Welcome to the Get Ready Money Club newsletter; a weekly newsletter with recommendations to help you succeed on your financial journey including one simple action item.
This newsletter is 1,807 words, a 7 1/2 minute read.
✅ Week 11 Action Item: Review your advisory team
🌎 The big picture: A qualified advisor can help guide you through complex matters.
🤔 Why it matters: Knowing when to call in someone with expertise is a key to success.
- Making the decision to hire an advisor depends on your comfort level and understanding of an issue, as well as the complexity of the issue.
💡 Here’s what works: Review the most common advisors to see if you have the right people on your team. This includes accountants & tax professionals, estate planning attorney, financial planner, financial coach and insurance agents.
- Look for an advisor who has the right credentials and experience for the service or product that you’re considering.
- The Get Ready Financial Standards are reasonable expectations for you, as the consumer. Advisors and companies should adhere to these standards.
- Here are the Get Ready Financial Standards:
- 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.
- These standards apply to all areas of financial services, including financial planning, insurance, investing, estate planning, accounting, financial coaching, real estate, and mortgages.
😎 Bottom line: Your advisor works for you, and if the relationship isn’t working, then find an advisor who you are comfortable with and in whose services you are confident.
💭 Habit of the week: Detailed focus. Apply the Get Ready Standards to your money transactions.
🤔 Question(s) of the week: Do you feel like you have the right advisors?
💁♂️ Advisor/Coach Corner: Consider whether the Get Ready Financial Standards inspire any changes in your work.
📝 Resources:
Get Ready Money Club Members:
- The Get Ready Discussion Guide. Discuss whether your advisory team aligns with your values and needs. And, if they are acting in accordance with the Get Ready Financial Standards.
Get Ready Library and Toolkit members can access your resources for this week's action item (#11 from your Get Ready Library dashboard (located in Monthly Focus Area 3: Your Team):
- The Get Ready Blueprint week 11 worksheet where you’ll review whether you have the right people on your team and more.
Access Your Get Ready Resources here
The Get Ready Library expands on each week’s action item and provides worksheets to help you complete each week’s action item, create a to-do list, track your habits and organize your financial life. It also includes access to all of my books.
Get Access To The Get Ready Library
🗓️ Financial Calendar Reminders:
- Annual bonuses. If you receive an annual bonus from your employer, be intentional with how to use it. Consider using all or most of it to increase your rainy day fund, reduce higher cost debt or long term savings.
🙌 On this episode of The Get Ready Money Podcast, I was joined by Joe Saul-Sehy, Katherine Pomerantz and Rhianna Basore to talk about applying the principles of improv to money by saying yes, and to money.
🧐 Here’s what we each think we know and then discussed:
🔹 Life is improv.
🔹 Find your voice.
🔹 Everyone wants you to win.
🔹 Leaning into play and joy will always make it better - Rhianna.
🔹 Trust ourselves with our money - Katherine.
🔹 Feel the fear and do it anyway - Joe.
🎙️Watch or listen to the podcast (here).
The Get Ready Money Podcast is also available on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.
🙌 On this episode of The Get Ready Money Podcast, I spoke with George Kinder, author and founder of the Fiduciary In All Things (FIAT) Movement about the FIAT movement.
🔹 Why FIAT is essential for the future of civilization.
🔹 Imagine if we lived in a trustworthy world.
🔹 A great first step is to reflect and listen more.
🔹 How we can integrate FIAT into our lives, and lead from our personal integrity
🔹 Without a fiduciary standard, democracy is undermined and civilization can die.
🔹 Why institutions have a higher obligation and need to be trustworthy.
🎙️Watch or listen to the podcast (here).
The Get Ready Money Podcast is also available on YouTube and your favorite podcast app.
🎉 Featured:
💭 Insights from an award-winning author and fintech advisor.
💡 My thoughts about the insurance industry and the prevention of financial scams and frauds.
🧐Tony’s Take: It’s important for members of the insurance industry to work to prevent scams. And, for consumers to be curious and look for red flags.
🎙️ Source: The One-on-One Podcast with Walt Laskos and Tony Steuer.
👉 Watch on YouTube (HERE).
Habits, Planning and Mindset:
💭 Women’s History Month Offers a Chance to Talk About Women, Credit, and Financial Wellness
💡 Women still earn only about 84 cents for every dollar that a man makes. According to the Financial Health Network, women are more likely to struggle in areas of their financial lives than men. They report worse outcomes when it comes to spending, saving, borrowing and planning. That is a problem no credit card is going to solve.
😎 Tony’s Take: Women and people of color face real issues with lower pay and other challenges in the financial world. Understanding these issues and creating solutions will lead to equality.
📖 Source: Bobbi Rebell for Cardrates.com
👉 Read (here).
Be Prepared and Life Events
💭 Navigating New Parent Finances
💡 Learn how to manage your finances confidently and prepare for future family needs.
😎 Tony’s Take: Having kids is a major life event and is a time that calls for reviewing all areas of your financial life, especially insurance and estate planning.
🎙️Source: Sophia Yudkowski and Misty Lynch on the Demystifying Money Podcast.
👉Listen on Apple Podcasts (here).
💭 Why Building a Financial Identity After 60 is Essential for a Life of Meaning and Impact
💡 Developing a Financial Identity isn’t about having the most money but rather using it as a tool to build a life of meaning and positive impact.
😎 Tony’s Take: As we age and hopefully reach financial independence, our goals shift, which requires reviewing all areas of our lives (and money).
📖 Source: Marla Sofer for The Sassy Septuagenarian presented by Keena Pettijohn
👉Read the article on LinkedIn (here).
💭 Long-Term Care Revolution: Driving Empathy and Innovation using AI
💡 This powerful intersection of financial services and healthcare is transforming how we plan for aging — turning a traditionally difficult conversation into an empowering human experience — facilitated by data and the right user experience.
😎 Tony’s Take: Creating an aging plan is an essential part of estate planning. Health care costs are a large expense for most retirees.
🎙️Source: Lily Vittayarukskul and Theodora Lai on the One Vision fintech fuse podcast
👉 Listen on Apple Podcasts (here)
Your Team (family and advisors)
💭 Why Kid Entrepreneurs Develop Money Smarts That Last a Lifetime: The Evidence-Based Case
💡 By supporting kid business ventures through programs like Moolah U, we're helping them develop the adaptive mindset and practical skills they'll need to navigate whatever economic landscape awaits them.
😎 Tony’s Take: The best learning experiences are hands-on, rather than theoretical. Help your kids develop healthy money habits, so they can be empowered with their money.
📖 Source: Gayle Reaume
👉Read the article on LinkedIn (here).
💭 Money Smart Monday from John Lanza
💡 Every Monday, I share ideas to help you and your family on the money-smart journey. I created "The Money Mammals" for kids and wrote The Art of Allowance book for parents like you. Won't you join me on the money-smart journey?
😎 Tony’s Take: Helping kids be money smart is a key part of parenting.
👉Check it out (here)
Financial Independence
💭 Have questions about retirement planning? protected income? annuities? Ask ALI!
💡 Powered by advanced, generative AI technology, and informed by cutting-edge academic research, Ali makes it easier than ever to get personalized guidance on a wide range of retirement topics.
😎 Tony’s Take: An innovative way for people to learn more about different retirement topics. The AI assistant provides answers rather than requiring people to search for the right article or video.
💬 Source: The Alliance for Lifetime Income via Chris Heye.
👉Check out ALI (here).
Monitor your personal information and be alert to frauds and scams
💭 Scams: Protecting Yourself and Your Loved Ones
💡 Crucial insights on how to recognize and prevent scams that often target older adults. The best defense against scams is education and awareness.
😎 Tony’s Take: Have a family transition meeting with parents and adult kids. Adult kids can check in with aging parents to help monitor their finances.
🎙️Source: Cameron Huddleston and Melissa Batchelor on the This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World podcast.
👉Listen (HERE).
Wrap up loose ends (charitable giving, unclaimed property, EOY)
💭 Money Explained: Tariff-ied Markets!
💡 Everything you needed to know about import taxes, but were too afraid to ask
😎 Tony’s Take: Tarriffs have become part of our daily conversation. They have been around for hundreds of years. Tariffs can have a huge impact on an economy.
📖 Source: The Money Awareness and Inclusion Awards (MAIA’s)
👉Read the article on LinkedIn (here).
💭 Leadership Excellence: What people want from their leaders
💡 How to communicate to build client trust. The importance of storytelling to your personal brand.
😎 Tony’s Take: Building trust is essential for all of our relationships. Leaders need to be trusted to be effective.
🎤 Chuck Garcia, Marc Butler and Sheryl O’Connor presented by Income Conductor on March 26, 2025 (11:30 ET and 4:30 ET, virtual and free).
👉 Learn more and view registration links (for 11:30 ET)(for 4:30 ET).
Thank you for being part of the Get Ready Money Club. Please hit reply to share your thoughts.
Let’s Change The Way We Think About Money!
Tony
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