Tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM in Scottsdale, Arizona, we're doing something we've never done before.
We're launching a live show.
Not a webinar. Not a pre-recorded video. A real, in-the-room, cameras-rolling, audience-in-their-seats live show about retirement planning. We're calling it Fiscal Fridays, and I genuinely believe it's going to change how people think about their financial future.
How We Got Here
My dad, David Schaeffer, founded American Retirement Advisors over 25 years ago. He started from the trunk of his car, driving to kitchen tables across Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, sitting down with families, and walking them through a plan. That was always the magic of what he does. Not slides. Not jargon. Just a real conversation with someone who actually cares whether your money outlives you.
For years, I've been thinking about how to bring that same energy to more people. The newsletter reaches thousands. The blog reaches even more. But there's something about being in the room, watching David look someone in the eye and say, "Tell me what's keeping you up at night," that you just can't replicate on a page.
So we built a studio. And tomorrow, we go live.
What Fiscal Fridays Actually Looks Like
Here's what happens when you walk through the door.
I open the show from Boston on the big studio screen. (Yes, I produce remotely. That's a whole story for another day.) We warm up the audience with cue card practice. APPLAUSE. QUIET. AWW. CHATTER. It sounds silly until you're in the room and 20 people are laughing and clapping in unison. The energy is real.
Then David takes the set.
He introduces himself, introduces the show, and brings out his guest co-host for Episode 1: David Edge, one of our veteran advisors who has personally worked with nearly 3,000 families over his career.
Now here's where it gets interesting.
The core of the show is built around real retirement situations. Real questions from real people, diagnosed live using David's five-question protocol. "What's keeping you up at night?" "How young are you?" "Is there a spouse in the house?" He works through the situation the way he would in his office, but with the whole room learning along the way.
He ties it all back to what he calls the Three Colors of Money: Yellow (your liquid savings, always accessible), Green (guaranteed income that never runs out), and Red (your growth money, invested in the market with purpose). It's a simple framework, but it clicks for people in a way that pie charts and Monte Carlo simulations never do.
More Than a Financial Show
Fiscal Fridays isn't just caller segments. Every episode also features:
- The Rant — David's standalone monologue on something that's been bugging him. Episode 1: why CDs might be costing you more than you think (hint: taxes).
- The Footnote — A 3 to 5 minute piece of historical storytelling. Episode 1: the accidental origin of the 401(k). You'll never look at your retirement account the same way.
- Audience Q&A — Open mic. Real questions. No screening.
- The Celebration — Audience members share a personal win. A grandkid's graduation. A trip they finally booked. A milestone they hit. This is the emotional peak, and honestly, it might be my favorite part.
After the cameras stop, the real magic happens. David and the team stick around. People grab coffee, ask follow-up questions, and have the kind of real conversations you just don't get from watching a video on your phone.
We Rehearsed. And Then We Rewrote Everything.
We ran a full dry run on Sunday. Cameras on. Microphones hot. David and Edge at the desk, notes and binders spread out, black and white photographs on the wall behind them. Professional production: 4K, 30 frames per second, the whole deal.
And what we learned changed the show.
The cue cards brought more energy than we expected. The audience practice segment went from a "nice opener" to the thing that sets the tone for the entire hour. The post-show mingle turned out to be where some of the most meaningful moments happened. We walked in with a show plan and walked out with a better one.
That's why we did the dry run. Not to check the equipment (though we did that too). To find out what actually works when real people are in real seats.
How to Watch (or Be There)
Fiscal Fridays tapes every other Friday at 10:30 AM MST in our Scottsdale studio. The live audience is small on purpose, 15 to 25 people, because David wants to actually connect with the room.
There's no cost to attend, but registration is required: Register for Fiscal Fridays here.
Can't make it to Scottsdale? Every episode will be recorded and clipped for YouTube and social media. You'll also find recaps and highlights right here on The American Retirement Advisor blog, and in our monthly newsletter. We're building this show so that whether you're in the front row or on your couch in another state, you get the value.
But if you can be in the room? Be in the room. There's nothing quite like it.
Tomorrow morning, the lights come on. I'll be on the big screen from Boston. David will be at the desk. Edge will be beside him. Jason Tweet, our production coordinator, will make sure everything runs smooth on the ground. And hopefully, 20 or so people in the audience will walk out thinking about their retirement a little differently than when they walked in.
That's the whole point.
See you on Fiscal Fridays.