Noon Business Lunch

Segment 1: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John Williams to talk about the markets continuing to hold up despite economic uncertainty, if he thinks the market is a little bit stretched, earnings being strong, what the Fed is likely to do with rates, and what he’s telling his clients right now.

Segment 2: Abrar Al-Heeti, Senior Technology reporter for CNET, tells John about Walmart announcing a new partnership with OpenAI.

Segment 3: Dr. Joshua Baker, President of Midwestern University, joins John to talk about recently becoming the 10th president of Midwestern University, what he’s learned about the new role, how many students attend the university, where the student body comes from, what distinguishes Midwestern University from other schools, the programs that are in the most demand right now, the acceptance rate at the school, and the importance of leaning into a ‘student first’ mentality.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the delay in the Social Security cost-of-living increase announcement, and what to know about Medicare open enrollment. Terry has a three part series on everything you need to know here.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about labor market concerns, why hiring continues to remain flat, and the viral trend of ‘bed rotting.’ What does Tom make of the latest trend? Tom also stresses the need for stability from the government in order to keep the economy strong.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the impact small businesses are facing during the government shutdown and federal agencies cutting staff.

Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about Wisconsin dominating the list of hottest U.S. housing markets, why finding the top-selling real estate agent in your suburb just got easier, and how the North Shore mansion market bolsters Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi’s lakefront assessments.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins John Williams to talk about the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize for Economics, Broadcom and Open AI announcing a massive deal to build specific chips, the latest on the government shutdown, details of the Road to Housing Act, and a tour that she’s taking of a container factory in Buffalo Grove that turns used containers into affordable housing.

Segment 2:  Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s September Small Business Survey. According to September’s data, consumers maintained caution when shopping at some businesses.

Segment 3: Scott Friedland, shopkeeper at Timeless Toys in Lincoln Square, tells John about the top holiday toys for 2025, that reflects a broader industry trend toward STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), imaginative, active and high-tech toys. Scott talks about how business has been going this year, and the impact that tariffs have on their store.

 Segment 1: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins Jon Hansen to talk about today’s market dip, President Trump threatening higher tariffs on China, the disconnect between Main Street and Wall Street, why he believes the U.S. markets will continue to grow, consumer sentiment remaining pretty strong, the health of the economy overall, and what we need to be doing with our money.

Segment 2: Lena Turek, a 24-year-old content creator and heavy equipment operator from Naperville working with Walsh Construction, joins Jon Hansen to talk about her career in the trades, when she started making TikTok videos to advocate for working in the trades, what it’s like being a woman in her field, and if she believes high schools need to do more to inform students about the opportunities available in the trades.

Segment 3: Onel Abreu, Director of Data and Impact, A Better Chicago, tells Jon Hansen the results of their 2025 Youth Survey. What were the main takeaways from the survey regarding mental health, violence, immigration, and career readiness.

Segment 1: Jordan Brummett, Senior Manager, Integrated Marketing at Marquee Development, tells Jon Hansen about all the great fall events happening at Gallagher Way!

Segment 2: Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief, ZDNET, joins Jon to talk about ChatGPT having apps you can now chat with, and a Deloitte survey found that 86% of businesses use AI for one surprising task.

Segment 3: Bill Geiger, President and CEO of Geiger Wealth Management, joins Jon Hansen to talk about National Retirement Security month and the two things that are essential to setting up you retirement plan.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins Jon Hansen, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the price of gold rising, the importance of having a diverse portfolio, why markets are also continuing to hit all-time highs, the cost of the government shutdown, and what is going on with the U.S. dollar. Terry also answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins Wendy Snyder to talk about how many jobs that AI could likely replace. Tom also tell us what the jobs report might have looked like had it been released.

Segment 2: Julianne Olivo, Director of Public Relations, Brookfield Zoo Chicago, tells Wendy everything we should know about ‘Boo at the Zoo,’ taking place all month long!

Segment 3: Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, talks to Wendy about all the great tech available at Abt to get you through the fall! Solo Fire Pits, Outdoor heaters, the Venta Humidifier LW25, TV’s, computers, and more!

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, joins Wendy Snyder to talk about a new study that found that 1 in 5 Americans (19%) would pay at least $10,000 more for a home to avoid bad neighbors, and nearly one in five homes seeing a price reduction in September.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells Wendy about driverless car company Waymo hiring a Community and Public Affairs Specialist to work from Chicago, builders have officially broken ground on the quantum campus on the south side, and Chicago-based LanzaJet landing $13M for its sustainable aviation fuel project in the UK.

Segment 3: Steve Echard, Executive Vice President of the American College of Rheumatology, joins Wendy to talk about the ACR Convergence 2025 annual meeting taking place in Chicago! It’s not just a conference, it’s where the future of rheumatology is being made.’

Segment 1: Jane Oates, Senior Policy Advisor and recent President at WorkingNation, joins Jon to talk about the government shutdown, the postponement of the BLS monthly report, and if the delayed report will impact any movement from the Fed on interest rates.

Segment 2: Sarah Hartwick, Senior Vice President for the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, joins Jon Hansen to tell us everything we should know about Makers on the Move, a statewide bus tour showcasing Illinois manufacturing.

Segment 3: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins Jon Hansen to give a roundup of the latest automotive news including EV sales being strong the last quarter, Ford and GM extending the federal tax credits, and U.S. Senators launching a formal probe into Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software after complaints from Tesla drivers who said the software sometimes failed to detect oncoming trains at railroad crossings.