NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast

Learn how couples can budget around inconsistent income and navigate the financial and emotional strain it can create.

What can you do when your partner's income is too unpredictable to plan around? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola answer a question from a listener who is struggling to cover household bills because her spouse's income fluctuates week to week. They examine the financial mechanics of the situation — from which budgeting frameworks could bring more stability to an irregular income household, to whether separate accounts might protect your finances, and what to consider when the budget feels like there's nowhere left to cut.

Then, they get into the messier emotional questions: how this kind of financial imbalance could shift the power dynamic in a relationship, what a "funder and beneficiary" dynamic looks like and when it tips into unhealthy territory, and what it takes to have honest money conversations with your partner before financial stress erodes the trust between you. Sean and Elizabeth also draw on NerdWallet's 2026 Dating Dealbreaker survey, which found that 46% of Americans say a partner asking to borrow money is a dealbreaker in a romantic relationship.

Sign up for the Smart Money newsletter for bonus content and behind-the-scenes updates from Sean and Elizabeth: https://smartmoney-nerdwallet.beehiiv.com/

Survey: 17% of Americans Say Credit Card Debt is a Dating Dealbreaker https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/2026-dating-dealbreakers

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

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.
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Can you really overhaul 50 years of money habits — and are the drivers paying the highest prices per gallon actually the ones hurting most from rising gas prices?

Host Sean Pyles, CFP© and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by senior news writer Anna Helhoski and joined by data studies Nerd, Kurt Woock, to unpack why the price on the sign at the gas station doesn't tell the whole story about how gas prices hit your budget. They break down why states like Wyoming, Oklahoma, Montana and Utah saw the biggest jumps in weekly gas spending this year — even though they don't have the highest prices at the pump — and why total spending, not the price per gallon, is what really matters when you're budgeting.

Then, Sean and Elizabeth answer a question from a 50-year-old listener named David, who's trying to reset a lifetime of impulse spending and build a real retirement plan on a later timeline. They walk through catch-up contributions for IRAs, 401(k)s and HSAs, why automated savings buckets and an emergency fund matter more than ever at this stage, and how to think through the tradeoffs of claiming Social Security early versus waiting.

Gas Costs (Not Just Pump Prices) Hit Some States Harder: https://www.nerdwallet.com/finance/studies/2026-gas-prices-costs

Catch-Up Contributions: How They Work and 2026 Limits: https://www.nerdwallet.com/retirement/learn/catch-up-contributions

Average Retirement Savings by Age: https://www.nerdwallet.com/retirement/learn/the-average-retirement-savings-by-age-and-why-you-need-more

Retirement Calculator: https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/calculators/retirement-calculator

How to Invest With Your HSA — And Why You Should: https://www.nerdwallet.com/article/investing/how-to-invest-hsa

NerdWallet Wealth Partners, fee-only financial advisors: https://nerdwalletwealthpartners.com/smart

Smart Money’s YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/@nerdwalletsmartmoney

Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at 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

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email podcast@nerdwallet.com.

Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend.

*The show notes were created with the assistance of AI. They have been reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy and quality.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is it time to ditch multiple bank accounts for an all-in-one hybrid account — and how do you transition to joint accounts with a partner without making a mess of your finances?

Hosts Sean Pyles and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by banking Nerd Chanelle Bessette to answer a question about consolidating banking at one institution while also opening a joint account with a partner. They compare hybrid cash management accounts like Wealthfront Cash against traditional online banks like Ally and SoFi, walk through FDIC insurance limits for individual and joint accounts, and share best practices for merging finances with a partner for the first time, including how to divide contributions equitably and why it's probably still smart to keep an account of your own.

Then, Sean and Elizabeth compare notes on their recent solo trips to Chicago, swapping recommendations on where to eat, walk and spend money in Sean's hometown.

Wealthfront Cash Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/wealthfront-cash-account

Ally Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/ally-bank

SoFi Bank Review: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/reviews/sofi

Joint Bank Accounts: How and When They Work: https://www.nerdwallet.com/banking/learn/joint-checking-account

Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at 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

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email 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

Learn what's in a rare bipartisan housing bill in Congress, then find out whether a credit card payment plan beats buy now, pay later.

Why did a housing bill with overwhelming bipartisan support suddenly stall on the president's desk? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP©, and Elizabeth Ayoola are joined by senior news writer Anna Helhoski, and mortgage writers Abby Badach Doyle and Kate Wood to unpack the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act. It’s a nearly 400-page bill designed to ease the national housing shortage by cutting federal red tape around permitting, expanding small-dollar mortgages, limiting large institutional investors from buying more single-family homes, and creating incentives — not mandates — for local governments to build more housing, including manufactured homes and accessory dwelling units.

Then, Sean and Elizabeth are joined by credit cards Nerd and NerdWallet spokesperson Sara Rathner to help a listener named Emma decide how to pay off a large purchase without draining her savings. They walk through how to compare the fees on a credit card issuer's payment plan against your card's regular APR, how these plans differ from third-party buy now, pay later services, and whether either option can help — or hurt — your credit score.

Locked Out: 3 Outdated Myths About Manufactured Homes: https://www.nerdwallet.com/mortgages/news/locked-out-manufactured-homes-affordable-housing-crisis

Best 0% APR Credit Cards of July 2026: https://www.nerdwallet.com/credit-cards/best/zero-percent

Subscribe to our podcast's free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at 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

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email 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

Learn how to build wealth while staying true to your social values and choosing meaningful work over maximum pay.

Can you be both wealthy and ethical? Hosts Sean Pyles, CFP®, and Elizabeth Ayoola tackle a question from a nurse who earns less than her peers by choosing to work at a public safety-net hospital and deliberately charges minimal fees to teach wilderness medicine to nonprofits. They explore the tension people in service-oriented careers often feel when it comes to building personal wealth, including which strategies could help you earn more without abandoning your mission. They also discuss which financial tools — from retirement plans designed for public-sector workers to ways of investing that align with your values — could help you grow wealth while staying true to what you stand for. Plus: an accountability update from Sean and Elizabeth on their January goals.

Find out what ESG investing could look like for your portfolio with our beginner's guide: https://www.nerdwallet.com/investing/learn/esg-investing 

Subscribe to our podcast’s free email newsletter for bonus content and more from our hosts at 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

To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email 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