The Opening Bell

On the September 19, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve opened up the show with CEO spotlight featuring David Aaronson. David is the CEO of Peanut Butter, the unique student loan payment benefit for employers to attract more millennials and this is a trend that is going to become more and more popular. Tech Crunch’s Lora Kolodny talked with Steve about this year’s Disrupt SF 2016 where the world looks towards the next big startups.  

Jill Cornfield, Retirement Analyst from Bankrate, came on air to talk about some scary stats with Steve: apparently 7 in 10 of non-retired Americans plan on working as long as possible during retirement. Steve also talked cars with Dale Buss from Forbes. They compared Tesla’s coupes with the new Bolt electric car recently announced by Chevrolet. http://serve.castfire.com/audio/3008733/3008733_2016-09-14-071733.64kmono.mp3?ad_params=zones%3DPreroll%7Cstation_id%3D3779.mp3

On this September 12, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve heard from Rose Afriyie of mRelief.com on CEO Spotlight. This web platform aims to help Americans figure out if they qualify for social services. Afriyie spoke to the rewarding, albeit difficult sides of running an NPO and how disjointed the politics around food stamps can get. He also talked to Ric Militi and Alanna Markey, co-founders of Zip:The Question Answer App, an app that instantly settles friendly squabbles by “gathering responses from fellow users quickly and anonymously.”

On the September 9, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve checked in on the “excitingly sideways” markets with Paul Nolte, of Kingsview Asset Management, as we question at this point if we will ever see a fed hike in 2016. The two touched on the emerging markets, corporate bonds, and much more. Rick Seaney, CEO of FareCompare.com, also got us out of town for the weekend when he shared with Steve his flights for the weekend along with a […]

On the August 6, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve chatted with Safety Expert, Deborah Hersman (CEO of The National Safety Council). The two talk about the very easily avoidable deaths that are related to children. Steve also chatted with Professor Samuel  Buell, Duke University School of Law to talk about the curious increase in white collar crime and why more people are getting away with it detailed in his new book, Capital Offenses: Business Crime and Punishment in […]

On the last day of August, Steve looked ahead not only to September but also the federal interest rates that many have expected to be raised. Heather Long, CNN’s Senior Market and Economy writer talked with Steve about the Fed hike, the shift of American job perspective, and much more. On a historic note, commercial flights to Cuba from the US will resume today after decades and Rick Seaney (CEO of FareCompare) told Steve all about the news.  

On the August 30, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve touched on the sad passing of Gene Wilder but also checked in with one of America’s best farm voices, and Orion Samuelson’s partner in crime, Max Armstrong. The Farm Progress Show kicks off today and Max gave Steve a preview of what’s to come in Boone, Iowa. On the similar food spectrum, Steve talked with USDA Research Chemical Engineer, Dr. Laetitia M. Bonnaillie about edible food wrappers. These wrappers […]

On the August 29, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve rang in the new week by chatting with the latest Allstate CEO Spotlight featuring Pat O’Brien of Lakeview Labs. One of the handful of Chicago startup engines in the city, Steve found out what makes Pat tick. The Monday focus was also shining on college tuition and a new study questioning if guaranteed tuition laws are financially best for students. Jennifer Delaney is an Associate Professor at The University […]

On the August 25, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, The International Franchise Association is on the road to check in with local Chicago franchises and CEO, Robert Cresanti, stopped by the studio to talk about how much the franchise business sector helps the economy. Steve also finally closed out the 2016 Olympics by assessing the long term effects on the business perspective, and a final wrap with Ben Fischer, Olympic Sports Staff Writer of Sports Business Journal/Sports Business Daily.  

On the August 24, 2016 episode of The Opening Bell, Steve checked back in with Dale Buss after last week to check in on the other side of the Walmart & Target discussion. Dale told Steve that the produce section of the store is what the consumers are wanting more focus on. As millions of Americans hold off on buying fruits and vegetables from big box stores, it’s going right into their retirement accounts. Greg McBride, CFA at Bankrate.com, updated […]