Don't Retire...Graduate!
Eric Brotman
Don’t Retire… Graduate! is the podcast that invites you to rethink what retirement really means. Hosted by Certified Financial Planner Practitioner Eric Brotman, we’re here to guide you in transforming the traditional concept of retirement into an exciting and enriching graduation—a time to embark on new adventures, embrace lifelong passions, and define what success and happiness look like in this new chapter of life.
Retirement isn’t just about stepping away from a career; it’s about stepping into a life filled with purpose, joy, and fulfillment. Whether you're on the brink of retirement or just starting to think about it, this podcast will help you discover what it takes to not just survive, but thrive in your post-career years. We’ll explore how to live a fun, productive, and meaningful life by setting new goals, pursuing passions that light you up, and building a legacy that truly reflects who you are.
Each episode features in-depth conversations with a diverse range of guests—from award-winning authors and financial experts to influencers and everyday people with remarkable money stories. Together, we’ll uncover strategies for reaching financial independence, managing your wealth, and making informed decisions that support your dreams. You’ll learn practical tips on everything from saving money and paying down debt to raising financially literate children and growing your wealth at any age.
From personal finance and investing to retirement readiness, taxes, and more, we’re here to provide the knowledge and tools you need to confidently step into this exciting new phase of life. Topics include everything from budgeting, credit, and debt to health savings accounts, insurance, social security, the FIRE movement, and the latest in fintech and finance apps.
But we don’t stop at finances. Don’t Retire… Graduate! also dives deep into the emotional and psychological aspects of retirement. We’ll discuss how to maintain your mental and physical health, nurture relationships, and stay connected to your community. You’ll gain insights on how to design a lifestyle that keeps you engaged, curious, and excited about the future.
Our mission is to help you figure out what you want to be when you grow up—even if you’re already grown. We believe that work should become optional, not just because you've reached a certain age, but because you’ve achieved the freedom to choose how you spend your time and energy. Whether it’s volunteering, starting a new hobby, traveling the world, or launching a second career, this podcast is your guide to creating a retirement that’s anything but retiring.
In addition to full episodes, we offer bonus content every other week where you get to meet the team of financial advisors at BFG Financial Advisors and hear their real stories from the frontlines of financial planning.
Retirement is not the absence of work, but the absence of needing to work. So why not graduate into a life of purpose, passion, and financial freedom? Tune in to Don’t Retire… Graduate! and let’s make your retirement the best years of your life.
Retirement isn’t just about stepping away from a career; it’s about stepping into a life filled with purpose, joy, and fulfillment. Whether you're on the brink of retirement or just starting to think about it, this podcast will help you discover what it takes to not just survive, but thrive in your post-career years. We’ll explore how to live a fun, productive, and meaningful life by setting new goals, pursuing passions that light you up, and building a legacy that truly reflects who you are.
Each episode features in-depth conversations with a diverse range of guests—from award-winning authors and financial experts to influencers and everyday people with remarkable money stories. Together, we’ll uncover strategies for reaching financial independence, managing your wealth, and making informed decisions that support your dreams. You’ll learn practical tips on everything from saving money and paying down debt to raising financially literate children and growing your wealth at any age.
From personal finance and investing to retirement readiness, taxes, and more, we’re here to provide the knowledge and tools you need to confidently step into this exciting new phase of life. Topics include everything from budgeting, credit, and debt to health savings accounts, insurance, social security, the FIRE movement, and the latest in fintech and finance apps.
But we don’t stop at finances. Don’t Retire… Graduate! also dives deep into the emotional and psychological aspects of retirement. We’ll discuss how to maintain your mental and physical health, nurture relationships, and stay connected to your community. You’ll gain insights on how to design a lifestyle that keeps you engaged, curious, and excited about the future.
Our mission is to help you figure out what you want to be when you grow up—even if you’re already grown. We believe that work should become optional, not just because you've reached a certain age, but because you’ve achieved the freedom to choose how you spend your time and energy. Whether it’s volunteering, starting a new hobby, traveling the world, or launching a second career, this podcast is your guide to creating a retirement that’s anything but retiring.
In addition to full episodes, we offer bonus content every other week where you get to meet the team of financial advisors at BFG Financial Advisors and hear their real stories from the frontlines of financial planning.
Retirement is not the absence of work, but the absence of needing to work. So why not graduate into a life of purpose, passion, and financial freedom? Tune in to Don’t Retire… Graduate! and let’s make your retirement the best years of your life.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 3, 2022 • 7min
The Pros and Cons of Using a Robo-Advisor for Investing
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Yazan's question: What are the pros and cons of using a robo-advisor for investing? A robo-advisor has its place, and Eric explores this question from two perspectives: simple investment management and comprehensive financial planning. Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours! Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 24, 2022 • 34min
Passive Money, Honey: How Passive Income Streams Can Help You Retire Early with Rachel Richards
Rachel Richards, a financial guru and bestselling author, retired at just 27 thanks to her savvy passive income strategies. She reveals how she built a real estate portfolio yielding $20,000 monthly. Listen as she shares self-publishing tips, explains the true value of time in wealth building, and emphasizes the importance of financial literacy to dodge scams. Rachel also discusses practical steps to design your dream life in retirement and the power of actively managing your financial goals.
Feb 17, 2022 • 7min
Realistic Lifestyle Changes that Save Money
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Jonathan's question: What are some realistic lifestyle changes that save money? There are two ways to look at this question, and this episode covers both. How do you create the habit itself, and what are those changes? Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning and it may be answered in a future episode of Office Hours! For a full transcript of this episode, visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Feb 10, 2022 • 32min
Stacked: Super Serious Stories About Careers, Crypto, and Getting Rich Quick with Joe Saul-Sehy
Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! Today’s guest is podcast royalty: the host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast Joe Saul-Sehy! Joe is here to talk about his latest book, Stacked, his take on the real estate and cryptocurrency crazes, and share his top tip for stacking your wealth. In this episode we’ll talk about: Joe’s journey from financial advisor to teacher to writer to podcaster Building financial careers without financial backgrounds How, despite the massive amounts of financial resources available, people are still being left behind How many people end up crying over money, even if they’re making six figures The disconnect between our values and what we do with our money Social media’s effect on the popularity of real estate investing, cryptocurrency The idea of getting rich quick with cryptocurrency that can be dangerous for a lot of investors The evolution of the Stacking Benjamins podcast The important role that automation plays in growing wealth Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. Link to the study: https://www.nonfiction.co/reports Link to Joe's book: https://www.stackingbenjamins.com/stacked/ About Joe Saul-Sehy: Joe is the creator and co-host of the Stacking Benjamins podcast and co-author of STACKED: Your Super-Serious Guide To Modern Money. Current board member at large of The Plutus Foundation. Former board president and Board Member of Partnership For The Pathway. While Joe’s “money expert story” includes being a former financial advisor (16 years) and representing American Express and Ameriprise in the media. His real story is how he was a money disaster in his early life, pulled his financial house into order, and left his business at age 40 to pursue an entirely different path. Joe was the “Money Man” at Detroit television WXYZ-TV, appearing twice weekly. His advice has appeared in Bride, Best Life, and Child magazines, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, Detroit News and Baltimore Sun newspapers. He’s also appeared online in more than 200 different places, including CNBC.com and WSJ.com. The Stacking Benjamins Show was called the “Best Personal Finance Podcast” by Kiplinger. Lifehacker listed the show as one of the top 10 of 2021. Joe and the SB team have won five Plutus Awards and the Academy of Podcasters “Best Business Podcast” award (beating well-known shows like The Tim Ferriss Show, How I Built This, and Gimlet’s StartUp). The Stacking Benjamins Show is created in Joe’s mom’s basement in Texarkana, Texas, where Joe lives with his spouse Cheryl and their cat Cooper. Links: www.stackingbenjamins.com www.joesaulsehy.com Twitter: @SBenjaminsCast
Twitter: @AverageJoeMoney
Instagram: @stackingbenjaminspodcast
YouTube: StackingBenjamins
Facebook: IStackBenjamins
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Feb 3, 2022 • 7min
Paying Down Your Mortgage Early vs. Investing Extra Money?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Sara's question: Should I be trying to pay off my mortgage early with extra payments or put that money to a different use? Of course, this is another case of "it depends." Listen to Eric explain when it may be a good idea to invest that extra money and when it's okay to make that mortgage number start falling. Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning and it may be answered in a future episode of Office Hours! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 27, 2022 • 37min
Good with Money: Talking About and Paying Attention to Money to Stop Being Bad with It (ft. Gaby Dunn)
Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! Today’s guest is a comedian, best-selling author, and activist who turned being told they are bad with money into a success career in finance media. Gaby Dunn hosts the Bad with Money podcast, which talks about money in a way that is raw and honest, and the author of Bad with Money: The Imperfect Art of Getting Your S*** Together. We are so excited to have them here to talk about the taboos and baggage around money and how humor may be able to change it. In this episode we’ll talk about: How to get YouTube famous and be broke at the same time Gaby’s journey as a content creator and how they got started in personal finance The shame and embarrassment we feel about our net worth, whether its high or low The relativity of wealth Investing and finance apps gamifying investing and the danger it can impose on users Getting addicted to stock trading and checking the markets Student loans and the debt crisis Student loans vs medical debt vs other types of debt The difficulties that Millennials and Gen Z face that is different than any generation before them How paying attention to your finances is the first step—and maybe the hardest—to being good with money Visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts for a full transcript of this episode. About Gaby Dunn: Gaby Dunn (they/them) is a New York Times bestselling author, comedian and LGBTQ advocate living in Los Angeles. Gaby has served as a writer on BIG MOUTH (Netflix) and has developed original television pilots with MTV, 20th Century Fox, YouTube Originals, FX and Netflix. Gaby is the host and creator of the podcast, Bad With Money with Gaby Dunn, now in its eighth season, where they have interviewed guests like Suze Orman, Andrew Yang, and Elizabeth Warren. A non-fiction book based on the podcast was published by Simon & Schuster in 2019. Gaby co-wrote the novels I Hate Everyone But You, a New York Times bestseller in 2018, and the sequel Please Send Help… published in 2019. Gaby’s debut original graphic novel, Bury The Lede, in partnership with BOOM! Studios is currently being adapted as a television series and both of Gaby’s latest novels garnered a placement on The 20 Best LGBTQ Books of 2019 list by Harper’s Bazaar. Most recently, they created, and starred in the Audible Original series Apocalypse Untreated. They are also the co-host of the Just Between Us podcast on the Forever Dog network. Links: www.gabydunn.com Bad with Money podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/bad-with-money-with-gaby-dunn/id1144712710
Instagram: @GabyRoad
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/398914378105641 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 20, 2022 • 7min
How to Say No to Unsolicited Financial Advice
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Robert's question: If your close friend is a financial advisor and keeps telling you how to manage your money, how do you get them to stop? This can be an uncomfortable situation and sometimes you don't want to mix business and friendships. And it goes both ways. Are you an advisor constantly being pestered for free advice on your time off? Here's how to handle it. Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning and it may be answered in a future episode of Office Hours! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 13, 2022 • 33min
Debt Free or Die Trying: The Four-Step Process for Digging Yourself Out of Debt (ft. Marcus Garrett)
Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! This is our first full episode of 2022 and we’re kicking off the new year with an amazing guest. Marcus Garrett is the host of the Marcus Garrett Show and author of Debt Free or Die Trying. He dug himself out of $30,000 in debt and is here to share his experience and debt reduction process with you. In this episode we’ll talk about: Being social media-rich but bank account poor – the financial danger of “keeping up with the Joneses” The four-step process for digging yourself out of debt Looking at spending as an addiction Paying yourself first instead of saving whatever is left Creating habits and good behaviors rather than a strict budget The power of automation when paying down debt and building your savings Understanding how debt can be used as leverage Determining what’s important to you when deciding how aggressive to be in your debt payment strategy The pros and cons of leaning on others for accountability For a full transcript of this episode, visit brotmanmedia.com/podcasts. Find Marcus's free download here: TheMarcusGarrett.com/salary Order Marcus's book here: https://amzn.to/3qeGeE9 Order Eric's book here: amzn.to/3G2JDvq About Marcus Garrett: After surviving the mean streets of the inner suburbs in the Great State of Texas, Mr. Garrett obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and work experience as a Certified Internal Auditor, Financial and Data Analyst. As a Senior Millennial, his inflated self-esteem was amplified with participation trophies given to him without merit during his most impressionable years. Somehow he overcame these personal roadblocks to become an award-winning freelance writer on topics ranging from love and relationships to debt and personal finances. https://www.themarcusgarrett.com/ https://www.facebook.com/TheMarcusGarrett https://twitter.com/TheMarcusGarret https://www.instagram.com/themarcusgarrett/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/themarcusgarrett Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Jan 6, 2022 • 8min
Common Expenses We Don't Budget For (But Should!)
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Ken's question: What are some common expenses we don't think to budget and save for? This is a great question and a perfect time to ask it. Spoiler alert: the holiday season is on the list! Have a question? Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning and it may be answered in a future episode of Office Hours! Find a full transcript of this episode on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 30, 2021 • 32min
Finding Your Purpose: How to Unlock Your Inner Artist on Your Journey Towards Self-Love
Welcome back to Don’t Retire... Graduate! This is our final episode of 2021, and our guest is a mentor, coach, and accomplished artist. Peleg Top uses art and creativity to guide others in their journey towards finding their purpose, and his mantra around abundance, love, and gratitude is the perfect way to end the year. In this episode we’ll talk about: How the stories we grow up with around money shape our attitude about it in adulthood The journey of finding self-awareness and self-love Tying your identity too closely to your career, and dealing with a feeling of loss at retirement Scarcity and abundance mentalities and how you can change that mindset The shame, guilt, and emotional baggage around money and how to overcome it through self-awareness The power that art and creativity can have on your personal journey How to use glad giving to help others and connect to the spirit of abundance Turning off the news and taking a media break Noticing the little things around you that connect you to the world Keeping a gratitude journal About Peleg Top: Peleg Top is an accomplished artist, a creative business mentor and a trained spiritual coach. He mentors accomplished creatives who are at a crossroad and helps them connect to their creative free spirit so that they get clear on who they want to create next in their lives. A few fun facts about Peleg: Born and raised in Israel. The oldest of 3 boys. Immigrated to the US at 15 with his family Became financially free at 43 (I’m excited to tell you more about my take on this) Lives Santa Fe, New Mexico At the age of 47 he sold everything he owned and traveled for two years to 14 countries while living as a minimalist out of a suitcase Creator of the 100 Days of Creative High Growth coaching program Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
