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
Apr 20, 2023 • 43min
Male, Pale, and Stale: The Growing Need for Diverse Voices in Finance with Michelle Waymire
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is as young and scrappy as her brand. Michelle Waymire founded her financial planning practice to help the LGBTQ+ community make sense of their finances in an environment that is uniquely designed for them.
Her approach to financial planning means making your money work towards building a joyful, abundant, and giving life and she is here to share more about her story and how she is changing the industry to be less male, pale, and stale.
Listen to her abundance philosophy and start changing your mindset. If not, well, bless your heart.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Michelle launching a financial planning practice right before the pandemic took over the world
• What it means to be a fiduciary
• How young clients don’t want their parents’ financial advisor and how important it is to have a multigenerational financial planning practice
• How women in finance are seen as assistants and secretaries regardless of position
• A collaborative approach to financial advising
• The abundance mindset vs striving for wealth
• Abundance as a means to an end instead of an end goal
• How financial planning for the LGBTQ+ community is different
• Partnerships and collaborations that can help the LGBTQ+ community find a better financial advisor for them
[embed]https://youtu.be/wjY56YEwT3U?si=szuIr4sgjITCHyVl[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Michelle Waymire:
Michelle Waymire is a fiduciary financial advisor and financial coach, as well as the founder of Young & Scrappy, a specialty practice geared towards serving young professionals, artists/entrepreneurs, and LGBTQ+ folx. Michelle holds her Masters in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (tm) and has been quoted/featured in US News, Glamour, Bustle, local NPR, and many more. You can read about her work at www.youngandscrappy.com. Or check out The Young and Scrappy Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/theyoungscrappy/
Apr 13, 2023 • 7min
Office Hours: Can Money Buy Happiness?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Alicia's question: “Can money actually buy happiness?”
Over his 30-year career, Eric has seen people with more money than they could ever need who were miserable and some who were happy. The same can be said for those with more modest wealth. So what's the answer?
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 dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
[embed]https://youtu.be/i1XowyWSXlI?si=m4j_XszsmiwpQP1p[/embed]
Apr 6, 2023 • 35min
FIRE By Real Estate: Advice for Future Real Estate Investors with Tom Brickman
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is known in the financial media space as the Frugal Gay and that frugality paid off. Tom Brickman reached financial independence through real estate investing and currently has 22 doors in Ohio and Texas.
He is here to share his experiences, advice, and mistakes he has made so you don’t have to.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
•How Tom retired in his 30s through real estate investing
•Advice for someone who wants to start in real estate with one house
•Liability as a landlord and setting up LLCs
•Setting up teams to handle maintenance for multiple homes
•Using side hustles as financial safety blankets
•The mindset shift that comes with financial freedom
•Other financial investments Tom uses to grow his portfolio
•The difference between income and wealth
•Starting with a budget and understanding where your money is going
•Setting goals for real estate investing and how to get started
[embed]https://youtu.be/urkpF8CwpHc?si=pGymG-0fqoh1G7Qr[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Tom Brickman:
Tom Brickman 40, Married dog dad from Dallas TX. Recently retired from 9-5 to work on Real Estate (22 doors) a resale business and TheFrugalGay.com. Tom provides one on one coaching and covers financial literacy & real estate for building wealth.
Resources:
www.Thefrugalgay.com.com
https://twitter.com/Thefrugalgay11
https://instagram.com/thefrugalgay11
https://brotmanmedia.com/
Mar 30, 2023 • 9min
Office Hours: What Do I Do With My 401(k) When I Change Jobs?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers James's question: “What do I do with my 401(k) when I change jobs?”
There are several things to consider regarding your 401(k), including whether or not you've vested in the matched contributions and if you should move it somewhere else or leave it where it is.
Tweet it to us at @BrotmanPlanning or post it on our Facebook and it may be used in a future episode of Office Hours!
[embed]https://youtu.be/QFQPr5llMFg?si=gQedJ7pEc_dXpIBP[/embed]
Mar 23, 2023 • 37min
The Tipped Economy: Bringing Service Industry Employees into the Personal Finance Conversation with Barbara Sloan
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is an advocate and educator for a community that is often left out of the traditional financial journey: service industry workers.
Barbara Sloan is the author of Tipped: The Life Changing Guide to Financial Freedom for Waitresses, Bartenders, Strippers, and All Other Service Industry Professionals. She went from homeless at age 15 to six figures of debt at 20 and worked every tipped position available as she navigated the world of personal finance. She is now a business owner and a financial coach that focuses on empowering those who don’t have access to traditional employee benefits or regular paychecks.
Her story and insights are truly valuable, so listen now!
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• The unique financial circumstances faced by those in the tipped economy
• How the traditional personal finance conversations exclude those who work for tips, like 401(k)s, HR departments, predictable incomes, and employee benefits
• How skills you develop in the service industry can translate into business
• The difference between financial advisors and investment advisors
• How to find financial literacy resources
• A debate on whether or not “budget” should be a bad word
• Understanding debt and the mindset behind it
• Financial legitimacy for people who make their money in single dollars
• Sorting out your “why” to move forward in your financial life
• The impact current government conversations could have on tipped workers
[embed]https://youtu.be/ra6bRlRQRak?si=KRI340L4FzLz7Rkl[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Barbara Sloan:
Barbara Sloan is the author of the book Tipped: The life changing guide to financial freedom for waitresses, bartenders, strippers, and all other service industry professionals. A homeless teen, who danced for dollars, and definitely did not graduate from college. She is now a personal finance expert and money coach that spent two decades working in every imaginable position in the Service Industry all over the country. In addition to owning and running a badass women owned Construction company in the heart of Manhattan, she helps Tipped workers achieve Financial Freedom, like she did. She is passionate about all of the amazing aspects of Tipped work and passionate about all of the terrible aspects of Tipped work. She lives in New York City with her wife of 10 years, an esteemed corporate finance exec, and together they are a couple of adorable money nerds who point out every dog they see.
www.tippedfinance.com
@tippedfinance on all socials
Mar 16, 2023 • 8min
Office Hours: What Should I Do With My Tax Refund?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Olivia's question: “what should I do with my tax refund?”
There are plenty of ways to answer this question: spend it, invest it, save it... But Eric's #1 piece of advice is not to have one at all.
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 www.dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
[embed]https://youtu.be/rgyzg7qDATY?si=1gSNB9EnPrkYB-cP[/embed]
Mar 9, 2023 • 37min
Financial Infidelity: Red Flags to Look Out for in a Marriage with Tracy Coenen
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! While nobody goes into a marriage thinking about divorce, it’s one of only two ways every marriage ends (the other being death, of course). Today’s guest Tracy Coenen has seen her fair share of divorce and is here to talk about a common cause for marriages to end: financial infidelity.
As a forensic accountant, Tracy is here to share red flags you can look for if you suspect your spouse or partner of hiding money, how you can do your own forensic accounting, and her experience navigating this marriage minefield.
Don’t run out and make a secret email address right away, but definitely listen to this episode!
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Which gender is more likely to hide money in a marriage
• The differences seen by financial advisors and forensic accountants
• The importance of discussing finances in a marriage/partnership and why it should be a regular conversation
• What financial infidelity means
• Red flags to look out for if you suspect your spouse of financial infidelity
• What a forensic accountant does and how to find your spouse’s hidden money
• The best ways for a couple to title or share their money and bank accounts
• What to do if you suspect your husband or wife is hiding money and how to assess if there is fraud or dishonesty
• How to prepare for a potential divorce
[embed]https://youtu.be/OW3ghzdtioo?si=zY5OeH9wCuaWiM0G[/embed]
About Tracy Coenen:
Tracy has been investigating fraud for more than 25 years, but she didn’t always want to be a forensic accountant. With a dream of one day being a prison warden, Tracy went to Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI to get a criminology degree. A class on financial crime investigations reminded her how much she loved Encyclopedia Brown books as a kid. She continued her criminology degree, but added accounting and economics courses so she could sit for the CPA exam… and here Tracy is, finding money in cases of corporate fraud, high net worth divorce, and other financial shenanigans.
Resources:
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
https://www.divorcemoneyguide.com
https://www.instagram.com/divorcemoneyguide
Mar 2, 2023 • 8min
Office Hours: Are Financial Advisors Becoming Obsolete?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Kate's question: “Will financial advisors become obsolete? ”
With the growth of FinTech and robo-advisors, the role of a financial advisor does seem to be changing but it may also be becoming more important to have someone in your corner.
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!
[embed]https://youtu.be/W7oabZq8aVU?si=qmDFhElwdO4YJXp3[/embed]
Feb 23, 2023 • 38min
Being a Financial Grownup: The Money Conversations We Should Be Having with Bobbi Rebell
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is Bobbi Rebell, a fellow University of Pennsylvania alum, is here for a reunion to talk about topics that we’re all thinking about (at least, we money nerds are): financial wellness, student loans, stress, and how to prepare the next generation for the future.
Bobbi is the host of the Money Tips for Financial Grownups and author of her new book, Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart, and a financial wellness advocate. Listen to her share her story and then go check out her podcast (specifically, Eric’s episode of course).
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Bobbi’s background and how she became a journalist, CFP®, writer, and financial
• Financial influencers, the finance media, and how dangerous it can be to talk about money when you don’t have credentials
• Bobbi’s book, Launching Financial Grownups, and how it came to be
• The change from helicopter parenting to concierge
• The student loan crisis and how to get young adults to understand the impact
• Negotiating merit scholarships and financial aid for college
• Financial Wellness Strategies
• Financial stress in the workplace and how it affects a company
• Getting the next generation ready to inherit wealth and take over financial decision making
[embed]https://youtu.be/K3YfnhmTOEI?si=tttiniPAeuRLNpZ0[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Bobbi Rebell:
Bobbi Rebell, CFP® is the founder of Financial Wellness Strategies and the author of Launching Financial Grownups: Live Your Richest Life by Helping Your (Almost) Adult Kids Become Everyday Money Smart. She is a financial wellness advocate, the host of the Money Tips for Financial Grownups podcast and the founder of GrownupGear.com. Bobbi was previously a global business news anchor and personal finance columnist at Reuters and held various journalist positions at top news outlets including CNBC, CNN and PBS.
Bobbi Rebell Website
Bobbi Rebell Instagram
Bobbi Rebell Twitter
Bobbi Rebell LinkedIn
Bobbi Rebell TikTok
Feb 16, 2023 • 7min
Office Hours: What Are Fee-Only and Fee-Based Financial Advisors?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Morgan's question: “What's the difference between a fee-only and a fee-based financial advisor?”
This is a great question and understanding the different fee structures for financial advice and when they are appropriate can help you choose your advisor.
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!
[embed]https://youtu.be/XY4tglXslsQ?si=_2mi6gIHLH8C3wOj[/embed]
