Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the likelihood we see an interest rate cut in December, why the stock market likes the idea of a rate cut, where people should be putting their money considering the volatility in the market, why consumer sentiment is down, his thoughts on the job data that was just released, and the importance of being a good, long-term investor.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a variety of topics in the automotive world including electric car sales dropping, his opinion for a good, mainstream electric vehicle, the health of the luxury EV market, the new mid-size Porsche EV, Toyota investing in hybrid production in the U.S., and Ford and Amazon teaming up to sell used cars online. Tom also answers all of your automotive questions.

Segment 1: Michelle Seiler, Real Estate Agent at Century 21, and President of the Addison Business Exchange, talks to John about the work that the Addison Business Exchange does, how the real estate market is doing in Addison, the impact interest rates are having on the real estate market, and why Addison is such a great place to do business.

Segment 2: Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief, ZDNET, joins John Williams to talk about what we should know about Google’s Gemini 3, and a new app that lets you ‘talk’ to dead relatives.

Segment 3: Kimberly Bares, CEO, Magnificent Mile Association, tells John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about this year’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival! Kimberly also talks about the economic impact and what it means for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.

Segment 4: Sarah Foster, Economic Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to talk about the September jobs report being released today, the overall health of the labor market, and what she expects the Fed to do with interest rates in December.  

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about why everybody is watching Nvidia earnings, why the market has dipped recently, the two big ‘ifs’ hanging over the market, and what to know about RMD time. Terry, as always, answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Ryan Messner, President of Long Grove’s Historic Downtown Business Association, joins John Williams to talk about all the holiday festivities the town has planned for the upcoming holidays.

Segment 2: Matt Schultz, LendingTree Chief Consumer Finance Analyst, talks with John about a new Lending Tree survey that shows Thanksgiving hosts are expected to spend an average of $487 on food, drinks and decor this year— up 13% from last year.

Segment 2: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John Williams to talk about why the market has been dropping the last few days, the importance of understanding the market and knowing what you own, the anticipation for the results of Nvidia earnings, what will happen when job data is released following the government shutdown, if he sees inflation coming down after President Trump rolled back some tariffs, and if there is a sector he’s bullish on right now.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about 53% of U.S. homes losing value in the past year, and some Chicago homeowners seeing a sizeable jump in their property taxes.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Rivian Automotive announcing a spin off company called Mind Robotics, Uber Freight partnering with Better Trucks, and IonQ opening a quantum computing center at the University of Chicago.

Segment 3: Isaac Reichman, Director, Corporate Communications, Choose Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about the strong convention business happening in Chicago this fall, and the economic impact of these conventions coming to the city.

Segment 1: Brian Speers, Wealth Management Advisor at Merrill Lynch joins John joins John to break down retirement planning strategies across generations, from Gen Z just starting out to Baby Boomers watching their spending in retirement. Brian explains why tackling high-interest debt first, using Roth accounts early, and building long-term saving habits can make all the difference, and why even late-career workers may benefit from part-time income.

Segment 2: Linda Bell, Home Lending Expert, Bankrate, joins John to talk about why so many homeowners are overpaying on their property taxes and how to successfully appeal an assessment. Linda walks listeners through reviewing a property record card, gathering evidence, and deciding whether to DIY or hire help.

Segment 3: James Rodriguez, Senior Reporter, Business Insider, joins John to discuss the rise and fall of “Zoom towns,” the warm-weather cities that saw explosive growth during the pandemic. James explains how migration to places like Austin, Tampa, Phoenix, and Atlanta drove prices sky-high and why cooling demand, increased inventory, and stalled mobility have now flipped the script, keeping Midwest markets like Chicago surprisingly strong.

Segment 4: Matt Adams, principal at Deloitte Consulting, joins John to preview the 2025 holiday shopping season. Matt shares Deloitte’s latest findings showing Chicago consumers plan to spend 11% less this year, explains the rise of value-seeking behavior and gift-card giving, and breaks down why early October deal days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday still dominate holiday spending patterns.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about maximizing your social security. And John and Terry are delighted to be joined by Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics at Boston University, president of Economic Security Planning, and a New York Times best-selling author for today’s special edition of the Noon Business Lunch. Terry, John, and Larry discuss the reasons why you should wait until 70 to take Social Security.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about a recent speech he gave to Google about the disconnect between executives, managers and HR/ recruiting when it comes to hiring. Tom says communication without fear is what separates the good companies from the great companies.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the team leadership lessons that can be drawn from the extraordinary performance of LA Dodger Shohei Ohtani in the 2025 postseason.

Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about the Trump administration floating the idea of a 50-year mortgage, Laura Ricketts effort to get $13 million back from the builders of her lakefront Wilmette mansion over what she considered construction defects concluding with an arbitration panel determining she was due something more like $600,000, Chicago-area luxury home sales breaking the annual record with 7 weeks still to go, and a Lake Geneva home selling for $10.3 million.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market being up a bit today, the latest on a possible end to the government shutdown, consumer debt being very high right now, and how ICE / Border Patrol activity is causing economic mayhem in certain areas of Chicago.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Argonne and NVIDIA are teaming up on an AI supercomputer for the Department of Energy, Chicago Blend landing a multiyear grant to continue its efforts to diversify Chicago’s venture capital scene, and Letter AI raising $10.6 million to bring generative AI to sales teams.

Segment 3: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s October Small Business Index. 

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about what’s weighing on the market this week, how the government shutdown has been impacting the economy, his thoughts on the Supreme Court hearing on the Trump administration’s tariff power, why he thinks the Fed will cut rates again in December, the market still being powered by AI enthusiasm, the concern about the labor market, and what people should be doing with their money right now and why it might be time to rebalance your portfolio.

Segment 2: Brendan Shea, Founder & Creative Director at Sunup, talks to John about their Chicago-based marketing firm, the various clients they serve, how they are able to find their clients, how they have embraced AI, how other companies are using advances in AI to better serve their clients, and how their company is giving their clients a competitive edge.

Segment 3: Lori Hendren, AARP Illinois Senior Associate State Director, Outreach and Advocacy, joins John Williams to talk about November being National Family Caregivers Month and new data that shows 23% of adults in Illinois provide unpaid care. Lori breaks down the data and explains how AARP is fighting to provide greater financial relief and support for caregivers.