Business Innovators Radio - Interview with Michelle Moore Founder and Retirement Specialist with Moore Family Wealth-Discussing Protecting What Matters

Episode Date: November 7, 2025

Michelle Moore is a licensed Health and Life Insurance Agent, educator, and former Occupational Therapist with over two decades of experience helping others thrive. After facing personal loss and financial uncertainty, she discovered the power of annuities, life insurance, estate planning, and real estate syndications to create lasting income and generational wealth.Now, as the founder of Moore Family Wealth, Michelle empowers professionals, especially women, teachers, and caregivers, to protect what matters most and build financial security with clarity and confidence. She brings the heart of a teacher to every conversation, explaining complex concepts in simple, honest terms and creating personalized strategies for retirement, protection, and legacy.Michelle’s mission is to help her clients retire not with fear, but with freedom knowing their money, their family, and their future are in capable, caring hands.Learn more: https://www.moorefamilywealth.com/Disclaimer: The content of this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or tax advice. Michelle Moore is a licensed life and health insurance agent. Listening to or interacting with this podcast does not create an agent-client relationship. Any opinions shared are those of the host and guests and do not necessarily reflect the views of any affiliated organizations or companies. In accordance with Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines, the host discloses any financial relationships or sponsorships with companies or carriers mentioned during the podcast. Listeners are encouraged to consult a qualified financial or insurance professional for personalized guidance. Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions (DIFI) requires licensed producers to comply with all advertising and disclosure standards. This podcast is intended to comply with those requirements and is for general educational purposes only.Influential Entrepreneurs with Mike Saundershttps://businessinnovatorsradio.com/influential-entrepreneurs-with-mike-saunders/Source: https://businessinnovatorsradio.com/interview-with-michelle-moore-founder-and-retirement-specialist-with-moore-family-wealth-discussing-protecting-what-matters

Welcome to influential entrepreneurs, bringing you interviews with elite business leaders and experts, sharing tips and strategies for elevating your business to the next level. Here's your host, Mike Saunders. Hello and welcome to this episode of Influential Entrepreneurs. This is Mike Saunders, the authority positioning coach. Today we have back with us, Michelle Moore, who's founder and retirement specialist with more family wealth. And we'll be talking about protecting what matters. legacy and lasting security. Michelle, welcome back to the program. Thanks, Mike. Thanks for having me. You are welcome. I always enjoy talking with you. Your perspectives are fresh and empathetic and I love your

approaches. So now we're dialing into, boy, creating that legacy, that lasting legacy and security. So where do you start when you're working with the client in talking about this? Because you often say life insurance is love assurance. And I love that quote. Yeah. And so most of us go through life and we have people, oftentimes our children or our spouses, who are very dear to us. And we don't necessarily want to think about what happens if we're not here. But the most responsible, loving, kind thing we can do is to take care of those things why we still are able. So my history is, as you may know, was as an occupational therapist. I worked for a couple decades, primarily with seniors. And so not only did I see time after time again in skilled nursing facilities, but when I worked with hospice and the passing of my own husband and several dear friends in their 40s, that it can be a total mess if you don't have your wishes in writing, if you don't have things set up through a trust. And a will alone is usually not,

sufficient enough in most cases and how complicated that can get for those who are left behind. And so in order to really protect what matters most to have that love assurance, the final thing you can do for your loved ones is to have a good plan in place. Yeah, it really is. And sometimes doing that plan ahead of time to make sure that everything is in place is a gift. You know, it really is because I'm sure that we've heard horror stories of people whose, you know, spouse passes away or parents pass away and they're left with confusion and a mess. And all of a sudden when the dust settles, it's like, wow, the estate was, you know, moderate. But now it's even less because of all these things and fees and taxes we have to pay. And I didn't know. I have to pay taxes on this and that and the other. So talk a little bit about how that, you know, factors in as far as what you help your clients. plan for because that factors in that love aspect, right? If you're the retired or pre-retired, you know, parent, that is love that you are putting these things in place so that your family

is not impacted negatively. Absolutely. And I think there's two things there that I wanted to touch on. One is usually folks think about needing advanced directives when they're older. And advanced directives for those who aren't in the medical field. It's what do you want done if you're not able to speak for yourself. So it can be your health care power of attorney. It can be a financial power of attorney. It's those final wishes. And certainly that's something that's near and dear to my heart with my history

is making sure that that's in writing. I've seen so many families who are just devastated with what would mom want, would she want life support or not, and not being able to make that decision and how it destroys families. I've seen it more times than I would like to count. And so even younger families, having that knowledge and that plan in place is super important. And then the other piece that your question asked was the estate. So if someone passes away and it's very likely that that estate in lawyer fees, court fees,

is going to be reduced by about 30% is the average. So you're only going to get maybe 30% of that estate if you don't have it set up properly with usually, like I said, usually a trust is best. Even if you don't have a lot of assets, you think, oh, maybe I don't need it. A will alone just says who should have things. It doesn't give them access to those things. It has to be put on public record, go through the court system. It's incredibly time consuming, emotionally consuming, and takes a very long time. huge yeah i mean that really you know and people it's like we've said before in a previous

conversation you just don't know till you know and when you start hearing about the cost and the time and the headache what a what a gift of love that really is to a family member to be able to put these things into place whether it's wills or trust or you know insurance and things like that so that really is um helping your clients enjoy life now while all also putting things into place for their family to enjoy later. And it doesn't mean that you're locking up all your money and you have to live on beans and rice now, right? No, absolutely not.

No. And so when I first, when I set up my first trust, my children were younger. And it was cumbersome and it was a pain. And I didn't want to do it ever again because it was complicated. But at least with my company that I work with, partner with this fantastic group of lawyers. and it's all done electronically, right? And so you can make changes yearly, right? You buy a new house.

You bought a new car. You like this nephew. You don't like that niece. It's all editable and online and so much simpler than it had been in years past. And so I love that piece. So, yeah, it really helps with that confidence in living piece that you had mentioned. Yeah. I think so many times people hear these terms like, you know, probate and,

trust and wills and life insurance and annuities and legacy planning and uh and there's a lot of confusion but also misconceptions what are some of those misconceptions people have about some of those things i have enough time or i don't need to do it big one yeah that's just no guarantee of that and we all oh i won't need that that won't impact me that won't impact me well yeah um yeah but it does. Eventually, there's only one guarantee for sure in life and that someday you will not be here, right? And so it needs to be sorted. So that's a piece. And then just not knowing. It's like, who do I trust to or how much is it going to cost? And that not knowing. And so that's where I like to help guide families as well. So I know we've talked about retirement planning and not having those worries. And this is just a part of that retirement planning, right, is what do you, wish and desire. And what is that legacy when you go on? And so another thing that I've helped when I've been talking about legacy and I met with

the family this weekend and was at a wedding. And so there's lots of children running around and just so much joy. And was able to speak with a family member who I haven't seen for a while who have a couple of young kiddos and talking about that legacy and what are they doing to preserve it. and started talking to them about their children and a product that they had never heard of. And I'd never heard of it until I started this career path called an IUL, an indexed universal life policy, and talked about how you can invest money into this account, have it grow, tax-free, how this money can pay for college or a car or a down payment when the kiddo's 20.

stop paying for the account perhaps at that age. And because of compound interest, it will continue to grow. So by the time the kiddo is 67, they have lots of money in their retirement as well. So dad had no idea. He's what, what is this? I've got a 529 plan, right? That's good for my kidders. And I said, I like 529s.

They're awesome. However, it will be counted as one of your, assets when you're filling out your financial aid for your kiddos, whereas the life insurance policy won't. Or if your kiddo decides not to go to school, that 529 is not the great option where the IUL is. And we looked at the tax implications and went through several of the benefits of this possible program in addition to if your child gets sick any time from now until year 100, they're covered for chronic illness, critical illness, terminal illness, and have access to those funds as well. And so a wedding isn't necessarily the time most people would talk about legacy planning,

but it just seemed to come up with this family member and I and how that can be such a great tool for protecting your children or your grandchildren and the next generation as well. You know, it really is and it's something that so many times people don't understand options that are available to them, right? Yeah. Like, I've never heard of that before. And I didn't know that I could pay for a college or, you know, buy a car in a plan or a financial tool that had something like that. That's pretty amazing. And I think that that is something that too many times people just go, oh, I've never heard of it. So it must be too good to be true.

but in reality that type of product has been around for over 100 years, right? Correct. Yeah. It's one of those best kept secrets, right? That I don't want it to be a secret. I want everyone to know about it because it's absolutely amazing and life-changing. And so I talked about the youth for a young one, right? But it can be for anyone who has the ability to let that money compound for at least 15 years can really be a benefit. But so great, great advantages for lots of people. Yeah, pretty huge. So let's talk about this. I know you do a lot of work with women. How can women use these kinds of financial tools to refocus their focus on not just creating wealth, but integrating that with this, the values and the purpose and really getting some of these outcomes that you're talking about.

because I think a lot of times people think it's either or. Either I need to have a nice values and love and purpose or create wealth, but you say you can do both. Yeah, absolutely. And so how can I love myself, right, put on my oxygen mask first, as they tell us in the airline, and make sure that my kiddos are protected. And so, yes, that IUL would be a great example of that lifelong income for yourself. and then if you structure it, right, in your trust, as I previously mentioned, how that money can then be passed on to future generations as well.

And so it's nice for your family or it can be that cause that really matters, right? And so have worked with folks who are stressed out about how do I pay for day-to-day bills. I don't know if I have enough, maybe tapping into that 401K every month, but restructuring some of that money to have that guaranteed income, whether that's the, IUL, whether that's the pension, whether that's an annuity product to have those guaranteed certainties and then freeze up so much money for the gift of living. So I'll give an example of another woman who I worked with who was struggling, making ends meet day to day, and had all that money in the 401k and up and down and up and down and pulling money out. We were able to take about

half of what she had saved in that stock market, and we put it in one of those IUL products, one of those fixed indexed annuities, where she would have no losses and was able to have guaranteed monthly returns. And I think it was, I think she had around $100,000 a year is what we put into that plan. And she had then had a choice with that. Did she need the $700 a month income that would be coming from that, or did she want to take that once a year and be able to do a special trip with her family. And so her, she didn't have that income gap, right, between her bills and her expenses. So she chose, instead of having that stock market 401K that was going up and down, to have it in the stable market. And then once a year she plans a trip with her kids. And so it's this

beautiful legacy of taking care of herself. So it's stable, no stress. And every year being able to take care of her family as well with a one or two week trip with that money that this account is generating. Yes, huge. And that's going to be different for everybody. And everybody is going to apply their goals and dreams differently, but that's a wonderful way to look at that. And that actually is something where you can kind of almost like feel the emotion that that is creating for them and probably when she sits down and looks at that plan and going, okay, this is locked in. And I don't need to worry about the volatility of the market. And this is a guaranteed and a stream of income and it's going to accomplish these goals. And better than that, it's not just all about

me with having a gazillion dollars sitting in a retirement account. It is me doing things for my family and with my family. Absolutely. Absolutely. And having those lasting memories, right? So I'm remembering taking these yearly trips with grandma and the family. Yeah. And so sometimes our legacy isn't necessarily just the dollars we leave behind, but those memories that we create with our loved ones, right? And so what's more precious and pure than remembering that special time you spent with your cherished loved one? Huge. Yeah, 100%. It is. Absolutely. So I think we've even used the words confidence. so many times, but, you know, that confident legacy, being able to know what you want down the road,

but also being able to come into it knowing that it's planned out. Do you also, with your clients, when you put this plan into place, like to meet with them every year to kind of make sure everything is on track? Absolutely. Yeah, so much happens in a year. It's amazing. A year and my husband passed about eight years now, I would have known. never envisioned my current life eight years ago, right? And so it's super important, whoever your trusted financial person is that you're meeting once a year and updating and

changing and making sure that you're not only on track for retirement, but what wishes have maybe changed or what situations need to be updated. That's, you know, and here's something, and I'm kind of projecting myself. into that situation of, okay, we're going to meet together and maybe you recommended a certain change. That doesn't mean that, oh, while the plan was wrong, now we need to change it. It just means that certain circumstances might have adjusted. Maybe inflation or tax rates have changed or your needs have changed. So that doesn't mean that there was a problem. It just means like, hey, let's just make a little slight pivot here and a little polish there. Absolutely, all the time.

Yeah. And sometimes the plan is absolutely beautiful. And sometimes it's not, right? And so Something as we have more birthdays that I sometimes see is sometimes we have health issues. And a lot of us don't know that Social Security and Medicare isn't going to cover what we think it should as we have more birthdays and have more health issues. And so if we're not planning and prepared for that, it can really catch us off guard. And so we also like to not only look at the financial and the estate plan, the financial plan, but also what are you doing for your health insurance? and sometimes Medicare is great or sometimes a medical advantage or a MediGAP plan, so we can help with that as well, but also those long-term care plans. Like how do I cover several thousand dollars a month in a nursing home when Medicare stops

covering after 20 days? And a lot of people say 20 days, you're kidding. I say, no, Medicare only covers 20 days. And then after that, you're responsible for a percentage. And after 100 days, they don't pay at all. And so knowledge is power in that regard, right? And knowing and being able to plan, how do I make that work in the event I break my hip or I have a stroke or something happens. Yeah, huge.

That's just amazing. You know, and it's those things that we don't think about that, oh, you know, like I jokingly said a little bit ago, like, oh, that will happen to me. Well, that might be the case until it does. And sometimes those things like the nursing homes, that's not like a $100, you know, miscalculation. That can be massive. And statistically, there's a lot of people that need that. And, you know, nobody needs a massive bill that you have to tap into your retirement savings to take care of. But if you know that that could be a possibility, you know, for your retirement plan to be impacted, plan for it.

And if it happens, you have a plan. And if it doesn't happen where you don't need it, then you don't need to expend that money. So I think those are the kind of things that there's no earthly way that the general public would just know to calculate all these things and how to perfectly plan for it. But when they can sit down with someone that can ask the right questions and guide in the right direction, you can make sure that all of those things are put into place properly. Absolutely. And two things with that that that you mentioned that made me think most folks don't know that, a nursing home may well be $10,000 a month, right? And so when you're saying it impacts your retirement, it decimates your retirement if you're not planning and prepared. And no, Medicare's

not going to cover that. And even if you want Medicaid to help support that, you have to do what's called a spend down, right? So you have to spend all your assets so that you have less than $2,000 in your name before the state will pick up that bill. And so instead of giving your house and your 401k and all those retirement funds to your loved ones, they're going to the nursing facility, right? Nobody wants that. And so if we can be mindful and make a plan on how do we protect our money, our assets, and ultimately our loved ones, why wouldn't we do that? And so your first question about life insurance is, love assurance. Yeah. Absolutely where that comes from. Yeah. And knowing how to put some things into place just can kind of be the best piece of mind for you and love and care that you provide for your legacy moving forward. So Michelle, this has been super helpful. If someone is listening to this thinking, where do I start? What's the best way that they can reach out and connect with you?

Yeah. So I encourage folks to come to my website, which is www.com. And it's more, my last name's M-O-O-R-E, FamilyWaith.com, can make an appointment with me directly on my calendar. Always free to talk, to consult, to share, to strategize on how to best protect you and your loved ones. Excellent. Well, Michelle, thank you so much. It's been a real pleasure of chatting with you again. Wonderful. Thanks, Mike. You've been listening to influential entrepreneurs with Mike Saunders to learn more about the resources mentioned on today's show or listen to past episodes. Visit www.

influential entrepreneursradio.com.