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Retirement Wisdom

Retire Smarter

Season 6

Lessons from 6 Years in Retirement – Dennis Torres

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Make Next Year Your Best Year!

Start small, but start smart.

Join our 3 week Tiny Habits group program and get 2024 off to a great start!

Learn More     |     Register Here

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How much critical thinking are you bringing to your retirement planning?  And not just with your investments, but on how you’ll invest your time in retirement. Critical thinking can help you avoid distractions, make smart choices and chart your own course in your retirement life.

Dennis Torres shares his lessons from a varied career and from six years in retirement. He joins us from Malibu, California.

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Bio

Dennis Torres is a skilled, talented mediator, arbitrator and negotiator who is committed to serving the best interests of all parties. He has successfully settled and negotiated thousands of disputes and contracts throughout his professional career. More than 30 years of business experience enables Torres to quickly identify the key issues of any dispute, separate the conflict from the personalities and pragmatically work toward resolution. Additionally, he brings a high degree of integrity and creativity to the process, often being praised for his “out of the box” solutions.

A daily meditator since the mid 1970s, it is easy for Torres to remain centered, focused and neutral while being firmly committed to resolution. His style utilizes a full range of facilitative, evaluative, distributive and transformational methods as best suited for the individuals and the uniqueness of each challenge.

While varying the process to fit the parties and the dispute, typically he will first caucus with counsel for both sides, followed by a joint session with all parties, then individual caucuses with each disputant and their attorney. His success rate is among the highest in the industry and his solutions among the most satisfying.

Torres received his formal training in dispute resolution from Pepperdine University’s School of Law, Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution, which is rated number one in the country.  He has both a Master’s Degree in Dispute Resolution and a Professional Graduate Certificate in Dispute Resolution. Additionally, he is a graduate of The Fashion Institute of Technology, New York where he earned a degree in industrial engineering.  He also studied law at LaSalle University before being assigned duty with the United States Air Force in Vietnam. In 2006, he completed the PON at Harvard Law School.

In addition to his private practice, Torres served as an adjunct professor of negotiation and dispute resolution for Pepperdine University and as a mediator for the Center for Conflict Resolution (CCR), the California Academy of Mediation Professionals (CAMP), the Arbitration, Mediation & Conciliation Center (AMCC), the State of California Superior Court in Ventura County and Los Angeles County, and the Courts of Malibu, Santa Monica and Van Nuys, and as both a mediator and arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). He had been professionally associated with Pepperdine University util his retirement.

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For More on Dennis Torres

Website

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Retire Smarter:

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

The Power of Saying No – Vanessa Patrick, PhD

Life After Work – Brian Feutz

Purpose Driven Retirement – Jet Vertz

Independence Day – Steve Lopez

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Retiring?  Check out our recommended Best Books on Retirement with short summaries.

It’s not a just a list – and not just typical titles…

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Wise Quotes

On Critical Thinking & Retirement

“Critical thinking is important in all aspects of life, but what it means is to start thinking why we believe what we do. Why do we do the things that we do? We are bombarded throughout our life with philosophies, with commercial advertising that sort of shape our thinking. And especially true in retirement. Many people think, well, we got to go on a cruise. We have to go see the world. We have to go do this, we have to do that. And that may not satisfy people. They think of me personally. I took one cruise in my life, and while I always make the best of a situation and enjoyed meeting people, it was something I would not do again, because the cruise that seemed to be about the eating and gambling and entertainment, none of those things interest me. I’m interested in nature and relaxing and in learning. So the point I’m making here is think about what’s really important to your life, what you want to do with your life that’s going to feel fulfilling instead of rushing around doing things that you think you should do.”

On Simplicity

“Simplicity is the essence of life. We’re bombarded with so much, especially now with the social media and internet. The real fulfillment in life comes from simple things. I was thinking also today about frugality. Frugality is not just money. Frugality is a simple lifestyle, and that’s what’s fulfilling. I see people now and now that I’m retired, and by the way, I’d loved working. I loved meeting people and being active and creating. I retired because the simple fact that I knew I was not going to live forever, and I wanted to try something different, something that was not scheduled. And I find so many retired people try to busy themselves with things, cruises and traveling and all that, and how many times I’ve heard people come back from Italy or Europe or Asia and say, wow, it’s so good to be home. You’re leaving thinking that this is going to be fulfilling and actually you’re happy to be home where you can relax and get into your normal routine. So people should not be afraid of routine and just enjoy the simplicity of not being bombarded by so many things in life. Life will fill all the time that you have. Get in there and make the best of it. Do something that’s fulfilling.”

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™

A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.  It takes more than a vision. Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one on your own terms.

________________________________

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1 million downloads. Business Insider has recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

 

Learning from Guides – Lawrence Kosick

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Make Next Year Your Best Year!

Join our 3 week Tiny Habits group program and get 2024 off to a great start!

Learn More     |     Register Here

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Lawrence Kosick, Co-founder and President of GetSetUp, joins us to discuss how you can bolster your retirement years with lifelong learning. Follow your curiosity and learn new things in the new year ahead. There’s a multitude of options such as Photography, Cooking, Technology, Music, Travel or Health & Fitness. Pick up some new skills, new interests, hobbies and you may also make some new friends along the way.

Lawrence Kosick joins us from California.

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Bio

Lawrence Kosick is the Co-Founder & President of GetSetUp, an online community of people who want to learn new skills, connect with others and unlock new life experiences in an interactive learning environment specifically designed for older adults.

Lawrence was born and raised in Vancouver, Canada where, as a child, Lawrence’s father founded a non-profit assisted living facility for older adults. Lawrence grew up spending nights and weekends visiting the facility and was amazed by the wisdom of the residents who had so much more to give.

Before co-founding GetSetUp, Lawrence oversaw Business Development and Partnerships for IFTTT, an IoT Connectivity Platform. He also led Sight Machine’s Asian Pacific business operations and was VP of Global Partnerships at Yahoo during its early years. Lawrence has been pleased to team up with his long-time friend and co-founder Neil, to create a learning platform for older adults that allows him to continue the work his father started so many years ago. Lawrence is an avid cyclist and trail runner, so it is no surprise that the two co-founders met on the trail and continue to trade ideas that power the mission of GetSetUp and enhance the lives of today’s older adults.

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For More on Lawrence Kosic

GetSetUp

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Tiny Habits Can Lead to Big Changes – BJ Fogg

Best Of – Lifelong Learning

Learning is a Lifetime Sport – Tom Vanderbilt

Lifelong Learning – Michelle Weise

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Retire Smarter. Don’t Miss Out on Our Podcast Conversations.

Follow on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio  | TuneIn | RSS

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Wise Quotes

On Lifelong Learning

“It’s a great question, and it’s not as if all of our learners on GetSetUp actually identify as lifelong learners. We’ve found that if you ask that question to a female audience, they more often will say, Yes, I do identify as a lifelong learner. More of our men actually do not actually identify with that phrase. But the concept in general, I’m a big believer in. Life changes, technology changes, our circumstances change, and what are we doing to keep up with that? So there’s a shelf life to the things we learn, to the products that we use, to the services that we use. We have to keep learning and evolving to make sure that we’re getting the best out of life. And I think that just comes from making a habit of wanting and needing to learn new things.”

 

On Learning from Guides

“And we just thought, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could both re-skill and upskill folks my age and older to teach these things, but also at the same time create a learning opportunity for those who were trying to understand. So an economic opportunity on one side and a learning opportunity on the other. And the wonderful byproduct of that was there was just a comfort level where everybody had that same sort of patience, speed, empathy and vocabulary. There was a magic that occurred where everybody felt like no question was a dumb question. We could all spend the time needed to sort of understand similar issues or similar challenges, questions, problems. And so it just worked. And so in many ways, we call them Guides to answer your original question. We call them Guides because a lot of them come from our learner population. So folks come to GetSetUp, they want to learn something new, they take five or ten classes, and then they raise their hand and they say, Well, actually I’m a retired doctor, lawyer, teacher, nurse, yoga instructor. I have some wisdom. I have some knowledge. I wouldn’t mind sharing it. Can I go through your program and potentially teach on the platform? Now, not everybody does this, but a significant number do, and we feel like they’re helping guide others. There’s less of a hierarchical feeling around teacher-student when it’s sort of guide and learner. It’s a nuance, but we think it’s an important one, and we’re all about making it as friendly and as comfortable as we can for others to learn from folks like themselves.”

On Community

“If you bring people onto a platform and into a class and it’s interactive, it’s fun, it’s engaging, it’s with others that are similar to them or going through similar things that they are, there’s a bond. There’s a way to easily identify and connect with those folks. They start to become friends. And if people start to learn together, and the byproduct of that is they make five new friends in the first month or two and they come back and take classes together, I think we can obviously discern from that that there’s some socialization going on and there’s some positive connection because they’re both making friends and then learning together. I don’t know why it’s surprised us perhaps we’re not all that smart Joe, but we started out as a learning platform and we realize that interactive learning together with others, really does create the magic that creates this social connection and friendship.”

 

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™

A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.  It takes more than a vision. Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one on your own terms.

________________________________

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1 million downloads. Business Insider has recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

The Big 100 – William J. Kole

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Make Next Year Your Best Year!

Here’s How

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One of the many challenges in planning for retirement is grappling with the unknown. A big unknown is longevity. No one really knows how long they’ll live. And there’s a growing number of centenarians these days. What if you live to be 100? Or what if you become a super-ager and live much longer than that? It’s something to consider in your planning, both financially and non-financially. And this longevity revolution we’re in the midst of is creating many challenges for systems that were built to support lives that lasted a handful of years after retirement. William J. Kole, author of The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging, joins us to discuss the joys and consequences of longer lives – and what we can learn from super-agers that could help you live a triple digit life.

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Bio

William J. Kole, recently retired as the New England news editor for Associated Press, is a veteran journalist and former foreign correspondent who has reported from North America, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. The grandson of a woman who lived a few months shy of 104, Kole has been writing about extreme longevity since the 1990s, when he was based in Paris and told the world the extraordinary story of Jeanne Calment, who lived to 122. His many awards include one from the Society of American Business Editors & Writers for an investigation into the exploitation of undocumented immigrants by the Walmart retail chain. The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging is his first book. He speaks French, Dutch, and German, and resides in Warwick, Rhode Island.

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For More on William J. Cole

The Big 100: The New World of Super-Aging

Website -Bill Kole Books

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Check Out Our Best Books on Retirement

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Podcast Episodes YouMay Like

Breaking the Age Code – Dr. Becca Levy

The Well-Lived Life – Dr. Gladys McGarey

The Mindful Body – Ellen Langer

The Measure of Our Age – MT Connolly

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Best Books on Retirement You May Like

Live Life in Crescendo – Stephen R. Covey & Cynthia Haller Covey

Growing Young: How Friendship, Optimism & Kindness Can Help You Live to 100

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Mentioned in This Podcast Episode

Dr. Thomas Perls’ Life Expectancy Calculator

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Retire Smarter. Don’t Miss Out on Our Podcast Conversations.

Follow on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio  | TuneIn | RSS

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Wise Quotes

On Longevity in America

“We are aging in the United States by practically every metric. We’re going to hit a very important milestone just a little over 10 years from now in 2034, when the numbers of Americans who are 65 and older will outnumber those who are 18 and younger for the first time in our history. And the number of people who are 85 and older are rapidly growing. It’s one of the fastest growing subsets of the population. But what’s really driving this, what I call a new world of super aging, is really two-fold. One is just demographics. So the baby boomers, a huge generation numerically are getting older. I’m one of them. I think you might be too, Joe. {Indeed}And there’s at least 70 million about by some counts, a bit more than that. The oldest of us is about 77 right now. So in the next 25 years, the fittest of those people will age into triple digits. And interestingly, centenarians tend to occur in one in 5,000 in the population in general, in many places at least. This is according to Tom Perls at the New England Centenarian Study, which is the largest of its kind in the world. And so just by virtue of there being so many boomers aging, we’re going to see a sort of algorithmic increase in the numbers of people living to 100. And then there’s a medical and technological piece, where we are doing a better job at treating, and in some cases, curing the things that kill us.”

 

On Stress & Longevity

“For me, what really tops the list is that they handle toxic stress very well, and stress is the enemy of longevity. For the book, I had some really interesting conversations with Martin Picard, who is a biologist who was studying these things. Stress really affects us right down to the mitochondrial level in our cells, and it’s amazing. It’s one of the reasons why I made some changes to my own life to try and avoid it. And centenarians tend to do a very good job of handling stress. When you talk to them as I have, you’ll hear a lot: don’t sweat the small stuff. And these people, they’re not easily aggravated. They’re just psychologically wired to be chill or they have learned some good techniques to just sort of chill out. Other things, we mentioned: positivity. There’s a fascinating study recently in the last few years out of Yale that suggests that having a positive attitude, not just in general being positive, but having specifically a positive attitude about our own aging specifically can add up to seven and a half years to our lifespan. And that’s an incredible amount of time, more than what we gained by watching our cholesterol and exercising and our diet and all of that combined. And of course, people who are positive tend to do those things anyway, as well as not smoke. And they tend to go easy on the booze. So that’s a key thing. We also mentioned social isolation. People in the Blue Zones, and many centenarians who are successful, tend to not be languished in solitude, and that’s key as well.”

On Genetics & Lifestyle Choices

 

“Fortunately, there are some things we can do to optimize our genetic makeup. So the prevailing thinking is that our behaviors, our diet, our exercise, the amount of sun exposure we allow ourselves, things like this account for about 75% of what gets us to 90. And then from that point on the genes, the genetic piece increasingly plays a more prominent role and it’s more like 50% of getting us to 100. And then once you’re past 100 and then you get into the realms of the woman I mentioned,who’s a super centenarian, someone who’s 110 or above, then the genetics piece really accounted for almost all of it. I mean, she has hit all five lottery numbers – plus the Powerball.”

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™

A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.  It takes more than a vision. Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one on your own terms.

________________________________

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes, with over 1 million downloads. Business Insider has recognized Joe as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

 

 

Attention – Joe Casey

· ·

Retire Smarter.

Follow on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS

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Your attention, please.

We’re talking today about your attention. Where are you directing it? What’s distracting your attention? How can you regain control over your focus? The first solo episode without a guest on The Retirement Wisdom Podcast.

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Design Your Retirement

Our next Design Your New Life in Retirement small group coaching program begins on January 25, 2024.

Learn more and register here.

Be intentional about your next phase. Design it.

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Edit Your Life – Elisabeth Sharp McKetta

The Power of Saying No – Vanessa Patrick, PhD

Self-Compassion – Dr. Kristin Neff

Chatter & Your Inner Voice – Ethan Kross

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Mentioned in This Podcast Episode

The Mindful Body – Ellen Langer

The Essential Skills for Being Human – David Brooks

The Tim Ferriss Show – Apollo Robbins, The World’s Most Famous Pickpocket 

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™

A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.  Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one on your own terms.

________________________________

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes. Business Insider has recognized him as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

 

Get Smart About Medicare Open Enrollment – Diane Omdahl

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Retire Smarter. Don’t Miss an Episode.

Follow on Apple Podcasts or Subscribe: Google Podcasts | Spotify | iHeartRadio | Stitcher | TuneIn | RSS

You can tell by the barrage of commercials that it’s Medicare Open Enrollment season. The author of Medicare for You: A Smart Person’s Guide,Diane Omdahl of 65 Incorporated,  is back to help us sort through the noise, learn what’s new this year and how to avoid the common mistakes she sees people make in Medicare Open Enrollment.

Diane Omdahl joins us from Wisconsin.

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Bio

The author of Medicare for You: A Smart Person’s Guide, Diane Omdahl, RN, MS., is a nationally recognized Medicare expert and the author of Medicare and You: A Smart Person’s Guide.

In 2012, she co-founded 65 Incorporated, a company that provides one-on-one consultations to individuals dealing with Medicare. Her first company, Beacon Health, provided homecare agencies with Medicare compliance guidance from 1987 until she sold it in 2008. Diane has served as a technical expert for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (the organization that runs the Medicare program) and is a frequent speaker on Medicare-related issues. In addition to being a registered nurse, Diane holds a Master’s degree in Health Services Administration. Diane is a Forbes.com contributor on the topic of Medicare and has been featured in many national publications including the Washington Post, CBS MoneyWatch, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal Market Watch, Kiplinger, and many others.

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For More on Diane Omdahl

65 Incorporated

Website

Medicare for You: A Smart Person’s Guide

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Podcast Episodes You May Like

Medicare for You – Diane Omdahl

The New Age of Aging – Maddy Dychtwald 

The Measure of Our Age – MT Connolly

The Mindful Body – Ellen Langer

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Wise Quotes

On Misconceptions of Medicare Open Enrollment

“I think the biggest misconception people have is that Open Enrollment also applies to the Medigap policies, the supplemental insurance. We hear from people who aren’t happy with their Medicare supplement plan and they think they can change it during open enrollment. We’ve heard from people who didn’t get a Medicare supplement or Medigap policy when first eligible, and they think now they can add it like if they would with a drug plan. However, Open Enrollment doesn’t apply to Medigap policies. If you want to change your Medigap policy, you can apply at any time during the year, and medical underwriting may apply. If you are trying to change from Medicare Advantage to a Medicare supplement Medigap policy, there’s only two times you can drop that Advantage plan and one of them is coming up. So we say shop for your Medicare supplement first, get your guaranteed acceptance in hand and then dis-enroll from the Advantage plan during Open Enrollment and you’ll be good to go January 1.”

 

On Common Mistakes with Medicare Open Enrollment

“I think waiting until the last minute, then they can’t get through or something gets messed up. The mistake I already mentioned: assuming that you don’t have to do anything if you love your plan. That happens. I did a client last year. I did his wife early this year, and she says, I’m not supposed to tell you this, Diane, my husband didn’t take any drugs. He was in the cheapest plan that he could be in, but then he didn’t open his Annual Notice. And come to find out, I think this was two years ago, the plan he was in was discontinued and he was enrolled automatically and that went from $10 to $69. It’s a mistake – not opening your Annual Notice of Changes as far as Open Enrollment goes.”

On What to Do with Medicare Open Enrollment

“Don’t pay attention to the commercials. Look at your Annual Notice of Changes and then do your homework. So my words to people, and again, I’ve been accused of being biased against Advantage, and as I said, I’m not a biased against that. I’m biased against people not shopping carefully. You’re going to go buy a new car. You spend 14 hours testing and reviewing literature. What do you do with Medicare Advantage? You go with what a friend says works, or you talk to an agent or you go with a commercial. Come on people! Do your homework. I’m an educator. That’s what I try to have people do. ”

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About Retirement Wisdom

I help people who are retiring, but aren’t quite done yet, discover what’s next and build their custom version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™

A meaningful retirement doesn’t just happen by accident.  Schedule a call today to discuss how The Designing Your Life process created by Bill Burnett & Dave Evans can help you make your life in retirement a great one on your own terms.

Our next Design Your New Life in Retirement small group coaching program begins on January 25, 2024. Learn more and register here.

Be intentional about your next phase. Design it.

________________________________

About Your Podcast Host 

Joe Casey is an executive coach who also helps people design their next life after their primary career and create their version of The Multipurpose Retirement.™ He created his own next chapter after a twenty-six-year career at Merrill Lynch, where he was Senior Vice President and Head of HR for Global Markets & Investment Banking. Today, in addition to his work with clients, Joe hosts The Retirement Wisdom Podcast, which thanks to his guests and loyal listeners, ranks in the top 1 % globally in popularity by Listen Notes. Business Insider has recognized him as one of 23 innovative coaches who are making a difference. He’s the author of Win the Retirement Game: How to Outsmart the 9 Forces Trying to Steal Your Joy.

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The views and opinions expressed by guests on The Retirement Wisdom Podcast are those of the guests and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the host, or of Retirement Wisdom, LLC. The Retirement Wisdom Podcast covers the non-financial aspects of retirement. From time to time we may invite guests who discuss other aspects of retirement planning, solely for educational purposes, not advice. Listeners are advised to consult qualified financial and/or medical professionals on those matters.