The Opening Bell

College is an important time for young adults to build upon their education, but also build up their personal finance. Steve chatted with Darius Norman (Author of “Rewriting Financial Rules“) to discuss starting from scratch, fixing bad credit, and everything else in between. Other news at the top of mind is the damage from Hurricane Harvey and the possible impact of Hurricane Irma. Greg McBride (Chief Financial Analyst at Bankrate.com) broke down the billions of dollars that it will cost […]

The back to school season is underway with today marking the return of Chicago Public School students. Steve Grzanich knows the checklist for supplies are important, but emotions should be a higher priority on the list. Julia Ogg (Associate Professor of Psychology at Northern Illinois) detailed the importance of social-emotional skills starting at an early age, leading to further success down the road. Genetically modified organisms (GMO) have been the subject of a long conversation and many consumers are firm […]

The morning before the monthly jobs report is always speculative, but following up last month’s jobs report will be interesting. Steve chatted with Paul Nolte (SVP & Sr. Portfolio Manager at Kingsview Asset Management) about what the transition to fall typically holds and how the damage from Hurricane Harvey could impact the report. Rick Seaney (CEO of FareCompare.com) touched on whether these low airline prices are ever going to increase, and how Hurricane Harvey is shaking up other airports around […]

On August 30th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: The US Labor Department reports on the number of people who filed for unemployment in the US The US Commerce Department reports on consumer spending The National Association of Realtors shares it’s report on pending home sales Freddie Mac reports the average US mortgage rates  

On August 30th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: The Commerce Department releases it’s estimate for economic growth in the spring quarter ADP reports on the number of jobs lost from private employers in August Barns & Nobel reports earnings today US Crude Inventories report is out today along with agriculture prices for August  

Philanthropy is vital for companies today so consumers know that they are giving back. Doug Roth (Founder & CEO of Playground Hospitality) joined Steve to talk about the importance of philanthropy in the restaurant industry, and what he is doing to give back by partnering with the Travis Mills Foundation. Hurricane Harvey continues to ravage the Gulf Coast and gas prices are being impacted. Patrick DeHann (Sr. Petroleum Analyst at GasBuddy.com) discussed the immediate and potential long term effects that […]

On August 29th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: S&P’s releases the Case-Shiller Index of Home Prices for June The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for August The Farm Progress Show begins today in Decatur, IL  

Tech gadgets usually top the retail markets and Jennifer Jolly keeps her eyes peeled for the best ones for a small apartment, outdoor events, and where she finds all of these emerging tools. Steve and the founder of Techish.com also touched on the safest apps for new drivers (including her oldest daughter). Dale Buss (Contributor at Forbes and Chief Executive Magazine) then joined Steve to talk about his latest article detailing the experience of CEO’s representing Chicago and Detroit, but […]

Last year, Ravin Gandhi was one of the first CEO Spotlights on the show, so Steve checked back in with Ravin and plenty has changed during that time. The CEO of GMM Non-stick Coatings had his company bought out, learned how to better the city of Chicago and develop his voice in the fierce political arena. Steve then looked towards the beginning of the biggest sports season of the year with college football. Joe Leccesi (Head Football Recruiting Coach at […]

On August 28th, 2017 Steve Grzanich shares today’s potential market drivers: Advanced Economic Indicators for July will be released today The minimum wage in St. Louis will drop today from $10 per hour to $7.70 per hour Amazon will be lowering prices at Whole Foods stores today