Noon Business Lunch

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the economy being strong overall, his thoughts on Friday’s labor report, and the importance of communication at work.

Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins Wendy to talk about a variety of real estate stories including ‘Project Hail Mary’ writer Andy Weir buying his 4th North Shore home in five years, an Astor Street mansion being offered in a new configuration, a mansion built by Mrs. O’Leary’s son being headed to demolition court. Dennis also talks about the competitive condo market in Chicago.

Segment 1: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about today’s surprising jobs numbers, the Fed’s ongoing effort to fight inflation, and to explain the economic differences between capitalism, socialism, and communism.

Segment 2: Shane Rachman, president of Cross Street, joins John Williams to talk about their residential real estate company, what the apartment rental business is like in Chicago, the occupancy rate in Chicago being close to 100%, and what the most attractive type of rentals are right now.

Segment 3: Michelle Edmonson, Vice President of Exhibitions for AMT – The Association For Manufacturing Technology and leads for the IMTS – International Manufacturing Technology Show brand, joins John to talk about how many people and exhibitors the show brings to Chicago, the types of manufacturing they showcase, what will we see when we stroll through McCormick Place, why industrial AI is creating the most buzz, and what you should know if you want to attend the show.

Segment 1: Stephen Kates, Principal, Clocktower Financial Consulting, joins John to talk about why the market is bouncing back today, Fed Governor Waller indicating he will support holding rates steady next week, inflation still being well above the Fed’s target, and evidence showing that the economy is still pretty strong.

 Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Apple’s ‘Surprise and Shine’ Event next week.

Segment 3: Amanda Hoover, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John Williams about how internships will be changing thanks to AI.

Segment 4: Alex Gailey, Data Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to share the results of a new Bankrate study that shows Chicago homebuyers overpay for their mortgages by $4,457 annually.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the 10-year Treasury note yield hitting a high of 4.818% and what that means, what will likely happen when the Fed meets next week, why the market still seems impervious to uncertainty, what to know about Social Security insolvency, 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 it’s important to over-communicate with the boss, and what he expects from Friday’s August labor report.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about business lessons to be learned from the great Dolly Parton.

Segment 3: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the impact of the war in Iran on the economy, why the market has been resilient despite the uncertainty, why he thinks the market is poised for growth, what he expects from the Fed policy decision in September, if he believes the midterm elections will have any impact on the stock market, and the projections for this Friday’s August labor report.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, and publisher of Love, Money + Real Estate on Substack, joins John to talk about the number of data centers in the United States, what to know about Zillow’s credit reporting tool, and why single family homes are declining in size.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a Chicago VC fund investing in AI startups, Pie, the Chicago-based app from Bonobos founder Andy Dunn pivoting to a social network, and Northwestern getting $30 million to open a new center to study cellular aging and memory.

Segment 3: Denise Smith, agent, Insureon, joins John Williams to talk about Insureon’s 2026 Cyber Report that found that cyber insurance adoption among small businesses is increasing. Denise explains what Insureon does, what cyber liability insurance protects against, and why cyber insurance is becoming necessary for small businesses.

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins Jon Hansen to talk about Fed Chair Kevin Warsh sticking to his guns on getting inflation down to 2%, why the market is reacting negatively to Warsh’s comments, what the Fed will likely do with interest rates in September, the concern over the national debt, the markets and corporate earnings continuing to be strong overall, and what his clients are most concerned about right now.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins Jon Hansen to talk about how the U.S. trade war with Canada could impact the auto industries in both countries. Tom also talks about EV production in the U.S. and answers all of your automotive questions.

Segment 1: Tim Stearns, owner and president of TJ Stearns Financial Planning & Benefits, joins Jon Hansen talks about how he helps people with their financial planning, how the market has been performing this year, the importance of getting an X-Ray of your portfolio, and what you need to know about fees and your mutual funds.

Segment 2: Emily Stewart, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, joins Jon Hansen, to talk about how Google’s AI Overviews are rapidly becoming consumers’ first impression of businesses.

Segment 3: Darts legend Alex ‘The Jackal’ Spellman, joins Jon to talk about professional darts hitting Chicago area this weekend at the Holiday Inn in Oakbrook Terrace! Alex tells Jon when he first started getting into darts, how the game has grown through the years, and what you can expect if you head out to Oakbrook this weekend.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about TreasuryDirect launching a new login system. What do you need to know? Also, Terry answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about why it’s good to be challenged at work, the benefits of working in the office rather than remotely, and Michigan using pass / fail classes for one semester for incoming freshmen.

Segment 2: Elliot Richardson, Co-founder and President, Small Business Advocacy Council, joins John Williams to talk about the impact of AI on small business. What can the legislators in Springfield do to help small business in Illinois?

Segment 3: Dave Lundy, CEO of O’Hare Flyer, tells John about the effort to build an express train that would take travelers from downtown to O’Hare Airport in 15 minutes.