Hi,
Happy Saturday, and thanks for being part of the Get Ready Movement.
This week, one theme stood out: while technology is changing how we live and work; trust, empathy, and human connection still drive our most important financial decisions.
Inside this week:
• Why human connection still matters in an AI-driven world
• What’s reshaping retirement planning and health-related risks
• One practical move to strengthen your cash flow awareness
🧠 What Stood Out to Me
What stood out to me this week is how often trust sits at the center of financial decisions.
Whether we’re talking about AI, retirement, caregiving, or relationships, confidence grows when people feel seen, heard, and supported.
🧠 Thought of the Week
Technology can make us faster. Human connection makes us better.
The more automated the world becomes, the more trust, judgment, and empathy shape the decisions that matter most.
🎙 This Week’s Readiness Conversation
Why Human Connection Still Matters in an AI-Driven World
In an increasingly automated world, human connection is becoming the real differentiator.
Julie Pinkerton shares why peer relationships drive growth, how behavioral styles improve communication, and why authenticity matters even more in a technology-driven environment.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Networking is shaped by how people experience you, not just how often you show up
🔹 Meaningful relationships are built through small, thoughtful actions
🔹 Remembering what matters to others helps people feel seen and valued
🔹 AI can support connection, however it can’t replace human judgment and trust
💭 Tony’s Take: Our ability to connect authentically and create trust may become our greatest differentiator in an increasingly automated world.
🎙️ Julie Pinkerton and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
➕ How Women Use Money With Intention in Retirement
More women are redefining retirement by aligning their money with what truly matters to them.
Key Takeaways
🔹 Taking an active role in money decisions builds confidence and clarity
🔹 Advisors should proactively include both partners and focus on listening first
🔹 Retirement is a journey rather than an end point
💭 Tony’s Take: Retirement is a journey shaped by intention, confidence, and alignment with what matters most.
🎙️ Eric Blake and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
🌍 What’s Shaping How I Think About Money
The Growing Influence of Health Risks on Retirement Security
Why it stood out: Health-related financial risks are moving to the center of retirement planning. Healthcare and cognitive decline risks often increase over time and can last for years.
💭 Tony’s Take: Healthcare costs and cognitive decline deserve a much larger role in retirement income planning conversations.
📖 By Chris Heye for LIMRA Retirement Income Institute (here)
The Biggest Retirement Risks No One Talks About
Why it stood out: The idea of a retirement “magic number” continues to miss the bigger picture. Retirement planning is increasingly behavioral, health-driven, and adaptable.
💭 Tony’s Take: Retirement readiness is about building resilience for uncertainty rather than focusing on one number.
🎙️ Jamie Hopkins and Paula Pant on the Afford Anything Podcast (YouTube)
🌍 Conversations
From Avoiding Bank Statements to Financial Therapy Pioneer: Bari Tessler's Journey
Why it matters: Emotional awareness shapes how people experience money, trust, and decision-making. This conversation offers both practical tools and deep wisdom about honoring our rhythms, redefining success, and bringing our whole selves to our finances.
💭 Tony’s Take: Money decisions are deeply emotional, and financial literacy works best when paired with emotional literacy.
🎙️ Bari Tessler and Diana Yanez on the Highly Sensitive Money Podcast (listen)
How Financial Betrayal Impacts Relationships and Healing
Why it matters: Financial betrayal has a psychological impact on trust and safety in relationships. An exploration of strategies for healing, rebuilding connection, and creating a financially and emotionally healthy relationship
💭 Tony’s Take: Money and trust are closely linked in relationships, and healing requires both boundaries and open communication.
🎙️ Sara Stalker and Misty Lynch on the Demistifying Money Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
⭐ What Caught My Attention This Week
📖 Can You Get Paid for Caring for Your Parents? Exploring Financial Options for Family Caregivers by Joy Loverde for Estate Inventory Services (read)
🎙️ The Cost of Independence No One Talks About (real cost of being single) with Jack Howard and Naseema McElroy on the Financially Intentional Podcast (YouTube)
📖 Linda Grizely and the MeMoney™ Mindset: Redefining Financial Freedom for Women Who’ve Had Enough of Guilt by Michael Fernandez for The Daily Scanner (read)
🎙️ Rethinking Retirement. Andrea Simon and Andra Maizes for The Next Edit (watch/read).
📖 Your 12 Good Years by Dan Haylett for Humans vs. Retirement (read)
📖 The Health Insurance Dilemma of Early Retirement by Dr. Anthony Ellis for The White Coat Investor (read)
📚 From the Archive
🎙️ Connecting Wealth and Great Health: How we can better prepare for the intersection of aging, health, and money with Chris Heye on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (here)
🧭 One Move to Get Ready
🤨 Readiness Question: Do you know where your money is going each month?
🌎 The Big Picture: Cash flow awareness creates clarity and choice.
🤔 Why It Matters: Understanding your income and expenses helps align spending with goals.
💡 Here’s What Works:
• List all income sources
• Track fixed and variable expenses
• Compare planned vs actual spending
• Update after major life changes
💭 Tony’s Take: Cash flow is one of the clearest windows into how your money supports your life.
🤔 Question of the Week: Are you tracking your cash flow?
🛠 Resources
Access this week’s worksheet where you’ll review your cash flow analysis and budget along with additional insights from your dashboard (week 16 - monthly focus Area 4: cash flow).
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)
🧠 Final Thought
The future may be increasingly digital, but trust remains deeply human.
👀 Coming Next Week
How Financial Trauma Shapes Our Relationship With Money with Rahkim Sabree
☕ Support the Get Ready Movement
Enjoying this newsletter? Support The Get Ready Movement and help make financial readiness resources ready to more people.
👉 Support here → buymeacoffee.com/tonysteuer
Stay ready.
Start the conversation.
Be curious and ask questions.
— Tony
