Noon Business Lunch

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the markets being uncertain about Iran, a benign CPI report released this morning, housing simmering down, and the war in Iran having long-term economic consequences. Terry also talks about her recent column on the importance of estate planning and to answer all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Sarah Foster, Economic Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to talk about the rise of financial fraud and what you can do to protect yourself from becoming a victim.

Segment 2: Amanda Hoover, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John Williams about how hiring managers and recruiters are increasingly not relying on candidate resumes to fill vacant jobs.

Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about a number of his recent stories including Michael Jordan’s former Highland Park home being pulled from rental sites, a Lake Geneva-area mega deal, and how much home prices have gone up in the Chicago area.

Segment 1: Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor and Market Strategist, Murphy & Sylvest, joins John to talk about why he’s still bullish on the stock market, the economy being okay overall, the expectation that the war in Iran being relatively short, how inflation is impacting consumers, what the next move by the Fed will be, and what he’s telling investors right now.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Morningstar inking a $5M partnership with the University of Illinois designed to keep top talent in state, IBM making a startup investment in Chicago quantum startup Qodex

Segment 3: Stephen Oakes, General Manager, Carmine’s, tells John about the reopening of the iconic Chicago restaurant!

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the disappointing and surprising job report data, how the attack on Iran is impacting the economy, why we need to pay attention to the price of oil, why he’s still expecting economic growth this year, how the markets are reacting to geopolitical turmoil, what he’s expecting of inflation this year, and the three things he’s telling his clients right now.

Segment 2: Kristen Moore, Senior Vice President, Brixmor Property Group, talks to John about the properties that they own around the country, how business is going for them currently, and how their new restaurant and entertainment project in Naperville, Block 59.

Segment 3: Maura Keller, spokesperson, Old St. Patrick’s Church, tells John Williams everything you need to know about 2026 Irish Week festivities at Old St. Patrick’s Church.

Segment 1: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about how the attack on Iran has impacting the markets, why he’s not concerned about the volatility of the market, when oil prices will come down, what he expects from interest rates, and what he’s telling investors right now.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John everything to know about the debut of Apple’s budget MacBook Neo.

Segment 3: Mark Steber, Chief Tax Officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, talks to John about tax filing tips as we reach the halfway mark of this year’s tax season.

Segment 4: Dave Masa, Owner, Radon Reduction Systems, joins John Williams to talk about the Illinois Radon Protection Act and the importance of ensuring consistent radon testing standards in Illinois schools.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about how the stock market is working its way through the conflict in the Middle East, and what you should know if you are trying to ‘beat the market.’ Oh, and don’t forget you can join Terry (and Bob Sirott) on a trip to Spain! Details are here.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about the ‘no hire, no fire’ work environment, the demise of remote work, the impact of AI on the economy and jobs, and how geopolitical uncertainty could be good for the labor market.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about how travel budgets are tightening during a time of elevated expenses driven by inflation, higher airfare, and rising hotel rates.

Segment 3: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John Williams to break down today’s market tumble, why he believes the concern will only be short-term, where we are on tariffs right now, and what he tells clients on days when the market drops significantly.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about the accumulated wealth of the Silent Generation, how the market is reacting to the U.S. attack on Iran, and what’s likely to happen with oil prices.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Chicago startup SpotHero being officially acquired by Uber, Letter AI, an artificial intelligence startup raising $40 million, and Waymo testing their self-driving cars in Chicago.

Segment 3: Laura Gardner, Founder, Local Style, talks to John about the launch of the new limited edition chip flavor: Green Beer! And just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Laura also gives an update on how her business has been going since she started just about a year ago.

Segment 1: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about how the market is reacting to today’s hot inflation report, the impact that next week’s labor report might have on the economy, what is likely to happen at the next Fed meeting, earnings continuing to remain strong, why he’s fairly bullish right now and what he’s telling his clients right now.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a number recent auto industry stories including the popularity of convertible cars, the overall strength of the automobile market, the impact of tariffs on the auto market, what’s going on with the EV market, the Cybertruck getting a huge price cut, and the interest in Japanese micro cars. And as always, Tom answers all of your automotive questions.

Segment 1: Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, joins John Williams to talk about the ‘low fire, lower hire” job market. Mark also tells John what to expect from the next Fed meeting in March.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John what we can expect from Apple’s new product event happening next week.

Segment 3: Flavia Palozzi, Assistant Head Shopkeeper, Timeless Toys, joins John to talk about how tariffs have been impacting their business since the SCOTUS tariff ruling and President Trump’s 10% new tariff on most global imports.

Segment 4: Kim Malecky Iles, Executive Director, Oak Forest-Crestwood Chamber of Commerce, joins John to tell John everything you should know about the upcoming Oak Forest Fleadh. Kim also talks about how business has been going in the area, the new development projects, the unique businesses in town, and how you can get a little bit of everything in Oak Forest.