Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about a new study that shows that in many markets buyers need a $17,000 raise to afford a home, and how many people have a side hustle.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about two Chicago companies were named to TIME’s most influential companies list, and Chicago hosting a quantum computing conference in July.

Segment 3: Jeannine Fontana, Owner, Sonny Acres Farm, joins John to talk about their location in West Chicago, the amusement rides they have for kids, their outdoor grill kitchen, the farm fresh store, the wedding venue they are building, and how people typically spend their time at Sonny Acres Farm! As Jeannine says, ‘You can pretty much do anything at Sonny Acres Farm!’

Segment 1: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about the stock market reaching all-time highs, why he believes the market is fairly priced, what needs to happen to happen for the market to move even higher, when we might see an impact on tariffs, if he expects two rate cuts by the Fed this year, the need for the housing market to start moving, and the latest on President Trump’s tax bill.

Segment 2: Jake Stotter, Vice President, Fenceworks, talks to John about how long the company has been in business, the types of products they sell for your backyard entertainment, what makes them stand out from the competition, how business has been going, the way people are investing in their homes, and where you can see all the products they offer.

Segment 3: Kyle Schulz, Chief Growth Officer, World Business Chicago, tells John everything we need to know about the announcement that Universal Destinations & Experiences will build a year-round horror experience called Universal Horror Unleashed!

Segment 1: Mike Leonard, Executive Vice President, Wintrust Commercial Banking, joins John Williams to talk about Wintrust’s footprint throughout the area, why it’s important to be embedded in neighborhoods, the importance of community involvement, the pride they take in the work they do, and the passion they have about bettering the communities they are in.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John Williams to talk about a federal judge siding with Facebook parent Meta in dismissing a copyright infringement lawsuit, the latest on the TikTok ban, legislation being introduced in Congress that would block Chinese artificial intelligence systems from federal agencies,

Segment 3:  Sarah Foster, Economic Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to talk about a new survey that shows more than 1 in 4 Americans feel they need to make $150,000 or more to live comfortably.

Segment 4: Margaret Frisbie, Executive Director, Friends of the Chicago River, talks about what the organization does, their mission to bring the Chicago River system back to life, the restoration programs that the group is involved in, the amount of people that believe the river is part of the community, the quality of the water, and their support of swimming in the Chicago River.

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

Three suburban Mariano’s grocery stores will close as part of a plan by parent company Kroger to cut costs and trim operations. 60 locations across the country will close over the next year and a half, including Mariano’s stores in Buffalo Grove, Bloomingdale and Glenview. The Buffalo Grove store on Half Day Road will shut down on August 8, the store on Gary Avenue in Bloomingdale will close on August 15 and the Glenview store on Capital Drive will shut down on August 22. Affected employees will be offered jobs in other locations. Kroger says the closures are part of a larger company-wide decision to run more efficiently and ensure the long-term health of its business. 

Also, the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club of Chicago has a new chairman. Listen for more below:

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about new home sales falling in May, if this means there are buying opportunities, and the latest on Social Security and if you should take benefits earlier. Terry also answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about what you need to know about getting hired in a tough job market.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the benefits of the ‘paint a simple picture’ style of leadership.

Segment 3: James Rodriguez, Senior Reporter, Business Insider, joins John Williams to talk about the boomer home dilemma. James explains how millennials aren’t ready to inherit their parents homes, and how Gen Xers felt being left out of the conversation.

Segment 4: Sylvie Sadarnac, actor, storyteller, and private guide, talks about the new tour, ‘Inside The Bear,’ celebrating all things ‘The Bear’ in advance of tomorrow’s season 4 premiere.

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

Two of the companies that used to be the biggest for online job recruiting and job searching have filed for bankruptcy. CareerBuilder and Monster merged in 2024, and business has been shrinking since the heyday in the 1990’s. It fell off even more during the pandemic. The company says the bankruptcy filing will facilitate a sale. It listed liabilities between $100 and $500 million and assets of just $50 to $100 million. One report says CareerBuilder’s revenue dropped nearly 40% last year.

Also, you won’t be able to get a Krispy Kreme doughnut at McDonald’s anymore. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Chief Communications Officer and Chief Wellness Officer, Best Money Moves, joins John Williams to talk about selling Best Money Moves and what it means moving forward, the rise of the everyday millionaire, the salary Americans say they now need to earn to live comfortably, Compass suing Zillow over their private listing ban.

Segment 2: James Drury, Founder of Chicago-based JamesDruryPartners, joins John Williams to talk about what makes an effective corporate board.

Segment 3: Maggie Shea, Executive Director of the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation, joins John to talk about Wintrust Week and the new initiative from Wintrust and the Chicago Yacht Club Foundation that’s giving 200 young people from underrepresented communities the opportunity to experience sailing for the first time!

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

Berlin Packaging is moving its headquarters from Chicago’s West Loop to the Merchandise Mart. Crain’s says the packaging supplier has signed a lease for the fourth floor of the building. The new location covers 38,554 square feet. It’ll move from 525 W. Monroe to the Mart. Its current lease is set to expire next August. Berlin announced the office move on social media but did not provide other details.

Also, there’s a report that Bank of New York Mellon is interested in merging with Chicago’s Northern Trust. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John to talk about the market performance this week, how the conflict between Israel and Iran is impacting the economy, what tariffs might do to the market, how much inflation has come down, if the Fed will cut rates in July, the economy being healthy overall, and what would happen to the housing market if the Fed was more aggressive in cutting rates.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive, and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about how a rare earth shortage is impacting the auto industry, the cost of EVs in China, and why today is a good time to buy a car.

Segment 3: Wendy Reed and Adam Johnson, Partners, Just Rite IT, join John to talk about what Just Rite IT does, the various services they provide, the typical client that they work with, how company growth has helped their client flexibility, and the value of the services they provide.