The Pilot’s Advisor Podcast

For pilots, some of the biggest retirement decisions can look deceptively simply, until the financial and personal trade-offs come into play. In this episode, Ryan explores why planning for Social Security, retirement savings, and life after flying can be more complicated than it seems. He also discusses the challenges pilots face and why having a thoughtful plan matter. What steps can help make t...

Book your Pilot Tax Strategy Session here: excelempire.com/pilots Pilots spend years building strong incomes and retirement accounts, but is anyone looking ahead at how taxes could affect all of it? Ryan sits down with Tax Strategist Ed Lyon to explore the difference between simply filing a tax return and proactively planning for what comes next. Their conversation challenges some common assumptio...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ "When can I retire?" might be the question Ryan gets asked more than any other. Some people are chasing an age. Others are chasing a number. Today, Ryan is breaking down what actually determines the answer. The date on the calendar or the number in the account might feel like the fin...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ A new bill in Congress would let some workers claim full Social Security benefits at 60, seven years earlier than today’s rules stipulate. That's a big headline. But it's just a proposal, and it lands in the middle of a much bigger debate about Social Security's future. Today, Ryan r...

What if the biggest step forward is letting go of what you can’t control? In this episode, Ryan reflects on personal growth, staying grounded amid uncertainty, and adapting to a changing world. The common thread is learning where to focus your energy and where to stop letting fear, noise, or other people’s opinions hold you back. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 🧠 Personal Growth: Push past...

Talking about money can be hard for some people, and sometimes it just takes the right question to get things rolling. Ryan goes over a few today that he thinks are worth asking. None of these questions are really about money. That's kind of the point. Sometimes the best way into a financial conversation is to start somewhere else entirely. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 🎯 Purpose: Buildin...

Inflation doesn't arrive as a bill in the mail, but over time it can quietly take a serious bite out of your purchasing power. Ryan uses a humorous quote about the rising cost of a haircut to explain a much bigger retirement-planning problem: your money has to keep pace with what life will cost in the future. For pilots planning decades into the future, the challenge is finding the right balance b...

Retirement planning today doesn't look like it did even a decade ago, let alone the way it looked for our parents. On this episode, Ryan provides several realities you need to be aware of in 2026 to build toward a successful retirement. Retirement isn't the same finish line it used to be, and pretending otherwise makes it harder to plan for. The realities change. A good plan should be able to chan...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ Ever had a job that humbled you, but quietly set the stage for everything that came next? Ryan puts Walter on the spot with a hilarious story about his stepmom’s crush on him, which leads into real talk about rejection, first jobs, and knowing what you don’t want to do. They unpack h...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ More people in their 60s and 70s are staying on the job than ever before, and it's not always about the money. Ryan digs into the real reasons retirees keep showing up to work. Working longer isn't automatically the wrong call. Sometimes it's exactly right. The real question is wheth...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ What started as a nostalgic conversation about first cell phones quickly turned into something much bigger. Ryan looks back at early mobile phones, instant messaging, and how technology gradually made all of us more available all the time. Technology may have changed how we communica...

There's an entire television network dedicated to doing things yourself — home renovation, landscaping, interior design, all of it. And the DIY mentality is genuinely admirable. But when it comes to retirement planning, the stakes of a bad install are a little higher than a crooked backsplash. Today, Ryan talks about what DIY planning actually looks like in practice. DIY has its place. But some pr...

FedEx pilots are about to receive a significant lump sum, and what happens next could have a lasting impact on their financial future. In this episode, Ryan is joined by David Befort to discuss a strategy pilots may want to understand before that money gets spent, transferred, or committed elsewhere. A lump sum can disappear quickly, but the right strategy may allow it to keep working for years to...

Ever felt like your advisor is speaking a different language? Ryan unpacks what to do when financial jargon gets in the way of understanding your money. He talks about why clear communication matters more than technical terminology and when it might be time to ask for clarification. or a second opinion. Tune in to find out if your advisor’s lingo is a red flag or just a translation issue. Here’s w...

Ever wonder if your “safe” cash is actually holding you back? In this episode, Ryan answers a listener’s question from a pilot who has built up $150,000 in cash but is hesitant to move it because of the security it provides. He explains the difference between liquidity and leaving too much money idle. Stick around to find out if your cash strategy is helping, or quietly hurting, your future. Here’...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ Dave Ramsey has built one of the most recognized brands in personal finance. Millions of people have followed his advice out of debt and into savings. But when it comes to how much you should pull from your retirement accounts each year, Ramsey takes a position that some financial pr...

✈️ Retire Pilots the Right Way! 🎁 Grab your FREE Retirement Toolkit now → https://d74164fb.pages.infusionsoft.net/ Trump Accounts are here, but are they really the best way to jump-start your child’s financial future? Ryan explains what these new 530A Trump Accounts are and how they stack up against other options. While the concept of teaching kids to invest early is powerful, Ryan questions whet...

This year's Fourth of July carries a little extra weight as we celebrate 250 years of American independence, and that's worth a moment. But between the hot dogs, the parades, and the fireworks, we started thinking about how many of our favorite holiday traditions have a pretty natural financial parallel. So that's what Ryan’s doing today… and the comparisons might surprise you. Here’s what we cove...

If you're a pilot, there's a good chance your retirement savings are sitting in a target date fund you selected years ago and haven't thought about since. The problem is that the fund doesn't know anything about your pension, your spouse's income, your retirement timeline, or the unique challenges pilots face. In this episode, Ryan explores a little-known feature inside many 401(k) plans and share...

Many pilots assume that as retirement gets closer, they should automatically become more conservative with their investments. But according to Ryan, that's not always the right move. He explains why risk management has less to do with your age and more to do with your time horizon, income sources, and retirement goals. If you're trying to strike the right balance between growth, protection, and in...

Risk is unavoidable. The real question is whether the risk you're taking makes sense for where you are in life. In this episode, Ryan explores three common financial personalities among people in their 30s and 40s, and the steady contributor quietly building wealth over time. If you're trying to figure out whether you're taking too much risk—or not enough—Ryan offers a practical framework for eval...

It's summer and nothing says summer quite like Tom Cruise as Maverick soaring across the sky in Top Gun. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the original film, and with Tom Cruise's birthday on July 3rd, Ryan figured it was the perfect excuse to revisit some of the most iconic quotes from the franchise and see what they have to say about your financial life. Because Maverick didn't become the...

In this episode, Ryan is joined once again by CPA Zach Smith to unpack the FedEx TA 26 retirement choices, this time from a tax and long‑term planning angle. Instead of just chasing the biggest paycheck, they explore how pensions, 401(k)s, and new cash-balance options can create either freedom or a “ticking tax time bomb” in retirement. If you’re a FedEx pilot facing this decision, this conversati...

USE THIS: FedEx TA26 Retirement Option Tool. Check out our educational modeler - https://retirepilots.com/fedex-ta26-tool/ FedEx pilots are facing a major decision with three very different retirement options, each with long-term implications for income, flexibility, and legacy in the 2026 tentative agreement. While the details are still evolving, the choice between a pension-style income, a hybri...

AI isn’t just a buzzword, it’s quickly becoming one of the biggest unknowns in retirement planning. Pilots in their 50s and 60s are actively searching for answers about how this technology could impact their future. Ryan tackles the most common AI-related questions pilots are Googling right now, and where human judgment still plays a critical role. Here’s what we cover in this episode: 📊 Portfoli...