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
Feb 9, 2023 • 32min
Married to Military: The Financial Challenges Unique to Military Spouses and Families with Lacey Langford
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is a military veteran, military spouse, and financial coach who works to help the military community gain control and confidence around their money.
Lacey Langford, AFC® shares her story of military service, the challenges she has seen and helped military couples overcome throughout her career, and the conference she launched to combat some of those challenges.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Lacey’s experience in the military
• The different experiences that military families have with money that are different from civilians
• Why military spouses are often under- or unemployed or not allowed to work
• The decisions that have to be made when a servicemember is relocated
• Planning for transitions and handling transitions that you cannot control
• Having a plan for a post-military career
• Resources available within the military
• The MilMoney Conference and how you can get involved (https://milmoneycon.com/)
[embed]https://youtu.be/ZRPMiMq0cPA?si=lB9Ycj9RrHHPn-QX[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
Please visit https://bfgfa.com/discount-programs/ to learn about our Hometown Heroes discount programs for veterans, active duty military, military families, and first responders.
About Lacey Langford:
Lacey Langford, AFC® is a financial coach, veteran, military spouse, and entrepreneur who changes people’s mindset from being fearful of money to having control and confidence with it. She’s an Accredited Financial Counselor® with over 15 years of financial planning, counseling, and coaching experience. Military and money are her jams.
Lacey’s the founder and CEO of the Military Money Show, a podcast dedicated to helping the military community with personal finance, and MilMoneyCon, a national conference for financial professionals united by military service.
Lacey Langford, AFC® is a financial coach, veteran, military spouse, and entrepreneur who changes people’s mindset from being fearful of money to having control and confidence with it. She’s an Accredited Financial Counselor® with over 15 years of financial planning, counseling, and coaching experience. Military and money are her jams.
Lacey’s the founder and CEO of the Military Money Show, a podcast dedicated to helping the military community with personal finance, and MilMoneyCon, a national conference for financial professionals united by military service.
Guest Resources:
Lacey Langford Website
The Military Money Expert Podcast
Lacey Langford LinkedIn
Lacey Langford's Twitter
Military Money Show Twitter
Military Money Show Facebook
Military Money Show Instagram
Feb 2, 2023 • 9min
Office Hours: Shoud I Invest in Stocks or Real Estate?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Juan's question: “Is it better to skip investing in the stock market and buy real estate instead?”
It's not necessarily wise to go all in for either option, and Eric explains the pros and cons of each.
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/zHaMgTe8CYA?si=04NyizOq7LHMrIMI[/embed]
Jan 26, 2023 • 37min
Coming Out Of Hiding: A Story Of Recovery And Resilience With Laura Cathcart Robbins
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is the inspirational Laura Cathcart Robbins, host of The Only One in the Room podcast and author of the upcoming memoir Stash: My Life in Hiding.
Laura opens up about her struggle with addiction—a story she’ll share in depth in her book—and her journey out of hiding and into a career as a podcast host and writer. She is truly a remarkable person with a great message of recovery, resilience, and grace that we all could benefit from.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
•Eric’s appearance on The Only One in the Room and how he’s calling out the male-dominated industry
•Laura’s story as growing a career in writing and public relations as a high school drop out
•Her experience living with a pill and alcohol addiction, checking into rehab, and going through a divorce within the public eye
•How being the only black woman in a room of 600 people led to her launching her podcast, The Only One in the Room
•The process of writing her memoir
•Being vocal when you find yourself in a room lacking diversity
Continue the conversation with Eric's appearance on The Only One in the Room: https://brotmanmedia.com/the-only-one-in-the-room/
[embed]https://youtu.be/HprAn4gEzeE?si=7DvS_Fx7aOsQWJBl[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Laura Cathcart Robbins:
Laura Cathcart Robbins is the host of the popular podcast, The Only One In The Room, and author of the forthcoming Atria/Simon & Schuster memoir, STASH (March 7, 2023). She has been active for many years as a speaker and school trustee and is credited for creating The Buckley School’s nationally recognized committee on Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice. Her recent articles in Huffpo and The Temper on the subjects of race, recovery, and divorce have garnered her worldwide acclaim. She is a 2022 TEDx Speaker, and LA Moth StorySlam winner. Currently, she sits on the advisory boards of the San Diego Writer’s Festival and the Outliers HQ podcast Festival. Find out more about her on her website, or you can look for her on Facebook, on Instagram and follow her on Twitter.
Laura Cathcart Robbins (@lauracathcartrobbins)
https://theonlyonepod.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@TheOnlyOneintheRoomPodcast
https://www.instagram.com/theonlyoneintheroom/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/TheOnlyOneInTheRoomPodcast
https://twitter.com/TheOnlyOnePodc1
https://www.huffpost.com/author/laura-cathcart-robbins
http://www.lauracathcartrobbins.com/
https://www.tiktok.com/@theonlyoneintheroom
Jan 19, 2023 • 8min
Office Hours: Will the Stock Market Recover in 2023?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Logan's question: “will the stock market recover in 2023?”
There's no way to know this for sure, but Eric shares his take on how this time is different, how the stock market may behave in the coming year based on history, and what you may want to start doing now.
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/eZ-fGvC0P68?si=ffZPGhmXZ5ktopc9[/embed]
Jan 12, 2023 • 35min
The Most Hated F Word: Integrating Finance and Happiness with Shaun Maslyk
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! and our first episode of 2023. Today’s guest is going to lead you through an interesting exercise to get you thinking about your personal money story.
Shaun Maslyk, the host of the Most Hated F Word podcast, helps people identify their money stories and use them to improve their own financial behaviors. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and join us in this powerful journey of self-discovery.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• Identifying our money stories and the life-long discovery journey it can be
• The difference between work-life balance and work-life integration
• A guided exercise in identifying our money stories and money traumas
• A look into Eric’s money story and understanding the moral to his story
• How our money stories from childhood can impact us in the future
• How people become intoxicated by money rather than being aware of our decisions
[embed]https://youtu.be/p8P8e1LKWvU?si=uRFQoAEHdp_3wGVc[/embed]
Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.
About Shaun Maslyk:
As a trained and practicing Certified Financial Planner® and Certified Financial Behavior Specialist® Shaun integrates psychology, positive psychology, and coaching psychology theories to awaken our money stories and flourish beyond our finances. Shaun is currently studying and researching the relationship between money, behavioural change, psychology and human flourishing at the University of East London.
Shaun is the host of The Most Hated F-Word podcast where he interviews practitioners, academics, artists and creators on what it means to have a happy, healthy and thriving relationship with money.
www.themosthatedfword.com
Jan 5, 2023 • 7min
Office Hours: Financial New Years Resolutions for 2023
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Collin's question: "what is a good financial New Year's resolution?"
Setting New Year's resolutions isn't always successful, but there are some easy actions you can take to improve your finances this year.
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/2aF70ZLmlKI?si=w_jwvHBQzdRe54Ky[/embed]
Dec 29, 2022 • 34min
Your Kids, Their Money: Sparking Financial Conversations and Teaching Finance with Clifton Corbin
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s guest is a stay-at-home dad and author of the book Your Kids, Their Money, Clifton Corbin.
Clifton met our team at FinCon22 and was instantly a kindred spirit, so he’s here to talk about ways to teach your kids about money, how we can change the mindset around financial independence, and finding financial resources that resonate with you.
Listen to his conversation with Eric and start having money conversations in your own home.
In this episode we’ll talk about:
• What it means to be retired
• Clifton’s childhood as a money nerd
• Giving a child an allowance vs. teaching a child to budget
• Making money lessons relevant and age appropriate for children
• Changing the mindset about financial independence
• Filtering information and understanding which resources have value
• The cost of education and whether or not college is worth the expense
• The community within FinCon’s annual conference
[embed]https://youtu.be/rrq2YGyJ5CY?si=NY4mB7_zmBss-afD[/embed]
About Clifton Corbin:
Clifton D. Corbin, MBA, PMP, was a business consultant with over two decades of experience when he left the office to become a full-time stay-at-home dad. During this time, he authored his first book, Your Kids, Their Money, focused on providing parents with the skills and tools to teach financial literacy to their children.
Resources
Brotman Media Website: https://www.brotmanmedia.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cdcorbin/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdcorbin_/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdcorbin
Dec 22, 2022 • 6min
Office Hours: How Financial Planning Differs for Women
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Janet's question: “Is there anything different that women should be doing differently than men when it comes to financial planning?"
With women living longer and often outliving a spouse, there can be a few aspects of a plan that affect women greater than men.
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/69Fezipzxek?si=4WpVw-6B7gLM4sna[/embed]
Dec 15, 2022 • 34min
Find Your Voice: Getting Over the Anxiety of Public Speaking and Facing Fears with Dr. Doreen Downing
Welcome back to Don’t Retire… Graduate! Today’s episode is free therapy as we’re joined by Dr. Doreen Downing, an expert on public speaking anxiety and finding your voice. Dr. Downing is a psychologist and confidence coach who specializes in the treatment of public speaking anxiety. She is the host of the Find Your Voice, Change Your Life podcast and teaches her 7-step process for transforming anxiety through presence and connection.Listen to her conversation with Eric and follow her steps to find your own voice. In this episode we’ll talk about:• Public speaking anxiety and where it comes from• How to overcome the fear of public speaking• Getting comfortable talking about things you’re uncomfortable talking about • Setting realistic goals and visions for your future• Focusing on being rather than doing• Facing fears, financially or in life Visit dontretiregraduate.com for a full transcript of this episode.About Dr. Doreen Downing:Dr. Doreen Downing is a Psychologist and Confidence Coach who specializes in the treatment of public speaking anxiety. She also hosts the Find Your Voice, Change Your Life Podcast. Doreen once suffered from extreme stage fright. In conquering it, she discovered being connected to your authentic self is the key to relaxed and confident speaking. In addition to coaching and online courses, she is author of Essential Speaking: The 7-Step Guide to Finding Your Real Voice, a book that teaches you how to transform your anxiety with presence and connection. Website: https://www.essentialspeaking.com Course website: https://essential-speaking.thinkific.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drdoreenh/ Facebook Profile: https://www.facebook.com/drdoreendowning/ Facebook Business Page: https://www.facebook.com/EssentialSpeaking Facebook Book Page: https://www.facebook.com/essentialspeakingbook Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/essentialspeaking/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drdoreenh YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/drdoreenh Podcast Playlist: https://www.findyourvoicechangeyourlife.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 8, 2022 • 7min
Office Hours: Will Social Security Survive for Gen X, Gen Z, and Millennials?
In today’s Office Hours, Eric answers Amanda's question: “How might Social Security change in the future if there is a large cost-of-living adjustment in 2023?”Between the high number of boomers retiring and the low number of people joining the workforce, it's only natural that Social Security will look a lot different for Gen Z, Millenials, and even Gen X.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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
