Are you living your own dream—or performing a script someone else wrote for you?
We had a big podcast planned that was never produced that we will get to at the end of 2026 called 51 miler.
This will serve as the prequel to that podcast and a bookmark for the mysterious 41st podcast that was never dropped.
In this raw, unfiltered episode of Ideas by Mike™, host Mike Milligan, CFP®, steps up to the microphone alone to deliver a urgent message about sociology, borrowed desires, and what it truly takes to break free from the sea of financial sameness.
Drawing inspiration from Canadian artist TALK’s hit songs Run Away to Mars and GTFU, sociologist Erving Goffman, and philosopher René Girard’s concept of “mimetic desire,” Mike explores how so many hardworking professionals end up on a stage they never chose, chasing someone else’s version of retirement.
A portfolio built on envy, a career built on someone else’s expectations, or a legacy built on corporate templates is NOT a One-of-a-Kind Life. Learn what is the true process to be One of a Kind. We’d love to hear your thoughts, listen, share and download.
Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment below!
Do you have any financial inquiries wanting to get answered?
Leave us an email – contact@mikemilligancfp.com
Call/Text Mike Milligan to help you out – 757-909-7151 Visit our website at: www.1oakfinancial.com Read our blogs to learn more insights: 1.oak Financial Blogs page
Episode 41 of Ideas by Mike™ is also available on YouTube!
In this latest episode of Ideas by Mike™, our guest speaker, Erika Wasserman shares a deep-frame work and explains the history why retirement as an emotional and subconscious journey, drawing in listeners searching for deeper understanding. It then unpacks Erica’s key insights with concrete examples, tools, and frameworks—highlighting tangible benefits and outcomes.
Erica Wasserman, a renowned financial therapist, reveals how childhood stories, cultural beliefs, and subconscious patterns shape your money decisions today—and how recognizing these stories can transform your retirement journey. Erica guides us through how to identify and reframe these deep-rooted beliefs, so they serve your future—not sabotage it.
You’ll discover the surprising power of renaming your retirement accounts to boost motivation, learn simple exercises to connect with your retirement vision, and understand why emotional readiness is equally vital as financial planning.
With practical tools like conversation cards and a step-by-step framework, Erica shows how even the toughest talks—about money, aging parents, or transitioning roles—can be approached with confidence and clarity.
This episode breaks down the common money myths that keep couples silent, explores the critical conversations for harmony, and shares how to create a flexible, meaningful retirement—what Erica calls Phase Three—where passion, purpose, and financial security blend seamlessly.
If you or your clients are approaching retirement or questioning their money mindset, this is your essential guide to navigating it with emotional intelligence and purpose.
Perfect for financial advisors, couples preparing for retirement, or anyone ready to make their money story work for them—not against them.
Don’t let subconscious scripts define your future; learn to tell a new, empowering story today.
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About Our Guest:
Erika Wasserman is CEO of Your Financial Therapist, which she founded in 2019. As a Certified Financial Therapist CFT™, a sought-after certification held by only 100 people in the world, she combines her education in finance and international economics with her passion for helping others, empowering individuals, couples, and companies to reshape the way they think about money.
Do you have any financial inquiries wanting to get answered?
Leave us an email – contact@mikemilligancfp.com
Or Call/Text Mike Milligan to help you out – 757-909-7151
Stop focusing only on the spreadsheet and start designing a life that matters. Join Mike Milligan, CFP® and design sociologist Dr. Gary David as they explore the human side of retirement, from navigating the “identity cliff” to the sociology of meaningful moments.
Learn how to transition from a job title to a purposeful new chapter, bridge the communication gap with your spouse about legacy and money, and create “storyable” experiences that last a lifetime. Whether you are a pre-retiree or already in your next phase, discover why retirement is a sociology project, not just a financial one.
Watch it on YouTube and don’t forget to subscribe for more!
About our Guest:
About our Guest: Dr. Gary David is a professor of sociology and experience design at Bentley University, where he has taught for over 25 years. He holds a PhD in sociology from Wayne State University and specializes in the intersection of how humans relate to one another and the art of designing meaningful experiences.
As a design sociologist, keynote speaker, and host of the Experience by Design podcast, Dr. David studies how individuals build connection, belonging, and meaning, particularly during major life transitions like retirement.
His professional background also includes judging international customer experience awards and applying his expertise in conversational analysis and linguistics to help people navigate the complex human elements of work, identity, and personal relationships.
In this latest episode of Ideas by Mike™, Dr. Ives Machiz, PhD, CFP®, a fee-only pioneer, shares lessons from 4 careers on retiring into purpose. Learn how coaching and financial education build self-sufficiency & reduce anxiety.
Join Ideas by Mike™ host Mike Milligan, CFP® & Dr. Ives Machiz, PhD, CFP®, a clinical assistant professor and financial planning pioneer, shares the wisdom gained from his extraordinary four-part career: founding a fee-only firm in the 1980s, teaching high school, navigating a family business exit, and earning a PhD.
They both tackled and discusses the emotional nature of retirement and business transitions, the core lessons of self-sufficiency from coaching basketball, the relationship between financial education and health, and the advisor’s critical role in building client trust to mitigate financial anxiety.
This episode offers essential retirement advice for pre-retirees seeking to leap from working to living a one-of-a-kind life.
Key Takeaways:
Objective Advice Requires Total Alignment: True fiduciary planning centers entirely on the individual’s specific long-term goals rather than a high-pressure push for a specific item, commission, or asset product.
Master the Fundamentals First: Successful retirement planning is built on basic, non-glamorous behaviors: consistent long-term saving, clear spending budgets, and maintaining discipline through fluctuating financial environments.
Transitions Are Emotional First: Selling a business, leaving a job, or entering retirement forces individuals into an identity vacuum. You must establish a clear plan for your lifestyle and purpose before executing the final financial liquidation.
The Inherent Value of a Third-Party Fiduciary: Much like medical professionals who refuse to treat their own families, everyday investors need neutral professionals to remove toxic emotion from highly personal wealth decisions.
About our Guest:
Dr. Ives Machiz, PhD, CFP® earned his doctorate in Personal Financial Planning from Kansas State University. He is currently a Clinical Assistant Professor in the personal Financial Planning program at Arizona State University. (Source link)
Are your childhood memories secretly managing your money? 🤔
We ALL have these stories.
On this week’s episode of the Ideas by Mike podcast, I sat down with Dr. Megan McCoy, one of the top academic minds in financial therapy. We went deep into the psychology of how we handle money across every generation.
Dr. McCoy even shared her own vulnerable money story about how wanting to “save the world” made her think she had to take a vow of poverty—and how she rewrote that narrative. It was absolute podcast gold.
If you’ve ever felt paralyzed by a financial decision, or if you’re arguing with your spouse about money, this episode is basically a free therapy session.
Is your wealth over-concentrated in company stock? In this episode of Ideas by Mike podcast, host Mike Milligan, CFP, sits down with Keshav Kolur—a former software engineer at Amazon and Meta who walked away from the cubicle to build Clive Capital.
Keshav reveals how he applies a “tech brain” to evaluate real estate, oil, and gas deals to minimize downside risk. If you are a high-income earner who is “time poor but cash rich,” this episode is your blueprint for rewriting your financial story through passive income and sophisticated tax strategies.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
Why tech employees are often dangerously over-concentrated in RSUs.
The specific “engineering guardrails” Keshav uses to vet private equity deals.
How to legally and ethically slash your tax bill through alternative assets.
The journey from Georgia Tech robotics to managing a multi-million dollar fund of funds.
Alternative Investments 2026 and the Passive Income for Tech Employees.
Real Estate Syndication Strategies and how to do RSU Diversification.
Tax Saving Strategies for High Earners.
Meta & Amazon Employee Wealth.
Oil and Gas Passive Income and doing Engineering Mindset in Investing.
Unlock the secret to living a brave, fulfilling life—at any age.
In this episode, Mike Milligan, CFP & Jill Schulman, a Marine turned corporate leader and bravery expert, reveals how embracing fear can propel you to your biggest dreams. Whether you’re nearing retirement, navigating career transitions, or seeking to elevate your personal growth, you’ll discover proven science-backed strategies to build courage, conquer doubts, and take bold steps forward.
This episode is perfect for anyone feeling stuck—from entrepreneurs and executives to retirees aiming to live intentionally. If you want to turn fear into your greatest motivator and craft a life of purpose, this conversation is your blueprint. Don’t let fear hold you back from reaching your highest potential—your brave new chapter starts here.
Connect with Jill Schulman on LinkedIn or at www.jillschulman.com for your free bravery assessment and blueprint. Her book, The Bravery Effect, is available everywhere books are sold. Whether you’re looking to boost confidence, pivot careers, or inspire loved ones, this episode will leave you motivated to step into your own bravery.
Most high earners are leaving money on the table—failing to leverage tax strategies, automation, and personalized financial planning that can skyrocket their wealth. Today’s guest, Adam Dell, reveals how innovative technology and tailored advice are transforming the landscape for affluent individuals and advisors alike.
Discover how Domain Money is rewriting the rules of wealth management for the mass affluent, offering flat-fee models, sophisticated tax strategies, and a relationship-driven approach that keeps clients engaged and on track. Adam shares insider insights on building a truly personalized financial plan—focusing on values, goals, and behavioral economics—to prevent costly mistakes like underinvesting during market dips or neglecting estate transfer complexities. You’ll break down:
The future of wealth management beyond AUM fees, emphasizing transparency and choice.
How high-yield savings accounts (like Marcus by Goldman Sachs) are critical in building robust emergency funds.
The real power of behavioral economics in helping clients stay disciplined, especially amid market volatility.
The role of advanced tax planning—HSAs, Roth conversions, and long-term care strategies—that most advisors overlook.
The innovative partnership between Domain and 1.oak, designed to serve clients with smaller assets and nurture their growth toward more complex needs.
In this episode of Ideas by Mike podcast, we dive deep into the intersection of love and money with Financial Therapist and “Fractional Financial Behavior Officer,” Ashley Quamme.
🎧 What You’ll Learn: Many couples struggle with financial arguments, not because the math doesn’t work, but because the psychology doesn’t align. Mike and Ashley discuss why financial planning often fails without a psychological component, how to identify your “money scripts,” and the secrets to building a “Wealthy Marriage.”
Whether you are a saver married to a spender, or a financial advisor looking to better serve your clients’ emotional needs, this episode bridges the gap between the spreadsheet and real life.
In this episode of the Ideas by Mike Podcast, we explore retirement without fear through a powerful real-life transformation. From losing 80 pounds to redefining freedom, purpose, and identity after work, this conversation challenges everything most people believe about retirement.
**We’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment below!**
