Segment 1: Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, and author of ‘The Hamrick Brief‘ on Substack, talks to John about the great jobs numbers released on Friday, the ongoing inflation concern, the likelihood that the Fed raises interest rates this year, and the date behind Mark’s Hamrick American Prosperity Index.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about where Chicago ranked in the latest startup rankings, startup Kosmos raising $5M to fix software outtages faster, and Motorola Solutions buying a drone-technology maker.

Segment 3: Dawn Melchiorre, Executive Director, Cradles to Crayons, joins John Williams to talk about the mission of Cradles to Crayons, and how they provide children in low-income situations the essential items they need to thrive.

Segment 1: Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor and Market Strategist, Murphy & Sylvest, joins John to talk about the Bears possibly building a stadium in Indiana, his thoughts on today’s strong labor report, how the market is disjointed from the economy, the latest developments on tariffs, and what he expects from Fed policy down the road.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about some of the latest automotive news, if EV’s are doing better business as fuel prices rise, how auto sales are going generally, and to answer all of your automotive questions. Tom also talks Bears stadium.

Segment 1: Claire Theobald, Director of Operations, DineAmic Hospitality, joins John to talk about Naia, a new restaurant that just opened on the Chicago River.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, joins John Williams to tell us what he expects Apple to introduce at the next WWDC developer conference.

Segment 3: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about the Dow hitting record highs again today, where the strength in the market is right now, what he thinks about the new chairman of the Federal Reserve, what he expects to happen with interest rates, if there is concern about inflation, and why he’s bullish once the war with Iran comes to and end.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about a deadline for Parent PLUS loans that you need to know about, what to know about the SpaceX IPO, and to answer all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about if it’s okay for parents to help teenagers find jobs, how new hires are judged by their peers, and the importance of being in the office for people with limited experience at a job.

Segment 2: Faron Daugs, CFP, Founder and CEO, Harrison Wallace Financial Group, joins John to talk about the markets continuing to hit all-time highs, why we are seeing some broadening of the market, the importance of being patient as investor, what to know about SpaceX IPO, his takeaways from the JOLTS report, and the cost of the war in Iran on American consumers.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media, and publisher of Love, Money + Real Estate on Substack, joins John Williams to talk about Anthropic filing for an IPO with the SEC, and a new study that shows nearly half (44%) of U.S. parents with adult children ages 18–35 say a child has moved back home at some point.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Illinois passing an AI safety bill that is among the strongest in the nation, and how Chicago: Blend is making the Chicago venture capital industry more diverse.

Segment 3: Jodi Zombolo, Associate Vice President, Visitor Events & Programs, Chicago Botanic Garden, tell John everything about their Shimmering Summer theme this season!

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 the Dow hitting 51,000 today, why he’s bullish on the market right now, where investors should be putting their money, if there are any parts of the economy that has him concerned, the latest on the Trump Accounts, and what he expects from new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh.

Segment 2: Steve Bass, Executive Vice President, NAI Hiffman, talks about what their firm does and who they represent, how their business is growing, and why industrial tenants are fleeing O’Hare for the northwest suburbs.

Segment 3: Michelle Dupretti, Managing Partner, Gene & Georgetti, tells John about the legal battle they are having with the company that handles concessions at Midway Airport.

Jay McCracken, Executive Director, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, tells John how a small town like Ottawa stays competitive, their many great partnerships, why their location is great for business, how tourism is an important part of the local economy, the business incubator program that will bolster downtown, and the incredible food and beverage scene in Ottawa.

Segment 1: Jay McCracken, Executive Director, Ottawa Chamber of Commerce, tells John how a small town like Ottawa stays competitive, their many great partnerships, how tourism is an important part of the local economy, the business incubator program that will bolster downtown, and the incredible food and beverage scene in Ottawa.

Segment 2: Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, and author of ‘The Hamrick Brief‘ on Substack, gives John the broad takeaways from the release of today’s economic data. Mark breaks down the latest readings on consumer spending, inflation, jobs, and new home sales.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about the large income gap between the people who are doing the majority of spending, his thoughts on new Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh and Fed independence, and the impact of data centers on their communities.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about the market still hitting all-time highs, if she believes the bull market will continue, the essence of financial planning, and to answer all of your financial questions.