In this episode of PennyWise, host John Kiernan and guest Professor Nicole Hickson discuss how to get your money right in 2026. Whether you’re making a financial New Year’s resolution or just determined to make 2026 more prosperous than the past, there are steps you can take to improve your financial performance, save more money, reduce stress, and afford to treat yourself once in a while! John and Nicole will give you the gameplan for success. Plus, John answers a recent listener question.

More on this episode from WalletHub:

• New Year’s Financial Resolutions Survey

• 16 Financial Resolutions for 2026

• WalletHub Budgeting Tools

• Best Credit Cards for 2026

You can sign up for a WalletHub account to get personalized credit-improvement advice, rent and bill reporting, budgeting and expense tracking tools, identity theft insurance, and much more.

In this episode of PennyWise, host John Kiernan and guest Dr. Jessica G. Zeiss from Ball State University discuss the best ways to go about getting a credit card. It might seem like a simple topic, but there’s a lot more that goes into choosing the right credit card and actually getting approved than most people realize. John and Dr. Zeiss cover the process of getting a credit card from start to finish, highlighting money-saving strategies to use as well as costly pitfalls to avoid. They also talk about why getting a credit card is so important to achieving overall financial success and how many credit cards you should have. John answers some of your questions, too.

More on this episode from WalletHub:

• How to Choose a Credit Card

• How to Apply for a Credit Card

• How to Get Approved for a Credit Card

You can compare credit card offers on WalletHub to find the best card for your needs. You can also reference WalletHub’s editors’ picks for the best credit cards for building credit, rewards, 0% APR and more.

In this episode of PennyWise, host John Kiernan and guest Luke Powers discuss the latest trends in charitable giving, how listeners can make the biggest impact with their contributions, and strategies for avoiding scams. With the burden of inflation, high debt levels, and an uncertain job market, many people feel like they can’t afford to give back, and charitable organizations are struggling to get enough funding. But if you make the right moves, you can still make the world a better place, even with limited funds. We’ll help with that by covering the best charities by category, organizations to avoid and much more. John answers some of your questions, too.

More on this episode from WalletHub: Best Charity Credit Cards & Charity Calculator

To find the best charities overall and by category, check out SmileHub's picks for the year’s best charities to donate to.