Segment 2: Colleen Ceh Becvar, Co-Founder, Trinity Advocacy Group, joins John Williams to talk about how they help seniors with no family to make an estate plan, financial plan or a care plan.

Segment 3: Beth Swanson, CEO, A Better Chicago, joins John to break down their 2026 State of Chicago Youth Report. Beth also talks about the launch of the ‘Every Day Counts‘ initiative to combat chronic absenteeism.

Segment 2: Patrick Talty, CEO, Indiana Sports Corp, talks to John about what their organization does, what it takes to bring big events to Indiana, why they believe Indianapolis is uniquely prepared to host these type of events, and what Indianapolis has planned for Illinois fans that will be coming to the city to root on their Illini basketball team.

Segment 3: 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 tells John about how streaming services are taking over sports distribution, what you need to do to watch your favorite Chicago sports teams, and Netflix announcing a rate increase. Call or text Harvey for a FREE tech check.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about salary growth cooling and the clear shift in the trajectory of wage growth over the last few years.

Segment 3: Faron Daugs, CFP, Founder and CEO, Harrison Wallace Financial Group, joins John to talk about why the market is soaring today, when he thinks the market and economy will return to a more stable environment, why this could be an opportunity for the long-term investor, the importance of being diligent in diversifying your portfolio, the market broadening out, and the likelihood the Fed will hike interest rates.

Segment 2: Amanda Hoover, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John Williams about how the AI-driven rise in freelance work is creating new opportunities for women in the workforce.

Segment 3: Katie Anderson-Tedder, Co-owner, Anderson’s Candy Shop, joins John Williams to talk about all the great products they have available for Easter!

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about rising car prices and interest rates, how much the war in Iran is impacting the auto industry, and to answer all of your automotive questions.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about the Federal Communications Commission banning all foreign-made Wi-Fi routers, saying they pose “unacceptable risks” to national security, and OpenAI discontinuing Sora.

Segment 3: Brad Feldman, Senior Managing Partner, Interra Realty, to talk about Chicago’s multifamily investment landscape, the large appetite in the city for these types of investments, the market being strong overall, Chicago having good value for renters and good opportunity for investors, why Rogers Park, Hyde Park, and Logan Square are good areas for investment, the shortage of housing in Chicago, and what the city needs to do to be more pro-business and pro-development.

Segment 4: Patrick Nerja, owner of Neighborsgrid, joins John Williams to talk about the inspiration for starting their business that specializes in authentic Chicago sports gear from the 80s and 90s, when they decided to open a brick and mortar shop, and some of the hottest selling items a the store.

Segment 2: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John Williams to talk about the market volatility over the last couple of weeks, the broadening of the market in general, the importance of a diversified portfolio, his concerns about private credit, why he would be surprised to see an interest rate hike, if he’s worried about a possible recession, and why you should stay with your long-term financial plan at this point.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Uber investing over $1B in Rivian to help build out a robotaxi fleet, Northwestern getting $25M to turn university-led ideas into startups, and Chicago legal tech firm Relativity planning to go public.

Segment 3: Linda Moen, CEO, EFK Moen, joins John Williams to talk about Women’s History Month, the engineering workforce shortage and why recruiting more women into engineering is a key solution.

Segment 2: Sheila Weinberg, Founder and CEO, Truth in Accounting, joins John to discuss Truth in Accounting’s Financial State of the Cities report for 2026. How good are Chicago’s finances?

Segment 3: Tim Paradis, Future of Work Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John about how vibe coding has turned into a real job.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John everything about what he saw at SXSW.

Segment 3: Chris Balke, Owner, All City Brick Staining, talks to John about their business and how they help customers transform and revitalize brick surfaces with their expert staining services. Chris explains who their biggest customers are, if there is a popular color right now, how long a typical job takes, how business is going right now, and why people prefer to use staining to enhance the look of their house.

Segment 4: Max Simon, Founder/CEO, Green Flower, joins John Williams to talk about their partnership with Joliet Junior College on a cannabis education program.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about why 2026 is seeing a surge in individuals choosing to start their own businesses.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about the war in Iran and its impact on prices and the economy, inflation moving in the right direction, and how homeowners insurance makes a difference in affordability.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Chicago startup Chowbus raising $81M as it evolves beyond a food delivery startup to a restaurant services business, and Yourco raising $6M to build a workplace communications platform for deskless workers.

Segment 3: Aghfar Arun, Director, Hospitality, Bradford Allen, joins John Williams to talk about the rise of the luxury airport hotel and how the Hyatt Centric Chicago O’Hare is an example of this new trend.

Segment 2: Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, talks to John about why now is a good time to buy a new TV, a pizza oven that will help get you through March Madness, and the Abt Bracket Challenge! Carl also tells John about Abt’s new furniture department!

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about all the things he’s excited to see at SXSW this year. Will AI be the talk of the town again?

Segment 3: Mitch Lyons, founder of Mitch Lyons Wealth, joins John to talk about stock market volatility, the importance of building a portfolio based on your risk tolerance, what income annuities can do for you, why now is not a time to pull money out of the market, and what you should now about taxes in retirement.

Segment 4: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s February Small Business Index. 

Segment 2: Amanda Hoover, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, tells John Williams about how hiring managers and recruiters are increasingly not relying on candidate resumes to fill vacant jobs.

Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about a number of his recent stories including Michael Jordan’s former Highland Park home being pulled from rental sites, a Lake Geneva-area mega deal, and how much home prices have gone up in the Chicago area.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Morningstar inking a $5M partnership with the University of Illinois designed to keep top talent in state, IBM making a startup investment in Chicago quantum startup Qodex

Segment 3: Stephen Oakes, General Manager, Carmine’s, tells John about the reopening of the iconic Chicago restaurant!

Segment 2: Kristen Moore, Senior Vice President, Brixmor Property Group, talks to John about the properties that they own around the country, how business is going for them currently, and how their new restaurant and entertainment project in Naperville, Block 59.

Segment 3: Maura Keller, spokesperson, Old St. Patrick’s Church, tells John Williams everything you need to know about 2026 Irish Week festivities at Old St. Patrick’s Church.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John everything to know about the debut of Apple’s budget MacBook Neo.

Segment 3: Mark Steber, Chief Tax Officer, Jackson Hewitt Tax Services, talks to John about tax filing tips as we reach the halfway mark of this year’s tax season.

Segment 4: Dave Masa, Owner, Radon Reduction Systems, joins John Williams to talk about the Illinois Radon Protection Act and the importance of ensuring consistent radon testing standards in Illinois schools.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about how travel budgets are tightening during a time of elevated expenses driven by inflation, higher airfare, and rising hotel rates.

Segment 3: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John Williams to break down today’s market tumble, why he believes the concern will only be short-term, where we are on tariffs right now, and what he tells clients on days when the market drops significantly.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Chicago startup SpotHero being officially acquired by Uber, Letter AI, an artificial intelligence startup raising $40 million, and Waymo testing their self-driving cars in Chicago.

Segment 3: Laura Gardner, Founder, Local Style, talks to John about the launch of the new limited edition chip flavor: Green Beer! And just in time for St. Patrick’s Day! Laura also gives an update on how her business has been going since she started just about a year ago.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a number recent auto industry stories including the popularity of convertible cars, the overall strength of the automobile market, the impact of tariffs on the auto market, what’s going on with the EV market, the Cybertruck getting a huge price cut, and the interest in Japanese micro cars. And as always, Tom answers all of your automotive questions.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John what we can expect from Apple’s new product event happening next week.

Segment 3: Flavia Palozzi, Assistant Head Shopkeeper, Timeless Toys, joins John to talk about how tariffs have been impacting their business since the SCOTUS tariff ruling and President Trump’s 10% new tariff on most global imports.

Segment 4: Kim Malecky Iles, Executive Director, Oak Forest-Crestwood Chamber of Commerce, joins John to tell John everything you should know about the upcoming Oak Forest Fleadh. Kim also talks about how business has been going in the area, the new development projects, the unique businesses in town, and how you can get a little bit of everything in Oak Forest.

Segment 2: Jack Newsham, Correspondent, Business Insider, joins John to talk about the risks involved in using prediction markets.

Segment 3: Dr. Priya Freaney, Medical Director, Women’s Heart Care Program, Northwestern Medicine, joins John to talk about women’s cardiovascular health, why heart disease doesn’t look the same in women as it does in men, the symptoms that are more common in women, the risk factors that are unique to women, and the most important steps women can take to protect their heart health.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Cameo securing an injunction against OpenAI, and how Chicago-area schools stack up at producing unicorn startup founders.

Segment 3: Michael Bempah, Founder of Pinpoint Scholars Foundation and CEO of Pinpoint Precision Engineering, talks to John about his company and what they do, his mission to expand STEM programs to underserved areas, the importance of mentorship when developing Chicago’s future workforce, and what the Pinpoint Scholars Foundation does and who it serves.

Segment 2: Aki Ito, Chief Correspondent at Business Insider, joins John Williams to talk about why AI hasn’t yet turbocharged the workforce.

Segment 3: John Iannucci, CEO of Agave & Stone Hospitality, which owns Fat Rosie’s in Chicago, joins John to talk about how they are celebrating National Margarita Day this Sunday.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about the next wave of wearables from big tech. Scott also explains why he is concerned about Meta’s smart glasses and facial recognition.

Segment 3: Faron Daugs, CFP, Founder and CEO, Harrison Wallace Financial Group, joins John to talk about today’s market pullback, why a market breather shouldn’t set off any alarm bells, how geopolitical events always make the markets uneasy, the concern in the labor market right now, inflation slowing, why he thinks tariffs will eventually close the U.S. trade deficit, and what he’s telling his clients right now.

Segment 2: Phillippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John Williams to talk about why many bosses should consider ‘momentum milestones’ to maintain productivity throughout the year.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about why many Americans believe we are in a recession when data proves otherwise. Michael also talks about how you may pay a high price for picking the wrong major.

Segment 2: Sam Toia, President and CEO of the Illinois Restaurant Association, tells John why the Illinois Restaurant Association is applauding a judge ruling that swipe fees can no longer be charged on sales tax or gratuities.

Segment 3: Shay Keller and Leah McCarthy, Instructors, Solae, join John to talk about their hot sculpt, and Pilates studio that recently opened in Northbrook.

Segment 2: Emily Stewart, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, talks about the corporate wellness boom permeating offices around the country.

Segment 3: Landis Beverly, General Manager of new restaurant Caché 310 previews all that it has to offer from cocktails, meals, and how it’s prepared for Valentine’s Day.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, editor at large for CNET, joins John to discuss Samsung’s upcoming phone event, what most people want in a phone, and evolving AI features for phones.

Segment 3: Mitch Lyons, founder of Mitch Lyons Wealth, joins John to talk about defensive posturing with finances and how to combat the fear of running out of money after retiring.

Segment 4: Ted Rossman, principal analyst at Bankrate, joins John to talk about how often partners share their finances with each other and the value of having joint accounts.

Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about a number of his recent stories including advertising pioneer Albert Lasker’s Lake Forest mansion selling for first time since early ’90s, Tom Souleles, vice chairman of the private equity firm Madison Dearborn Partners, selling his Lincoln Park home for the full $6.5 million asking price, and the Bruce Goff exhibit at the Art Institute.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about another well funded tenant moving into the Chicago quantum park, Chicago VC firm SNAK Ventures raising $50M, and a new Chicago VC fund investing in startups that participate in the prestigious Silicon Valley accelerator Y Combinator.

Segment 3: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s January Small Business Index. 

Segment 2: Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, talks to Tom about the amazing items at Abt to enhance your Super Bowl viewing experience, and the products to help you combat winter cold.

Segment 3: Craig Bolanos, Founder and Wealth Advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John Williams to talk about what we should know about new Trump Accounts. Craig also explains why the market has been dipping lately, why he remains extremely bullish on 2026, what he thinks of gold prices, and what he wants investors focused on right now.

Segment 2:  Phillippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John Williams to talk about the rise in deepfakes and how that is leading to an increase in harassment cases. What do employers need to do to protect themselves?

Segment 3: Andrei Turea, Co-owner & CEO, Green Attic Roofing, joins John to talk about why they started the company, their focus on energy efficiency, the way technology is continuing to evolve, the opportunity for commercial property owners to turn their roofs into an asset, what you should know about various rebate programs, how business has been going right now, what the solar panels look like, and how they can help you with design, permits, incentives, and installation. Visit their website or call 847-871-9999 to get their input on what solar looks like for your building.

Segment 4: Austin Fletcher, CEO and Co-Founder of Momento, joins John to talk about how their new technology captures real, in-the-moment reactions from live events and turns them into high-quality photos. Austin explains how the technology works, the stadiums where you can find their technology, and when they anticipate you will be able to find the technology in a Chicago stadium.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a startup called When raised $10M to help employers with health care transition of their employees, Amazon closing its Fresh grocery and Go convenience stores ,and a trucking software startup raising $12M as Chicago continues to be logistics hub

Segment 3: Katie Anderson-Tedder, Co-owner, Anderson’s Candy Shop, joins John Williams to talk about the family business, how the Valentine’s Day season has been going so far, the challenge of dealing with fluctuating costs, how they remain relevant in a competitive market, and the importance of consistently putting out high quality products.

Segment 2: Faith Anderson (CEO) and Fiona McEntee (COO), Co-founders, Nouvie, tell John about their NA sparkling wine! Faith and Fiona talk about when they started the business, the process of making the drink non-alcoholic, the importance of creating an NA drink that tastes good, how the operations are going, the response they have been receiving, where you can find their beverage, and why this is product is a love letter to people who love sparkling wine.

Segment 3: Ben Klein, wealth management advisor, Merrill Lynch Chicago, talks to John about the importance of teaching kids critical money skills.

Segment 2:  Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about the boom of of ‘Physical AI.’

Segment 3: Tim Paradis, Future of Work Correspondent, Business Insider, joins John to talk about how a 4-day work week might help employees embrace the use of AI. 

Segment 4: Stephen Kates, CFP, Financial Analyst, Bankrate, joins John Williams to recap what Fed Chair Jerome Powell said yesterday about interest rates, the economy, Fed independence, inflation, and when we might see another rate reduction.

Segment 2: Phillip Shaw, CFP, Senior Advisor, Goldstone Financial Group, joins John Williams to talk about what he expects the Fed to do with interest rates this week, his general outlook for interest rate cuts this year, why he’s watching tech earnings, the great GDP numbers we have seen recently, why gold is rising right now, and the great negotiating tool that tariffs have been so far.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about how weather sometimes impacts Chicago’s ability to raise VC funding, and a software platform for equipment rental business raising $9 million, and a new pediatric provider startup continuing to grow.

Segment 3: Mark Sotelino, Partner, Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba!, tells John about the beloved restaurant celebrating 40 years in business in Chicago!

Segment 2: Emily Stewart, Senior Correspondent, Business Insider, joins John to talk about people using the job market social app LinkedIn to look up exes and screen potential romantic interests.

Segment 3: Jeff Marquard, Show Manager, Discover Boating Chicago Boat Show®, joins John Williams to tell us everything you nee to know about next week’s Chicago Boat Show! Click here for tickets.

Segment 2:  Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about how Apple may be making an AI wearable pin for 2027, and why Starlink expansion is raising concerns.

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about President Trump continuing to use tariffs as a negotiating tool, how effective the tariffs have been, and the relationship between AI and GDP growth.

Segment 2:  Phillippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John Williams to talk about the importance of good leaders holding themselves accountable for their own oversights and missteps.

Segment 3: Jack Ablin, Founding Partner & Chief Investment Strategist, Cresset Capital, talks to John about what investors need to paying attention to this week including trade policy uncertainty, President Trump’s economic speech in Davos, Fed independence, Supreme Court ruling on tariffs, inflation and GDP data coming out later this week. Jack also gives us his market outlook for 2026.

Segment 4: Jeff Ostrowski, Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to explain why home prices remain stuck at record highs.

Segment 2: Carl Prouty, “The Technologist” at Abt Electronics in Glenview, talks to John about the latest technology and gadgets that will help keep you on track so you can reach your fitness goals.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about Google and Apple partnering on AI, and the status of X’s Grok AI.

Segment 3: Heather Haddon, Reporter, The Wall Street Journal, joins John to tell us why a $500 steak dinner only yields a $25 profit.

Segment 4: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s December Small Business Index. 

Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about the general outlook on residential home prices in 2026, and a number of his recent stories including the National Association of Realtors’ top economist seeing better affordability in 2026, President Trump wanting to ban investors from buying up houses, a Gold Coast mansion that sold for 5.1 million, and the areas in the Chicago area that are showing the most sales growth.

Segment 2:  Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about a new national bill that will help accelerate Illinois’ quantum ambitions, and Chicago-based Brunswick launching its driverless boating tech at CES last week.

Segment 3: Matt Adams, principal at Deloitte Consulting specializing in retail, breaks down Deloitte’s 2026 Retail Industry Global Outlook.

Segment 2: Scott Stein, Editor at Large, CNET, tells John about the best things he saw at CES 2026.

Segment 3: Mitch Lyons, founder of Mitch Lyons Wealth, joins John to talk about retirement planning and what you need to know about Roth IRA conversions.

Segment 4: Ted Rossman, Bankrate.com Senior industry analyst, joins John to talk about Bankrate’s Interest Rate Forecast for 2026.

Segment 2: Matt Schultz, LendingTree chief credit analyst, joins John to break down Lending Tree’s Holiday Debt survey.

Segment 3: Jeff Wolfthal, Program development specialist, Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, joins John to tell us everything we need to know about the nature museum’s Founders Day Celebration.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about 2026 being a year for a ‘union resurgence.’

Segment 3: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, joins John to talk about Tesla no longer being the the #1 seller of EVs worldwide, how the US economy compares to other parts of the world, why the stock market has been rallying in 2026, and if he’s surprised that tariffs haven’t had a big impact on the economy.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Groupon working on their rebound story, and Uber being in talks to acquire Chicago parking app SpotHero.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about Tesla sales falling and losing the title as the world’s biggest EV maker, what we should know about Chinese rival BYD, consumers wanting hybrid vehicles, the challenge of buying a new vehicle right now, and to answer all of your auto industry questions.

Segment 3: Paul Nolte, Senior Wealth Advisor and Market Strategist, Murphy & Sylvest, joins John to discuss inflation, market momentum, and what investors should realistically expect as the economy heads into the new year.

Segment 4: Michael Miller, Economics Professor, Western Washington University and Professor Emeritus at DePaul University, explains to John the Fed’s latest moves, wage growth versus inflation, and why the economy may be stronger than it feels for many Americans.

Segment 2: Segment 2: Elliot Richardson, Co-founder and President, Small Business Advocacy Council, joins John to talk about Chicago’s City Council and what that means for new taxes, fees, and fines hitting small businesses, and the proactive steps City Hall should take in 2026.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, breaks down a troubling trend in corporate America: a sharp increase in layoffs during the holiday season. Weiss and Williams discuss why companies are more willing to let workers go in November and December and the emotional toll it can take.

Segment 3:  Craig Bolanos, Co-Founder and wealth advisor at VestGen Wealth Partners, joins John to analyze year-end market trends, the so-called Santa Claus rally, inflation and unemployment pressures, consumer confidence, and what data suggests for 2026.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about major developments in Chicago tech and innovation. Topics include a Northwestern biotech raising millions to advance regenerative medicine and Chicago’s growing role in the future of quantum technology.

Segment 3: Ary Krivopisk, CEO of The Yard Signature, joins John to discuss the rise of high-end flexible workspaces and how companies are rethinking office needs in a post-pandemic world.

Segment 2: Tim Paradis, Future-of-work & Trending Correspondent at Business Insider joins John to expand on his article detailing “the golden age” of employee monitoring.

Segment 3: Richard Demirjian, President, TCCI Manufacturing joins John in a discussion about how his Decatur-based company powers commercial vehicles worldwide, its role in EV and hybrid technology, and the future of thermal management.

Segment 2: Brandon Ewing, Director, Community Retail Branches, BCU, joins John to talk about their credit union, the difference between a credit union and a bank, the various products they offer, the benefits of a credit union, who is eligible to become a member of BCU, and how they are a full service financial institution.

Segment 3: Harold Redman, CEO, ECHO, tells John how ECHO has partnered with Friends of the Forest Preserves, donating 27 pieces of professional-grade equipment now being used to speed up invasive removal efforts. Harold also tells John how business has been, the rise of autonomous mowers, and how they have navigated through tariffs.

Segment 4: John Manchester, co-owner, Windy City Sweets, join John Williams to talk about how business has been this holiday season, their most popular items, the ‘naughty’ and ‘nice’ cookies and other holiday treats, and their new cookie that supports the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Segment 2: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about a number of his recent stories including Ken Griffin’s last remaining Chicago condo landing a buyer, the owner of Michael Jordan’s former home pitching new plan for the estate, and the growth of high-end home sales.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about McDonald’s pulling an AI Christmas ad that consumers did not like, and The Chicago Tribune and New York Times suing a large AI company over copyright issues.

Segment 3: Isaac Reichman, Director, Corporate Communications, Choose Chicago, joins John Williams to preview the stacked 2026 Chicago convention calendar. After a successful 2025, Chicago’s convention business hopes to build on that momentum next year.

Segment 2:  Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s November Small Business Index. 

Segment 3: Steve Schnur, COO of CRG, joins John Williams to talk about the strength of Chicago’s industrial market and how it continues to defy national trends.

Segment 2: Trevor Wagener, Chief Economist and Director of the Research Center at the Computer & Communications Industry Association, tells Wendy about how AI is changing everyday life in America and what we can expect from the technology and its impact moving forward.

Segment 3: Shirley Hood, Appliance Specialist, Abt Electronics in Glenview, gives Wendy some tips to make sure your appliances are running properly for the holiday season.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins Wendy Snyder to talk about how quality customer service in America seems to have “cratered.”

Segment 3: Steve Bernas, President & CEO of the Better Business Bureau of Chicago and Northern Illinois, joins guest host Wendy Snyder, filling in for John Williams, to talk about the 12 Scams of Christmas.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells Wendy about Waymo’s expansion plans and if we’ll eventually see the driverless technology in Chicago, what to know about growing Chicago meat stick startup Chomps, and Rivian seeing automation as a big piece of its business in the next decade.

Segment 3: Alison Costanzo, Executive Director, Lombard Historical Society, joins Wendy to talk about all the great holiday events at the Lombard Historical Society this season!

Segment 1: Samantha Frontera, Co-Owner, The Holly House, a mother–daughter–built boutique that celebrates local artisans, meaningful moments, and the kind of small-town magic you can actually feel.

Segment 2: Jospehine Lee, president of Uniting Voices Chicago, a nonprofit that provides music education and performance opportunities for 4,000 CPS and Chicago-area students.

Segment 3/4: Carl Prouty, ‘The Technologist’ from Abt Electronics in Glenview, joins Wendy to talk about the hottest holiday gifts on the market.

Segment 2: Faron Daugs, CFP, Founder and CEO, Harrison Wallace Financial Group, to talk about what he expects from the inflation and consumer sentiment data released tomorrow, how people are still feeling the impact of inflation, if we will see some tariff relief anytime soon, the disconnect between Main Street and Wall Street, why the market continues to get close to all-time highs, and what the Fed cutting interest rates would mean for the economy.

Segment 2: Clem Martin from Christ the King Jesuit College Prep joins John Williams on this Marquette Bank Giving Tuesday to talk about how long the school has been around, the students who make up Christ the King, and the unique Corporate Work Study Program where kids can earn a portion of their tuition costs while gaining valuable, life-changing skills and experience through jobs at 80+ Chicago-area businesses and non-profit companies. Also, the 18th Annual King of Hearts Gala on January 30th is at the Fairmont Millennium Park hotel. Find more details about that here.

Segment 3: Steven Esposito, President of Yellowstone Wealth Management in Lake Forest, joins John to talk about the good year for overall market performance, why we are seeing some volatility, why he is bullish on 2026, what continues to make Wall Street so optimistic, if he thinks the Fed will cut interest rates another quarter point, his forecast for the 2026 real estate market, and why he’s not worried about rampant inflation.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Cameo scored a win in court after a judge temporarily blocked OpenAI from using the word “cameo” in its app, fraud detection startup Fingerprint being named Chicago’s fastest growing tech company by Deloitte, and a Chicago water vending machine startup that aims to eliminate single use plastics raising $1M.

Segment 3: Bonnie Miske, Owner, Broken Oar Marina-Bar & Grill, joins John Williams to talk about how long they have been in business in Port Barrington, and what you need to know about their Arctic Winter Bar, which will be open through February 1st.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the risks involved in rejecting job candidates who are ‘overqualified’ for a position.

Segment 3: 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. Harry also tells us about some great Black Friday TV / tech deals. Want Harvey to help you lower your tech bills? You can email him at hmwellsradio@gmail.com or phone / text him at 312-307-1700.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about EV startup Harbinger raising $160M to bring EVs to the medium-duty truck space, Abbott agreeing to buy Exact Sciences, the maker of the Cologuard, and Chicago’s LanzaJet making history in being the world’s first company to produce jet fuel from ethanol at commercial-scale.

Segment 3: Davis Jaspers, Founder & CEO of VitaLife, joins John Williams to talk about their weight loss and wellness program, how they are able to figure out what the body needs, their focus on getting metabolism working the way it should, what their weight loss program looks like and the typical client they serve, if they have seen an impact on business since the rise of weight loss medication, and how much weight you can expect to lose on the program. VitaLife has a Black Friday promotion, too! Their initial assessment is normally $300, but for Black Friday, it’s only $47. And if you schedule your assessment for Black Friday 11/28 or Small Business Saturday 11/29 at our Naperville Grand Opening, they will give you your $47 back at your appointment. Here is what you need to do:
Just grab your phone, dial #250, press call,
and when prompted say the keyword: “VitaLife.”
They will text you the link so you can lock it in.

Segment 2: Tom Appel, Publisher, Consumer Guide Automotive and host of the Consumer Guide Car Stuff podcast, joins John Williams to talk about a variety of topics in the automotive world including electric car sales dropping, his opinion for a good, mainstream electric vehicle, the health of the luxury EV market, the new mid-size Porsche EV, Toyota investing in hybrid production in the U.S., and Ford and Amazon teaming up to sell used cars online. Tom also answers all of your automotive questions.

Segment 2: Jason Hiner, Editor in Chief, ZDNET, joins John Williams to talk about what we should know about Google’s Gemini 3, and a new app that lets you ‘talk’ to dead relatives.

Segment 3: Kimberly Bares, CEO, Magnificent Mile Association, tells John Williams to tell us everything we need to know about this year’s Magnificent Mile Lights Festival! Kimberly also talks about the economic impact and what it means for the city of Chicago and the state of Illinois.

Segment 4: Sarah Foster, Economic Analyst, Bankrate, joins John to talk about the September jobs report being released today, the overall health of the labor market, and what she expects the Fed to do with interest rates in December.  

Segment 2: Matt Schultz, LendingTree Chief Consumer Finance Analyst, talks with John about a new Lending Tree survey that shows Thanksgiving hosts are expected to spend an average of $487 on food, drinks and decor this year— up 13% from last year.

Segment 2: Tom Fortino, Founder and Principal, Alpha Wealth Group and host of “The Alpha Wealth Hour” on WGN Radio, joins John Williams to talk about why the market has been dropping the last few days, the importance of understanding the market and knowing what you own, the anticipation for the results of Nvidia earnings, what will happen when job data is released following the government shutdown, if he sees inflation coming down after President Trump rolled back some tariffs, and if there is a sector he’s bullish on right now.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Rivian Automotive announcing a spin off company called Mind Robotics, Uber Freight partnering with Better Trucks, and IonQ opening a quantum computing center at the University of Chicago.

Segment 3: Isaac Reichman, Director, Corporate Communications, Choose Chicago, joins John Williams to talk about the strong convention business happening in Chicago this fall, and the economic impact of these conventions coming to the city.

Segment 2: Linda Bell, Home Lending Expert, Bankrate, joins John to talk about why so many homeowners are overpaying on their property taxes and how to successfully appeal an assessment. Linda walks listeners through reviewing a property record card, gathering evidence, and deciding whether to DIY or hire help.

Segment 3: James Rodriguez, Senior Reporter, Business Insider, joins John to discuss the rise and fall of “Zoom towns,” the warm-weather cities that saw explosive growth during the pandemic. James explains how migration to places like Austin, Tampa, Phoenix, and Atlanta drove prices sky-high and why cooling demand, increased inventory, and stalled mobility have now flipped the script, keeping Midwest markets like Chicago surprisingly strong.

Segment 4: Matt Adams, principal at Deloitte Consulting, joins John to preview the 2025 holiday shopping season. Matt shares Deloitte’s latest findings showing Chicago consumers plan to spend 11% less this year, explains the rise of value-seeking behavior and gift-card giving, and breaks down why early October deal days and Black Friday/Cyber Monday still dominate holiday spending patterns.

Segment 2: Philippe Weiss, President, Seyfarth at Work, joins John to talk about the team leadership lessons that can be drawn from the extraordinary performance of LA Dodger Shohei Ohtani in the 2025 postseason.

Segment 3: Dennis Rodkin, residential real estate reporter for Crain’s, joins John Williams to talk about the Trump administration floating the idea of a 50-year mortgage, Laura Ricketts effort to get $13 million back from the builders of her lakefront Wilmette mansion over what she considered construction defects concluding with an arbitration panel determining she was due something more like $600,000, Chicago-area luxury home sales breaking the annual record with 7 weeks still to go, and a Lake Geneva home selling for $10.3 million.

Segment 2: Jim Dallke, Director of Communications, TechNexus Venture Collaborative, tells John about Argonne and NVIDIA are teaming up on an AI supercomputer for the Department of Energy, Chicago Blend landing a multiyear grant to continue its efforts to diversify Chicago’s venture capital scene, and Letter AI raising $10.6 million to bring generative AI to sales teams.

Segment 3: Mike Spriggs, Head of Consumer Insights at Fiserv, joins John Williams to break down Fiserv’s October Small Business Index. 

Segment 2: Brendan Shea, Founder & Creative Director at Sunup, talks to John about their Chicago-based marketing firm, the various clients they serve, how they are able to find their clients, how they have embraced AI, how other companies are using advances in AI to better serve their clients, and how their company is giving their clients a competitive edge.

Segment 3: Lori Hendren, AARP Illinois Senior Associate State Director, Outreach and Advocacy, joins John Williams to talk about November being National Family Caregivers Month and new data that shows 23% of adults in Illinois provide unpaid care. Lori breaks down the data and explains how AARP is fighting to provide greater financial relief and support for caregivers.