Tony’s Take: 10 Things Changing the Way We Think About Money

Thanks for being part of The Get Ready Movement—changing how we think (and talk) about money.

Each week, I spotlight what’s shaping the future of financial fluency—from tools and trends to the people changing how we apply, communicate, and make intentional choices around money.

1. Weekly Action Prompt

📌 Action: Week 30: Review Your Disability Insurance

💭 Tony’s Take: The odds of a disability are high—but most aren’t total or permanent. Review your coverage to make sure it aligns with your current income, work status, and lifestyle.

🔹 Your chances of becoming disabled for more than 90 days before the age of 65 range from close to 50 percent at age 30, to 40 percent at age 45.

🔹 The average length of disability ranges from 78 months (ages 30–34) to 86 months (ages 45–49).

🔹 The probability of disability lasting five years or more is 35 percent (ages 30–34) to 43 percent (ages 45–49).

2. Strategy of the week:

💡 Here’s what works: Determine your current income protection from disability insurance (individual disability insurance and group long term disability insurance (LTD)). 

💭 Tony’s Take: Group long term disability insurance (employer provided coverage) usually does not provide sufficient coverage.

3. Big Question to Ask

❓Do you have enough disability insurance to get by in the event of a partial or total disability? 

💭 Tony’s Take: Life changes so it’s important to monitor your policy to make sure that it still fits your current situation, especially if you’ve had a change in income or employment.

4. Grow Your Wellth And Live a Longer Healthier Life 

🔹 Your money and health are integrated into every aspect of your life.
🔹 The difference between lifespan and healthspan
🔹 Your #1 retirement risk might not be market volatility, but your health

💭 Tony’s Take: What if the key to a fulfilling retirement isn’t more money... but better health?

🎙️ Stevyn Guinnip and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast. Check it out (here)

5. Why Every Retirement Plan Needs Purpose Before Portfolios 

A step-by-step process to create a purpose-driven retirement with the four pillars of emotional retirement preparation

💭 Tony’s Take: Having purpose is key to a fulfilled retirement. 

🎙️ Tony Hixon and Brendan Frazier on The Human Side of Money Podcast. Listen (here).

6. Slow Summer for Great Vibes and Money Outcomes

Why slowing down can increase your happiness, contentment, and financial clarity. The beauty of doing less with more intention

💭 Tony’s Take: It’s important to take time to enjoy our journey rather than solely focusing on the destination. 

🎙️ Melissa Joy on the Women’s Money Wisdom Podcast. Listen on (Apple Podcasts).

7.  How To Analyze Your Life Insurance

🔹 Most life insurance policies are complex—and often misunderstood
🔹 Advisors have a fiduciary duty to go beyond illustrations and ask better questions
🔹 How advisors can get started analyzing a life insurance policy.

🔹 Why this is a new fiduciary era for life insurance. 

💭 Tony’s Take: Think all life insurance is the same? Think again.
🎙️Steven Zeiger and Tony Steuer on The Get Ready Money Podcast. Watch or listen (here)

8. Why Clients Don’t Follow Their Financial Plans (and What to Do About It)

The unique value that financial coaches and counselors bring to clients, particularly in addressing the emotional and behavioral aspects of financial decision-making that often prevent clients from following through on their financial plans.

💭 Tony’s Take: Financial decisions are about much more than just the numbers. Our emotions, money mindset and history play a major role. 

🎙️ Dr. Brandy Baxter and Hillary Gale on The Finance Marketing Podcast. Listen (here).

9. Redefining Client Discovery in Finance

How self-reflection leads to smarter financial decisions, the challenges of legacy planning, advisor-client dynamics, and the need for scalable client segmentation. 

💭 Tony’s Take: Let’s start with focusing on goals, needs, money story and mindset before we talk about product. 

🎙️ Marla Sofer and Richard Walker on The Customer Wins Podcast. Watch on (YouTube).

10. Spin a Challenge Into Gold 

A conversation on Rhianna’s journey to transform limitation into imagination. The results exceeded everyone’s expectations.

💭 Tony’s Take: Challenges often reveal hidden strengths. When life throws us off course, it’s a chance to reimagine what’s possible. 

📖  Rhianna Basore and Adrienne Demo on the That’s Aloud Podcast. Watch on (YouTube).

🚀 Bonus: 5 Quick Hits:

🔹 Balancing Wealth and Wellness: Marguerita Cheng’s Financial Philosophy with Steve McGarry on the Exit Podcast. Watch (YouTube)

🔹 The Interconnected Dollar: Aligning Your Money with Social Justice and Environmental Care. By Diana Yanez. Read (here).

🔹 Balancing Empathy and Technology in Financial Planning. Patti Brennan and Sasha Grabenstetter on the eMoney Heart of Advice Podcast. Watch (here)  

🔹 Fighting FinCrime Smarter. Trisha Kothari and Nicole Casperson on the Humans of FinTech podcast. Listen (Apple Podcasts).

🔹 Five Fun (Honestly!) Financial Literacy Activities for Kids from Gifting Sense. Read (here). 

📝 Member Resources This Week

Access your resources for this week's action item (#30) from your Get Ready dashboard (located in Monthly Focus Area 7: Are you protected?):

• The Get Ready Blueprint week 30 worksheet where you’ll walk through reviewing your current disability insurance, and calculating your disability insurance ratio to see if you have sufficient coverage.
• Disability Insurance worksheet where you can enter details for your disability insurance coverage whether it’s through a group, employer or individual.
• Chat with Ask Tony AI about this week’s action item.

 Access Your Get Ready Resources here

Note: Available to all members of The Get Ready Movement.

Support The Get Ready Movement here.  

 Support the Get Ready Movement

📝 Final Thought

Your income is your greatest financial asset. Protecting it ensures your life plans stay on track—no matter what.

Thanks for being part of the Get Ready movement.

If something resonated with you, please share. 

Let’s keep changing the way we think - and talk- about money.

– Tony

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