Money Talks

Happy New Year! Welcome to 2023. We’ll talk today about information you might need for this new year. We learn about new tax amounts; ways to save money, ways to get back lost money, and ways to win money. Our experts take questions concerning personal finance. 2023 $66,000 - Defined contribution plan (401k, 403b) total limit per participant  $66,000 - SEP IRA contribution limit  $22,500...

ENCORE FROM 03/29/2022 At Money Talks we can’t give you money but we can remind you that you might save money by planning ahead. Compounding interest, buying in bulk, watching for sales are all ways that might put you in a better financial position. We’ll discuss saving money by planning ahead today. We’ll also take your general personal finance questions. In the news: job rate, yield curve. Incom...

ENCORE FROM 02/15/2022 According to a report from the Federal Trade Commission: Romance Scammers Steal a Record 547 Million Dollars. Adults 70 and older had $9,000 median loss in 2021. Money Talks wants to make sure the person that steels your heart doesn’t steel your wallet.  https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/blogs/data-spotlight/2022/02/reports-romance-scams-hit-record-highs-2021?utm_source=g...

Today’s show will have two parts: since we’re in the middle of Hanukkah and Christmas is coming soon we’ll discuss “Holiday Spending Without Adding to Your Debt”. Then we’ll move on to “Tips for Paying Down Holiday Debt”. Money Talks welcomes back Bruce McClary, a Senior Vice President at National Foundation for Credit Counseling. Our resident experts are also on hand for personal finance question...

It’s time for you to get in gear for the end of the year. December is a great time to reflect on the past and prepare for the future. What money decisions do you need to make before 2023? We’ll find out from our expert and take your personal finance questions. Free credit report: https://www.annualcreditreport.com/index.action Find a personal finance advisor: http://moneytalks.mpbonline.org/episod...

How can you support the non-profits in your community while on a budget? Our money topic today is about how to contribute to a charity without donating cash. The website: https://www.moneycrashers.com/help-support-charities-without-donating-money/ recently published an article suggesting ways to support charities without donating money. We’ll see what our experts think of the suggestions. Donate y...

Today, we’ll have the first of two broadcasts on giving. Next week we’ll discuss giving in ways that aren’t outright cash. As today is Giving Tuesday, we’ll discuss ways to give and how to select who to give your money two. We are also happy to take general personal finance questions. Our Mississippi Secretary of State’s office has a Charities list. Just go to their website: and click on Charities...

Will you be buying gifts during the next few days or weeks? Money Talks wants to help you be a more informed shopper by sharing some marketing and psychology tips that are used to get consumers to buy more. False Sense of Urgency The Decoy Affect Buying in Bundles The Instant Markdown Buy One Get One Nostalgia Installments No clocks or windows Shop layouts Eye-level shelves Unorganized clearance s...

We have new information about inflation in America today. On Thursday the Bureau of Labor and Statistics released the Consumer Price Index for October. That number is how we measure inflation in our country. We’ll get our financial experts to give their opinion on what the new rate means for the future of prices. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Americans have been talking about inflation for over a year now. Whatever the cause this is our current reality. What can we do to protect our personal finances right now? We’ll see what our experts have to say. They also cover other money questions. Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing by Jacob Goldstein Tax info: https://www.irs.gov/ Email about what to invest in Inflation Hosted on Acast. S...

Do you go for the cheapest version when you shop? Do you feel like expensive versions are better quality? Which to choose? Today we’ll discuss opinions on what you should splurge on and when basic is best. Rather than sift though the website Reddit for “is it worth it on not” information, we’ll be discussing contributors’ suggestions on when you should go back to basics or move up for quality...

Mark your calendars folks – there are some important dates coming up: heath care enrollment dates, retirement contribution dates. All of these dates might have an impact on your personal finances. DEADLINE October 31st, 2022 Public Service Loan Forgiveness - The White House If you have worked in public service (federal, state, local, tribal government or a non-profit organization) for 10 years or...

We’re currently in a period of high inflation right now. But how have the prices of specific items increased over the past decade? The past 50 years? Has anything gotten cheaper? We’ll look into the prices of homes, college, electronics and more on the show today. https://www.marketplace.org/2022/08/17/money-and-millennials-the-cost-of-living-in-2022-vs-1972/ https://better.com/content/how-much-ho...

Today’s an Open topic day – we discuss some issues in the news, student loan forgiveness, holiday shopping, and whatever you’d like to bring up. Contact us with your questions concerning retirement, the stock market, or what your money plans are for the year or decade. Student Loan forgiveness https://www.ed.gov/subscriptions https://www.npr.org/2022/09/29/1125923528/biden-student-loans-debt-cance...

We’ve got a fun show for you today. It’s our drive time show. We’ll be sharing opinions on fees that are simply ridiculous to pay. In addition to saving you money, we’ll tell you how you can support Mississippi Public Broadcasting - For the Love of Mississippi. Thanks for listening to Money Talks on MPB Think Radio, and for choosing MPB as your station for news and ideas. It means a lot to us...

We hope our listeners are familiar with some of the different types of financial institutions. Many in Mississippian aren’t. Many of us are un-banked. Money Talks going to talk about Credit Unions today with our guests from Hope Credit Union. Felicia Lyles, HOPE Senior Vice President of Retail Operations and Carrus King, HOPE Vice President and a Branch Manager of Hope Credit Union will tell us ho...

Who wouldn’t like an additional income stream! And if you can achieve this extra cash without working 9 to 5, all the better. Today we’ll be learning about passive income. It doesn’t mean “no hard work” just different work. Nancy also takes your financial questions. We’re getting our personal finance expert to give her opinion on a recent Bank Rate.com article on Passive Income Ideas. https://www....

We’ve got a new angle on Student Loans to discuss today – the canceling of student debt. What’s the difference between canceling and forgiveness? Who is eligible and when? What happens after your debt is wiped away? We’ll discuss the new student debt elimination programs between your other personal finance questions. President Biden's plan to forgive federal student loan debt – up to $20,000...

We’ve got one of our long-time guests on the show today – Shawn Mercer, from the Social Security Administration. He’ll take your social security questions. Our expert hosts take your personal finance questions.   https://www.ssa.gov/ What should I do if I get a call claiming there's a problem with my Social Security number or account? https://faq.ssa.gov/en-us/Topic/article/KA-10018 https://w...

We love having theme shows on Money Talks – budgets, credit cards, new baby costs, cutting expenses. But sometimes, like today, we have an Open Topic show. Ask us anything. Today we’ll discuss vacation homes, bonds, CDs, and anything else you’d like to ask our experts. According to a study by Porch dot com, Jackson is the 8th best midsize college town for student renters according to a weighted av...

Tax evasion is the failure to pay or a deliberate underpayment of taxes. Tax avoidance is an action taken to lessen tax liability and maximize after-tax income. We’ll be discussing ways to avoid taxes legally and give some tax-efficient investing tips. Our experts also take your other personal finance questions.  The Senate passed Inflation reeducation Act of 2022 allocates approximately...

When you add a child to your family you add joy and happiness and extra expenses. What costs can you control? Which costs are flexible? We’ll talk about the extra costs of impending parenthood. We also can take your other personal finance questions.  New Legislation: While adoption can be expensive, it doesn’t have to be. In fact, many parents adopt children at little or no cost through the M...

We’ve got two sides of the same coin today: what to do with inherited items you don’t want and also how acquire things you need when you’re on a budget. We’ll discuss ways to get rid of material items if you are trying to downsize and how to accumulate, inexpensively, household objects you may need. Useful websites: https://www.gobankingrates.com/saving-money/home/why-still-wasting-money-storage-u...

We’ve had previous shows talking about cutting expenses. Today’s tips will be ways to use the internet and apps to help you save money. Money that you could then use to invest or pay off debt. Our suggestions are inspired by AARP https://www.aarp.org/money/budgeting-saving/info-2022/99-great-ways-to-save.html The 2022 Mississippi Sales Tax Holiday takes place between 12:01 A.M. Friday, July 29, 20...

We’d all love to have more money to invest. Before you can find ways to get your money to grow, you have to save money. Budgeting can help you do that. If you need a little help writing out a plan to spend your money each week, this is the show for you. Instead of a "Budget" call it a "Monthly Spending Plan" if that helps you feel better. We spend a bit of the show discussing Inflation in addition...