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For this FINAL Payoff episode we’re talking career changes: whether you lost your job or you decided to leave, everyone could use help navigating this troubling time. First up, our hosts go through the four crucial steps that everyone should take just after leaving a job. And then in the second half, we talk with career guru Caroline Ghosn, who herself went from a job in the world of management consulting to start Levo, a career network specifically designed to help young people navigate the workforce and their careers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Time to change it up — enough with WORK. What about PLAY? Taking a break and relaxing can be challenging because it costs money AND you have to take time off — not to mention planning a trip or even just a night out involves so many decisions! In this episode we’ll explain why taking vacation days can actually make you richer, and give you tips on how to have fun on the cheap from a serious expert: Jennifer Picht, the Things To Do editor for legendary leisure and travel magazine Time Out New York. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week we help you get healthy without spending your whole paycheck. First up are simple tricks from Mic's Payoff reporters to avoid paying too much for healthy food at the grocery store, and THEN we talk to wellness expert, cookbook author, private chef and food personality Phoebe Lapine, whose new book, The Wellness Project, chronicles her journey with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and how she finally found the middle ground between health and hedonism by making one lifestyle change, one month at a time. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Protecting your financial identity is always important, but never more so than right now! We tell you what to do in the wake of the massive data breach at credit bureau Equifax (first step: go to http://equifaxsecurity2017.com right now to see if you were affected). THEN we talk to cybersecurity expert Matthew Pascucci about why these kinds of breaches seem to keep happening, and what YOU can do to protect yourself. You can find more info from Matthew on his blog at http://frontlinesentinel.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We’re changing gears on this episode: Instead of talking about how to GET more money, we’re focusing on giving it away. With the recent disasters across the U.S., a lot of us are wondering how to best help those affected, and donating money to a charitable organization often seems like the most direct way to chip in. But is that actually true? First up, Antonia and Chris debate the value of charity overall, and then they talk to an expert in navigating the world of charitable giving: Michael Thatcher, CEO of Charity Navigator, which bills itself as America’s leading charity rating service. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You may think of credit cards as dangerous and something that should generally be avoided, but they can be a super helpful financial tool when used smartly and in moderation. On this episode we’ve got a pair of experts to help us do just that: first up, fan-favorite Erin Lowry, better known as The Broke Millennial! Then, in our second segment, we call up an expert in the art of finding the RIGHT credit card: Matt Schultz, head analyst for CreditCards.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s time to talk FREELANCING and the GIG ECONOMY. We break down full-time freelancing, side hustles and everything in between, as our hosts go through all the tips and special tricks they’ve learned to get the most from nontraditional work. Then we turn to the gig economy and an expert ready to tell us what driving for Uber and Lyft is all about: Harry Campbell the Rideshare Guy. Finally, to close out the show we answer YOUR questions about how to get started with freelancing if you’re ready to leave the world of traditional 9-5 work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Searching for housing can be exhausting. From finding your first apartment to wondering if you can (or should) buy a house, figuring out the right place to live often feels pretty terrible. To help you feel better we have two housing experts on the show: First up we talk to statistician and psychologist Gian Gonzaga about his research into how people make big life decisions, especially around housing. Then we get into the nitty gritty of real estate markets with Aaron Terrazas, a senior economist with the online real estate company Zillow, to help us understand the housing landscape in 2017 and give us the inside scoop on what we need to know. Finally we answer questions about how to SAVE MONEY on housing, sent in by YOU, the listeners. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back with an extra-special episode, and it's a doozy. Someone reached out to us with a money SOS, and we answered the call! Comedian and actor Gary Richardson's financial life is a mystifying disaster, so our hosts Chris and Antonia dive in to see if they can save him. Thanks to Gordon Oliver from Cambridge Credit Counseling and Libby Kimzey from the Capital Good Fund for helping us decipher Gary's situation, and the whole Payoff staff at Mic for their input. In upcoming episodes we're going to take on more money mysteries in the areas of housing, freelancing and credit cards. If you have questions or confusion about any of those topics, email us at payoffpod@mic.com and we'll tackle your issue or answer your question! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're taking a couple weeks off, but first here's a preview of what's coming later this summer! Next episode we're going to save someone's financial life, and THEN we're going to solve all your money mysteries in the areas of housing, freelancing and credit cards. If you have questions or confusion about any of those topics, email us at payoffpod@mic.com and we'll solve your problem on an upcoming episode! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With more ways than ever to buy the things you want and need, shopping can seem overwhelming, but we’ve got the inside scoop on how to start SAVING money when you SPEND money. First up, we have the results of a blind taste test party conducted by special guest Bianca Giaever, who found out all the ways you should never pay more for less taste again. Then we talk to to the co-founders of the world’s #1 couponing website, TheKrazyCouponLady.com, who explain how you should never pay full-price for anything ever again. Finally, we answer listener questions about shopping and deals, including a story of how writing a letter can get you a free case of potato chips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Most millennials have some mistrust of the stock market due to the 2008 financial crisis. But in this episode it’s time for all of us to GET OVER that fear. First though we get the results of our recent “OH NO!” listener survey, plus Antonia and Chris talk through WHY they are confused/fearful of investing and stocks. Then we get some expert help decoding the world of investing from Scott Gamm, who lives in that world every day as a correspondent for TheStreet.com and TheStreetTV. Finally we launch a new segment where we’re answering YOUR questions about money and investment. If you have a question you want answered in a future episode, write to us at PayoffPod@mic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

If you think a company has wronged you, what do you do? We've got five great tips on how to make your voice heard and help you fight for YOUR money! Then we've got the godfather of consumer rights on the show, co-author of the Dodd-Frank consumer protection bill, Congressman Barney Frank. Finally we get the low-down on how Congressman Frank's creation, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, was able to stop a student loan scam that was costing recent grads real money, and would likely have gone unnoticed if not for the CFPB and Dodd-Frank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're back with an update on Antonia's tax mystery, and Chris has pro tips for making travel a breeze. Then we get the complete inside scoop on navigating frustrating money mazes from Lauren Lyons Cole of the Consumer Reports Money Team. Finally, we have a story of how almost 12,000 Americans were being harassed over medical debt they didn't even owe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s a very special tax-time Payoff, and co-host Antonia Cereijido has her own tax MYSTERY she’s trying to solve. Also we talk to certified public accountant David A. Isaacs and get his answers to ALL the tax questions you may have been afraid to ask. Finally, we get the low-down on President Donald Trump’s proposed tax reforms and find out whether you might end up paying more or less in taxes NEXT year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We're all about understanding student loans in this episode! We confront our own loan confusion and get expert advice from Heather Jarvis, a lawyer and student loan consultant who who offers student debt training and advice. Then we hear how the federal government thinks about student debt from former Department of Education Undersecretary Ted Mitchell, who oversaw the ENTIRETY of federal student aid from 2014 to 2017. And to cap it off, we learn how Navient, the biggest student loan servicer around, was fined millions of dollars for shady methods around handling student loans. Do you have ideas for money or finance topics we should cover? Send us an email at payoffpod@mic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You asked, and we answered! The #1 most-requested topic since the start of this show has been budgets: how to make a good one and how to stick to it. In this episode, we talk about our own budget successes and failures, then we get the real deal from an expert – Erin Lowry, a budgeting guru also known online and in print as the Broke Millennial. Then to cap it off, we learn about a very different budget currently being put together: President Donald Trump's proposed federal budget. Do you have ideas for money or finance topics we should cover? Send us an email at payoffpod@mic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We dive VERY deep into personal finance this week, as our hosts Chris and Antonia let your hear how money works in their love lives, plus we find out what it takes to convince banks you're attractive by upping your credit score. We also talk with comedian, author and podcaster Maeve Higgins about how money plays a role in her love life and what it’s been like to work in the U.S. since she immigrated to America from Ireland. Finally we wade into the water of "financial infidelity" to find out why millions of Americans are keeping money secrets from their significant others. Do you have ideas for money topics we should cover? Send us an email at payoffpod@mic.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our second episode is all about work, jobs and getting the paycheck you deserve! We help demystify salary negotiation and talk through the importance of the Labor Department's monthly jobs report. Plus, we chat about the meaning of company culture and the value of loving what you do with Alex Cavoulacos, co-founder of millennial career site The Muse. Our second episode is all about careers, jobs and getting the paycheck you deserve! We help demystify salary negotiation, talk through the importance of the Labor Department's monthly jobs report, and discuss industries with promising future hiring growth. Plus, we chat about the meaning of company culture — and the value of loving what you do — with Alex Cavoulacos, co-founder of millennial career site The Muse. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to The Payoff, a brand-new podcast from Mic! We're here to help you learn about the world of money, so you can earn, save and just HAVE more of it. This episode we answer the question "What does it actually mean to invest?" and get tips from financial planner and LearnVest CEO Alexa von Tobel. Also, we explain how the repeal of the Affordable Care Act could directly affect your bank account. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices