Helping People Become Financially Ready Before Life Happens

Hi, I'm Tony Steuer, Financial Readiness Advocate, award-winning author and host of the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast.

For nearly four decades, I’ve helped people understand complicated financial issues, ask better questions, and make more informed decisions.

Today, I bring that experience together through the Financial Readiness Plan and a growing collection of conversations, books, and practical resources.

Start Your Free Financial Readiness Plan

Why I'm doing this:

Throughout my career, I’ve seen people face important financial decisions when they were under pressure and had little time to sort through their options. Sometimes it was a question about life insurance. Sometimes a family member needed to step in. Sometimes a major change had happened and no one knew where to find the information that mattered.

Those experiences reinforced something I’ve believed for a long time: the best time to ask questions, organize information, and have important conversations is before a decision becomes urgent.

That is why I created the Financial Readiness Plan, and why I’m on a mission to help one million people become financially ready before life happens.

The best defense is asking better questions.

👉 Connecting The Pieces Of Financial Readiness

Financial readiness touches almost every part of life: insurance, aging, caregiving, estate planning, family communication, scams, retirement, work, purpose, and the decisions that come with change.

Many experts address one important part of that picture.

I’m asking questions, adding context, and helping people see how the pieces connect.

That is also what I do through the podcast. My guests bring experience and ideas from many different fields. I explore how their work can help people prepare, make thoughtful decisions, or guide someone else before life happens.

The Financial Readiness Plan brings those pieces together in one practical guide. The Plan helps you see what matters, choose where to begin, and take the next step that fits your life.

I bet you’d never guess that….

I was a whitewater raft guide
I was part of an improv comedy group
I’m a Deadhead (Grateful Dead Fan)

Who's Tony?

Tony Steuer is the author of the Get Ready! books, the Questions and Answers on Insurance series, and Insurance Made Easy which were all written to help consumers and professionals understand complicated financial topics and take practical action.

He spent more than 30 years as a fee-based life insurance consultant, working with consumers, financial planners, advisors, attorneys, and insurance professionals.

Tony served for eight years on the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board, helping shape licensing and education standards. He has also contributed to and served as an expert reviewer for national publications, including Forbes, NerdWallet, Bankrate, and others.

A Trusted Voice in Financial Readiness

Close to 40 years in insurance, consumer advocacy, and financial education
300+ podcast conversations with global experts, authors and changemakers
Listeners in 130+ countries
Award-winning financial literacy books
Eight years on the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board
Contributor and expert reviewer for leading financial publications

What I Believe

After nearly four decades in financial services, I’ve developed a few strong beliefs about money, preparation, and the responsibility we have to help people make informed decisions.

At the center of them is a simple idea: Everyone deserves the opportunity to prepare before life happens.

The Get Ready Manifesto

Mission

Help one million people become financially ready before life happens.

Vision

A world where people have the questions, tools, knowledge, and support to prepare for financial decisions and life transitions—and help others do the same.

Ten Things I Believe

Money is a tool for supporting the lives people want to lead.
Curiosity is the starting point for financial readiness.
Purpose gives financial decisions meaning.
Better questions lead to better understanding and more informed decisions.
Context connects financial information with real life.
Communication helps people prepare together.
Good judgment turns knowledge into thoughtful action.
Preparation creates more options, confidence, and the ability to respond.
Everyone deserves the opportunity to prepare before life happens.
People can learn to recognize scams, ask informed questions, and protect themselves and those around them.

The Get Ready Principles

The Bottom Line

Financial readiness begins with curiosity. It grows as we ask better questions, understand our options, organize what matters, and have the conversations that help us prepare together.

Because when life happens, the way you think about money matters.

Work With Tony

Strategy Sessions

Work directly with me to think through your Financial Readiness Plan, identify your priorities, and decide on useful next steps.

Book a Financial Readiness Strategy Session

Podcast, Partnerships, and Collaborations

Invite me to participate in a podcast, media opportunity, educational initiative, or collaboration connected to financial readiness, consumer advocacy, or better money conversations.

Explore Collaborations - Contact Tony

Explore the Work

Start Your Free Financial Readiness Plan

Use the free Plan as your guide and map to organize what matters, choose where to begin, and prepare before life happens.
→ Start Your Financial Readiness Plan

Get the Get Ready Newsletter

Receive 10 ideas, questions, conversations and resources each week to help you become financially ready.

→ Get the Newsletter

Podcast
Hear conversations with experts, authors, and changemakers about money, life, and preparing for the decisions ahead.

→ Explore the Podcast

Books
Practical guides designed to make complex financial topics clear and actionable.
→ Explore the Books

Get Ready Library
Access to Tony’s bookshelf, tools, worksheets, guides, and financial readiness resources.
→ Access the Library

Support the Mission

Become a Get Ready Insider and receive Library access while helping more people prepare before life happens.

→ Become a Get Ready Insider

I help people and professionals become financially ready before life happens through better questions, practical systems, meaningful conversations, and trusted resources, so they can make confident, values-aligned decisions and help others do the same.

Start Your Free Financial Readiness Plan

Everyone’s financial-readiness journey is different.

The free Financial Readiness Plan gives you a practical guide and map—helping you organize what matters, choose where to begin, and take your next step before life happens.

Start Your Financial Readiness Plan