Retirement Planning
How income sources, withdrawal decisions, taxes, inflation, risk, and longevity fit together.
Retired Financial Planner • Financial Educator • Founder of Michael Ryan Money
About Michael Ryan
I’m Michael Ryan, a retired financial planner with nearly three decades of hands-on personal financial planning experience. Helping people understand retirement, Social Security, Medicare and IRMAA, estate planning, insurance, and personal financial decisions.
Today, I use that experience through MichaelRyanMoney.com to publish education-focused personal finance content and provide commentary quoted by major media outlets including Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance, Business Insider, U.S. News & World Report, Forbes, MSN Money, GOBankingRates, Reader’s Digest, and Experian.
As Seen In
A financial educator shaped by nearly three decades of client-facing planning work
Before creating Michael Ryan Money, I spent nearly three decades in financial services as a financial advisor, financial planner, licensed insurance agent, and property and casualty agency owner. My work included helping retirees, high-net-worth families, business owners, and families facing estate, insurance, retirement, and risk-management decisions.
That background matters because personal finance is rarely just math. Retirement income, Social Security, Medicare premiums, estate decisions, investment risk, insurance coverage, and family dynamics often overlap. My goal is to explain those decisions in plain English, using the kind of practical judgment that comes from years of working with real households and business owners.
My work today is education-focused. I do not manage investments, sell financial products, sell insurance, act as a registered investment adviser, or provide personalized tax, legal, investment, or insurance advice.
Financial questions I help readers understand
Michael Ryan Money focuses on the financial decisions that become most important as people approach retirement, manage family responsibilities, or try to make sense of complex money rules.
Social Security
How benefits, claiming decisions, COLA changes, survivor benefits, and retirement timing affect households.
Medicare & IRMAA
How Medicare premiums, income thresholds, and planning decisions can affect retirees.
Estate Planning
How beneficiaries, trusts, wills, account titling, family dynamics, and legacy decisions intersect.
Insurance & Risk Planning
How life insurance, long-term care risk, property coverage, and protection planning fit into financial life.
Personal Financial Planning
How cash flow, credit, debt, taxes, savings, and investing decisions support long-term financial security.
Quoted on retirement, Social Security, housing, credit, and personal finance
My commentary has appeared across national media and financial publications. These selected examples are included because they connect directly to the topics I focus on most: retirement, Social Security, Medicare, estate planning, financial planning, insurance, and household money decisions.
House.gov / Congressman John Larson
Social Security COLA discussion and retiree impact.
Government / legislative citation
Newsweek
Social Security and retirement benefits commentary.
Retirement / Social Security
The Wall Street Journal
Mortgage rates, homebuying decisions, and household planning.
Housing / interest rates
U.S. News & World Report
Social Security survivor benefits and retirement planning.
Retirement / survivor benefits
Business Insider
Credit counseling, debt, and financial decision-making.
Credit / debt
Yahoo Finance
Retirement readiness and long-term financial pressure on Gen X households.
Retirement readiness
NASDAQ
Cash habits and household money behavior.
Personal finance
Forbes
FAFSA changes and college planning decisions.
Education / planning
GOBankingRates
Household spending, monthly bills, and financial pressure.
Consumer finance
Reader’s Digest
Everyday money-saving decisions and consumer timing.
Consumer finance
Financial planning, insurance, and risk-management background
My perspective comes from a mix of formal financial education, professional licensing history, and real planning work. I am retired from active financial advisory and insurance sales work, but the background still shapes how I explain financial decisions today.
- Nearly three decades in financial services Experience in financial planning, retirement planning, insurance, and risk management.
- Former financial advisor Previously held FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 securities licenses.
- Former insurance agent Previously held Life, Health & Variable Annuity insurance licenses.
- Former property & casualty agency owner Practical background in risk management beyond investment-only planning.
- CFP curriculum completed Completed CFP coursework through The American College of Financial Services; I do not use the CFP designation.
- University at Albany graduate Undergraduate education through the State University of New York at Albany.
Education-focused guidance, not product sales
Michael Ryan Money exists to make complicated financial topics easier to understand. My goal is to help readers ask better questions, understand the tradeoffs behind major financial decisions, and feel less overwhelmed by retirement, Social Security, insurance, estate, tax, and investing concepts.
I am not currently taking on a large number of new coaching clients. My primary focus is publishing educational content and responding to media requests. If you are interested in future one-on-one coaching availability, you can contact me to ask about the waitlist.
About affiliate relationships: Some content on this site may include affiliate links or partnerships, which are disclosed where applicable. My work is education-focused and not driven by product sales, insurance commissions, or asset-management fees.
Frequently Asked Questions
What kind of financial guidance do you offer now that you are retired?
My work today is focused on financial education and limited coaching. I do not manage investments, sell products, sell insurance, or provide personalized tax, legal, investment, or insurance advice. My goal is to help readers understand financial decisions more clearly.
What makes your financial perspective different?
My perspective comes from nearly three decades of client-facing financial planning, insurance, and risk-management work. I have worked with retirees, high-net-worth families, business owners, estates, and insurance planning situations, and I also owned a property and casualty agency.
Do you sell financial products or earn commissions?
No. I do not currently sell financial products, insurance, or investment-management services. Some articles may include affiliate relationships, which are disclosed when applicable, but my current work is education-focused rather than product-sales-driven.
Who is Michael Ryan Money best suited for?
The site is especially useful for people trying to understand retirement planning, Social Security, Medicare and IRMAA, estate planning, insurance, and personal financial planning decisions. It is also designed for readers who want plain-English explanations before speaking with their own licensed professionals.
How can I contact you?
You can use the contact page for media requests, questions, or future coaching waitlist interest.
Media requests and coaching waitlist interest
For media inquiries, collaboration requests, or questions about future coaching availability, use the contact page. I keep direct contact details off this page to reduce spam and avoid scraped phone/email lists.
Important Disclaimer
The content on MichaelRyanMoney.com is for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute personalized financial, investment, tax, legal, or insurance advice. I do not manage investments, sell financial products, sell insurance, or act as a registered investment adviser. Always consult qualified licensed professionals for advice specific to your circumstances.