Of Consuming Interest

Of Consuming Interest is a weekly show examining the most important consumer issues today.


  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Mike McCartin of Joseph W. McCartin Insurance to discuss the facts behind rising car insurance rates and ways to save money on auto insurance, some of which may surprise you.
    September 7, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with WalletHub’s Cassie Happe, who discusses a study on the most dangerous cities in the country and some of the factors that contribute to the ratings. While homicides have seen a…
    August 31, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Wayne Crews of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who discusses the tens of thousands of federal regulations which cost $1.939 trillion annually. The guest offers reforms designed to get control of…
    August 24, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Jeff Brabant, National Federation of Independent Business, to discuss how the Corporate Transparency Act will hurt the financial health of businesses with 20 or fewer employees.
    August 17, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with John Kiernan of WalletHub.com to discuss a recent study that found consumers who use Google to search for financial products may be missing out on the best information. The study…
    August 10, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker talks with Kevin Brasler of Checkbook Magazine, who discusses the difficulties facing homeowners trying to remodel their homes, including shortages of supplies and workers. He also talks about the importance of finding…
    August 3, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Daniel Turner, the founder of Power the Future, who discusses how the drive to eliminate the use of fossil fuels could affect production of thousands of items we depend on,…
    July 27, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Tom Gordon, the executive director of Responsive Law, who discusses actions being taken to make the legal system more accessible and affordable to consumers. In addition, he describes the need…
    July 20, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Adam Andrzejewski, founder of OpenTheBooks.com, who introduces Benjamin, a bot that allows consumers to discover how their tax dollars are being spent. Our national debt is over $36 trillion. Where…
    July 13, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Christie Matherne, editor at Wallethub, to discuss the reasons Maryland has the dubious honor of having the highest mortgage levels in the country. She also outlines ways to help deal…
    July 6, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Ben Lieberman, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. He discusses the push to make household products such as air conditioners and washing machines more energy efficient and the negative effects…
    June 29, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with psychotherapist Jill Robin Payne, who provides insight into the anger so many people are feeling today. She discusses how it is exhibited in people’s behavior, its causes and the ways…
    June 22, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Tom Gordon, the executive director of Responsive Law, who discusses actions being taken to make the legal system more accessible and affordable to consumers. In addition, he describes the need…
    June 15, 2024
  • Host Shirley Rooker speaks with Christie Matherne, an editor  and writer at Wallethub, to discuss the recent data breach that may have compromised over 560 million people’s accounts. She describes the steps needed to protect…
    June 8, 2024