Hi,
Thanks for being part of the Get Ready Movement helping navigate life’s what’s if’s by changing the way we think and talk about money.
The future of financial readiness is about knowing which questions to ask, rather than having all the answers. When we ask the right questions, we get the right answers. This week’s featured conversation explores how curiosity, empathy, and human connection shape better outcomes, for individuals and for the professionals who serve them.
🧠 Thought of the Week
Curiosity invites understanding, and understanding creates confidence.
🎙️ Featured Conversation of the Week
The Future of Financial Advice Starts with Great Questions
The most powerful tool in financial advice is asking questions, not looking at spreadsheets. Empathy, curiosity, and human connection will shape the future of financial advice.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 The future of financial advice is the intersection of technical skills and human connection
🔹 Empathy and emotional intelligence are our true advantages
🔹 Better questions lead to better decisions resulting in better outcomes
🔹 The best advisors focus on the person, not just the numbers
💭 Tony’s Take: Curiosity to learn and engage with money is the starting point. When people are empowered to ask the right questions, they will get the answers they need.
🎙️Brendan Frazier and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
➕ Also This Week: How Self-Advocacy Redefines Success
Believe in yourself, you already have the tools to succeed. Focus on who you want to be and how you want to serve.
💭 Tony’s Take: Self-advocacy can redefine what success really means in money, work, and life.
🎙️ Dr. Alison Schmidt and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
🎙️ Subscribe to The Get Ready Money Podcast → [Apple Podcasts] | [YouTube]
🔎 Curated Insights
Life Transitions
Financial Planning for Women Who Are Suddenly Single
Being suddenly single whether through divorce, widowhood or other transitions can feel like emotional whiplash. Money is often the first place the stress shows up. This conversation focuses on getting organized and having clarity before making big decisions, understanding cash flow, accounts, and priorities which can turn fear into calm. Common mindset blocks women face, and why comparison and shame often keep women stuck longer than the numbers ever do.
🎙️ Sara Zuckerman and Linda Grizely on the Real Money, Real Life Podcast (YouTube)
Finding Your Financial Footing After Life's Biggest Transitions
When everything feels overwhelming, it’s hard to know where to start or what questions to ask. Acknowledging overwhelm is often the most important first step. Reframing money as a language you’re learning can turn confusion into confidence.
🎙️ Tony Steuer and Eric Blake on The Simply Retirement Podcast (here)
💭 Tony’s Take:
Confidence comes from knowing which questions to ask and giving yourself permission to ask them.
Changing your money and life alignment
Are you making more money, yet feeling less secure?
If you believe that more money will solve all your problems, you're not alone, and you're likely running yourself ragged in the process. Boundaries and rest don’t threaten your income; they protect both you and the business from burnout. No level of revenue can create self-worth if you don’t already believe you are enough. Ultimately, you have the power to define success on your own terms, and to decide when enough is enough.
📖 Ceres Chua for Mind Over Money (read)
Finding Clarity and Confidence Before Life’s Next Chapter
Sometimes the hardest money decisions aren’t about numbers. They’re about alignment, self worth, and having the courage to stop pretending things are “fine.” This conversation offers grounded insights that invite reflection on where you’re saying yes, where you may be holding back and how clarity can replace guilt.
🎙️ Kristin Crockett, Barbara Provost and Maggie Nielsen on the Women & Money: The Sh*t We Don’t Talk About Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
💭 Tony’s Take: Financial empowerment grows when success is defined on your own terms, rather than comparison with others or who you feel pressured to be.
Moving Beyond Financial Literacy
The Trauma of Money: Why Traditional Financial Literacy Isn't Enough
We explore capitalism as a traumatizing system, the concept of financial fawning, the importance of discernment over shame, and why healing our relationship with money requires addressing both our individual experiences and the broader economic context we live in. This conversation offers a compassionate, trauma-informed framework for understanding money behaviors that goes far deeper than budgeting advice.
🎙️ Chantel Chapman and Diana Yanez on the Highly Sensitive Money Podcast (listen)
Multiply by Creador Foundation’s innovative financial education programme is reshaping money confidence for women in India. The importance of understanding local context, and why short-form video, WhatsApp engagement, and AI integration are helping people learn in ways that fit their everyday lives.
🎙️ Surya Banda and Michael Gilmore on the Better Money with the MAIA’s Podcast (YouTube).
🏆The 2026 Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards are open for entries (here).
💭 Tony’s Take: Financial fluency means understanding how money fits into real lives, rather than just learning specific information in isolation.
⚡ Quick Hits
🎙️ Health Is the Missing Piece in Your Wealth Plan with Dr. Aleksandra Gajer and Naseema McElroy on the Financially Intentional Podcast (YouTube).
📖 From Risk Profile To Risk Partnership: 9 Questions To Understand Clients’ Risk Tolerance As More Than ‘Just’ A Score by Meghaan Lurtz (read).
📖 Caring for Aging Parents Checklist by Philip Weiss (LinkedIn)
📖 The Ideal Level of Wealth by Nick Maggiulli for Of Dollars and Data (read).
📖 The Best Retirement Strategies for Leaving Money Behind by Amy Arnott for Morningstar (read).
📖 Managing Taxes in Retirement with Sean Mullaney and Dr. Jim Dahle on the White Coat Investor Podcast (YouTube)
🔟 Week #5 Action Item: Organize Your Financial Documents
🗂️ If you needed an important financial document today, could you find it in under two minutes?
🌎 The Big Picture: Organizing your financial life reduces stress and helps you find what you need, when you need it.
Your financial life is always changing.
Being able to quickly locate key documents matters if you’re applying for a loan, meeting with an estate planning attorney, leaving your home unexpectedly, or if someone needs to step in on your behalf.
🤔 Why It Matters: Getting organized saves time, lowers anxiety, and removes friction during already stressful moments.
💡 Here’s What Works:
📁 Physical setup:
➡️ Use a binder with tabbed dividers (see subfolders below).
💻 Digital setup:
➡️ Create a folder called “Financial First Aid Kit” with subfolders for:
📄 Personal papers & documents
🏦 Assets
📈 Retirement plans
🏠 Home & real property
💵 Income
💳 Debt, loans, expenses & taxes
🛡️ Insurance
📜 Estate planning
🆔 Identity monitoring
😎 Bottom Line: Becoming financially organized is one of the most effective ways to stay ready before life happens.
🛠️ Resources
Access your resources for this week's action item (#5) from your dashboard (Monthly Focus Area 2: Be Prepared):
- The Get Ready Blueprint Week 5 (fillable PDF) where you’ll review where your documents are stored and set up your organizational system.
- Personal Papers and Documents Worksheet - you can use this as a guide to organizing specific documents.
Source: The Get Ready Blueprint: A 52 Week Guide to Changing the Way You Think About Money - an easy-to-use road map that illuminates how everything in your financial life fits together and shows you how to take the steps toward financial preparedness. (Amazon) (Bookshop)
📅 Timely Reminders
- Watch for corrected tax forms.
- Certain mutual funds could restate their distribution information after your initial Form 1099 is mailed to you at the end of January. Though not common, when such fixes are necessary, a corrected 1099 is usually mailed sometime in February.
🏅 In Partnership with the Plutus Foundation
Plutus Impact Summit | May 6–8 | Charlotte, NC
This Summit is for you if you are a:
- Financial educator, coach, or advisor
- Content creator, writer, podcaster, or author in the money space
- Entrepreneur building an education-based or mission-driven business
- Thought leader who cares about trust, values, and long-term impact
And you’re feeling:
- Tired of chasing algorithms, trends, or AI-generated sameness
- Ready to build influence that actually lasts
- Curious how to grow income without burning out your audience or yourself
- Interested in community, collaboration, and clarity over hype
This is not a high-volume conference. The room is intentionally curated so conversations stay meaningful and the experience stays human.
🧠 Final Thought
What becomes possible when curiosity leads your money decisions? When we focus on asking better questions, clarity follows, and money becomes a tool that supports the life we’re choosing to build.
✅ Stay ready.
💬 Start a meaningful conversation.
💡 Share what sparked something for you.
— Tony
Coming Next Week: The Aging Plan Every Family Needs with Annalee Kruger
🎙️ Subscribe to The Get Ready Money Podcast → [Apple] | [YouTube]
