Hi,
This week’s issue centers on one core idea: clarity grows when our money conversations evolve with our lives. Below, you’ll find one featured conversation to anchor the week, along with several curated insights that reflect different paths to financial readiness.
🧠 Thought of the Week
Financial clarity begins when we pause long enough to ask better questions. When money decisions reflect who we are and how we want to live, planning becomes more about purpose and less about pressure. Readiness grows when intention leads the way.
🎙️ Featured Conversation of the Week
What If It Is Possible? Rethinking Money and Abundance
We often spend so much time focused on doing and having, that we forget to ask: who do we want to be? Your financial plan should reflect who you are, not just what you earn.
Key takeaways:
🔹 Abundance is a choice we make moment by moment.
🔹 Align your money with your values and what truly fulfills you.
🔹 Women should dream bigger, ask what’s important to you?
🔹 Step into your power, you get to choose who you want to be
🔹 If you don’t have a plan, your goals are just wishes
💭 Tony’s Take: Let’s rethink success and money, and what it means to live in alignment with our values.
🎙️ Michelle Petrowski and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
➕ Also This Week: Value Investing Secrets and Wall Street’s Blind Spot
Invest in what you understand, think long term, don’t let emotions drive your decisions and do your homework rather than chasing trends.
💭 Tony’s Take: Most investors chase headlines. The smart ones don’t.
🎙️Jose Mayora and Tony Steuer on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)
🔎 Curated Insights
Legacy Planning
Estate Planning Is an Act of Love
Estate planning is less about legal checklists and more about protecting your people, your property, and your peace of mind. The difference between estate planning and elder planning
💭 Tony’s Take: Thoughtful planning can prevent conflict, confusion, and unnecessary stress for loved ones.
🎙️ Tamara Marshall and Linda Grizely on the Real Money, Real Life Podcast (YouTube)
Cash on Hand: The Forgotten Part of a Plan
Having cash or accessible credit lets you handle urgent needs without added stress or delays. Even a well-funded estate can leave heirs waiting weeks or months before they can access cash.
💭 Tony’s Take: Ensuring that your heirs have access to cash is an essential part of your legacy planning.
📖 Julie Rains for Save.Invest.Protect.Preserve. (read).
Women and Money
Finding Your Money Zen
A clear roadmap for dismantling the cultural pressure on women to be perfect. How women can reclaim their power by asking the right questions of their employers, their partners, and themselves.
💭 Tony’s Take: It’s much easier to be yourself, than someone else (or what you think others want you to be).
🎙️ Manisha Thakor, Lisa Zeiderman and Precious Williams on The Power of the Ask Podcast (Apple Podcasts)
📖 Money Explained: Close The Gap. Why Don’t Women Feel Like Investors by Francesca Torre for The Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (MAIA’s) - (LinkedIn)
Life Transitions
Defending Against AI By Focusing On The Uniquely Human Aspects Of (Fiduciary) Life Planning
A conversation on learning about how (human) advisors can continue to thrive in a world with more advanced AI tools, how the life planning process can strengthen advisor-client relationships, or how fiduciary principles could be applied to the broader business world.
💭 Tony’s Take: The future of advising belongs to those who have real human to human connections, are excellent listeners and help their clients align their values and lives with their goals.
🎙️ George Kinder and Michael Kitces on the Financial Advisor Success Podcast (here)
Readiness, Risk & Resilience
Why I'm Building a 'Gamified' Way to Learn About 'Money'
Recent academic research on gamified financial literacy confirms what many of us on the ground already know: people don’t fail financially because they don’t care. They struggle because the system teaches rules, not real life.
💭 Tony’s Take: The next evolution of financial literacy is helping people learn how various areas of the money world fit their life (including their values, mindset and money story), rather than just learning about specific concepts.
📖 Lalua Rahsiad on (LinkedIn)
⚡ Quick Hits
🎙️ Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: Permission to Work Differently with Dorcas Cheng-Tozu and Diana Yanez on the Highly Sensitive Money Podcast (here)
🎙️ How To Spoil Your Kids With Money with Christine Luken on the Money is Emotional Podcast (here).
📖 From Tech Fatigue To Tech Wellness: Navigating The AI Era - a conversation with Cameo Roberson by Neema Ebeledike for The Observer (here)
📖 Gamification of Personal Finance: A Systematic Literature Review by Ans Ahmad, Daniel Fernandez Galeote, Nannan Xi, Juho Hamari for Tampere University (here)
📖 Family Caregivers: How Many and Who Are They? From Center for Retirement Research at Boston College (here)
🧐 What if preparing for life events was part of your financial routine instead of a reaction?
✅ Week #4 Action Item: Plan for Upcoming Life Events
🌎 The big picture: Life events can impact multiple areas of our (financial) lives.
🤔 Why it matters: Every life event impacts our goals and how we achieve them. Being intentional helps us know what to review, update, and adjust, before things pile up.
💡 Here’s what works: Identify any upcoming or recent life events and review the areas of your financial life they affect. Common life events include:
✅ Business ownership
✅ Caregiving
✅ Disability or disaster recovery
✅ Divorce or widowhood
✅ Financial independence & retirement
✅ Home purchase or moving
✅ Inheritance or windfalls
✅ Leaving or starting a job
✅ Marriage or domestic partnership
✅ Parenthood (birth, adoption, foster)
✅ Pet ownership
✅ Special-needs child
✅ Starting out (turning 18, college years)
✅ Military life
💭 Tony’s Take: Staying prepared means updating your financial life as life evolves.
🛠️ Member Resources
Access your resources for this week's action item (#4) from your Get Ready Library dashboard (located in Monthly Focus Area 1: Habits and Planning):
- The Get Ready Blueprint week 4 worksheet where you’ll review add any life events coming up in further detail and what focus areas will need attention.
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)
🏅Awards: The 2026 MAIAs Open for Entries!
From grassroots initiatives to global solutions, the Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards welcomes work from around the world that is helping make money simpler, fairer, and more accessible. Entries before February 3rd are free. The deadline for entries is March 28, 2026. Enter (here).
🧠 Final Thought
What becomes possible when money reflects who you are and how you want to live? This mindset allows your money to fit your life and values. Money is a tool that helps us accomplish our goals.
✅ Stay ready.
💬 Start a meaningful conversation.
💡 Share what sparked something for you.
— Tony
Coming Next Week: The Future of Financial Advice Starts with Great Questions with Brendan Frazier on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast
P.S. 🎙️ Check out The Get Ready Money Podcast → [Apple] | [YouTube]
