The Payoff

For this FINAL Payoff episode we’re talking career changes: whether you lost your job or you decided to leave, everyone could use help navigating this troubling time. First up, our hosts go through the four crucial steps that everyone should take just after leaving a job. And then in the second half, we talk with career guru Caroline Ghosn, who herself went from a job in the world of management consulting to start Levo, a career network specifically designed to help young people navigate the workforce and their careers.

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Time to change it up — enough with WORK. What about PLAY? Taking a break and relaxing can be challenging because it costs money AND you have to take time off — not to mention planning a trip or even just a night out involves so many decisions! In this episode we’ll explain why taking vacation days can actually make you richer, and give you tips on how to have fun on the cheap from a serious expert: Jennifer Picht, the Things To Do editor for legendary leisure and travel magazine Time Out New York.

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This week we help you get healthy without spending your whole paycheck. First up are simple tricks from Mic's Payoff reporters to avoid paying too much for healthy food at the grocery store, and THEN we talk to wellness expert, cookbook author, private chef and food personality Phoebe Lapine, whose new book, The Wellness Project, chronicles her journey with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and how she finally found the middle ground between health and hedonism by making one lifestyle change, one month at a time.

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Protecting your financial identity is always important, but never more so than right now! We tell you what to do in the wake of the massive data breach at credit bureau Equifax (first step: go to http://equifaxsecurity2017.com right now to see if you were affected). THEN we talk to cybersecurity expert Matthew Pascucci about why these kinds of breaches seem to keep happening, and what YOU can do to protect yourself. You can find more info from Matthew on his blog at http://frontlinesentinel.com.

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We’re changing gears on this episode: Instead of talking about how to GET more money, we’re focusing on giving it away. With the recent disasters across the U.S., a lot of us are wondering how to best help those affected, and donating money to a charitable organization often seems like the most direct way to chip in. But is that actually true? First up, Antonia and Chris debate the value of charity overall, and then they talk to an expert in navigating the world of charitable giving: Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, which bills itself as America’s leading charity rating service.

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You may think of credit cards as dangerous and something that should generally be avoided, but they can be a super helpful financial tool when used smartly and in moderation. On this episode we’ve got a pair of experts to help us do just that: first up, fan-favorite Erin Lowry, better known as The Broke Millennial! Then, in our second segment, we call up an expert in the art of finding the RIGHT credit card: Matt Schultz, head analyst for CreditCards.com.

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It’s time to talk FREELANCING and the GIG ECONOMY. We break down full-time freelancing, side hustles and everything in between, as our hosts go through all the tips and special tricks they’ve learned to get the most from nontraditional work. Then we turn to the gig economy and an expert ready to tell us what driving for Uber and Lyft is all about: Harry Campbell the Rideshare Guy. Finally, to close out the show we answer YOUR questions about how to get started with freelancing if you’re ready to leave the world of traditional 9-5 work.

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Searching for housing can be exhausting. From finding your first apartment to wondering if you can (or should) buy a house, figuring out the right place to live often feels pretty terrible. To help you feel better we have two housing experts on the show: First up we talk to statistician and psychologist Gian Gonzaga about his research into how people make big life decisions, especially around housing. Then we get into the nitty gritty of real estate markets with Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist with the online real estate company Zillow, to help us understand the housing landscape in 2017 and give us the inside scoop on what we need to know. Finally we answer questions about how to SAVE MONEY on housing, sent in by YOU, the listeners.

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We're back with an extra-special episode, and it's a doozy. Someone reached out to us with a money SOS, and we answered the call! Comedian and actor Gary Richardson's financial life is a mystifying disaster, so our hosts Chris and Antonia dive in to see if they can save him.

Thanks to Gordon Oliver from Cambridge Credit Counseling and Libby Kimzey from the Capital Good Fund for helping us decipher Gary's situation, and the whole Payoff staff at Mic for their input.

In upcoming episodes we're going to take on more money mysteries in the areas of housing, freelancing and credit cards. If you have questions or confusion about any of those topics, email us at [email protected] and we'll tackle your issue or answer your question!

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We're taking a couple weeks off, but first here's a preview of what's coming later this summer! Next episode we're going to save someone's financial life, and THEN we're going to solve all your money mysteries in the areas of housing, freelancing and credit cards. If you have questions or confusion about any of those topics, email us at [email protected] and we'll solve your problem on an upcoming episode!

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