How much should the news really influence your retirement decisions?

In Episode 66 of Retire and Thrive, Dan Langworthy flips the script and interviews longtime news anchor Kamie Blair as they finish their round on the golf course.

Kamie shares what really determines which stories become breaking news, why some headlines dominate coverage, and how ratings, social media algorithms, AI-generated content, and fake news sites are changing the way people consume information. She also explains why verifying sources has become more important than ever.
Then the conversation turns to retirement and investing. Dan explains why elections, economic uncertainty, market headlines, and short-term events should not automatically change a long-term financial plan. The goal is to stay informed without allowing emotion or daily news cycles to drive major financial decisions.
In this episode:

• How newsrooms decide what becomes breaking news
• Why certain stories receive more coverage than others
• How AI and fake content are changing social media
• Why algorithms can reinforce the same viewpoints
• How to better evaluate the information you see online
• Why retirees should separate short-term headlines from long-term planning
• How emotion can influence investment decisions
• What Dan and Kamie believe retirees should focus on instead

Plus, Dan and Kamie finish their final three holes and settle their nine-hole golf match.

Follow Retire and Thrive for more conversations about retirement planning, investing, financial decision-making, and building a retirement with purpose, wealth, and confidence.

Market downturns, an unexpected early retirement, and rising healthcare costs can make it feel like your retirement plan is falling apart. But are those fears telling you the whole story?

Dan and Kamie hit the golf course for the next round of their Back Nine of Life series, breaking down three common retirement fears and how planning, cash reserves, flexibility, Medicare considerations, and smart tax decisions can help you navigate them.

Follow Retire and Thrive for more conversations about retirement planning, investing, and building a retirement with purpose, wealth, and confidence.

We are out of the studio and on the golf course for this special episode of Retire and Thrive. Dan Langworthy and Kamie play a few holes at Pine Island Golf Course while breaking down how your retirement strategy must evolve over time.

We cover the critical differences between three major phases of retirement. You will learn how to handle the active "go go" years of your 60s, the health and consolidation focus of your 70s, and the wealth transition and estate planning priorities of your 80s.

Episode Chapters:00:00 Welcome to the Back Nine of Life01:46 The 60s: Replacing Your Paycheck and the Go-Go Years04:57 Budgeting for Big Travel and Retirement Timing08:47 The 70s: Slowing Down, Health, and Consolidation16:12 The 80s Estate Planning and Passing on Wealth23:49 Wrapping Up Hole 3

In retirement, some of the most important financial conversations are not just with your advisor. They are with your family.

In this episode of Retire and Thrive, we break down the family meeting retirees should consider having with their adult children before a crisis forces the conversation.

We discuss what your family should know about your estate plan, where important documents are located, who to contact, and how to choose the right people to handle financial and healthcare decisions. We also explore a difficult question many parents face: Should your adult children actually know how much money you have?

Chapters

00:00 The family meeting retirees should have

01:57 What your adult children need to know

04:12 Passwords and digital accounts

05:53 Choosing a financial power of attorney

07:30 What happens to power of attorney at death

10:11 Healthcare directives and medical wishes

12:38 Should your children know how much money you have?16:42 Choosing who will manage your estate

18:55 Why an estate plan matters

20:11 When should you update your estate plan?

21:00 What does an estate plan cost?

21:44 Final thoughts

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What exactly is a Trump Account, who qualifies, and what could it mean for your children or grandchildren?

In this episode of Retire and Thrive, Dan and Kamie switch roles as Kamie walks through her firsthand experience setting up a Trump Account for her newborn son, AJ. They discuss the $1,000 government seed contribution, how families can add to the account, and why parents and grandparents may want to understand this new option.

Dan and Kamie also explore how Trump Accounts can fit alongside other college-saving strategies such as a 529 plan, who can contribute, and why even a relatively small amount invested early could help encourage families to start thinking about a child's financial future.

They also take a broader look at:

• How dramatically the cost of college has changed
• Why parents and grandparents may need to start saving earlier
• The growing interest in trade schools and alternative education
• The rise of online learning
• Whether a traditional four-year degree will look the same 18 years from now
• Why investing for the next generation is about more than simply paying tuition

If you have young children or grandchildren, this episode provides a straightforward introduction to a new savings option that is generating plenty of questions.

Retire and Thrive helps you approach retirement and your financial life with greater purpose, wealth, and confidence.

Think you need $1 million to retire, should avoid the stock market, or can count on Medicare and Social Security to cover the bills? Dan and Kamie put eight common retirement myths head-to-head, tackling retirement income, healthcare costs, investing, estate planning, and the assumptions that can derail a retirement plan. Which belief will be crowned the biggest retirement myth?

Fortress Financial Group LLC is a registered investment advisor. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Fortress and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

All indexes are unmanaged and may not be invested into directly. Investing involves risk, including loss of principal.

Are you financially and emotionally ready to retire?Before leaving your career behind, consider taking a 30-day retirement trial run. In this episode of Retire and Thrive, Kamie and Dan Langworthy explain how temporarily living as though you are already retired can reveal whether your income, spending habits, daily routine, and retirement expectations are realistic.You’ll learn how to:• Track fixed and discretionary retirement expenses• Identify commonly overlooked costs, including travel, dining, property taxes, and family spending• Test whether your projected retirement budget reflects your actual lifestyle• Plan for spending changes throughout different stages of retirement• Evaluate how you will use your time after leaving work• Build a retirement routine that provides purpose, structure, and fulfillmentA retirement plan is about more than reaching a financial milestone. It also requires understanding what your days will look like, what will keep you engaged, and whether the lifestyle you envision will genuinely bring you satisfaction.

Could you recognize the voice of a family member if it had been recreated by artificial intelligence?

In this episode of Retire and Thrive, Dan Langworthy and Kamie Blair examine the imposter calls, fake emergencies, suspicious bank requests, malicious email attachments, gift card demands, and wire-transfer schemes that can place retirees and their families at risk.

Dan explains why scammers create urgency, how to slow the situation down, and which questions can help expose someone pretending to be a child or grandchild. He and Kamie also discuss creating a private family code word, protecting sensitive information, and independently contacting the person or institution involved before taking action.

You will also hear what to do after money has been sent or a Social Security number has been disclosed, including contacting the financial institution immediately and considering additional identity-theft protections.

The central lesson: never allow a stranger’s urgency to eliminate your verification process.

Report suspected fraud at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For identity-theft recovery steps, visit IdentityTheft.gov.

Fortress Financial Group, LLC is a registered investment adviser. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Fortress and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. The opinions voiced in this material are for general information only and are not intended to provide specific advice or recommendations for any individual.

Can AI improve retirement planning without replacing the human relationship behind it? Dan Langworthy and Cody Schaefer share how they use ChatGPT for business decisions, workout and meal planning, and home projects, then examine the privacy, judgment, and behavioral-coaching limits that still matter when your financial life is involved.

00:00 Introduction
00:29 Why We’re Talking About AI
01:28 Building an AI Board of Directors
05:20 Using AI to Generate Better Ideas
06:44 AI for Workouts, Nutrition, and Recovery
08:39 Can AI Replace a Financial Advisor?
09:29 How AI Is Used Inside a Financial Firm
11:55 The Risks of AI Financial Advice
12:48 Why Human Financial Coaching Still Matters
13:26 Why People Should Not Be Afraid of AI
14:54 Using AI for Meal Planning
15:29 Visualizing Home Projects With ChatGPT
16:35 Final Thoughts

Social Security can provide an important foundation for retirement income, but deciding when to claim it is rarely a simple calculation.

In this episode of Retire and Thrive, Dan and Cody examine how health, life expectancy, lifestyle goals, taxes, market conditions, spousal benefits, and other sources of retirement income can influence a Social Security strategy.

They also discuss whether delaying Social Security means missing cost-of-living adjustments, why some retirees prioritize income earlier in retirement, and why the largest possible monthly benefit is not automatically the best choice for every household.

Fortress Financial Group LLC is a registered investment adviser. This material is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to provide individualized advice or recommendations. Investing involves risk, including the potential loss of principal.