Talk Credit Radio With Gerri Detweiler

Many small businesses fail because they don’t understand the critical financial details of their business, says Mitchell D. Weiss. His goal is to help entrepreneurs avoid the traps he’s seen entrepreneurs run into in his many years as a financial services executive. He explains how in his new book, Business Happens: A Practical Guide to Entrepreneurial Finance for Small Businesses and Professional Practices. In this interview he shares why he wrote the book, and then provides his advice on what small business owners can do if things don’t go according to plan and their venture runs into financial problems. But ultimately he wants business owners to learn to protect themselves before they experience financial difficulties. This interview aired live October 21, 2013.

Most of us know we can get a free copy of our personal credit reports, but business credit reports are still a mystery. In this podcast, I discuss how these reports work. Who are the major corporate credit reporting agencies? How can you get copies? How are they different from personal credit reports? And what kind of information do they contain? You’ll get a solid overview of these reporting agencies in this podcast. This episode aired live October 21, 2013.

As states start allowing the legal sale of marijuana, some investors and entrepreneurs are going to get very rich. And others are just going to see their savings go up in smoke. If you plan to cash in on the “Green Rush,” you’d better make sure know how to steer clear of the scammers and swindlers. In this interview, The Consumer Man Herb Weisbaum warns about the potential risks of these investments, including why they are so volatile and not very liquid. He also warns about the #1 risk investors are overlooking. This episode aired live October 28, 2013.

My guest Amanda Grossman got $2800 in free products at CVS over four years. That's about $700 in free stuff every year! In this interview she teaches you how to play the CVS Drugstore Game so you can save big bucks too. We discuss how to roll your ExtraCare Bucks (ECBs) and how to use multiple coupons/ExtraCare Bucks on a single purchase and more. As Amanda says, “This is not your grandmother’s couponing. It is focused couponing.” Once you learn how to play the game it can take just a few minutes a week. I saved $22 on a purchase before I even finished her book, and learned how I could save even more. Needless to say, I am a fan! Amanda Grossman is founder of the blog FrugalConfessions.com and author of the ebook, The CVS Drugstore Game. This episode aired live November 25, 2013.

Bob is just an average guy. He got lucky and landed in a job as a travel journalist, traveling the world and staying in very nice properties. But in his world travels, he saw poverty all around him and felt the urge to do something. He's not become a philanthropist, gathering a group of investors who are lending (not giving) millions of dollars to people around the world who are trying to improve their lives. And he's doing it with as little as $25 a pop. Of all the exciting things he's done, he says this is the best. Want to be inspired? Find out how you can help. This interview with Bob Harris, author of the book The International Bank of Bob (great read) aired live July 8, 2013.

Retailers and lenders use a variety of tactics to encourage spending during the holiday season. In the first part of this interview with Cambridge Credit President Christopher Viale we discuss the tricks and traps of holiday shopping. Then in the second half of the interview we discuss strategies for getting out of debt after the holidays - or any time of the year. Cambridge Credit Counseling has helped more than one million people get out of debt, and Viale shares his insights from all the work his agency has done to help consumers. This episode aired live November 18, 2013.

Retirement has changed. Baby Boomers are looking for more, but what really makes for a satisfying retirement? In this interview I talk with Dan Kadlec, co-author of A New Purpose: Redefining Money, Family, Work, Retirement, and Success (co-authored with Ken Dychtwald). We talk about what the research shows about a meaningful life, how boomer's definition of retirement is changing and the surprising relationship that could make a huge difference in life satisfaction. This interview aired live November 4, 2013.

Your Medicare Supplement policy is likely a waste of money, and joining me to explain why is Dr. David Belk, a practicing physician, patient advocate and founder of TrueCostofHealthCare.org. If you are paying for one of these policies find out why it is unlikely your benefits will be larger than the premium you pay - even if you end up in the hospital. Do you want to make another insurance company richer? If not, listen to this interview that aired Sept 30, 2013.

Really want to save money? All You set out to find the best shoppers in America - at least when it comes to saving money - and received over 200,000 submissions. Their winners saved a lot of money and share how you can save big bucks yourself. In this interview with All You magazine senior editor Amanda Kelly, she shares some of the strategies used by their contest winners. One is saving thousands of people in her town $80 a month and another took an $8000 world trip for $800! Learn the secrets of these super shoppers. This episode aired live Sept 9, 2013 but the strategies are still very relevant today.

Soldier of Finance is one of my favorite books of 2013 and here I talk with the author, Jeff Rose, who shares some of his advice and experiences that helped him transform his financial life. He explains how one $75 parking ticket almost derailed his life, and how he turned things around. He also shares the concept of a Battle Buddy and what it can do for your financial future. This episode aired live Sept. 9, 2013.

How will Obamacare affect your taxes - and your pocketbook? In this interview with Lisa Greene-Lewis, lead CPA for TurboTax.com, we discuss, tax implications of the Affordable Care Act "Obamacare'), what kind of documentation will be required when you file your taxes, what the penalty will be if you don't get health insurance, how to avoid scams, what happens if you already have health insurance, and how the tax credit for certain income groups works. This episode aired live Sept. 23, 2013.

Grayson Bell started an e-commerce business in college. While it would be considered successful by many standards - revenue exceeded $1 million - he shut it down. When he did, he found himself $50,000 in debt on seven credit cards. But instead of filing for bankruptcy, he paid it all off. In this interview he shares what happened and how he paid back this debt, including his unique method of tackling his debt, and the one thing he believes is key to getting out of deep debt. His story is both enlightening and inspiring. This interview with Grayson Bell aired live November 11, 2013.

She’s a credit card expert and well-known financial journalist now, but years ago, Beverly Harzog was in credit card trouble. She had maxxed out seven credit cards, was missing minimum payments and bouncing checks, and had even stopped opening her mail. But she dug out of debt and shares her story as well as her advice in her new book, Confessions of a Credit Junkie: Everything You Need to Know to Avoid the Mistakes I Made. In this interview, she shares how she got into debt, as well as the strategies she used to pay off about $20,000 in credit card debt in approximately two years. She also shares answers to some of the most common questions she hears, including how to find the top reward cards and how to rebuild credit. She also explains how she now profits from her credit cards. She has truly transformed her experiences into a way to help consumers. Get inspired and informed in this conversation with Beverly! This episode aired live November 25, 2013.

She's on a mission to help girls and women make sure they don't sell themselves short. Sara Grillo, CFA, is an Italian-American entrepreneur, investment manager, award-winning financial author, and professor of finance. She is the original Queen Bitchionnaire and the founder of the Bitchionnaire Nation. She has a background in financial services, a BA from Harvard College and an MBA from New York University Stern School of Business. As a CFA® charterholder, Sara is required to follow a rigorous set of ethical standards which guides her to put the interests of her clients before her own and those of her firm. She is an adjunct professor of finance and economics. Sara actively mentors others, especially younger women, through the Professor Sara Grillo Alumni Group on LinkedIn, which has more than 100 members. This episode aired live October 14, 2013.

College is hard enough, but what about when you are an adult trying to juggle a job or family while you try to get your degree? Joining me to explain the challenges of adult learners is Dr. Ebersole, an expert on the higher education system and competency based learning and assessment by credit examination. He is author of the book, Courageous Learning: Finding a New Path through Higher Education, Dr. Ebersole has been in the industry for more than 25 years and understands the evolving education system and needs of those seeking a degree. This interview aired live October 14, 2013.

If you reach retirement age with funds in a 401(k) account you’ll have to make decisions about what to do with that money. In this interview with Stretcher.com founder Gary Foreman, we discuss the five options available at retirement. We discuss how to avoid expensive penalties and common mistakes. In the second part of the interview we talk about reverse mortgages and when they may – or may not – be useful for supplementing retirement income. This interview aired live October 7, 2013.

As Americans, we aren't doing a great job saving money. 40% of Americans haven't saved anything and only 55% have more in savings than in credit card debt. How can we improve those numbers? My guest Ben Taran with SavedPlus.com shares simple solutions for increasing your savings. Imagine what would happen if you saved 5% of your spending each month. This interview aired live October 28, 2013.

Brian O'Connor had a mission: to see if he could cut $1000 a month from his family's spending without sacrificing the essentials. But it wasn't enough to just save: he gave himself 10 weeks to accomplish his goal, and documented his attempts in his very popular column in the Detroit News. He turned his experiences into one of the funniest personal finance books I've read. Hear what he did and how he did it in this interview that aired live October 28, 2013.

My guest Brian Kelly caught the rewards points bug when he was only 13 years old and help a family trip to the Grand Cayman Islands using mostly reward points. Since then, he’s become an expert who shares his advice for backing up rewards, and he does that here in this in-depth interview.

A young woman in high school was told she couldn’t donate blood because she had AIDS. But she didn’t. It turns out she was the victim of a fast-growing crime: medical identity theft. In this interview with The Consumer Man Herb Weisbaum, you’ll learn about this dangerous crime and what you can do to protect yourself.