Learn how divorce can reshape your finances and what steps to take when legal fees and child support strain your budget.

What does divorce mean for your financial life? How do you rebuild when child support and rent are already eating up half your income? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by personal finance Nerd Kim Palmer to tackle a listener's question about surviving the financial reality of a split. Kim walks through what to prioritize when a marriage ends, the real cost of divorce, and how to find room in your budget when housing, child support, and legal fees are all competing for the same paycheck. Elizabeth shares her own experience navigating divorce as a first-time parent, and Sean reflects on the major financial turning points in his life, discussing how big changes can become unexpected opportunities to reset your goals and rebuild on your own terms.

Best Debt Settlement Companies of 2026: Compare Fees and Savings https://www.nerdwallet.com/personal-loans/learn/best-debt-settlement-companies 

National Debt Relief https://www.nationaldebtrelief.com/ 

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

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how data centers could be raising your utility bills. Plus: how to use a sinking fund strategy to pay your bills.

What does it actually cost your community when a hyperscale AI data center moves in nearby? Senior news writer Anna Helhoski joins host Sean Pyles, CFP®, to break down the growing national backlash against data centers. They discuss what costs communities are left to shoulder — from unexpected spikes in electricity bills to strained water supplies and persistent noise pollution — and why the economic benefits towns were promised may not measure up to what residents end up paying.

Once your savings buckets are set up, how do you actually pay your bills without the whole system falling apart? Sean and his fellow host Elizabeth Ayoola tackle listener questions about the most overlooked piece of the sinking fund strategy: managing payments across multiple accounts. They dig into why putting everything on one credit card can become a bookkeeping headache, what it means if you keep pulling from one bucket to cover another, and how your rewards card strategy could actually be working against your savings goals.

Read senior news writer Anna Helhoski's full investigation into the hidden costs of data centers: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/news/data-center-costs 

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

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how to decide if a travel card's annual fee is worth it and which card suits occasional flyers.

What does it take for a travel credit card's annual fee to actually pay off? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola help listener Lacey understand whether annual fees would be worth her paying for premium travel credit cards, despite only flying home a few times a year. Sally French, travel credit card expert and co-host of the Smart Travel podcast, joins to walk through the cards Lacey already carries and explains what to consider before committing to any annual-fee card. She also discusses why transfer partners matter for cards like the Chase Sapphire Preferred and the single gut-check question to ask yourself before signing up for any annual-fee card.

Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred Review: Strong Option for Travel Rewards

• Delta SkyMiles Gold AmEx Review: Pricey for What You Get

• Bank of America Customized Cash Rewards Review: Choose Your Own Bonus Category

• World of Hyatt Card Review: Lavish Benefits, Reasonable Cost

• American Express Gold Card Review: Friendly for Foodies, Families

• Apple Card Review: Extra Rewarding for Apple Fans

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 

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. 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 budget for dropping to one income with a baby on the way. Plus: what's really happening to the 50+ workforce?

What's driving the labor force participation rate to a 50-year low — and what does it mean for the more than one million Americans aged 54 and up who are still looking for work? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by news colleague Rick VanderKnyff and Gary A. Officer, president and CEO of CWI Works, to dig into the real challenges facing older workers today. They cover why age discrimination costs the U.S. economy an estimated $850 billion a year, how AI anxiety is hitting older workers in physically demanding jobs hardest, why the barriers to re-entering the workforce after retirement are steeper than most people realize, and what a 27% long-term unemployment rate among older Americans says about who the job market is actually built for.

When you're expecting your first baby and planning to leave the workforce, how do you know your finances are truly ready for the shift to one income? Sean and Elizabeth sit down with listener Paige, who has over a year of expenses saved and around $100,000 in retirement funds but is still anxious about the jump. They tackle the specific decisions she's wrestling with: what to do about retirement contributions when one partner stops working, which expenses could be safely cut before baby arrives, whether her current life insurance coverage is adequate for a growing family, and how to build a realistic picture of what her budget could look like once the paycheck disappears this fall.

Use NerdWallet's 50/30/20 budget calculator to see how your needs, wants, and savings stack up: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/nerdwallet-budget-calculator 

Estimate how much life insurance your family could need with NerdWallet's calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/insurance/life/learn/how-much-life-insurance-do-i-need 

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

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Learn how couples can budget around inconsistent income and navigate the financial and emotional strain it can create.

What can you do when your partner's income is too unpredictable to plan around? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola answer a question from a listener who is struggling to cover household bills because her spouse's income fluctuates week to week. They examine the financial mechanics of the situation — from which budgeting frameworks could bring more stability to an irregular income household, to whether separate accounts might protect your finances, and what to consider when the budget feels like there's nowhere left to cut. 

Then, they get into the messier emotional questions: how this kind of financial imbalance could shift the power dynamic in a relationship, what a "funder and beneficiary" dynamic looks like and when it tips into unhealthy territory, and what it takes to have honest money conversations with your partner before financial stress erodes the trust between you. Sean and Elizabeth also draw on NerdWallet's 2026 Dating Dealbreaker survey, which found that 46% of Americans say a partner asking to borrow money is a dealbreaker in a romantic relationship.

Sign up for the Smart Money newsletter for bonus content and behind-the-scenes updates from Sean and Elizabeth: https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ 

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

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can you really overhaul 50 years of money habits — and are the drivers paying the highest prices per gallon actually the ones hurting most from rising gas prices?

Host Sean Pyles, CFP© and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by senior news writer Anna Helhoski and joined by data studies Nerd, Kurt Woock, to unpack why the price on the sign at the gas station doesn't tell the whole story about how gas prices hit your budget. They break down why states like Wyoming, Oklahoma, Montana and Utah saw the biggest jumps in weekly gas spending this year — even though they don't have the highest prices at the pump — and why total spending, not the price per gallon, is what really matters when you're budgeting.

Then, Sean and Elizabeth answer a question from a 50-year-old listener named David, who's trying to reset a lifetime of impulse spending and build a real retirement plan on a later timeline. They walk through catch-up contributions for IRAs, 401(k)s and HSAs, why automated savings buckets and an emergency fund matter more than ever at this stage, and how to think through the tradeoffs of claiming Social Security early versus waiting.

Gas Costs (Not Just Pump Prices) Hit Some States Harder: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/2026-gas-prices-costs

Catch-Up Contributions: How They Work and 2026 Limits: https://www.nerdwallet.com/retirement/learn/catch-up-contributions

Average Retirement Savings by Age: https://www.nerdwallet.com/retirement/learn/the-average-retirement-savings-by-age-and-why-you-need-more

Retirement Calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/calculators/retirement-calculator

How to Invest With Your HSA — And Why You Should: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/how-to-invest-hsa

NerdWallet Wealth Partners, fee-only financial advisors: https://nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/smart

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

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 [email protected].

Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it time to ditch multiple bank accounts for an all-in-one hybrid account — and how do you transition to joint accounts with a partner without making a mess of your finances?

Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by banking Nerd Chanelle Bessette to answer a question about consolidating banking at one institution while also opening a joint account with a partner. They compare hybrid cash management accounts like Wealthfront Cash against traditional online banks like Ally and SoFi, walk through FDIC insurance limits for individual and joint accounts, and share best practices for merging finances with a partner for the first time, including how to divide contributions equitably and why it's probably still smart to keep an account of your own.

Then, Sean and Elizabeth compare notes on their recent solo trips to Chicago, swapping recommendations on where to eat, walk and spend money in Sean's hometown.

Wealthfront Cash Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/wealthfront-cash-account

Ally Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/ally-bank

SoFi Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/sofi

Joint Bank Accounts: How and When They Work: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/learn/joint-checking-account

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 [email protected].

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'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 [email protected].

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 build wealth while staying true to your social values and choosing meaningful work over maximum pay.

Can you be both wealthy and ethical? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola tackle a question from a nurse who earns less than her peers by choosing to work at a public safety-net hospital and deliberately charges minimal fees to teach wilderness medicine to nonprofits. They explore the tension people in service-oriented careers often feel when it comes to building personal wealth, including which strategies could help you earn more without abandoning your mission. They also discuss which financial tools — from retirement plans designed for public-sector workers to ways of investing that align with your values — could help you grow wealth while staying true to what you stand for. Plus: an accountability update from Sean and Elizabeth on their January goals.

Find out what ESG investing could look like for your portfolio with our beginner's guide: https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/learn/esg-investing 

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected].

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 approach finances if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with neurodivergency or had a brain injury.

Not everyone thinks in the same way, so what are some strategies for folks with neurodivergence or brain injuries to help them manage their finances? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by Dr. Christine Hargrove, clinical assistant professor and assistant director of Love and Money Center at the University of Georgia. She specializes in ADHD and finances, and talks through some of the ways that people struggle with financial tasks and suggests strategies to bring structure to this area of life. 

Some of the tips they share include setting reminders, creating a system so that you don’t feel overwhelmed throughout a process, and finding resources that can help you each step of the way.

Resources discussed in this episode:

• Find a CFA near you

• AnnualCreditReport.com

• Savvy Ladies

• Foundation for Financial Planning

• VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance)

• National Disability Institute

• Financial Planning Association

• AFC Directory

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 [email protected].

Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices