Friday morning, the coffee was on, the chairs were set, and David's dog Rex made sure he said hello to every single person before the show started. Fiscal Fridays opened its studio doors to the public for the first time, and it was everything we hoped it would be.
Thank you to everyone who came out. You laughed, you asked great questions, and a few of you sat in the front row, which turned out to be a smart move. More on that in a second.
It all starts with a plan
David opened by asking the room to close their eyes and picture their dream retirement. Then he showed a few minutes of his own: a recent trip to Germany, including the workshop where his favorite watches are made by hand and a stretch of the Autobahn at 200 kilometers an hour. His point was simple. "It all starts with a plan."
The front row wins
Next, David asked everyone on Medicare to raise a hand, then asked who could name all four parts. Plenty of people got three. The front row got all four: Part A for the hospital, Part B for doctors and medical services, Part D for drugs, and Part C, the all-in-one Medicare Advantage plan. Two winners, right up front.
Then he asked who had actually read their Annual Notice of Change, the letter every plan sends out each fall. His count: "two and a half people." It got a big laugh, and it made a real point. That letter tells you what changed on paper. It does not tell you what next year will feel like when you fill a prescription or call your doctor.
The $972,000 drug list
David shared a story from the day before the show. A client's prescription list, the way she had typed it in, made next year's drug costs look like $972,000. It wasn't anywhere close to real. The drugs on the list just weren't quite the drugs she takes. One of the mix-ups was a capsule versus a tablet.
Jason and David spent two hours sorting out which drugs she really takes and which doctors she really sees. Once they did, the number came back down to earth, and she was happy to keep things just as they were. As David put it, "It took two hours of people that do this for a living."
A look behind the curtain
Our secret guest has spent his career on the health plan side, and he walked the room through how a plan actually comes together each year: the framework the government sets, the doctors and hospitals that have to be in the network, and the hard choices about what goes in and what stays out. If you have ever wondered who decides what is in your plan, this was the hour to be in the room.
Thirty seconds on the clock
Then came the scenarios. Each panelist got 30 seconds per answer, and the spray bottle was standing by for anyone who ran long. Some came closer than others. A few that stuck with me:
- The man at the barbecue whose plan "costs nothing." Kyle Jacobs pointed out what he forgot: his Part B premium. If you get Social Security, it comes out of your check automatically, so it is easy to forget you are paying it.
- The couple married 38 years. She takes seven prescriptions and sees three specialists. He takes one pill. Do they need the same plan? Medicare coverage is individual. There is no family plan. When David asked Jason Tweet whether he would ever put a husband and wife on different plans, Jason's answer was a quick "Yes," and the room laughed.
- The rental property sold in 2026. Two years later, the couple's Medicare premiums jump, and they have no idea why. Kyle explained IRMAA, the income-related surcharge on Part B and Part D. It looks back at your income from two years earlier, so one big year can show up on your Medicare bill later. It can drop back off when your income does.
The part we want you to remember
To close the show, David came back to where he started. Medicare is one room in your house. Your income lives in that house too, and so does your plan for passing things on to your family. It makes sense to give every room a spring cleaning once a year.
And one practical reminder: the Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7. In David's words, please don't call on December 7 and think we have magic pills. If you want a hand with your review, call us at (602) 281-3898 and get it on the calendar now.
See you November 20
We had so much fun that we are already planning the next one. Fiscal Fridays is back on Friday, November 20, in our Scottsdale studio. Seats are limited, and we will share how to save yours right here soon.
If this was your first time hearing about the show, start with why Fiscal Fridays is a show, not a seminar.
Thank you again to everyone who joined us, to David Edge for kicking things off, to our guest for being such a good sport, and to Rex for handling the welcome. See you in November.
Fiscal Fridays is an educational show. Educational content, not tax or legal advice. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the federal government or the federal Medicare program.