Arizona’s Family On Your Side – Details, episodes & analysis

It's the holiday season and a lot of us are trying to find that perfect gift for friends and family. But, that may lead to something called "financial infidelity." That's when your significant other spends a lot more money on items that you think they did. And in some cases, they may have credit cards you don't know about.

On this episode, we're talking to Yonatan Levoritz. He's a divorce and family attorney who explains how to spot if your spouse is being a little too secretive about their finances and if they may have secret accounts.

We’ve all needed medical care, at one point or another. Doctors, tests, procedures. It all adds up and you could be facing some big bills. And now, a new report is revealing a majority of hospitals aren’t giving patients the pricing information they need. Today, we’re talking with Cynthia Fisher, the founder and chair of Patient Rights Advocate. What patients should know about their medical bills, what’s missing, and what to do before your next appointment.

We’ve come to the end of something called the “on ramp” repayment program for student loans. As a result, if you’re late or miss a student payment, your credit score will take a hit. So on this episode, we’re talking with Jack Wallace, the Director at Yrefy. He’ll walk us through recent changes for student loan borrowers and what you need to know to avoid problems. We’ll also talk strategies to tackle those loan payments. 

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?

Today, we're talking to Doug Hall with SK Food Group. It’s a national company that prepares and ships sandwiches and wraps. He tell us the ups and downs his industry has gone through hire and retain employees

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 average credit score in America right now is 716, which is actually an all-time high. But he has some tips and suggestions to get you over that 740 mark.

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 spend and how to better budget for the sports we can’t live without.

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 Arizona.

So, today we're talking to Samuel Doncaster. He's the Lead Attorney for a law firm called Fraud Fighters. He knows exactly how these scams work and he'll give us all the information you need to keep from losing what might be your life savings.

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 consumers.

So, today we're talking to Adam Davis. He's the managing director for Wells Fargo Retail Finance. What he has to say will probably change the way you do your holiday shopping.

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 some kind of health insurance to enroll, students are forced leave school.

So, what do you if you want to further your education and just can't afford medical insurance?? Today, we're talking to Nick Vinzant. He's the senior analyst with www.QuoteWizard.com which is the largest privately held insurance comparison company.

He says there are several options for young and older college students to get insurance without having to leave school.