Your Retirement Fear Is Bigger Than Reality | David Starr

What if the retirement you're afraid of is the one you'd love? You spent decades filling the bucket. Nobody taught you how to turn on the tap without running it dry. David Starr found that out the hard way. Four decades in software and IT ended in a merger notice he did not see coming. He was terrified of losing his purpose, of running out of money, or of a retirement he had not planned for. In this conversation with host Brett A. Blake on Safe Money Radio, David walks through the retirement he feared and the one he actually got: Why David didn't see the notice coming, even after four decades in the same industry What scared him more once the notice arrived: losing the paycheck or losing his sense of purpose How a plain-language conversation with The MoneyWorks Group turned a scramble into a plan Why did he turn down his old job when they called two weeks after he retired What retirement actually felt like once the fear wore off Want to take the next step?Run your own numbers with the free WIYN calculator at brettblake.annuity.com, which takes about three minutes. Ready to talk it through? Book a Retirement Clarity Session with Brett. Not a sales call. Not a slide deck. Your numbers, not ours. Full episode on Safe Money Radio. Worry Less. Live Longer. About the host Brett A. Blake is the host of Safe Money Radio and the CEO of Annuity.com, Inc. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Erin and their five children and three grandchildren. Before Annuity.com, he built and scaled a business from roughly fifty million to nearly one billion in revenue. He's a builder before he's an executive. About the guest David Starr is a recently retired network engineer from Plano, Texas, with four decades in software and IT. His retirement came earlier than expected after a corporate merger. When he's not enjoying his hobbies, David runs Plano Santa, a professional Santa Claus business offering in-person and virtual visits across North Texas. Follow or Subscribe to Safe Money Radio Podcast Website: https://safemoneyradio.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SafeMoneyRadioPodcast Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61590329635200 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/safemoneyradiopodcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@safemoneyradiopod Twitter (X): https://x.com/safemoney_radio Follow Brett A. Blake LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brettblake/ Retirement tools: https://brettblake.annuity.com Email: brett.blake@annuity.com Follow David Starr Website: https://www.planosanta.com/ Email: Santa@PlanoSanta.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skybiker

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Description:

What if the retirement you're afraid of is the one you'd love?

You spent decades filling the bucket. Nobody taught you how to turn on the tap without running it dry.

David Starr found that out the hard way. Four decades in software and IT ended in a merger notice he did not see coming. He was terrified of losing his purpose, of running out of money, or of a retirement he had not planned for.

In this conversation with host Brett A. Blake on Safe Money Radio, David walks through the retirement he feared and the one he actually got:

  • Why David didn't see the notice coming, even after four decades in the same industry

  • What scared him more once the notice arrived: losing the paycheck or losing his sense of purpose

  • How a plain-language conversation with The MoneyWorks Group turned a scramble into a plan

  • Why did he turn down his old job when they called two weeks after he retired

  • What retirement actually felt like once the fear wore off

Want to take the next step?Run your own numbers with the free WIYN calculator at brettblake.annuity.com, which takes about three minutes. Ready to talk it through? Book a Retirement Clarity Session with Brett. Not a sales call. Not a slide deck. Your numbers, not ours.

Full episode on Safe Money Radio.

Worry Less. Live Longer.

About the host  

Brett A. Blake is the host of Safe Money Radio and the CEO of Annuity.com, Inc. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Erin and their five children and three grandchildren. Before Annuity.com, he built and scaled a business from roughly fifty million to nearly one billion in revenue. He's a builder before he's an executive.

About the guest  

David Starr is a recently retired network engineer from Plano, Texas, with four decades in software and IT. His retirement came earlier than expected after a corporate merger. When he's not enjoying his hobbies, David runs Plano Santa, a professional Santa Claus business offering in-person and virtual visits across North Texas.

Follow or Subscribe to Safe Money Radio Podcast

Follow Brett A. Blake

Follow David Starr


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