Arizona’s Family On Your Side

Gas stations, restaurants, hotels: Most of us just don't pay with cash at these establishments. We use credit cards, and credit card companies love it. Why? Because they make nearly 150 billion dollars a year in merchant fees. These fees are paid by businesses for the benefit of accepting cards. Today, Chip Lupo from WalletHub joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He tells us the next time you use plastic, look at the receipt because many merchants are passing those fees on to you.

Adding a teenager to your auto insurance can bring sticker shock that many parents might not have expected. It may be a right of passage, but teen drivers simply cost more to insure because simply put, they're just not experienced behind the wheel. So today, Chris Schafer from Insurify joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He explains all you need to know to help avoid mistakes when getting teen auto insurance.

April is financial literacy month. 

Whether you’re on cruise control with your money or you’re feeling a little behind on your savings goal, it’s a good time to do a little financial checkup. We’re talking with Jean Chatzky, the CEO of HerMoney.com and host of the podcast HerMoney with Jean Chatzky. We’ll talk about the best ways to create a budget, where to actually keep the money you’re saving, and why it’s never too late to start.

Tax day is almost here. If you’re a last-minute filer, we’ve got you covered. We’re talking with Lisa Greene-Lewis. She’s a certified public accountant and tax expert with Intuit TurboTax. She has some strategies to help you get organized for April 15th. We’ll ask her how to maximize refunds and what to do if you owe money and it turns out to be an amount you weren’t expecting.  

Tipping: It's part of the American culture. But a new report just released indicates 90 percent of consumers believe tipping is out of control. Most Americans want to be generous, but they don't want to be pressured into tipping for what feels like every little transaction you make. Chip Lupo joins us on the On Your Side podcast. He's a writer and analyst for WalletHub. He has the pulse on how most Americans feel when it comes to gratuity in the service industry.

Artificial intelligence is creeping into all our lives and it’s disrupting some jobs. A recent survey shows 89% of people have concerns about job security because of AI. On this episode, Elizabeth Lotardo, a LinkedIn learning instructor and Harvard Business Review Careers contributor, joins us to discuss how to AI-proof your employment. We’ll also get five quick tips to revamp the resume to be relevant in 2025. 

You know it’s expensive to have a baby, but you may not realize how expensive. A new report is revealing the staggering cost parents pay in the first year of a child’s life. Today, our guest is Melissa Bykofksy.  She’s the executive editor at BabyCenter. We’ll talk about why it’s so expensive, how it’s impacting mental health and family growth, and the ways you can trim some of the expenses for your bundle of joy.  

Rates for auto insurance have been a hot topic lately as consumers have seen their premiums skyrocket. So some drivers are turning to a controversial method of reducing their insurance rates by allowing their insurance company to monitor their driving by downloading an app that can measure speed and braking. But is it an invasion of privacy?

Today, Maya Afilalo joins us on the On Your Side podcast. She's an industry analyst with AutoInsurance.com which just released some surprising results about drivers who don't mind being spied on by their insurance company and other who say there is no way they would allow it.

You may have gone into the new year vowing to be better with money. But it’s about that time when resolutions have been forgotten. So today we’re going to help you get back on track. Maybe you have a stack of bills from the holiday season rolling in. Or maybe you want to tackle lingering debt. Our guest is Emily Irwin. She’s the head of the advice center at Wells Fargo, and she’s going to help us get organized without getting overwhelmed. Plus, we’ll talk about why now’s the time to start getting ready for next Christmas.

It's one of the biggest sporting events of the years. If you're plan a Super Bowl watch party, get ready for some sticker shock.

Avocados are up nearly 12 percent from last year, and the ever so popular chicken wingsare up more than 7 percent. In fact, to host a Super Bowl party for 10 people, plan on spending at least $140.

Today, Dr. Michael Swanson joins us on the podcast. He's the chief agriculture economist for Wells Fargo and has advice for what you need to  know be more thoughtful about your party planning decisions.

Whether you’re expecting a refund or you need to pay up, there are changes this tax season you need to know about. Our guest today is Mark Steber. He’s the Chief Tax Information Officer at Jackson Hewitt. We’ll chat about some strategies to get tax documents organized and tax law changes that could impact your bottom line. 

More and more people are wanting to keep their home because of their 3% interest rates. As a result, some folks are turning to renting out their home. Suzanne Seggerman, an author and nationally-known expert when it comes to the do's and don'ts if you're considering renting out your home, joins the show to offer her expert advice.

2025 is officially here and you might be planning for a little family vacation, or maybe a quick getaway. So, what will the travel trends be this year? How about something that’s being called the “Spurgecation?”

Cryptocurrency. It's something a lot of us have heard about, but don't necessarily understand what it is or how it works. Cryptocurrency is a digital currency and it was first introduced by Bitcoin in 2009. But since then, more than 25,000 other digital currencies have hit the market.

On this episode, we are joined by Sean Worthington, a tech innovator and financial expert who created CloudCoin, another digital currency. He'll tell us all we need to know about cryptocurrency and what we might be missing out on if we don't buy it.

It's the holiday season and a lot of us are trying to find that perfect gift for friends and family. But, that may lead to something called "financial infidelity." That's when your significant other spends a lot more money on items that you think they did. And in some cases, they may have credit cards you don't know about.

On this episode, we're talking to Yonatan Levoritz. He's a divorce and family attorney who explains how to spot if your spouse is being a little too secretive about their finances and if they may have secret accounts.

We’ve all needed medical care, at one point or another. Doctors, tests, procedures. It all adds up and you could be facing some big bills. And now, a new report is revealing a majority of hospitals aren’t giving patients the pricing information they need. Today, we’re talking with Cynthia Fisher, the founder and chair of Patient Rights Advocate. What patients should know about their medical bills, what’s missing, and what to do before your next appointment.

A bigger paycheck may just be one question away. A new survey shows that 82% of full-time workers who asked for a raise this year got one.

On this episode, we're talking paychecks with LendingTree's Matt Schultz about how much of a raise people are getting and how to ask for one. We'll also discuss what to do if you're facing a paycut.

We're about to get involved in what could be a record for consumer holiday spending. But 70 percent of shoppers still rate "price" as one of the most important factors when it comes what to buy. And using artificial intelligence can certainly help you as well as retailers during the holiday season. So, today Justin Burr joins us on the On Your Side podcast, he's a analyst for Google. He'll share the latest shopping trends as well as the top AI shopping tools to help you this holiday season.

The holiday shopping season is here, and you’re probably doing some of your spending while you’re scrolling. The National Retail Federation says 57% of holiday shoppers will shop online. But there’s a chance you could end up with fake stuff. The counterfeit market is big business, and it could put your health and safety at risk. Today, we’re talking with Frank Cullen. He’s the executive director of the Council for Innovation Promotion. We’ll talk about the best ways to be a safe shopper, and what’s being done to slow down counterfeit sales.

The race for the White House ended in a decisive victory for Donald Trump. The Dow soared more than 1,500 points the day the race was called. And now, investors are looking ahead to the transfer of power. Today, we are talking with Shane Stevenson from Winston and Companies Retirement and Financial Services about what the election results mean for your money, your investments, and your taxes. 

Being a new parent can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to finances. And childcare fits right into that category. Like everything else, childcare has gone up dramatically. In fact, a recent report released by Bankrate.com indicates that parents spend nearly 15 percent of their income on childcare alone. So today, Alex Gailey joins us on the On Your Side Podcast. She's an analyst with Bankrate and she shares some interesting information when it comes to childcare costs here in the U.S, including  what states are the most expensive for childcare. 

Higher education, like earning a college degree, is supposed to help students land jobs with higher salaries. But a new study reveals that's not necessarily the case. Turns out, recent college graduates are somewhat disappointed with their new paychecks and are now struggling financially. On this episode, Sarah Foster joins us. She's an analyst with Bankrate.com which just released some surprising information regarding Generation Z, their college degrees, and the salaries they're getting.