Did you know crossing an income line by just $1 in retirement could cost you and your spouse thousands of dollars every year?
In this episode 60 of the Ideas by Mike™, Mike Milligan, CFP sits down with Mark Annese, IRMAACP™, a technologist, data analyst, and creator of the IRMAA Certified Planner designation (now merged with the National Social Security Association).
Mark Annese explains how the Income-Related Monthly Adjustment Amount (IRMAA) acts as a hidden tax surcharge on Medicare Part B and Part D premiums—and why most retirees don’t realize they’ve triggered it until it’s too late.
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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 60 of Ideas by Mike™ with Mark Annese, IRMAACP™ is also available on YouTube!
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.
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 56 of Ideas by Mike™ with Tracy Lownsberry is also available on YouTube!
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 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.
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.
William Bengen retirement withdrawal strategies have shaped how millions plan for retirement. Known as the creator of the famous 4% Rule, Bengen now reveals new research that challenges the old standard. In this episode of the Ideas by Mike™ Podcast, Mike Milligan, CFP®, asks the key question: is 4% rule still safe in 2025?
Bengen explains why his updated research supports a 4.7% withdrawal rate, when retirees might take even 5.5%, and how diversification, inflation, and market conditions impact retirement success.
📞 Book your free complimentary portfolio analysis today: https://calendly.com/ideasbymike/linkedin-strategy-call?month=2025-07
**We’d love to hear your thoughts! Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a comment below!**
William P. Bengen is the pioneering financial planner who first formulated the now-famous “4 % Rule” for retirement withdrawals and coined the term “SAFEMAX.” With over 30 years of research on maximizing sustainable income in retirement, he’s updated the rule to 4.7 % in his new book A Richer Retirement. Bengen holds a B.S. in Aeronautics & Astronautics from MIT and an advanced degree in financial planning, and runs a website where he shares his charts, tables, and ongoing research.
Are you ready to transform your financial approach and make 2025 the year you finally achieve your one-of-a-kind life goals?
Engage with captivating insights into tax planning, retirement income, and the paramount importance of having a genuinely personalized financial plan. Plus, look out for an engaging revelation of how 2025 can be your groundbreaking year.
Mike Milligan looks forward to helping you seize 2025 with fresh financial resolutions and personalized planning!
Key conversations include:
Implementing a “one-of-a-kind” financial plan that aligns with your personal goals and priorities from the outset of 2025
Learning from professionals about the importance of future tax scenario preparedness
Exploring innovative retirement income strategies to ensure financial security.
Embracing the art of human connection as a vital part of maintaining mental and financial well-being throughout the year
Retirement planning goes beyond numbers—it’s about building a future that aligns with your values.
This week on Ideas by Mike™, Mike Milligan, CFP®, and Jim Fisher unveils the value of developing a retirement income plan that remains adaptable and reliable. They cover the transition from growth to income strategies and how the Forecaster tool provides clear insights into managing potential risks, like the “retirement dead zone.”
So, tune in as they explore the essentials of tax planning, income diversification, and practical steps toward creating a stable, sustainable income throughout retirement.
Key Highlights:
How Jim Fisher’s innovative Forecaster tool empowers clients with personalized income projections for retirement readiness
The importance of income diversification: using social security, pensions, savings, and annuities to create a reliable “personal pension”
How shifting from growth-focused to income-focused strategies a decade before retirement helps clients manage risks effectively
The potential for “retirement raises”: strategies to boost post-retirement income with inflation-adjusted plans and strategic asset reallocation
How personalized financial planning aligns retirement strategies with individual needs, lifestyle goals, and financial well-being
Jim Fisher is the Founder & CEO of Jucebox and has been a longtime member of the retirement income planning space. He has a passion for teaching financial literacy to all and helping retirement professionals grow their businesses. Check out Jim’s LinkedIn to get connected with him.
