Hi,
Thanks for being part of the Get Ready Movement, helping you change the way you think (and talk) about money.
This week, we explore how mindset, self-awareness, and personal agency shape everything from insurance choices to investment habits to everyday spending.
This week:
💡 Insurance 101: Everything You Need to Know in 50 Minutes
💡 Building Better Financial Behavior
💡 How to Stop Burnout from Controlling Your Finances
🧠 Thought of the Week
While we may think that we make financial decisions rationally, our choices blend facts with feelings. When we understand our biases, habits, and blind spots, we gain a powerful advantage: clarity. That’s why the path to financial fluency begins with knowing ourselves.
1️⃣ 💡 Think you understand insurance?
Insurance is often misunderstood, which can cost thousands while leaving you not fully protected.
That’s why I teamed up with Charlene Cong for a 50-minute Insurance 101 Masterclass, breaking down the fundamentals of different types of insurance and why they matter.
👉 A deep dive into the types of insurance you really need versus what you can skip
👉 Tips to avoid common traps and overpaying
👉 And how to choose the right policy, company and agent for your needs
👉 Top Ten Insurance Tips
Includes: auto, disability income, health, homeowners, life, long term care insurance along with annuities.
🎥 Watch the masterclass on (YouTube)
📗 Bonus: Get your free copy of The Questions and Answers on Insurance Planner (here).
➡️ Want help applying it to your own coverage? Message me or comment below to book an Insurance Clarity Session.
2️⃣ Money Mindset
🎙 Our past experiences, self-view, and social environment shape our financial behavior, and what you can do to build a healthier relationship with money. Check out Building Better Financial Behavior with Ceres Chua and Robert Crain on the Robert Crain Podcast (YouTube).
🎙 “I’m not a therapist, how can I help my clients work through their issues with money?” With the rise of behavioral finance and younger generations seeking more emotional support, this question is becoming more and more common among advisors. Where Financial Planning & Psychology Overlap with Nathan Astle and Marla Sofer on the Knowing Me, Knowing You Podcast (YouTube).
💭 Tony’s Take: Understanding how we feel about money allows us to take into account how that impacts our decision making. Advisors need to take this into account when guiding their clients.
3️⃣ How to Stop Burnout from Controlling Your Finances
🎙 If you’ve ever thought, “I’m doing everything right, but still feel behind,” this is your reset. You’ll walk away knowing how to turn stress into structure and freedom into routine. With Shehara Wooten (YouTube).
💭 Tony’s Take: Aligning our lives with our goals and values, helps reduce stress and increase our happiness.
4️⃣ The Awakened Investor: How Self-Awareness Transforms Our Relationship with Money
🎙 Self-discovery and personal agency are at the core of our financial journey. It’s important to know our strengths, blind spots, and biases. Your team should be philosophically aligned. Tim “Jai” Baker and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast (watch or listen).
💭 Tony's Take: Ready to move from awareness to action? True financial clarity starts from within. Your financial plan should reflect who you are, not who others expect you to be.
5️⃣ Improve your journey in 2026
🎙 What if you could make your hardest habits feel easier—without relying on willpower? There’s a simple, science-backed strategy that pairs what you “should” do with something you “want” to do, so you actually look forward to it. The good news is, you don’t need more motivation. Instead, create instant gratification that makes you want to keep engaging in a habit like going to the gym or doing chores. Temptation Bundling: The Science-Backed Trick to Make Habits Stick with Amy Morin for the Mentally Stronger Podcast (listen).
🎙 Year-end isn’t reflection season—it’s leverage season. Budgets, bonuses, titles, equity, retention risk—decisions about you are getting made now. Break the fear cycle and negotiate your raise, title, and equity like a pro. Year-End Leverage: Get the Raise, Title, Equity You Deserve with Renee Baker and Stoy Hall on the NoBSWealth Podcast (YouTube).
💭 Tony’s Take: New Year’s resolutions are often put aside after a short period. Implanting new habits is how you make lasting change. A powerful habit is to make sure you’re getting paid what you’re worth.
6️⃣ Why Disability Insurance Belongs in Every Financial Plan
📖 Disability income protection isn’t about pessimism, it’s about preparation. Because health, work, and life are intertwined. And disability insurance is what keeps them together when everything else falls apart. If you’re a parent or partner, you have a personal duty to protect the people you love. If you’re a financial advisor, you have a fiduciary duty to help clients prepare. Maxwell Schmitz for the Council for Disability Income Awareness. Read (here).
💭 Tony’s Take: A financial plan without disability income insurance is just hoping for the best. If there is no income, you may not be able to afford your home, send your kids to college or fund your financial independence.
7️⃣ Retirement Health Planning: How to Reduce Costs and Extend Your Health Span
🎙 Healthcare is the number one expense in retirement. Maintaining your health helps reduce long-term medical costs. Small actions now can lead to major payoffs later. Education and lifestyle choices will help you stay healthy. Xavier Serrano and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast (watch or listen).
💭 Tony’s Take: Living longer isn’t the goal, living better is. Improve your health span so you can more fully enjoy your golden years.
8️⃣ 🏆 Plutus Awards Corner: Dealing with Adult Children in Retirement ❤️ How I See Respect ✋ Don’t Do This After 60
🎙 When you’re young, you never imagine losing the respect of your own children. But for many parents, that’s the hardest part of aging, realizing that love doesn’t always mean respect. Whether you’re a parent over 60 or an adult child trying to understand your parents better, this conversation will move you, challenge you, and remind you that respect and love are choices — renewed every day. Tina on the This Is Our Retirement podcast. Watch on (YouTube).
💭 Tony’s Take: Whether you’re an aging parent or an adult child, money conversations help make sure that everyone is on the same page which is an essential part of estate planning.
Each week I highlight a Plutus Awards community favorite.
9️⃣ ⚡ Quick Hits
🎙 Make Your Nine to Five Fund Your Freedom Not Your Burnout with Angel Mathis and Naseema McElroy on the Financially Intentional Podcast. Watch on (YouTube).
🎙 7 Smart Giving Strategies for Family and Charities Before Year-End with Eric Blake on The Simply Retirement Podcast. Watch on (YouTube)
🎙 Feeling Behind? How to Turn Comparison Into a Tool for Growth with Brendan Frazier for RFG Advisory. Watch on (YouTube).
📖 Top 10 Negotiation Skills You Must Learn to Succeed. Absorb these integrative negotiation skills to improve your outcomes. By Katie Shonk for Harvard Law School. Read (here).
📖 Timeline of the 1929 Market Crash by Jon Petersen for Novel Investor. Read (here).
📖 7 Changes Coming to Medicare in 2026 by Tony Pugh for AARP. Read (here).
🔟 How prepared are you to spot frauds and scams?
✅ Week 47 Action Item: Protect Yourself From Frauds & Scams
🌎 Fraudsters are constantly finding new ways to trick us, but with the right precautions, you can stay one step ahead.
🚨In 2024, consumers reported losses totaling $12.5 billion in losses according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), this is a 25% increase over 2023).
💡 Here’s how to safeguard yourself:
- Monitor financial accounts including bank account statements and credit cards for unauthorized transactions.
- Use strong, unique passwords or passphrases like GetReady&StayPrepared1.
- Shred documents with personal information to prevent identity theft.
💭 Tony’s Take: Protecting your finances requires vigilance. Regular monitoring and smart habits can go a long way toward keeping fraud at bay.
🗣️ Weekly Conversation:
What are the smartest ways you’re protecting yourself from fraud and scams?
🛠️ Resources:
📝 Access your resources for this week's action item (#47) from your dashboard (Monthly Focus Area 11: Monitor Your Personal Information):
- The Get Ready Blueprint week 47 worksheet where you’ll review tips on how protect yourself from frauds and scams
🧠 Final Thought
Financial clarity starts with understanding your habits, emotions, and blind spots. This helps you make better decisions, communicate more clearly, and protect yourself from risk.
When your financial life reflects your values, strengths, and goals, your decisions become easier.
✅ Stay ready.
💬 Start a conversation.
💡 Share what sparked something — with a friend, client, or in the comments.
— Tony
Coming Next Week: Beneath the Surface: Understanding the Psychology Behind Your Financial Decisions with Ashley Quamme and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast
🎙️ 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
