Is Your Retirement Plan Built on Financial Truths—or Clever Marketing?
Most financial advice you hear online is completely broken. The biggest names in the industry yell blanket statements like “I hate annuities” or “Bitcoin is a gamble” just to get your eyeballs and pull you into their sales funnels. But what if the very tools you’ve been told to avoid are the exact ones that could save your retirement? And worse—what if your “fully diversified” portfolio is actually an overlapping financial trap?
In this thought-provoking episode of the Ideas by Mike podcast™, host Mike Milligan strips away the corporate fluff with this episode’s guest; Tracy Lownsberry, the raw, no-nonsense founder of The Annuity Giants. Tracy isn’t your average corporate advisor—he’s a small-town kid who went from Army Special Operations and law enforcement to training tens of thousands of financial professionals across America.
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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 56 of Ideas by Mike™ with Tracy Lownsberry is also available on YouTube!
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!
Is your financial advisor still stuck in the 1960s? In this episode of Ideas by Mike™, host Mike Milligan, CFP sits down with Eric Runge, a third-generation entrepreneur and founder of Veritas Wealth, to discuss the institutionalization of financial planning and why standard commoditized products like the 60/40 portfolio are failing modern investors.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
– The Problem with Big Banks: Why institutions like Merrill Lynch and Edward Jones have more incentive to sell what has always worked instead of staying on the cutting edge.
– The History of Money: How walking off the gold standard in 1971 accelerated government debt and consumer inflation.
– Bitcoin vs Crypto: Why Bitcoin is a completely separate structure from the thousands of other cryptocurrencies on the market.
– The Future of Digital Currency: How SEC regulations, institutional family offices, and payment rails are shifting the landscape for Bitcoin.
Eric Runge Eric Runge is a third-generation entrepreneur who transitioned from corporate America to establish his own path in independent wealth management. In 2017, he founded Veritas Wealth to escape corporate compliance constraints and better serve his clients with fully customized decisions. He has since specialized his practice into a highly specific niche, establishing himself as a registered investment adviser expert in Bitcoin.
Drawing from a rich family history of business ownership—ranging from his grandfather’s heavy equipment rental shop to his father’s real estate business—Runge brings a direct, transparent, and agile entrepreneurial mindset to his practice. He caters extensively to high-net-worth investors and family offices, translating complex economic shifts into clear, actionable financial strategies.
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
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.
Are you endlessly consuming financial content but still feeling stuck?
In this special solo episode of the Ideas by Mike™ podcast, Mike Milligan, CFP® takes a step back to connect the dots. Over the last fifteen episodes, we’ve explored wealth, health, fear, and communication—but how do all these pieces actually fit together into a real, actionable plan for your future?
Join Mike as he bridges the gap between cheap information and rare transformation. You won’t hear any guests today, just a powerful look back so we can look forward to the next level of the show.
Discover why building a “one-of-a-kind life” is about much more than just a spreadsheet, and find out the single most important question you need to ask yourself to finally get unstuck. Stop doom-scrolling and start planning.
Cut through the “sea of sameness” in financial advice by using communication as your competitive edge. In this episode of Ideas by Mike (Ep. 47), Mike Milligan, CFP, talks with communication expert Deirdre Van Ness about the three common mistakes advisors make, why effective speaking starts with strong content and emotional resonance, and how AI and gender dynamics are shaping the industry.
Main points: three advisor mistakes, content-first speaking, emotional connection, AI’s role, fewer women in finance.
Like, comment, and subscribe for more episodes on financial communication and advisor growth.
Episode Summary: This episode of Ideas by Mike features Deirdre Van Ness discussing how financial advisors can escape the “sea of sameness” through powerful communication.
Main Topics:
The Power of Communication: Using communication as a “superpower” to build trust and influence.
Three Communication Mistakes: Avoiding common pitfalls by treating every conversation as a leadership audition.
Human-AI Collaboration: Leveraging AI for efficiency while using the human element to customize the Final Output.
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 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.
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In this 40th Episode of Ideas by Mike Podcast, Mike Milligan, CFP, sits down with financial experts Coach Pete D’Arruda & Gary Nolan to discuss the history of the US economy, the stock market, and personal finance strategies. Whether you are looking for retirement planning advice, trying to understand inflation, or just want a nostalgic look back at the “good old days,” this episode is packed with value.
Coach Pete D’Arruda – Known nationally as “Coach Pete,” Peter J. D’Arruda is the President of the Capital Financial Advisory Group and a fiduciary dedicated to helping clients navigate retirement with confidence.
With over 30 years in the financial arena, he is the host of the nationally syndicated radio show The Financial Safari, which airs weekly on over 50 stations across the country.
**We’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment below!**
