Segment 1: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John talk about how the market typically performs in December, what he’s expecting from tomorrow’s labor report, if the Fed will reduce rates again later in the month, and the impact tariffs might have on the economy.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about Bitcoin topping $100,000 for the first time, Waymo gearing up to bring its robotaxi service to Miami, and Meta’s largest artificial intelligence data center coming to northeast Louisiana.

Segment 3: Isaac Reichman​​​​, Director, Corporate Communications, Choose Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about the 2025 First Bites Bash and the kickoff of the 18th annual Chicago restaurant week!

Segment 4: Charlie Zieserl aka Charlie The Bacon Guy, joins John Williams to talk about how he started his gourmet bacon business, the way he makes his bacon, how the ‘side hustle’ during COVID became a full-time business, the various bacon flavors he makes, and how people purchase his bacon.

Segment 1: Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about what you should know about your charitable gifts. And as always, Terry answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 2: Emily Stewart, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John about the decline of on-the-job training.

Segment 3: Sarah Foster, Economic Analyst, Bankrate, talks to John about a new Bankrate survey that shows more than 3 in 5 workers got a pay increase this year, but some still say that their wages haven’t kept up with inflation.

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

The Centers for Disease Control says the E. coli outbreak at McDonald’s is officially over. No new cases have been reported. The outbreak was likely caused by fresh, slivered onions at McDonald’s and sickened 104 people in 14 states. CDC says the actual number of people affected probably won’t ever be known because some of those who were sickened never sought medical treatment or were never tested for E. coli. 

Also, Bolingbrook-based ATI Physical Therapy has been de-listed from the New York Stock Exchange for not maintaining a global market capitalization of at least $15 million. Listen for more below:

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

Chicago’s @properties is being acquired by New York-based Compass real estate in a deal valued at $444 million. Compass also gets the Christie’s brand, which was previously acquired by @properties. Full terms of the deal haven’t been disclosed. It’s expected to be finalized next year. Headquartered in Chicago, @properties is the eighth-largest residential U.S. brokerage by sales volume. It operates out of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin and in the Atlanta area. @properties launched 24 years ago. It’s unclear whether the @properties brand will be maintained.  

Also, the philanthropic arm of Google will gift $1 million to University of Illinois Chicago for artificial intelligence training for undergraduates. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about how a company should best handle a situation when their needs to be a change in leadership.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about what companies need to know about using AI in the workplace.

Segment 3:  Mark Hamrick, Washington Bureau Chief and Senior Economic Analyst for Bankrate.com, joins John to talk about today’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, the general health of the labor market, and what this all means for Fed policy.

Segment 4: Erin Molek, Development Manager, BEDS Plus, talks to John about what BEDS Plus does, how they provide shelter for the unhoused, the way they have evolved since 1988, how they help people get the resources they need to say housed, if there is a typical family that they serve, how the housing crisis is impacting families, and what you can do to assist in their mission for Giving Tuesday.

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

There’s a new list of the largest nonprofits in Chicago. Crain’s list puts Feeding America at the top with $5 billion in expenses and revenue last year. The Big Ten Conference is second on the list with about $897 million in expenses and $880 million in revenue. At number three on the list is the Alzheimer’s Association with nearly $460 million in expenses and $412 million in revenue. The list does not include foundations, schools and hospitals and the ranking uses 2023 expense reports.

Also, the CEO of carmaker Stellantis is stepping down. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about a new poll that shows 44% of Americans say they will make a big purchase before tariffs go into effect, how and when prices would rise if tariffs are implemented, the best deals for Cyber Monday, and the importance of protecting your personal information as to avoid becoming a victim of a cyber scam.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about some Cyber Monday gift ideas from Chicago-based startups.

Segment 3: Louie Alexakis, Founder and CEO, Avli Group, joins John to talk about the opening of Pitaki, the new quick-service restaurant that just opened in Fulton Market.

Segment 1: Ted Rossman, Bankrate.com Senior industry analyst, joins John to tell us what we can expect from holiday shopping this year. Has Cyber Monday become more popular than Black Friday?

Segment 2: Elliot Richardson, Co-founder and President, Small Business Advocacy Council, joins John to talk about what the city of Chicago can do to better support its small businesses.

Segment 3: Michael Haddix Jr., CEO, Scout, talks to John about his fintech company that helps college athletes with financial education, wealth management and tax preparation.

Segment 4: Laura Epstein, CEO, Pulse Charter Connect, talks to John about how their business optimizes efficiencies in organ and surgical team transportation for transplants, what it was like winning the TechRise finale, and what they hope to accomplish with the grant they received for winning the competition.

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

Governor Pritzker has bought two floors of a 38-story north side Chicago building from fellow billionaire Ken Griffin. The deal for the property at Nine West Walton is an estimated $19 million according to the Chicago Tribune. That’s the highest anyone has paid for a residence in the Chicago area this year and fourth highest ever in Chicago. Griffin has heavily funded Republican candidates, including an effort to unseat the democrat Pritzker in 2022. Griffin moved to Miami. 

Electric car maker Rivian, which builds vehicles in downstate Normal, is poised to receive a large federal loan to build a factory in Georgia. Listen for more below:

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

The Illinois Center office complex in Chicago is heading to foreclosure. Crain’s reports the building’s owner has been hit with a foreclosure lawsuit. The Illinois Center complex is at 111 E. Wacker and 233 N. Michigan. The lawsuit was filed by Deutsche Bank and it alleges the building’s owner, AmTrust, has failed to make loan payments since January. Illinois Center is one of the largest downtown Chicago office properties to fall into distress. Remote work and high interest rates have negatively impacted the local office market. 

Legislation has been introduced in Illinois to regulate the use of artificial intelligence by insurance companies in making coverage decisions. Listen for more below: