Segment 1: Attorney Rae Kaplan of Kaplan Law Firm joins Wendy to talk about the latest student loan debt relief and who is entitled to them

Segment 2: Carl Prouty from Abt electronics shares some last minute Christmas gifts and how you can get them with same day delivery

Segment 3: Dave Dumas, Administrative Director for Share Food Share Love Food Pantry, joins to discuss how you can help those who are less fortunate this holiday.

Segment 1: Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor and Market Strategist, Murphy & Sylvest, joins John to talk about the market rebound after the rough start it had to the week, and the latest on the inflation numbers.

Segment 2: Lizzy Lopez, Founder & CEO of Tequila 1349 comes to share the latest information on their newest product that will be available next spring and sharing a little bit of her family’s story. Coming from both Chicago and Jalisco, Mexico, she demonstrates her expertise in the tequila making process and how they are bringing the flavors from the highlands of Jalisco to the Windy City.

Segment 3: Jodi Zombolo, Associate Vice President, Visitor Events and Programs, Chicago Botanic Garden, tells John everything we need to know about their ‘Lightscape‘

Segment 1: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, talks to John about what caused yesterday’s market sell off and today’s rebound, and what he expects for the market and economy in 2025. Where can we find some buying opportunities moving forward?

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about workers at seven Amazon facilities going on strike today, and the US Supreme Court taking up TikTok’s challenge of a law that it allowed to go into effect that could lead to a US ban of the popular social media platform.

Segment 3: Kelli María Korducki, journalist and author whose work focuses on work, tech, and culture, joins John Williams to talk about how office Christmas parties are making a comeback and why that is great for Gen Z.

Segment 4: Deana Liss, Executive Director, Elderwerks, talks to John about how families can support their elderly loved ones during the holidays.

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about charitable giving this holiday season, the overall market performance recently, how much the market is up this year, how you should be thinking about your investments right now, her thoughts on the Fed cutting rates again, a new BMO survey that shows people cutting back spending in 2025, holiday money gifts for kids, and some news on Social Security. And as always, Terry answers all of your financial questions.

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

New York developer 601W, the owner of the Old Post Office in Chicago, reportedly has a purchase contract for the 30-story office building at 303 E. Wacker. Crain’s says the purchase price has not been disclosed but people familiar with the deal say it could be about $63 million. Seller, Beacon Capital Partners, bought the building in 2018 for $182 million and spent $32 million for renovations and upgrades. 303 recently lost engineering firm AECOM and the U.S Soccer Federation, which is moving to Atlanta. The building is 77% leased and is also home to WGN Radio and parent Nexstar Media Group.

Some Connie’s frozen pizzas are being recalled because they may be contaminated with plastic. Listen for more below:

Steve Grzanich has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

Trinity Hospital on Chicago’s south side will be the centerpiece of an investment project spearheaded by Advocate Health Care. The company will invest $1 billion over the next decade and plans to  build a new hospital and 10 small care locations. The focus will be on improving health services and improving life expectancy for residents of the south side. $300 million will be spent on building a new hospital to replace Trinity. The 53 bed facility is expected to open in 2029. Advocate will demolish the old hospital when the new one’s complete. The 10 small care locations will expand access to primary and specialty care. Advocate says this will be among the largest long-term community focused health care investments in the nation. 

Also, Marriott International has purchased Postcard Cabins and Trailborn and has plans to expand its outdoor hospitality market to include lodging near Starved Rock State Park. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about employees ‘revenge quitting,’ and the latest on ‘return to office’ mandates.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about employment liability and what companies can expect under the next Trump administration.

Segment 3: Longtime Chicago radio veteran Harvey Wells, Founder, Lower Tech Bills, talks to John about how he helps customers lower their internet, cell phone, and television costs. Harvey talks about the average cost that people are spending on their various services, how streaming companies are cracking down on password sharing, the trend in bundling, why companies like paperless billing, YouTube TV raising prices, and how often people end up paying for their services twice.

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about Think Glink’s 2025 Personal Finance Resolutions, Home Buyer Resolutions, and 2025 Housing Trends.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about IBM joining the quantum computing effort in Chicago, a new accelerator program landing millions in federal funding for its program that backs startups building technology that improves water quality, and a fast growing battery startup in Chicago announcing a new battery material for electric vehicles that outperforms what’s currently on the market.

Segment 3: Rob Fojtik, Vice President of Neighborhood Strategy, Choose Chicago, gives John some suggestions for the best things to do in Chicago for the holidays!

Dave Schwan has the business news of the day with the Wintrust Business Minute.

A two-day meeting by the Federal Reserve starts tomorrow talking interest rates.  We’ll know Wednesday if rates will be cut.  If so, it’ll be the third and final rate cut of the year.  Most economists expect a reduction of a quarter of a percentage point.

Also, no holiday gift with gas prices. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the market, why he’s optimistic about the end of 2024 and into 2025, how transformative big tech has been to the market, why it’s okay to have a pullback occasionally, the strength of the economy overall, why he believes the soft landing remains intact, if he’s concerned over the inflation numbers, and what he expects from the Fed interest rate announcement next week.

Segment 2: Rich Green, Co-founder, SPF, tells John about the rise in a new racquet sport called padel, how the game is played, the new pop-up location, SPF Winter Fieldhouse, where you can try the sport, who typically plays padel, and how business has been going at the pop-up, and

Segment 3: Alessandro DiSanto, CFO, Hallow, joins John to talk about their prayer app, how business has been growing this year, how the app works, and the major celebrities they have partnered with recently like Kevin James and Gwen Stefani.