Hi,
This week marks Episode 250 of the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast.
After 250 conversations about money with experts, advocates, and changemakers around the world, one lesson stands out:
Money becomes clearer when we start with people instead of products.
This week’s newsletter reflects on that milestone along with conversations about trust, legacy, AI, and building the right advisory team.
🧠 Thought of the Week
Curiosity is the most important financial skill.
Better questions leads to more confident decisions.
🎙️How 250 Conversations Changed the Way I Think About Money
After 250 conversations with guests from around the world, one truth stands out:
Money works best when we start with people, not products.
In Episode 250, guest host Faith Teope turns the tables and interview Tony about what he’s learned from financial experts, advocates, and changemakers from around the world.
Key Takeaways:
🔹 Money readiness starts with mindset and curiosity.
🔹 Preparing before life happens creates flexibility.
🔹 Money conversations are essential around the world.
🔹 Structural inequities shape financial outcomes.
🔹 Listening builds trust faster than expertise.
🔹 Money decisions are emotional, not just mathematical.
🔹 The future of money is human.
💭 Tony’s Take: Everyone’s money journey is different. Anyone can do money, as long as they’re willing to stay curious, ask better questions, and prepare with intention.
🎙️ Faith Teope and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
➕ How to Leave a Legacy That Lasts Beyond Money
🔹 Wealth without wisdom is wasted.
🔹 Talk about your values, not just your trust and will.
🔹 Money conversations strengthen families.
🔹 Money is a vehicle, not the goal.
💭 Tony’s Take: The heart of your legacy is the wisdom and values that you share.
🎙️ Dr. Julia Myers and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
🔎 Conversations Shaping The Future of Money
Trust Is Power: Why Your Financial Future Depends on Courage.
Why it matters: If trust erodes, your money feels it. How personal alignment scales into institutional responsibility and why the stability of your retirement, investments, and career is inseparable from the integrity of the systems around you.
💭 Tony’s Take: Trust is the invisible infrastructure behind financial stability. When trust grows, systems and individuals both thrive.
🎙️ George Kinder and Preston Cherry on (YouTube)
How the Black Women Best Framework Lifts Up All Boats.
Why it matters: A look at the "Double Tax" which is described as the "Pink Tax and then some,”. The compounded costs of racism and sexism force women of colour to pay more to exist in our economy, and what we can all do to make things more equitable for everyone.
💭 Tony’s Take: When we design systems for fairness, everyone benefits.
🎙️ Anna Gifty Opoku-Agyeman and Jessica Moorhouse on the More Money Podcast (YouTube)
🤖 AI Perspectives:
Artificial intelligence is accelerating quickly. The real advantage will come from engaging early with curiosity rather than fear.
📖 The Alarm Bell Nobody Rang for Women: Anthropic's AI Labor Report Decoded.
Nikki Barua explains why women are the most exposed demographic, however, they have the greatest opportunity for early reinvention (read).
📖 AI Is A 5-Layer Cake.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang breaks down why the choices we make now, how fast we build, how broadly we participate, and how responsibly we deploy it, will shape what this era becomes (read).
📖 Something Big Is Happening. Matt Schumer explains that the people who will come out of this best are the ones who start engaging now, not with fear, but with curiosity and a sense of urgency (read).
📖 Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence by Ben Carlson for A Wealth Of Common Sense (read)
🎙️ Why AI-Generated Content is Making Your Human Voice More Valuable with Martin Kamenski and Hillary Gale on The Finance Marketing Podcast (listen).
📖 The Empathy Delusion: Why Many Financial Advisors May be Making the Riskiest Bet of Their Careers by Dan Haylett (LinkedIn)
📖 Science Fiction Isn’t Predictive, but It’s Important Anyway. Sophie Bakalar explores why speculative AI stories like the Citrini article shouldn’t be treated as prophecy. Sometimes the story is silly, but the signal is real. For Sophie’s Notes (read)
💭 Tony’s Take: Being authentically human will be the key to success in the age of AI. You are the only one who can be yourself. AI will be able to do a really great impression, however, it will never truly be you.
⚡ Quick Hits
🎙️ Women Are Better Investors Than They Think (Here’s the Proof) with Liz Faircloth and Larry Sprung on the Mitlin Money Mindset Podcast (YouTube)
🎙️ Medicare in 2026: What to Know Before You Turn 65 with Cameron Giardini and Melissa Joy on the Women’s Money Wisdom Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
🎙️ Situational Agency: How to Save More Without Relying on Willpower with Robin Taub and Bruce Sellery on the Moolala: Money Made Simple Podcast (Spotify)
📓 25 Facts About Women’s Retirement Outlook from Transamerica (here)
📓 Top Ten Scams of 2025 from Fraud!org (here)
✅ Week 11 Action Item: Review your advisory team
🧭 Do you feel confident that you have the right advisors helping guide your financial decisions?
🌎 The big picture: The right advisors help you navigate complexity with confidence.
🤔 Why it matters: Knowing when to call in someone with expertise is a key to success.
💡 Here’s what works:
✔️Review whether you have the right advisors on your team.
✔️Confirm advisors have the right credentials and experience.
✔️Evaluate whether they meet the Get Ready Standards:
💭 Tony’s Take: You should be comfortable with and have confidence in your advisory teams. If a relationship isn’t helping you move forward, it’s okay to find an advisor who will.
🧭 The Get Ready Standards
The Get Ready Standards define what every consumer should reasonably expect from financial professionals and financial companies.
🔹 Your advisor should act in your best interest.
🔹 You should receive customized service appropriate to your needs.
🔹 You have free choice.
🔹 You should receive an answer to any question.
🔹 You have the right to pay a fair price (or premium).
🔹 You should always be informed.
🔹 You should expect to be treated fairly and respectfully.
🔹 You have the right to full disclosure and updates.
🔹 You should receive quality service and fair resolutions (including claims handling).
🔹 You should be able to change or cancel a financial service and be notified of any changes.
🛠️ Resources
Access The Get Ready Blueprint week 11 worksheet where you’ll review whether you have the right people on your team and more (located in Monthly Focus Area 3: Your Team of your dashboard.
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
Financial readiness begins with curiosity.
When we ask better questions, build trusted relationships, and stay open to learning, money becomes less intimidating and more empowering.
Preparation builds confidence.
Communication builds coordination.
💬 I'm always curious to hear what ideas stand out to you. Which conversation or insight sparked something?
Tony
Coming Next Week: Why Defining “Enough” Changes How Women Think About Money with Melissa Joy.
P.S. 🎙️ Check out The Get Ready Money Podcast → [Apple] | [YouTube]
