Episode 18: Credit Scores with Bad Banker Ben, Part 1 of 2

Episode 23: Insurance Guy Steve Wraps it Up

In the final of a three-part series, Nikki and Steve discuss insurance and credit scores. The conversation emphasizes how inconvenient claims can be and shifts to liability coverage, urging listeners to know about their "three number" liability. Especially because medical costs can quickly exceed low limits. For final advice to young adults, they advise renter's insurance, talking to an agent, understanding chosen coverages, and selecting a reputable company.

Episode 22: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Beyond Terms

The second of a three-part series, the host and Insurance Guy Steve explore why insurance premiums and claim payouts change, noting that people often blame insurers without understanding broader factors. It describes how premiums are regionalized based on local risk and how insurers rely heavily on investment returns to meet solvency requirements. The discussion delves deeper into deductibles. Finally, it contrasts replacement cost versus actual cash value policies, showing how depreciation can greatly reduce roof claim payouts.

Episode 21: Insurance Guy Steve Talks Terms

Episode 21 of the Next Step podcast begins a three-part series on insurance basics with guest Steve, an “insurance guy” with nearly 20 years in the industry. The discussion explains why insurance feels like a “necessary evil” and traces its origins to ancient merchants spreading cargo risk, defining insurance as transferring risk to a larger pool. Key terms are clarified: premium, term, policy, claim/loss, and adjuster/adjustment. They stress the value of talking to an agent, gap insurance, rental/roadside coverage, and storm-related claims.

Episode 20: Owe, Grow, Give, Live-Budgeting with Brittany

Brittany Heard, a financial advisor at Foster Group in Des Moines, shares how a PR degree led her from event planning to PR work and into insurance and finance, which she enjoys for its mix of relationship-building and analytical planning. Nikki and Brittany discuss how digital banking has changed spending habits, the importance of budgeting from net pay, and how pay frequency affects monthly calculations. Brittany introduces a simple framework—“owe, grow, give, live”—to organize debt payments, saving/retirement, philanthropy, and living expenses, emphasizing budgets must be reviewed and adjusted.

Episode 19: Credit Scores with Bad Banker Ben, Part 2 of 2

Episode 19 of the Next Step podcast concludes a conversation with Ben Anderson of empeople Credit Union about maintaining and repairing credit scores, especially for college students. He discusses student loans as a long-term burden, recommending not sacrificing current financial stability to pay them off early.For monitoring, he suggests quarterly score updates from card issuers, reviewing reports with a banker when applying for loans, and using annualcreditreport.com for free reports. He strongly urges freezing credit with all three bureaus to prevent identity theft.