NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast
The Best Financial Products of 2025 and Investing in Collectibles
20 Jan 2025
Learn how to pick the best financial tools for investing, mortgages, and travel rewards to meet your personal goals. What are the best financial tools for investing, mortgages, and travel rewards in 2025? Should you invest in collectibles like designer handbags? Hosts Sean Pyles and Sara Rathner discuss top-rated financial tools for achieving your money goals and what to consider when investing in non-traditional assets. They begin with a discussion of NerdWallet’s 2025 Best-Of Awards, in which NerdWallet’s team of experienced finance writers and editors researched more than 1,000 financial products and narrowed them down to just one winner per category to make it easier for you to choose what’s best for you. Investing Nerd Sam Taube and mortgage Nerd Holden Lewis join Sean and Sara to share what they chose as the best product in their areas of expertise and why, offering tips and tricks on finding the right investment platform, understanding mortgage rates, and maximizing travel rewards. Then, investing Nerd Alana Benson joins Sean and Sara to discuss the pros and cons of investing in collectibles like designer purses, coins, or Magic: The Gathering cards. They explore how collectibles fit into a diversified portfolio, the hidden costs of holding physical assets, and when it makes sense to sell. In their conversation, the Nerds discuss: best financial tools 2025, top travel credit cards, best mortgage lenders, Fidelity investment app, collectibles as investments, investing in designer bags, mortgage rates 2025, credit card rewards, Chase Sapphire Preferred benefits, how to choose a mortgage lender, Roth IRA rollover tips, U.S. Bank mortgage review, expense ratio explained, travel credit card insurance, long-term investing strategies, investing in purses, switching brokerage accounts, tax implications for collectibles, building a diversified portfolio, Fidelity ZERO funds, and financial tools for travel. To send the Nerds your money questions, call or text the Nerd hotline at 901-730-6373 or email [email protected]. Like what you hear? Please leave us a review and tell a friend. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Full Episode
Hey, Sean, when's the last time a financial product changed your financial life?
Well, last summer, I used credit card points from a sign-up bonus to pay for the flights of my summer vacation. Not sure that was life-changing, but it did save me several hundred dollars, which was pretty sweet.
Well, I'm always a fan of doing that. In this episode, we'll talk about how using the right financial tool can help you meet your money and life goals.
I'm Sean Piles.
And I'm Sarah Rathner. This episode, I'm joined by our co-host, Elizabeth Iola, to answer one of your money questions about, shall we say, misguided investing strategy? And then we help you understand what kinds of investments might be better suited for the average investor. Before we get into all of that, I have to know, Sean, where did you travel to with all those points?
I went to Chicago to meet up with my twin sister for a little belated birthday celebration. We happened to be there during Pride Week, which was super fun. And I enjoyed it all the more because I wasn't paying some $700 in flights, and my sign-up bonus covered that. So it felt pretty great.
Well, that's awesome. And Chicago is one of my favorite cities.
Especially in June. It is basically a beach town, which people do not appreciate. So I'm here to spread the gospel. Chicago's great in the summertime.
Yes, that is the time to go. Huge fan.
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