Beyond Willpower: Building Financial Systems That Work for Your Brain

Free Tools to Earn More Rewards Points on Online Shopping, Dining, and Rideshares

Learn how to earn more points and miles on everyday shopping using portals, dining programs, and partner apps. In a special holiday episode of Smart Money, we're bringing you our friends from the Smart Travel podcast, Sally French and Meghan Coyle, as they dig into online shopping portals, explaining how tools like Rakuten, airline-specific portals, hotel booking platforms like Gondola, and the up-and-coming Rove Miles program could help you stack rewards on top of your credit card earnings. They also cover airline dining programs, brand partnerships with Uber, Lyft, and Starbucks, and the aggregator Cashback Monitor so you can see at a glance which portal offers the best rate for any retailer. Card benefits, terms and fees can change. For the most up-to-date information about cards mentioned in this episode, read our reviews: * Bilt Blue Card: Complex Housing Rewards, Modest Everyday Ones [https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/bilt-blue-card] * Bilt Obsidian Card: Fine for Foodies, Complex for Housing [https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/bilt-obsidian] * Bilt Palladium Card: Rewards on Housing Are Almost Secondary [https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/bilt-palladium] * American Express Platinum Review: Top-Notch Lounge Access, Big Credits  [https://www.nerdwallet.com/reviews/credit-cards/american-express-platinum] * American Express Gold Card Review: Friendly for Foodies, Families  [https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/reviews/american-express-premier-rewards-gold] Resources discussed in this episode: * Credit Card Transfer Partners At a Glance [https://www.nerdwallet.com/travel/learn/heres-how-you-can-transfer-your-points-from-any-major-credit-card-issuer] * The Capital One Shopping Portal Is Changing How I Book Travel [https://www.nerdwallet.com/travel/learn/book-with-capital-one-shopping-portal] * The Guide to Rove Miles [https://www.nerdwallet.com/travel/learn/guide-to-rove-miles] Subscribe to Smart Money’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ [https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/]  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header] To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com [podcast@nerdwallet.com]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Beyond Willpower: Building Financial Systems That Work for Your Brain

Learn how to approach finances if you or someone you know has been diagnosed with neurodivergency or had a brain injury. Not everyone thinks in the same way, so what are some strategies for folks with neurodivergence or brain injuries to help them manage their finances? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by Dr. Christine Hargrove, clinical assistant professor and assistant director of Love and Money Center at the University of Georgia. She specializes in ADHD and finances, and talks through some of the ways that people struggle with financial tasks and suggests strategies to bring structure to this area of life.  Some of the tips they share include setting reminders, creating a system so that you don’t feel overwhelmed throughout a process, and finding resources that can help you each step of the way. Resources discussed in this episode: * Find a CFA near you [https://www.nerdwallet.com/m/advisor-match/sem/lp1?utm_source=goog&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adv_mktg_paid_052925_cfa_cfp&utm_ad=&utm_term=financial%20planner%20fee%20only_b&utm_content=c&mktg_hline=177169290461&mktg_body=755289190499&mktg_place=kwd-400038633&mktg_link=&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22620932878&gbraid=0AAAAAqFp36Jds_RtIpSj69xjkAU3Moq8_&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxvjRBhC2ARIsAI7KJa0K8uSvndfREgekQNo7dqNZgI8vLDN1HmGt5bOb7EsKC7IsDzVX074aAhcLEALw_wcB] * AnnualCreditReport.com [http://annualcreditreport.com] * Savvy Ladies [https://www.savvyladies.org/] * Foundation for Financial Planning [https://ffpprobono.org/] * VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) [https://www.irs.gov/individuals/free-tax-return-preparation-for-qualifying-taxpayers] * National Disability Institute [https://www.nationaldisabilityinstitute.org/] * Financial Planning Association [https://www.financialplanningassociation.org/] * AFC Directory [https://findanafc.org/] Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ [https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/]  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header] To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com [podcast@nerdwallet.com]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Stop Worrying About Your Financial Advisor and Start Finding the Right One

Learn what financial advisor fee structures could mean for your wealth and how to find someone who won't sell you out. What new threats are emerging for identity crime victims? Host Sean Pyles, CFP®, and news colleague Rick VanderKnyff are joined by Mona Terry, chief operating and programs officer of the Identity Theft Resource Center, to walk through the ITRC's 2026 Trends in Identity Report. They explore why more than 1 in 4 victims now face two or more simultaneous identity incidents, how device compromise differs from the scams most people think to watch for, and whether AI is already making identity crimes harder to detect and resolve. Do financial advisors have a built-in conflict of interest that could be costing you money? Sean is joined by co-host Elizabeth Ayoola and NerdWallet Wealth Partners CEO Ryan Sterling to tackle a listener’s question about whether they should hire a financial advisor. They dig into how different advisor fee structures — from AUM (assets under management) percentages to flat-fee plans, hourly rates, and commissions — create different kinds of conflicts, what the fiduciary standard actually guarantees (and what it doesn't), and what red flags could signal that an advisor's priorities aren't aligned with yours. Learn more about working with a financial advisor at NerdWallet Wealth Partners: https://nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/smart [https://nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/find-your-advisor?utm_medium=podcast&utm_source=nerdwallet&utm_campaign=nwwp_mktg_internal_062526_smartmoneyepisode]  How to Prevent Identity Theft: Warning Signs, Protection Services and More https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-prevent-identity-theft [https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/how-to-prevent-identity-theft]  Read the ITRC's 2026 Trends in Identity Report: https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/2026-trends-in-identity-report-hacked-devices-overtake-scams [https://www.idtheftcenter.org/post/2026-trends-in-identity-report-hacked-devices-overtake-scams/] Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ [https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/]  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header] To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com [podcast@nerdwallet.com]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

$10,000 Lands in a Teen's Account — Here's What to Do First

Learn what to do when your teen receives a windfall and how to balance saving, investing, and giving. What's the smartest way to help your teenager manage $10,000 to $15,000 in unexpected cash — without turning the conversation into a lecture? Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola sit down with personal finance Nerd Kate Ashford to answer listener Deb's question about her teen recently receiving a large sum as gifts after a life milestone. They dig into the biggest mistakes families make when a windfall hits, how to start the money talk in a way that actually sticks, and which financial tools and accounts could give your kid a head start on building wealth far earlier than most adults ever do. Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ [https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/]  Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header] To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com [podcast@nerdwallet.com]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Prime Day Tips and Reddit's Brutally Honest Money Confessions

Learn what to buy and skip on Prime Day 2026 and Reddit’s lessons that reveal how a $250K earner can end up broke. Is Prime Day actually a good deal this summer, and how financially resilient are American consumers right now? Host Elizabeth Ayoola is joined by news colleague Rick VanderKnyff, NerdWallet personal finance writer Tommy Tindall, and NerdWallet Senior Economist Elizabeth Renter to dig into Prime Day deals and the latest on American consumers’ financial resilience. They discuss which product categories could be worth purchasing during Amazon Prime Day and competing retailer sales, how AI-powered price history tools are changing the shopping experience, and what NerdWallet's June Consumer Financial Resilience Index score reveals about how confident Americans feel about their finances as they get ready to shop. Then, host Sean Pyles, CFP®, joins Elizabeth to break down five candid personal finance posts from Reddit. They explore why a Redditor earning $250,000 a year feels broke after lifestyle creep took hold, what the concept of hedonic adaptation could mean for your own spending habits, how “chubby FIRE” factors into the real-world complexities of early retirement and dating, what kinds of decisions led millionaires to lose everything they'd built, and how to break free from the money comparison trap when someone in your circle has $20 to $50 million in AI startup equity. What to Buy (and Skip) on Prime Day 2026: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/what-to-buy-on-prime-day-2026 [https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/learn/what-to-buy-on-prime-day-2026]  Explore the NerdWallet Consumer Financial Resilience Index: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/financial-resilience-index [https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/financial-resilience-index]  Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/ [https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/]  Reddit posts discussed: * 250k a Year and Broke, 4 Years Ago I Made 120k And Was Happier  [https://www.reddit.com/r/HENRYfinance/s/4AFsvJPMg3] * CPI Just Came in At 3.8  [https://www.reddit.com/r/personalfinance/comments/1tb6o31/removed_by_moderator/] * Dating After FIRE  [https://www.reddit.com/r/Fire/s/8v1Kdx8zDP] * Ex-Millionaires of Reddit, what made you lose all your money?  [https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/jz1w5r/exmillionaires_of_reddit_what_made_you_lose_all/] * How to Get Out of Money Comparison  [https://www.reddit.com/r/MoneyDiariesACTIVE/comments/1thwdll/how_to_get_out_of_money_comparison/] Want us to review your budget? Fill out this form — completely anonymously if you want — and we might feature your budget in a future segment! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header [https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScK53yAufsc4v5UpghhVfxtk2MoyooHzlSIRBnRxUPl3hKBig/viewform?usp=header] To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com [podcast@nerdwallet.com]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]