Arizona’s Family On Your Side

Are you looking for a job or maybe thinking of changing careers? You're not alone. The U.S. just added more than 260,000 jobs last month. And the Labor Department says average hourly earnings rose 5% from a year ago. So the labor market might look optimistic. But why are companies struggling to keep employees, and what are different industries doing to keep their staffing where they need to be? To...

Inflation has caused the prices of just about everything we buy to go up drastically. We know about groceries and gas, but what about pet care? Pet owners already pay around $3,500 per year on pet care, but that amount seems to be going up as well. On this episode, we're talking to Doug Patriquin, co-owner of Dr. Kelly's Surgical Unit. He tells us how you can keep your pet budget under control.

Have you checked your credit score lately? It's something we should all keep an eye on, especially before applying for a credit card or loan. If your credit score is 740 or above, you're considered to have a pretty good score, meaning creditors should reward you with a lower interest rate. So in this episode, we're talking to Brian Larsen. He's with WaFd Bank's Retail Division. He tells us the ave...

Baseball season is wrapping up. Football season is underway. And we are talking about sports spending. From kids’ leagues, to tickets, merchandise, food and fantasy leagues, fans plan to spend hundreds of dollars this fall.  And a new survey shows some are willing to take on debt for their favorite sport. So today we’re talking with LendingTree’s Matt Schulz who breaks down how much we’ll actually...

Imagine being in the process of buying or selling a home. It can be an exciting time, but it can also be stressful as well. Scammers know that, and they're using a very deceptive practice to either steal your down payment, make off with your sale proceeds or in some cases... steal your home right out from underneath you. Sounds crazy, but it's happening across the nation including right here in Ar...

It's that time of year when folks start looking forward to Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course Christmas. As for Christmas, shopping for that perfect gift may be the furthest thing from your mind right now. But in today's world, it should be at the top of your list. Apparently, retailers are facing some big inventory challenges and looking to move product and that could mean big savings for con...

A recent study found that 30% of Arizona students are not returning to college this year because of the coronavirus. In fact, more than 150,000 students cancelled all college classes in Arizona alone. One reason behind the major departure is that many college students just don't have health insurance to cover medical expenses, particularly COVID-related expenses. And since many colleges require so...

More drivers are interested in owning electric vehicles. For many families, EVs are still way too expensive. But there is a new push to get more EVs on the road. Now, because of the  Inflation Reduction Act, tax credits for EVs have completely changed. So how do they work? Who qualifies? Who doesn't? And are the credits enough? Today, we're covering it all with Jim Stack, the President of The Elec...

Higher prices are affecting just about everything we buy, including housing and transportation. The Feds recently raised interest rates to slow down borrowing which will hopefully bring down prices for consumers. And that makes the perfect opportunity for scammers to take advantage of you. So today, we're talking to Zulfikar Ramzan. He's the Chief Scientist at Aura which is an online security comp...

How would like to get into the mind of a scammer? You can. A Nigerian conman has flipped sides and is sharing many of his untold secrets with David McClellan of Social Catfish, a website dedicated at preventing romance scams. The scammer exposes all the do’s and don’ts of using the “Romance Scam” in order to dupe lonely women. All the details are in a manual referred to as a “Scammer’s Bible” to r...

Robocalls are becoming less of a threat to consumers. And the dreaded rings from unknown numbers are dropping. But according to a new report, the number of robot texts flooding phones is skyrocketing. So, today, we’re talking with Teresa Murray. She is a consumer watchdog for Arizona Public Interest Research Group Education Fund, and she helps On Your Side break down whether recent laws to crack d...

The pandemic crushed the airline industry and prevented many travelers from flying. But it seems that has all changed. A new report indicates a lot more people are flying and even driving to destinations. However, travelers say they are frustrated with airlines, with 80 percent of passengers saying they've had a recent negative experience. On this episode we're talking to Tim Rossman. He's an indu...

Have you ever been ripped off by someone and were so mad you wanted to take them to small claims court? It happens all the time, and many people decide not to go through with it because they don't know how the process works. But going through the court process is easier than you think. That's why we're talking to the Honorable Gerald Williams. He serves as Justice of the Peace for one of Maricopa...

The United States will be turning 246 years old on July 4th. To celebrate, many of you out there will probably have some kind of get-together that will no doubt involve food. But food prices on this 4th of July are up 11 percent. And depending on what you plan on cooking for the holiday will really affect your wallet. So today, we're talking to Karol Flynn. She's the Food and Agribusiness Industry...

A new report says nearly 75 percent of Americans have needed credit card debt advice. However, half of them never sought out that advice. And because of that, many consumers found themselves digging deeper and deeper into debt. So, today, we're talking to Jim Triggs of Money Management International. It's a non-profit organization that helps consumers navigate through the tough financial world by...

Supply chain problems have been persistent, but now retailers have a new problem of having too much...of the wrong stuff. On this episode, we are talking with Leslie Bush, a marketing professor at Arizona State University. She breaks down what's behind the change in consumer behavior and what it means for your next shopping trip.

A million dollars sounds like a lot of money and it is. But these days, is it enough money for you to retire? Years ago, a million dollars to save for retirement was always a goal for many. But not anymore. Experts say to live comfortably, you have to raise the bar and put more money away. So, we're talking to Stewart Willis. He's a financial expert with Asset Preservation Tax and Retirement. He t...

The real estate market is still red hot, but mortgage interest rates are going up. On this episode, we’re talking with Trevor Halpern, a Phoenix-based real estate agent, about what’s happening in the market, if there is a slowdown in home sales on the horizon, and how much competition buyers will face in the coming months.

May through October is the most popular time of the year to get married. And people are spending and bucks to tie the knot. A recent report indicates couples spent $28,000 on average on their wedding last year. And this year, it will be even more expensive. So, today we're talking to Stephanie Gilmore, she's the Regional Banking District Senior Manager with Wells Fargo. She has some great ideas an...

Arizona is poised to become the semiconductor capital of the West and possibly the United States. The Copper State currently has 200 semiconductors companies and more are being built. On the 3 On Your Side podcast, we’re talking to Tracey Latham. She currently is the U.S. Small Businesswoman of the Year for Arizona and owns a company that relies heavily on semiconductors. She tells us why is Arizo...

Many folks look forward to retirement. And then when that time comes and they leave their job, they find themselves, well...kind of bored. But some people, as well as companies, have found a solution that benefits both the company and the retiree. It's called “phased retirement.” On today’s 3 On Your Side podcast, we talk with Zanzibar Vermiglio of Zanzibar Enterprises about why human resource dir...

It's that time of year when college acceptance letters are starting to pour in for parents and their children. It sounds exciting, and scammers know that. With all the hype, it's the perfect time for con men to take advantage and try to dupe potential victims when they least expect it. So, we're talking to Beau Friedlander. He's an award winning publisher who's been writing about cybercrimes and s...

From coins to toys and trading cards, most collectors think their collections will pay off. Ismat Mangla from Magnify Money joins us to break down who is collecting what, how much they’ve spent along the way, and whether the collections ever pay off.

It looks like people are flying more these days, and that's raising airfare. In fact, in March, airfare went up more than 5 percent, marking the third largest jump in 20 years. To bring the cost of airfare down, many travelers rely on frequent flyer programs. But some are better than others. On this episode, we're talking to Jill Gonzalez with WalletHub, who evaluated frequent flyer programs for e...

Forty-six million Americans are in debt due to student loans, with those debts totaling more than $1.8 trillion. That works out to the average borrower owing more than $35,000. How do you even start to pay something like that down? On this episode, we're talking to Andrew Pentis with Student Loan Hero and Lending Tree. He'll break down which states have the biggest loans, which universities carry...