Introducing: Scams, Money, & Murder

Nicole’s a bit of a romantic— especially when it comes to conversations about financial and family planning. Today, she’s joined by Sharna Burgess (cohost of the Oldish podcast, Dancing with the Stars alum), who is having these conversations now with her fiancé, actor Brian Austin Green. Sharna shares how finances are factoring into their wedding planning, how a business manager played a key role in her love story, and whether she and Brian are considering continuing to grow their family. Plus, Nicole gives her favorite strategies for setting good financial habits as a couple. If you and your spouse decide to open a joint account, you should check out Bank of America. You can even turn it into a date night! Because making smart money decisions together is an investment in your relationship. And honestly, what’s more romantic than that?   Nicole’s partner Bank of America is the one stop shop where you can get guidance, tools, solutions, and view your Bank of America banking and manage your Merrill investing accounts online in one place. To learn more, go to: http://bofa.com/FinancialNextSteps⁠.

Hosted by Nicole Lapin the podcast Scams, Money, and Murder dives into the dark side of finance. From cutthroat con artists to billion-dollar scams, and even murder, Nicole will take you through the world’s wildest financial crimes -- or talk to the experts who studied them, and the victims that survived them. Scams, Money, and Murder with Nicole Lapin is a Crime House Original Podcast, powered by PAVE Studios. Follow now wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes drop every Thursday. For more content, follow us on Instagram and TikTok @crimehouse.

The portfolios of members of Congress outperform the S&P 500 by 17%. That's not smart investing— that's insider trading. Today, Nicole shares some jaw-dropping examples of insider trading in Washington, and how we can use politicians' investment disclosures to predict the future.

How do you work towards multiple financial goals at once? The answer isn’t some money move that your future self will need to make… the answer lies within the money moves you are making now. Right now. And we’ll show you how to make those money moves, with help from Bank of America, who Nicole partnered with for this episode. Whatever goals you’re working towards, long-term or short-term, Bank of America Corporation has  tools to help you get there at http://bofa.com/FinancialNextSteps.

After a wave of not-so-great headlines on tariffs, we finally have some good news: the Trump Administration is signaling cuts to the new tariffs on Chinese goods. But what does that actually mean for your bank account? To follow the money trail, Nicole brings back Fred P. Hochberg—former President of the Export-Import Bank and Acting Administrator of the Small Business Administration—who has spent his career at the intersection of business and public policy. Fred and Nicole break down how tariff policy should work to benefit Americans, what happens if these cuts don’t happen, and how it all could affect prices (yes, including what you’ll pay for Christmas presents this year). Fred's book is an amazing read to understand the current moment! Check it out here: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Trade-Is-Not-a-Four-Letter-Word/Fred-P-Hochberg/9781982127374

The biggest feud on reality TV this week... is Trump vs Fed Chair Jerome Powell. The issue at the core of this beef? Interest rates. President Trump is pressuring the Fed to lower rates, but today, Nicole shares her hot take: we don't want lower rates.

Nicole explains why the value of the dollar is going down and how it will affect your wallet.

After a whirlwind of headline whiplash over the last month, last week in the economy felt... quieter. But quieter doesn’t mean unimportant. Instead of chasing breaking news, we’re settling into the “new normal”—whatever that ends up meaning in this cycle. So what do investors need to know now that the dust has (somewhat) settled? To help answer that, Nicole is joined by Karen Finerman (CEO of Metropolitan Capital Advisors, founding panelist of CNBC’s Fast Money, and host of How She Does It). They dive into the current state of the dollar, what tariffs could mean for your money, and Karen’s best-performing stock pick of 2025 so far.

There are tons of tariff loophole videos going viral right now, taken by people claiming to be manufacturers in China. These people say that you can bypass the tariffs through buying your favorite Chinese-made products (think Lululemon yoga pants to Louis Vuitton bags) straight from them. Today, Nicole explains if those are legit, which tariff loophole is going away and how these videos will affect consumers and investors alike.

Today, Nicole continues to unpack do's and don'ts for market downturns— this time, she's joined by Peter Mallouk, President and CEO of award-winning wealth management firm Creative Planning. In this conversation, Nicole and Peter break down the smart (and not-so-smart) moves to make when the market’s in the red. To learn more about Creative Planning and how they could help you meet your financial goals, visit: www.creativeplanning.com/nicole