're talking to Rob Shavell. He's a online privacy expert from DeleteMe. He tells us brand impersonation scams have become more sophisticated. But there are some things you can do to recognize the scam and to ..read more

In honor of Mother’s Day, which is right around the corner, we are celebrating moms. Our guest today is Julie Roy, a self-proclaimed serial entrepreneur, wife, and mom of four. She’s also the is the author of "The Multi-Million Dollar Mompreneur." We’re chatting with her about her journey to financial freedom, setting goals, making connections, and the desire to have it all ..read more

It's a word we seem to hear a lot these days: Inflation. Everything from auto insurance to groceries have spike over the past few years. In fact, recent published reports indicate buying groceries have gone up a whopping 23 percent since the pandemic. That means what used to cost you $100 at the grocery store now costs $123. So, what can you do to save some money when it comes to buying food at the store? Today, Rachel West joins us on the On Your Side podcast. She's a registered dietician and editor for eMeals and has some creative ideas to make grocery shopping a little less painful ..read more

Prices are going up for pretty much everything. That includes subscriptions. Think about how many you have, from streaming services, to wholesale clubs, to gym memberships, and music.  According to tech site CNET, "subscription creep" is a very real thing and it’s eating into a lot of budgets. On average, we spend $91 bucks a month on subscription services. And nearly half of us have signed up for a free trial...and then we’ve forgotten to cancel it.   Today, we’re talking with Nick Wolney. He is CNET’s managing editor, and he’s going to walk us through ways to save on subscriptions ..read more

We earn. We save. We spend. But how much of that work are we sharing with our kids? April is Financial Literacy Month and our guest today is Sharon Lechter, the New York Times bestselling author of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad." She’s going to help us raise smart savers. We’ll talk about introducing basic financial concepts to little ones and how to get teens involved in big household decisions about money ..read more

Have you ever thought about how much fine print you actually encounter? From big purchases to smaller contracts, we sign our names on the dotted line a lot. The National Association of Consumer Advocates just issued a report showing some of the worst of the worst in standard form contracts that consumers regularly sign. So today, we’re chatting with the organization’s Christine Hines. She is a senior policy director. She’ll break down red flags to watch for and if there are actually ways around these contracts that may not be in your best interest ..read more

Chances are you have at least one if not more credit cards in your wallet. In fact, a recent report indicated that half of Americans have two or more credit cards. And rewards credit cards seem to be pretty popular with consumers. These kind of cards have perks like cash back or points that you can apply and reduce airfare. But with all the benefits, rewards credit cards come with some risk. Today, Richard Barrington joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He's a financial analyst for Credit Sesame and has worked for 30 years in the financial industry. He says rewards credit cards are deceptive ..read more

Getting a notice that your vehicle has some type of manufacturer recall is never good news. However, in most cases, dealerships can get you in and fix the problem for free. But, when they can't...that's a problem. Sometimes, parts are not available, leaving motorists driving a potentially dangerous vehicle. In fact, right now, there are 3.7 million vehicles that are on the road that have "Park Outside" recalls because they can catch on fire. So motorists are encouraged to not park in their garage.  Today, Mike Lavigne joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He's with Carfax, which just rele ..read more

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety just released its first results from tests on more than a dozen partial automation systems. What they found may be concerning and reveals there’s a lot of potential for drivers to misuse those features. Today, David Harkey joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He’s the President of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. We’re talking about how these safety features are tested and changes already on the horizon to make the road and your car safer for you ..read more

Rising interest rates have made all kinds of loans more expensive. They’ve also made lenders pickier about who actually gets money. A recent Bankrate survey shows half of people who’ve applied for a financial product have been denied since the Fed started raising rates in march of 2022. So today, we’re talking with Bankrate’s Sarah Foster about this trend. We discuss who’s mostly likely to be denied for loans and new credit cards and the ways you can improve your credit score to make you more credit-worthy.  ..read more