💡 This week: financial fluency around the world • retirement planning gaps • protecting parents from scams
👋 Thanks for being part of The Get Ready Movement—helping you face life’s “what ifs” with confidence.
Each week, I spotlight trends, tools, and voices shaping the future of financial fluency.
Together, we’re changing how we think (and talk) about money—so you’re ready for what comes next.
🧠 Thought of the Week
Financial fluency isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about asking the right questions.
10 Things I Think (About Money, Life & What’s Next)
1️⃣ 🌍 Celebrating 200 Episodes: Transforming Financial Literacy into a Global Movement
Why it matters: After 200 conversations on The Get Ready Money Podcast, one truth stands out— no matter your background, the core issues are universal. Money struggles often come down to mindset, emotions, and goals—not just numbers.
The What If: If help people ask better questions and shift from a product-first mentality (“is this product good?”) to a goals-first approach (“does this product make sense for me?”), they will be less vulnerable to scams, more confident in their decisions, and more in control of their money.
Too often, people don’t understand the financial products they are buying—not because they aren’t smart, but because no one had taught them the right questions to ask.
Your Move:
- Start with your goals, values, and “why” (Charlene)
- Teach kids money responsibility early (Robin)
- Collaborate globally to close literacy gaps (Peter)
The Win: More confident conversations, smarter decisions, and progress toward true financial fluency.
💭 Tony’s Take: 200 episodes in, the biggest lesson is simple—asking better questions changes everything. Financial fluency isn’t about knowing everything. It’s about having the confidence, the tools, and the curiosity to keep learning.
🎙 Special 200th Episode with Charlene Cong, Peter Asare Nyarko, and Robin Taub.
👉 Watch or listen to the podcast (here). Also available on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.
🙏 Thank you to every listener, guest, and advocate who’s been part of this journey.
2️⃣ Math Skills Not Needed
Why it matters: Financial success doesn’t require math genius—it requires systems, tools, and compassion.
The What If: Believing you’re “bad at math” keeps people from engaging with money at all.
The Win: Financial capability doesn’t require you to be a math person.
💭 Tony’s Take: Fluency is about the language of money, not equations.
🔗 Struggling With Math? You Can Still Be A Whiz With Money with Sarah Brady & Dr. Severine Bryan on Dr. Sev Talks Money. Watch on (YouTube).
3️⃣ Do You Know What To Say To Someone Who’s Grieving?
Why it matters: Loss isn’t always death, and grief isn’t only associated with death. Loss is the absence of something or someone, and grief is a response to that. It comes in many forms—divorce, illness, retirement, not just death.
The What If: Miss this, and clients won’t feel seen—or supported.
Your Move: Understand primary vs. secondary loss. Primary loss is the initial loss your client experiences, such as the death of a spouse. Their secondary losses are the additional losses they experience as a result of their primary loss.
The Win: “Establish Yourself as a Grief-Informed Advisor” and support your clients, family and friends through life’s hardest transitions.
💭 Tony’s Take: Advisors who honor grief’s complexity deepen relationships.
🔗 Kathi Balasek for eMoney’s Heart of Advice Blog. Read (here).
4️⃣ When Money Feels Overwhelming: What to Do Next
Why it matters: What to do when we’re overwhelmed, financially and otherwise; how to make tough money decisions and why to make those decision/
The What If: Avoidance leads to worse decisions and greater stress.
Your Move: Be authentic, take one step at a time, align intentions with actions.
The Win: how being authentic about our financial status (i.e., spending within our means) can benefit our financial well-being and our overall well-being.
💭 Tony’s Take: Transparency and small steps allow you to remain calm and gain clarity.
🔗 Carl Richards & Julie Rains. Watch it (here).
5️⃣ 💡 What If The Real Game-Changer Is Fluency Not Literacy?
Why it matters: Literacy teaches concepts. Fluency empowers action.
The What If: Financial education should be shame-free and accessible
Your Move: Financial fluency is like learning a new language. Fluency is about context, communication, and intentional skill use.
The Win: Fluency empowers us to questions outdated systems and help close the gender and racial wealth gaps.
💭 Tony’s Take: Financial fluency, rather than financial literacy, is the next evolution in how we change the way we think about money.
🎙️ Financial Fluency Is the Real Game-Changer with Bernadette Joy and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast. Watch or listen to the podcast (here).
🎙️ Subscribe to The Get Ready Money Podcast for weekly, practical conversations that turn “what ifs” into “here’s how.” (Apple Podcasts) (YouTube)
6️⃣ Money Is A Part Of Our Overall Wellbeing
Why it matters: The focus has shifted beyond money management to something much broader. People want to live better lives and have a greater sense of well-being.
The What If: Money-induced stress is universal, and it has a major impact on financial decisions.
Your Move: Recognize behavioral styles and triggers. Align planning with purpose and well-being.
The Win: With the modernized whole-life approach to financial planning, spreadsheets and stock picks take a backseat to the human side of the equation.
💭 Tony’s Take: True planning balances purpose, money, meaning, and mental health.
🔗 How Does Behavioral Finance Support Overall Well-Being by Hugh Massie for DNA Behavior. Read it (here).
7️⃣ How to Protect Elderly Parents from Scams
Why it matters: Elder fraud can wipe out a lifetime of savings.
The What If: Silence leaves parents vulnerable to exploitation.
Your Move: Talk openly, set safeguards, and respond with empathy.
The Win: Parents who are safer and still feel respected.
💭 Tony’s Take: The best protection is communication, not blame.
🔗 Cameron Huddleston. Read (here).
8️⃣ What’s The Most Common Thing Missing From Financial Plans?
Why it matters: Disability risk that potentially dwarfs the risk of losing a home—but is often ignored.
The What If: We imperil our clients, their families, and our professional practices by glossing over the oft-overlooked issue of Disability Income Insurance.
Your Move: Treat Disability Insurance like homeowner’s insurance—non-negotiable, unless you are not dependent on your income.
The Win: Clients protected against life’s most overlooked risk.
💭 Tony’s Take: A financial plan without disability insurance is not a financial plan. If someone loses their income, their financial plan has a 0% chance of working out.
🔗 Disability Insurance: The Financial Planning Industry’s Great Blind Spot By Darin Carroll, Armahn Hadjian, Nathan Collier and Megan McCoy for FPA. Read it (here).
9️⃣ Add Some Humor To Your Money
Why it matters: Adding a little humor makes money more approachable.
The What If: personal finance can be a lot more fun than you think.
💭 Tony’s Take: Blending humor and information will change the way you think about money.
📘 Stacked: Your Super-Serious Guide to Modern Money Management by Joe Saul-Sehy & Emily Guy Birken. Check it out on (Amazon)
🔟 A Great Way to Help Kids Learn About Money
Why it matters: Learning about money can be fun with effective and easy to implement tools.
The What If: Without practice, good habits don’t form.
Your Move: Use songs, stories, and interactive tools to make money fun.
The Win: A new generation of money-smart kids.
💭 Tony’s Take: A great way for kids and families to have fun learning money habits.
🔗 Join Sammy Rabbit’s Money School today! Learn more (here). Brought to you by Sam Renick.
🔍 Bonus Round: 5 Money Moves in Focus
- Don’t Wait For Crisis - A conversation on caring for aging parents while raising our own kids with Abbe Large and Naseema McElroy on the Financially Intentional Podcast. Watch on (YouTube).
- My Honest Thoughts To Anyone Working Past 59... RETIRE ASAP. Most retirement plans obsess over how long you’ll live (lifespan) and miss the years you’ll live well (healthspan). With Dr. Preston Cherry. Watch on (YouTube).
- Is College Worth It? Check out the College ROI Heatmap from CollegeNPV (here).
- Mind the Gap 2025. The more investors traded, the less they made. Read the Morningstar study (here).
- Behind The Curtain: Your AI Survival Kit by Jim VanderHei and Mike Allen for Axios (read here).
📬 Weekly Action Prompt: Check Your Retirement Plans
Why it matters: Retirement plans are a key component in your journey to financial independence.
The What If: Retirement accounts, with the exception of Roth IRAs, allow you to make contributions on a tax-free basis up to a certain amount. And retirement account values grow on a tax-deferred basis. In other words, you don’t pay taxes until you take money out of a retirement account.
Your Move: Review balances + contribution rates. Don’t leave employer matches on the table. If self-employed, explore SEP-IRA, solo 401(k), and other options.
The Win: Long-term wealth built on tax-advantaged growth.
💭 Tony’s Take: Taking full advantage of your retirement plans options is a great way to accumulate money on a tax-advantaged basis.
🛠️ Get Ready Member Resources
Access your resources for this week's action item (#36) from your dashboard (located in Monthly Focus Area 9: Financial Independence):
- The Get Ready Blueprint week 36 worksheet where you’ll walk through reviewing your retirement account contributions and balances.
- Review fillable PDF’s and excel worksheets for the type(s) of retirement plans that you have:
- Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)
- Self-Employed and Small Individual Retirement Accounts
- Employer Retirement Accounts/ 401(k), 403(b) and 457 Plans
- Pension Plans
- Other Employer and Group Retirement Plans
- Ask Tony AI - “How do I review my retirement account contributions and balances?”
Access Your Get Ready Resources here
📅 Date to Know: September 15: 3rd Quarter Estimated Tax Payment due for those who are self-employed or have other third-quarter income that requires you to pay quarterly estimated taxes.
🧠 Final Thought - The Big What IF
What if one overlooked detail in your plan could change your future? Checking now means confidence later.
✅ Stay ready.
💬 Start a conversation.
💡 Share what sparked something—with a friend or client.
Together, we’re reshaping financial fluency—one “what if” at a time.
– Tony
Coming Next Week: How does your mindset shape your money conversations?
📚 Books: Explore The Tony Steuer Bookshelf (digital editions of all of my books) or at (Bookshop) (Amazon)
