Meet Tony

Preparing for Life’s What-Ifs Starts Here

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

I help people and professionals become financially ready before life happens through better questions, practical systems, meaningful conversations, and trusted resources.

Join the Get Ready Movement

Why I'm doing this:

For nearly four decades, I’ve worked at the intersection of financial planning, insurance, and consumer advocacy.

Over time, a clear pattern emerged: important financial decisions were often made during stressful moments, when time was limited, clarity was scarce, and people were vulnerable to pressure or incomplete information.

I’ve spent my career advocating for consumer-first financial decisions, helping people ask better questions, avoid unnecessary pressure, and prepare before life happens.

The Financial Readiness Plan grew from that observation. Preparing before life happens creates space to think clearly, ask better questions, organize what matters, and make decisions aligned with what matters most.

The best defense is asking better questions

👉 Advancing Financial Readiness

My work focuses on helping individuals, families, professionals, and advocates become financially ready before life happens.

The goal is simple: prepare before life happens, make confident, values-aligned decisions, and help others do the same.

Through my books, podcast conversations, curated recommendations, and practical systems, I’m helping change the way we think about money, moving from reactive decision-making to thoughtful readiness.

The Financial Readiness Plan is the practical centerpiece of this work. It helps people organize what matters, ask better questions, and prepare before decisions become urgent.

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, all created to make complex financial topics clearer and more actionable for consumers and professionals.

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

Tony served eight years on the California Department of Insurance Curriculum Board, helping shape licensing and education standards. He is also a contributor and 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
250+ podcast conversations with global experts and changemakers
Listeners in 125+ countries
Award-winning financial literacy books

Work With Tony

Strategy Sessions

Work directly with Tony to bring clarity to your Financial Readiness Plan, identify next steps, and prepare before life happens.

Book a Financial Readiness Strategy Session

Podcast, Partnerships, and Collaborations

Invite Tony for podcast conversations, media opportunities, partnerships, or collaborations connected to financial readiness, consumer advocacy, and better money conversations.

Explore Collaborations - Contact Tony

Speaking and Education

Bring Tony’s financial readiness framework to your organization, audience, or professional community.

Get in Touch

Explore the Work

Join the Get Ready Movement
Get the free Get Ready newsletter, curated recommendations, podcast reflections, and the Financial Readiness Quick Start Checklist.
→ Join the Get Ready Movement

Financial Readiness Plan
A practical framework to help you organize what matters, ask better questions, and prepare before life happens.
→ Start Your Financial Readiness Plan

Podcast
Conversations with experts and changemakers reshaping how we think about money and life.
→ Explore the Podcast

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

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

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.

I believe that we are all responsible for our actions and have a responsibility to be educated.

I also believe that advisors and financial services companies have a duty to act with integrity through best practices. I created The Get Ready! Financial Standards to help financial consumers and members of the financial services industry get on the same page.

Learn more about The Get Ready Financial Standards

GET READY FINANCIAL STANDARDS

Your advisor should act in your best interest: (to the best of their ability).

Keep in mind that some advisors are fiduciaries while others are not. Insurance agents are also not fiduciaries and are agents of the Insurance Company. An advisor’s recommendation should not be influenced by commissions, bonuses or other incentives (cash or non-cash). An advisor should not collect a fee and a commission from the same client for the same work.

You should receive customized service appropriate to your needs and goals:

Your potential financial needs should be reviewed for each type of financial product under consideration and take into account any existing financial products. Any new recommended products must fill a need (gap in your financial plan). Any replacement of an existing financial product must be carefully reviewed with all pros and cons considered and presented in writing to the consumer.

You have free choice:

You have the right to receive multiple competitive options and to choose your advisor, product and company. Advisors, brokers, and companies must inform you in simple language of your options when you are opening a new financial account or buying a new financial product. Different types of products are available, and you have the right to know how each option affects your costs and for insurance, what your coverage would be in the event of a claim.

You should receive an answer to any question:

You’re the buyer, you have the right to ask any question and to receive an answer. The answer should fully and completely address your question and/or concern in full and be understandable. If you don’t understand something, you as the buyer have a duty to ask questions, and if you still don’t understand, you shouldn’t buy that financial product.

You have the right to pay a fair price (or premium):

Full disclosure on how product costs along with how insurance policy premiums are calculated and the impact of different risk factors specific to the type of coverage proposed. Also, information should be provided on factors that may reduce or increase costs in the future.

You should always be informed:

You should receive complete and accurate information in writing. Anything said or promised orally must be put in writing. This includes full information on any recommended financial service company including name, address, phone number and website.

You should expect to be treated fairly and respectfully:

You should receive an answer to any question. This includes the right not to be pressured If there is a deadline, the reason must be presented. If an offer is too good to be true, then it most likely is too good to be true. Advisors and Companies should keep information private and confidential.

You have the right to full disclosure and updates:

To receive notice of any changes in any of your financial products in easy to understand language along with any relevant changes in the marketplace. All relevant information and disclosure requirements (required or not) on an financial product must be presented to the client. To receive in writing a summary of all surrender charges, length of surrender period and any additional costs for early termination. In any replacement situation, all pros and cons must be submitted in writing.

You should receive quality service and fair resolutions (including claims handling):

To have your needs and goals to be reviewed at any time upon request, whenever a major event would have an impact coverage and at least annually. To determine if changes have occurred with the client or in the marketplace that would dictate changes to the financial products in place. For insurance, this includes prompt assistance on any claims.

You should be able to change or cancel a financial service and to be notified of any change:

In a simple and easy way without any unreasonable restrictions or hassles, subject to the terms and conditions of the financial product or service. You should also be notified of any changes in writing within a timely manner.