Make Life Less Taxing Podcast

What if the greatest threat to retirement isn’t market volatility or poor returns — but unaddressed risks no one prepares you for? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Alan Porter, founder of Strategic Wealth Strategies and a retired U.S. Army Black Hawk instructor pilot. Alan shares the deeply personal journey that reshaped his life and redirected h...

What if success on paper isn’t the same as fulfillment in real life? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Andrea Davis, founder of Elevated Solutions, strategist, leadership coach, and author, for a deeply human conversation about mindset, leadership, and what it really means to build a life—and career—that energizes rather than drains. After more th...

What if the real challenge with money isn’t income, markets, or math, but living disconnected from your purpose? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Chad Free, founder of Black Diamond Money Moves, for a deeply human conversation about money, meaning, and alignment. Chad shares his personal journey from hustle-driven success to financial collapse an...

What if the greatest threat to retirement isn’t the market, taxes, or even longevity but the quiet uncertainty people carry when they’re not sure their money will truly last? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Gene Bond, founder of the Bond Financial Group, certified financial fiduciary, and retirement income certified professional. Gene’s story be...

What if the real threat to your wealth isn’t market volatility or income but money sitting quietly inside your corporation, slowly eroding over time? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Niko Bruno, founder of Insured Wealth Financial Strategies, to unpack what most incorporated professionals and business owners don’t realize about retained earnings,...

What happens when the very thing that once protected your business's complexity starts to disappear? In this solo episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka reflects on a powerful realization that emerged after attending a three-day Mindvalley social media summit. The conversation everywhere wasn’t hype or fear; it was clarity. AI is quietly removing friction, steps, and barrier...

What if the real work of financial planning isn’t found in charts or calculations, but in truly understanding a person’s story where they’ve been, where they’re going, and what they hope their life will stand for? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Vickie Ford, a financial advisor at Eagle Strategies and Financial Diagnostic Group, whose career was...

What if the real challenge in building wealth isn’t income, discipline, or market performance but the lack of control most people never realize they’ve given away? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Kish Rao, founder of KKR Wealth Group and creator of the Wealth Builders Interactive, to explore what it truly means to take control of your money and...

What if the real challenge facing families today isn’t income, markets, or retirement but the absence of long-term thinking? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Chuck DeLadurantey, partner at Private Family Banking Partners, for a wide-ranging conversation on legacy, stewardship, and what it really means to build wealth that lasts beyond one lifetim...

Most people don’t struggle with money because they lack discipline. They struggle because no one ever taught them how to think about money how to structure it, steward it, and align it with a future that feels intentional rather than overwhelming. In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Gavin Wilson, founder of Wilson Crow Strategic Wealth, a family-off...

What if the biggest risk to your future isn’t market performance but living a life misaligned with what truly matters? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Terrence Whittman, founder of Iron Arrow Strategies. Terrence’s journey is anything but typical from managing high-volume restaurants in Chicago to becoming a financial coach focused on helping fa...

What if the real challenge with money isn’t budgeting, markets, or even income—but the lack of understanding that keeps so many families stuck in uncertainty longer than they need to be? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Steve Smith, a financial educator whose mission is simple and refreshing: help everyday Americans understand how money actually...

What if the real danger in retirement isn’t market swings or portfolio values, but the quiet tax time bombs waiting to explode especially for Americans living abroad? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with James “Jimmy” Miller, founder of Baobab Wealth Management and author of Divorce the IRS. With more than 25 years of experience as a cross-border pla...

What if the biggest obstacle in planning your future isn’t money, markets, or timing but the quiet overwhelm that builds when life gets complicated and the financial “junk drawer” grows deeper? In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Scott Cody, partner and co-founder of Latitude Financial Group, a firm known for guiding women in transition, business ow...

What if the biggest obstacle advisors face today isn’t AI, competition, or compliance but the quiet absence of structure that keeps their practice from ever becoming a true enterprise?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Brent Swatuk, an independent advisor, coach, and Regional Vice President who has spent decades helping financial professionals s...

What if the real obstacles in your financial life aren’t markets, products, or even income but the quiet fears, unmet dreams, and lack of clarity that keep you from building the life you actually want?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Christopher Carrillo, founder of CM Carrillo Financial Advising a firm built around mission-driven planning, he...

What if the biggest risk facing federal employees in retirement isn’t the market but the lack of clear guidance long before retirement ever arrives?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Brian Jason Ross, creator of the TSP Wealth Accelerator and former federal employee who served inside the U.S. Department of the Interior and the Office of Financia...

What if the real financial challenge isn’t taxes, income, or investment returns—but wandering through life without the structure, principles, and clarity that create long-term peace?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Trent Benedetti, founder of Benedetti Financial and Benedetti & Associates CPA. For more than four decades, Trent has guided b...

What if the real financial danger isn’t Wall Street, banks, or even volatility but the quiet herd thinking that keeps people trapped in systems that were never designed for their long-term wellbeing?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Kenneth Akiva Shapiro, founder of Real Change Financial, an educator and strategist who has spent more than two d...

What if the greatest risk in retirement isn’t market volatility or account balances, but entering one of life’s biggest transitions without clarity, purpose, or a real plan?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Scott Groskreutz retirement advisor, podcast host, and author of Expedition Retirement—to explore why retirement is less about numbers and...

What if the real path to a “rich life” has little to do with income, markets, or spreadsheets and everything to do with how clearly you define the life you actually want to live?  In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Dan Pascone, founder of Tailored Wealth, to explore a planning philosophy built not around products or predictions, but around purpose,...

What if the real struggle in business and life isn’t strategy, motivation, or even circumstances but the identity quietly steering every decision you make?   In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka continues the foundational Keep What Is Yours & Break Free series by exploring the deeper operating system beneath every habit, breakthrough, and burnout: identity. Not...

What if the real path to wealth isn’t found in market charts or product conversations but in the overlooked tax decisions most people never get taught decisions that quietly determine whether your money grows or slips away?  In this episode of the Make Life Less Taxing Podcast, Daniel Hanzelka sits down with Mario Payne Army veteran, Certified Financial Planner, business owner, and founder of Thom...

Most people don’t struggle financially because they lack work ethic. They struggle because no one ever showed them how money actually works—how it grows, how it leaks, and how quickly it can slip through your hands when life feels expensive and uncertain.   For many families, the story is the same: work harder, save when you can, hope the market behaves, and try not to make a mistake big enough to...

Most people don’t struggle with money because they’re irresponsible or unwilling to plan. They struggle because no one ever showed them how to think about money how it moves, why it creates pressure, and why financial stress often comes from uncertainty far more than it comes from actual numbers.    For many entrepreneurs and families, the pattern is familiar: work hard, try to save when life allo...