Retirement, investment, household planning, and client decision support.
ABOUT MICHAEL RYAN
Financial experience without the sales pitch.
I’m Michael Ryan, a retired financial planner and financial educator. After nearly three decades in financial services, I now focus on the part I always cared about most: helping people understand what actually changes when they make a financial decision.
Michael Ryan Money is built for the moment when a rule stops being theoretical and starts affecting your retirement, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, estate, insurance, investments, or cash flow.
Retired from active advisory and insurance sales
No product quota
Education first
Nearly 30 yearsFinancial-services experience
Former Series 7 & 63Securities licensing history
Former insurance agentLife, health & variable annuity
Former P&C agency ownerPractical risk-management experience
WHY I BUILT MICHAEL RYAN MONEY
I wanted to keep the part of financial planning that mattered most.
For years, my work put me across the table from people making decisions about retirement, investments, insurance, estate planning, risk, and family finances. The details changed. The pattern did not.
People usually did not need more jargon. They needed someone to explain the tradeoff, the hidden assumption, what could go wrong, and what changes if they choose one path instead of another.
I am retired from active financial advisory and insurance sales work. That lets me focus on the explanation itself instead of needing the answer to end in a product sale.
“The goal is not to tell every reader what to do. It is to help you understand the moving parts well enough to make a better decision.”
Michael Ryan
From financial services to independent financial education.
The point of the background is not the résumé. It is the context it gives me when a clean financial rule meets a messy real-life decision.
Previously held FINRA Series 7 and Series 63 licenses, plus Life, Health and Variable Annuity licenses.
Owned a property and casualty agency, adding real-world insurance experience beyond investment-only planning.
Now focused on articles, tools, media commentary, and plain-English explanations.
Professional context should make the explanation better, not make the sales pitch harder.
Financial rules look tidy on paper. Real households have taxes, timing, family, insurance, cash flow, and emotion colliding at once.
I do not currently manage reader assets or sell investment or insurance products.
I try to show the consequence of each path, who it tends to fit, what can fail, and what deserves a second look.
Explore Michael Ryan Money by the financial question you are trying to solve.
You do not need to read the site in order. Start with the area that matches the decision in front of you.
RETIREMENT
Retirement Planning
Income, withdrawals, Social Security, Medicare, IRAs, 401(k)s, annuities, and retirement taxes.
Explore retirement → MONEY MANAGEMENT Money ManagementCash flow, banking, debt, credit, reserves, net worth, and the everyday decisions that support bigger goals.
Explore money management → INVESTING Investment PlanningPortfolio choices, diversification, risk, asset allocation, college savings, taxes, and costs.
Explore investing → ESTATE Estate PlanningBeneficiaries, wills, trusts, ownership, incapacity, probate, inheritance, and family coordination.
Explore estate planning → PROTECTION Risk & InsuranceLife, health, disability, long-term care, property, liability, Medicare, and the risks worth transferring.
Explore risk & insurance → TAXES Taxes & Tax PlanningRoth conversions, RMDs, QCDs, retirement income, investments, inheritances, property, and IRMAA.
Explore tax planning →
HOW THE WORK IS BUILT
Trust should be inspectable.
You should be able to see how the work is researched, how commercial relationships are handled, and how to flag something that needs correction.
Read the Editorial Policy →Quoted on retirement, Social Security, housing, credit, and personal finance.
My commentary has appeared in national financial and consumer publications.
The factual version.
The useful distinction: this background informs the education. It does not mean I am currently acting as your adviser, agent, attorney, or tax professional.
Nearly three decades in financial services
Experience across 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 and Variable Annuity insurance licenses.
Former P&C agency owner
Owned a property and casualty insurance agency.
CFP coursework completed
Completed CFP coursework through The American College of Financial Services. I do not hold or use the CFP designation.
University at Albany graduate
Undergraduate education through the State University of New York at Albany.
HOW I WORK TODAY
Education-focused, not product-sales driven.
Michael Ryan Money is a financial education site. I do not currently manage reader investments, sell financial products, sell insurance, or act as a registered investment adviser.
Important boundary
Some pages may include advertising, affiliate links, or partnerships. Those relationships are disclosed where applicable and do not buy the editorial conclusion.
A few useful things to know about me and the site.
Do you still work as a financial advisor?
No. I am retired from active financial advisory and insurance sales work. My work today is focused on financial education, publishing, tools, and media commentary.
Do you sell financial products or insurance?
No. I do not currently sell financial products, insurance, or investment-management services.
Are you a CFP professional?
No. I completed CFP coursework through The American College of Financial Services, but I do not hold or use the CFP designation.
Can I contact you directly?
Yes. Use the Contact page for reader questions, corrections, media inquiries, collaboration requests, or other messages.
QUESTIONS · CORRECTIONS · MEDIA
Contact Michael Ryan →
Need to reach me directly?
The Contact page routes reader questions, corrections, business inquiries, and time-sensitive media requests to the right place.