Segment 1: Ilyce Glink, owner of Think Glink Media and Best Money Moves, joins John to talk about 3D-printed homes, how the stock market has baked in an interest rate decrease in September, the need for interest rates to come down, and what we should know about the real estate market today.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a new Quantum computing campus coming to Chicago’s vacant U.S. Steel South Works site, pre-seed and seed deals for local early-stage startups are starting to close faster heading into the second half of 2024, and a Chicago fintech startup raising $18M.

Segment 3: Scott Nilson, supertri General Manager North America, tells John everything we should know about the upcoming Chicago Triathlon.

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

Suburban-based Abbott Laboratories has been ordered to pay nearly $500 million in a case involving its baby formula. The jury award came in a lawsuit that alleged Abbott’s premature infant formula causes a potentially fatal bowel disease. A jury made the award in a St. Louis case. It’s one of more than 1,000 similar cases against Abbott and other formula makers. Responding after the verdict, Abbott says it strongly disagrees and “will pursue all avenues to get the erroneous decision overturned.”

Also, Chicago-based McDonald’s missed expected revenue and earnings in the second quarter and sales declined for the first time since 2020. Listen for more below:

Segment 1: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group, and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John to talk about the volatility of the markets this week, what is causing the market jumping today, the market starting to broaden, his outlook on Fed policy and rate cuts, how higher rates have been impacting the economy, and why he’s still concerned about rising debt.

Segment 2: Heather Larson, president and CEO of Meet Chicago Northwest (MCNW), the meetings and conventions bureau that represents eight communities that sit on the edge of Chicago and O’Hare International Airport, joins John Williams to talk about the rise of ‘Bleisure Travel.’

Segment 3: Kyle Schulz, Chief Growth Officer, World Business Chicago, joins John to talk about the announcement earlier this week about the new quantum computing campus that will be built at the former U.S. Steel South Works site. Kyle explains how this campus will allow the city of Chicago to be at the forefront of quantum and the economic benefits that will come with it.

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

The new $5 meal deal at McDonald’s is paying dividends. The discounted meal has led to a modest increase in visits to U.S. stores just as the burger chain had hoped. According to new data, traffic at McDonald’s stores began picking up in late May and continued growing through June. Customers who make less than $40,000 a year made the most visits between May and June. McDonald’s had said previously that slowing demand among that demographic was hurting its bottom line. McDonald’s had planned for the $5 meal deal to be a limited promotion but franchise owners voted to extend it. 

Also, the U.S. Labor Department is reviewing a sick leave policy change at Chicago-based United Airlines. Listen for more below:

Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and CEO of Wealth Management Group, joins John to talk about how many interest rate cuts he thinks we’ll see this year, a second-quarter GDP report that showed the economy growing, why he believes the Fed has done a good job curbing inflation, what he makes of today’s market rally, how he anticipates the markets moving through the election, and if he believes we have over-estimated AI.

Call Craig now to see how your spending, savings, investing, impacts your chances of always having the money you need for the life you want. 833-WMG PLAN.

Segment 1: Nondas Plesiotis, Owner/Operator, McDonald’s in Wauconda, joins John Williams to talk about his history in the food industry, why he chose to work with McDonald’s, the way his community grew around McDonald’s, his experience running the business, and why the most important aspect of McDonald’s is the people.

Segment 2: Bree Fowler, Senior Writer, CNET, joins John to talk about Delta Air Lines saying its operations are finally getting back to normal after last week’s Crowdstrike outage, the Senate considering legislation this week that aims to protect children from dangerous online content, and Tesla’s second-quarter net income falling 45%.

Segment 3: Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and CEO of Wealth Management Group, joins John to talk about how many interest rate cuts we’ll see this year, a second-quarter GDP report that showed the economy growing, why he believes the Fed has done a good job curbing inflation, what he makes of today’s market rally, how he anticipates the markets moving through the election, and if he believes we have over-estimated AI.

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

Discover Financial Services and Capital One face a proposed class-action lawsuit over their merger. The lawsuit claims the $35 billion dollar deal will hurt competition and raise prices for consumers. The complaint also claims the merger will mean fewer and less valuable credit card benefits and higher fees. The lawsuit also claims the merger violates antitrust law. Riverwoods-based Discover and Capital One announced their merger back in February. It’s also being scrutinized by the federal government. Capital One says the suit has no merit.

Also, catholic health system Ascension is selling most of its Illinois hospitals to a California company. Listen for more below:

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

Scientists at the University of Illinois-Chicago are working on a new antibiotic that’ll make bacterial resistance nearly impossible. The new antibiotic attacks bacteria is two ways, which makes it 100 million times more difficult for bacteria to develop resistance. That resistance can make it difficult and sometimes impossible to treat infections. Bacterial resistance can sometimes be fatal and it’s considered to be a global health threat. The UIC scientists have been studying a class of synthetic antibiotics called macrolones that interfere with protein production within cells of bacteria and corrupt the structure of its DNA. Because bacteria would have to to fight off both attacks simultaneously, drug resistance would be nearly impossible. UIC researchers worked with Chinese scientists on the antibiotic but more study is needed before it becomes available for human treatment. 

Also, Northfield-based Medline Industries may be moving toward an initial public offering. Listen for more below:

Nationally syndicated financial columnist and author Terry Savage joins John Williams to talk about her recent column about applying for scholarships, why the markets are down today, how the lead up to the presidential election impacts the stock market, and if she was surprised that the markets didn’t move much after the RNC and when President Biden dropped out of the race. And as always, Terry answers all of your financial questions.

Segment 1: Tom Gimbel, job expert and founder of the LaSalle Network, joins John to talk about job interview tips and what you should or should not share during an interview. Tom tells John what we should know about political messaging at work.

Segment 2: 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 offers some suggestions on easy ways to lower your tech bills including visiting a store in-person.