Hi,
Thanks for being part of the Get Ready Movement, helping you change the way you think (and talk) about money. This week, we’re exploring what happens when communication, technology, and purpose come together to make financial conversations more human.
This week:
💡 From Financial Literacy to Financial Fluency: A Small Change, Big Impact
💡 Building a Shared Life Vision
💡 Preserving Family Stories and Legacies
🧠 Thought of the Week
Every decision—financial or otherwise—has both an objective and a subjective component. The objective is the math; the subjective is the meaning.
Like the best doctors, great financial professionals listen deeply, ask the right questions, and translate complexity into clarity.
That’s what financial fluency really looks like.
1️⃣ From Financial Literacy to Financial Fluency: A Small Change, Big Impact
I joined Hillary Gale on The Finance Marketing Podcast to talk about why it’s time for the financial services industry to evolve from product-driven approaches to relationship-focused strategies in an increasingly AI-driven world.
Key insights:
🔹 There’s a major marketing opportunity that exists in better serving underrepresented clients, particularly women and people of color, who often don't feel "seen and heard" by traditional financial services.
🔹 Shifting from "financial literacy" to "financial fluency" in your messaging can make your services more approachable.
🔹 Practical strategies for creating more inclusive client experiences that can differentiate your practice and help you build stronger, lasting relationships.
💭 Tony’s Take: Financial fluency means translating complexity into confidence, one authentic conversation at a time.
🎙 Tony Steuer and Hillary Gale on The Finance Marketing Podcast. Listen (here)
2️⃣ Building a Shared Life Vision
Prudence Zhu shares insights from her personal journey as a first-generation immigrant and from her new book A Couple’s Guide to Money, offering practical ways couples can create shared financial goals while honoring their individual values. It’s a conversation about the emotional and cultural layers of building financial harmony in a partnership.
Key insights:
🔹 How do immigrant and cross-cultural couples navigate different money styles?
🔹 What small steps help couples align their goals emotionally and financially?
🔹 Why is “values-driven financial planning” key for long-term success?
💭 Tony’s Take: Open, honest conversations help couples align their values, goals and dreams rather than just their money.
🎙 Prudence Zhu and Cynthia Meyer on the Real Life Planning Podcast. Watch on (YouTube).
3️⃣ Preserving Family Stories and Legacies
Our financial legacy is important, but our stories and memories are priceless.
Key Insights:
🔹 Why families shouldn’t wait to capture stories and memories before they fade
🔹 The role of legacy in retirement and estate planning beyond finances
🔹 Practical advice on how to start recording family stories, even with simple tools like a phone
💭 Tony’s Take: While estate planning has traditionally been about documents, the most valuable thing we leave our family and friends with our memories and how we touched their lives.
🎙 Zoe Martin and Eric Blake on The Simply Retirement Podcast. Watch on (YouTube)
4️⃣ Listening, Trust & Curiosity: What Improv Teaches Us About Money
What if the secret to better money conversations came from improv, not a spreadsheet?
🔹 Commit fully to the next right step—even if it’s uncertain.
🔹 Trust your partner (or advisor) to have your back when you’re unsure.
🔹 Be fully present—listening to what’s said and what’s unsaid.
🔹 Excellence comes from asking the right questions.
💭 Tony’s Take: The principles of improv including presence, trust, listening and asking the right questions can lead to better decision and outcomes.
🎙️Katherine Pomerantz, Rhianna Basore, Joe Saul-Sehy and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast. Watch or listen (here)
5️⃣ Beyond Inheritance: Designing Meaningful Legacy
Legacy is not a final act. It is a a living system, continuously shaped by values, relationships, and the courage to ask meaningful questions.
🔹 Legacy is more than inheritance—it’s a dynamic expression of values and voice.
🔹 Meaningful planning starts with better questions, not faster answers.
🔹 Multigenerational wealth requires multigenerational communication.
🔹 Advisors must slow down, reflect, and facilitate clarity, not control outcomes.
💭 Tony’s Take: Legacy planning is about impact, values, emotions and purpose rather than just numbers and documents.
🎙 Dien Yuen and Dr. Ramesh Ramachandra for the Thriving in the Age of Disruption Podcast. Listen (here).
6️⃣ The Best Communication Skills For Better Conversations
The best communicators don't have all the right words. They make space for real understanding.
🔹 When we truly listen, we do more than hear the words. We make people feel seen, understood, and valued.That’s where connection happens.
🔹 Get comfortable with silence.
🔹 Good communication isn’t about having the perfect response. It’s about presence.
💭 Tony’s Take: The best communicators, like the best doctors, don’t just speak clearly; they listen with care and translate complexity.
📖 By Derek Hagen for Meaningful Money (read).
7️⃣ How AI Is Transforming Financial Planning and Enhancing Client Relationships
The future of financial planning powered by AI is here.
Key Insights:
🔹 AI improves fraud detection, but social engineering still requires human awareness
🔹 Empathy can’t be outsourced—relationships remain the advisor’s superpower
🔹 Automation frees up time for advisors to focus on deeper client conversations
🔹 AI enables scale, but it’s people skills that build trust
💭 Tony’s Take: AI is reshaping financial planning, from enhancing advisor-client relationships to helping protect consumers from financial scams. Advisors should integrate AI thoughtfully, while keeping empathy and human connection at the center of every conversation.
🎙️ Lily Vittayarukskul, Sumedha Rai and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast (here).
7B. Advisor Intelligence in the Age of AI: The eMoney Integration Nine Years in the Making
Artificial intelligence is changing how financial advice is delivered, but not in the way early predictions suggested. Instead of replacing human advisors, AI is reshaping where advisors add value, pushing planning conversations toward interpretation, prioritization, and shared decision-making.
- The value of advice is shifting from technical calculations to real-time interpretation and human guidance.
- AI will not replace advisors, but advisors who do not adopt AI-powered tools will lose relevance to those who do.
🎙 Adam Holt and Craig Iskowitz on the Wealth Tech Today podcast. Listen (here).
8️⃣ Turning Financial Plans Into Purpose-Driven Lives
Emily and Brendan dive into the psychology of money, examining how past experiences and family stories can shape our relationship with spending and saving. They discuss why some clients struggle to spend even when they have more than enough, and how Advisors can guide those clients toward balance without judgment.
Key insights:🔹 How to uncover the deeper motivations behind client goals
🔹 The importance of connecting values and money decisions
🔹 How to apply behavioral principles to deepen planning conversations
💭 Tony’s Take: All decisions, including financial decisions, are based on our values, goals, past experiences rather than just the data.
🎙 Emily Rassam and Brendan Frazier on the Human Side of Money Podcast. Listen (here).
9️⃣ ⚡ Quick Hits
📖 How to Prepare for the Death of a Spouse or Loved One. By Elliott Appel for the Kindness Financial Planning Blog. Read it (here).
🎙 Rein In Emotional Spending For The Holidays with Christine Luken on the Money is Emotional Podcast. Listen (here).
📖 Agentic AI in Wealth Management: Why Strong Processes Are the Foundation of Safe Adoption by John O’Connell for The Oasis Group. Read (here).
📖 9 Truths About Investment Returns by Dr. Jim Dahle for the White Coat Investor. Read (here).
📖 Literacy Is Your Investing Hedge by Tony Isola. Read (here).
📖 8 Things to Watch for the 2026 ACA Open Enrollment Period from KFF. Read (here).
🔟 Week 46 Action Item: Order Consumer Reports.
🔍 What if one error in your consumer report quietly cost you a job—or an insurance discount?
Most people never check.
The Big Picture: Make sure that information collected about you is accurate.
Why It Matters: Specialty consumer reporting companies collect data on everything from employment history to transaction records to repayment behavior.
That information influences decisions about:
✅ Job offers
✅ Insurance rates
✅ Real estate transactions
✅ And more
💡 Pro Tip: Ordering consumer reports is the only way to verify that your data is correct.
For example, LexisNexis compiles information on real estate transactions, bankruptcy records, professional licenses, and more.
💭 Tony’s Take: You are likely the only person who can verify the accuracy of these reports. Reviewing them can protect your job opportunities, insurance premiums, and even housing options.
👉 Have you ordered any consumer reports? Was it helpful?
🛠️ Resources:
Access your resources for this week's action item (#46) from your dashboard (Monthly Focus Area 11: Monitor Your Personal Information):
- The Get Ready Blueprint week 46 worksheet where you’ll review how to order and review four of the main reports.
🏆 Plutus Corner:
Proud to be part of the Plutus Team, a community celebrating financial creators making a real impact. This week’s featured Plutus Award winner:
Debunking Advice From Financial “Gurus” to Create An Efficient Retirement Income Plan
In his book, The Guru Gap, David McKnight exposes why one-size-fits-all financial guidance from so-called experts often leaves retirees underprepared and overexposed to risk.
🔹 The psychological appeal of "guru" advice
🔹 How to identify when those blanket statements—like "annuities are bad" or "the 4% rule always works,"—do more harm than good.
🔹 Math-based insights into retirement income planning. We're talking about the true cost of longevity risk, and why annuities can often create more liquidity and peace of mind than traditional withdrawal strategies.
💭 Tony’s Take: Whether it’s money or medical advice, always consider the source of the advice and if it makes sense for you. Always start with your personal journey, situation, goals and values. Just because someone has an opinion, doesn't mean that it’s the right opinion for you.
David McKnight and Casey Weade on the Retire With Purpose Podcast. Listen on (Apple Podcasts).
🧠 Final Thought
When we listen with curiosity, communicate with empathy, and lead with purpose, we move beyond numbers to meaning.
✅ Stay ready.
💬 Start a conversation.
💡 Share what sparked something — with a friend, client, or in the comments.
— Tony
Coming Next Week: The Awakened Investor: How Self-Awareness Transforms Our Relationship with Money with Tim “Jai” Baker
P.S. 🎙️ Check out The Get Ready Money Podcast → [Apple] | [YouTube]
🤝 In Partnership with the Plutus Awards, presented by the Plutus Foundation — celebrating excellence in financial media and education.
Stay tuned for updates on the next Plutus Awards Ceremony, recognizing the creators shaping the future of financial literacy.
→ Learn more and vote now at plutusawards.com
