In partnership with
One Death, Higher Taxes
Here's the math most couples never see coming.
When one spouse passes, the survivor usually keeps most of the household income — but starts filing as a single taxpayer. Same IRA. Same required distributions. Roughly half the standard deduction, and tax brackets that compress to nearly twice the rate at the same income.
It's called the survivor's tax trap, and it's one of the most preventable problems in retirement — if you act while both spouses are alive and rates are still low.
Craig Wear, CFP®, has walked 3,000+ families with $1M+ in IRAs through exactly this planning. His new book, Roth Conversion Reset, lays out the year-by-year framework for converting at today's rates so the tax problem never lands on the person you love most.
The book is free. Full PDF, in your inbox in minutes.
Master Storytelling
Master Storytelling
There's a line Tony Robbins comes back to often: the best entrepreneurs are the best storytellers. Not the best pitchers. Not the best closers. Storytellers.
Because here's the truth about buying decisions — a confused prospect never says yes. They say "let me think about it." They say "send me some info." They say "I'll circle back." What they mean is: I don't get it yet.
Storytelling fixes that.
Why This Matters
Facts and features live in the logical part of the brain. Stories live everywhere — logic, emotion, memory. That's why a good story sticks and a spec sheet doesn't.
A clear story does something a features list never can: it makes your success feel inevitable. When a prospect hears exactly how you spotted a problem, tried to solve it, and figured it out — they stop wondering "does this work?" and start picturing "how does this work for me?"
Confusion kills sales. Clarity, wrapped in a story, closes them.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Have one core story ready. Not five. One. The story of why you started, what problem you saw, and how you solved it — polished enough that you could tell it in under two minutes.
Structure it simply. Problem, struggle, turning point, result. Prospects don't need a novel — they need a shape they can follow.
Make the prospect the hero, not you. Your story is the proof. Their story — the one they'll live after working with you — is the point.
Cut the jargon. If a stranger at a dinner party wouldn't understand a sentence, rewrite it.
Thing to Do Now
Write down your core story in five sentences: the problem you saw, why it mattered, what you tried, what actually worked, and the result. If you can't say it in five sentences, it's not ready to pitch yet.
Thing to Plan
Practice telling that story out loud until it takes under two minutes and doesn't need notes. Test it on someone outside your industry — if they get it, a prospect will too.
Thing to Never Forget
Confused prospects don't buy. Clear stories don't need convincing — they just need telling.