Noon Business Lunch

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the market being up again after President Trump announcing an extension on a ceasefire, why the market continues to zig-zag, if we are heading towards a health insurance crisis, and to answer all of your financial questions.

 Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about why learning proper social skills can help you succeed in business. Should we be teaching these social skills in school?

Segment 2: Alex Papadopoulos, President of Egéa Wealth Management and Egéa SRI (Socially Responsible Investments), joins John Williams to talk about how their investment firm focuses on sustainability and companies that are socially responsible. Alex says there is an appetite for this type of investing and why sustainable funds can be great for your portfolio.

Segment 3: Michael Lai, co-founder and CEO, SmartCustomer, talks to John about what Smart Customer does, their mission to keep shoppers safe online, their focus on authentic consumer reviews, how AI is confusing consumers, and how to keep yourself safe from falling prey to summer travel scams.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about the government opening their tariff refund portal, the NAR’s generational trends report, the challenges for first-time homebuyers, and the latest on the war in Iran and its impact on oil prices and the stock market.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Blockchain firm Ripple opening a big new office in River North, Chicago startups raising just $385M last quarter, and a Chicago fertility care startup raising $20M.

Segment 3: Tony Kahan, owner, Tide Laundromat in Portage Park, joins John to talk about how many Tide Laundromat locations are in Chicago right now, how the opportunity to work with Tide came about, the way they separate themselves from other laundromats around town, and how business has been going since they opened their new location in Portage Park.

Segment 1: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about how the market has soared since he was last on two weeks ago, if he still sees more market upside, why he believes the Fed should cut interest rates, the lack of concern about a temporary inflation hike, his belief that oil and gas prices will come down quickly, and what he’s telling his clients right now.

Segment 2: Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief credit analyst, joins John to break down a new Lending Tree study that shows 1 in 5 U.S. businesses close within the first year.

Segment 3: Cassandra Brown, Senior Vice President, Market Manager, Bank of America Chicago, tells John how to spend your tax refund wisely.

Segment 1: Jack Ablin, Founding Partner & Chief Investment Strategist, Cresset Capital, talks to John about how the market has been performing this week, his outlook for the market for the new few months, why he doesn’t see a credit crisis on the horizon, the overall health of the consumer, if he’s concerned about the federal deficit, his thoughts on a tenuous labor market, and what he would tell investors right now.

Segment 2: Emily Stewart, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, joins John to talk about why this summer might be the ‘summer of staycations.’

Segment 3: Mike Abt, Co-President of Abt Electronics, joins John this Earth month to talk about Abt’s recycling center and green initiatives.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about why Tax Day is her least favorite day of the year, how rising gas prices are impacting all aspects of the economy, why the stock market is still nearing all-time highs despite the war with Iran, and to answer all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Steve Alexander gives John an update on today’s market movement.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, tells John what businesses can learn from the failing U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Philippe says that cease-fire between the Trump administration and Iran offers a vivid, real-world case study in the complexities of negotiation—and the costly consequences of misalignment.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about the relative number of hours worked by American labor declining, the Fed’s effort to keep inflation down near 2%, and why the Fed looks at ‘core inflation’ when setting policy.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about consumer sentiment being at its lowest level ever, the concern over inflation, the most lucrative mountain towns in which to own an Airbnb, and why the markets have remained mostly resilient despite the war in Iran.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about the University of Chicago getting a $50M donation to recruit AI experts, and the state of VC funding in the Midwest.

Segment 3: Kelly Clancy, Lettuce Entertain You Restaurants’ Managing Partner and Divisional Supervisor for The Oakville Grill & Cellar, 167 Events and RPM Restaurants, joins John Williams to talk about Lettuce Entertain You’s sustainability efforts.

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about today’s hot inflation report, the three signs that the economy and markets are rebounding, the alarming rate of people taking early withdrawals from their 401k plans, why people should stay excited about the energy sector of the market, and why it could be a good time to rebalance your portfolio.

Segment 2: Mark Steber, Chief Tax Officer of Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, joins John Williams to talk about what we need to know as we approach the April 15th tax deadline.

Segment 3: Jeff Morse, Co-owner, Partners in Crime bookshop, joins John to talk about why he decided to open this bookshop, why they have a focus on the romance and mystery genres, the importance of creating a welcoming space for customers, the passion they see from Chicago book lovers, and how business has been going since they opened in February.

Segment 1: Stephen Kates, CFP, Financial Analyst, Bankrate, joins John Williams to preview tomorrow’s release of CPI data and talk about how sticky inflation is impacting homeowners.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about Artemis II astronauts using iPhones to capture stunning space images, and what we should know about Anthropic’s new AI model.

Segment 3: Aki Ito, Chief Correspondent at Business Insider, joins John Williams to talk about how many workers are taking a pay cut to stay employed.

Segment 4: Maran Nalluswami, Chief Strategy Officer, Synchrony, joins John to talk about the company’s Chicago footprint and why they were just ranked #1 on the Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For in the U.S.