Aging in the Queer Community: A Conversation with Therapist Katie Leikam

Episode 9: Audio automatically transcribed by Sonix

Episode 9: this mp3 audio file was automatically transcribed by Sonix with the best speech-to-text algorithms. This transcript may contain errors.

Speaker1:
Any examples used are for illustrative purposes only, and do not take into account your particular investment objectives, financial situation or needs and may not be suitable for all investors. It is not intended to predict the performance of any specific investment, and is not a solicitation or recommendation of any investment strategy.

Speaker2:
Welcome to Take Pride in Retirement, the podcast dedicated to helping members of the LGBTQ plus community protect and grow their hard earned money. Get set for a show full of education and insights with your host and advisor, Matt McClure. We recognize every family is unique. The goal of the show is to help you achieve financial freedom so you and your loved ones can have the retirement you've always dreamed of, a retirement you can take pride in, no matter who you are, where you're from, or who you love. So now let's start the show. Here's Matt McClure.

Speaker1:
Hello and welcome once again to take Pride in Retirement. Thank you so, so much for taking time out of your day to join me. I'm Matt McClure, your host, your advisor, your good buddy, your friend, your pal. Uh, and, uh, at least I hope so. Uh, by now, anyway, we're doing this a few months and, uh, getting more and more, uh, traction more and more active here on the podcast. And I appreciate you, uh, sticking with us through this, uh, growth. And we hope to continue to grow, uh, in 2024 as we go forward. Speaking of growth, speaking of great things, we've got a great guest on the show today, Katie Lazicum, who is a certified gender specialist. She is a therapist working in the Atlanta area mainly, but she also sees clients in other states. And we're going to talk about a lot of great stuff. I'll tell you more about that in just a moment. But I also wanted to mention right here from the jump, that you can always reach out to me at any time by going to take pride in retirement. Dot com take pride in retirement.com that is the website. You can email me Matt at take pride in retirement.com. My name is Matt. The website's take pride in retirement.com. Put an at symbol between the two and there you go. Easy enough to reach out to me for any of your financial needs.

Speaker1:
Questions about anything we talk about here on the show. You can also give us a call, uh, at the Midtown Atlanta Office of Active Wealth Management, which is the company that I am happy to be affiliated with. Um, (855) 246-9211. That's 855246 9211. Um, you can get in touch with us there. Will be absolutely happy to help you out and make your retirement one that you can take pride in. That's the whole point of the show. No matter who you are, no matter where you come from, no matter who you love, no matter what your identity, how you identify, how you want the world to see you. Um, we just want you to be treated with the respect that you deserve. And part of that respect is making sure that you have the resources, the knowledge and the wherewithal to have a retirement that you can take pride in. Period. End of story. It's that easy that that's the how simple the concept is for this show. And, uh, I enjoy bringing it to you each and every time we put out a new episode. Now, we always start out our show before we get to our our wonderful guest. And I'm excited for you to hear this conversation. Um, but before we do that, we always start off our show with a quote of the week.

Speaker3:
And now wholesome financial wisdom. It's time for the quote of the week.

Speaker1:
And our quotes here come from usually LGBTQ plus allies, people who are in the community or who are supportive of the community as well. And this time around, someone who you may have heard of once or twice named Tim Cook. Now, if that is, if you keep up with business news, that's a name that should ring a bell. Because he took over the reins of Apple after the death of Steve Jobs several years ago, and he has been the one who's been doing, you know, all those big flashy presentations and all of that. And he is, um, just just happens to be gay. And so this is what Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, had to say not all that long ago about about that very subject. Tim Cook said this quote. So let me be clear. I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me. Boy, great words there. Unashamed. He is truly taking pride in himself. And of course, somebody like Tim Cook will have a retirement he can take pride in as well. We want the same for you, of course. Maybe not on the scale of a Tim Cook because, uh, yeah, he, you know, makes the millions and millions every year. But still, uh, we want you to have the best possible retirement for you and for your family, no matter what that looks like. That is the whole goal and part of the aging process.

Speaker1:
For those of us who are part of the LGBTQ plus community, so much of it has to do with the emotions of it all, because, you know, our family structures tend to be a bit different then the quote unquote normal, uh, in, in this country and around the world. Um, we tend to either, you know, be partnered, but not married or unpartnered or people, you know, we don't we are partnered, we are married, but we don't have kids or, you know, the family structure is just not quite the same a lot of the time. And so that being the case, there are a lot of mental, emotional issues that go along with that. And so this is why I'm so excited to have this particular guest on the show today. Uh, I want to share with you this conversation that I have had with Katie Leikam. Uh, I mentioned her a minute ago, uh, certified gender specialist. She's in private practice and licensed to see clients in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Texas and Florida. She's also a public speaker and an educator, and she's spoken at Gender Odyssey Los Angeles, among others. She also authored the gender identity journal Prompts and Practices for Exploration and Self-Discovery. So great book there, if you'd like to check that out, and you'll see why I was so excited to speak with Katie when you hear our conversation, here it is. Welcome, Katie Leikam to take pride in retirement. Katie, welcome.

Speaker4:
Thank you. I'm thrilled to be here.

Speaker1:
Now you are, um, you're a therapist. You are someone who works with members of the LGBTQ plus community, um, specifically working on trans issues. But tell me a little bit, um, about who. About who you are and and what you do.

Speaker4:
Okay. Yeah, you're you're exactly right. Um, I'm a mental health therapist. I'm an lshw. So based in social work, um, I work mostly with the trans community. Um, I'd say that's about 98% of my caseload. And I do individual sessions. Um, I also teach other therapists through continuing education how to be trans affirming. Um, and I wrote a book, um, The Gender Identity Journal, uh, to explore your gender identity. Um, and I also, um, with clients I work with chronic illness, ADHD, autistic clients, and religious trauma mostly. And coming out exploring your gender.

Speaker1:
Very good. Well, talk about how you, um, got started doing the work that you do as well, because you are you're a cisgender woman, um, who is married to a man. And so people might be like, oh, wait a minute, this is this might be a little bit outside that what you would expect. So how did you get started in this line of work?

Speaker4:
Yeah. So, um, I, I had a friend. I lived in Athens, Georgia for about a decade, and I had a friend that, um, we were we were acquaintances, um, before she moved to California. And when she came back, she had transitioned. And, um, it was my first time really sitting down. I remember we were, like, in a waffle House, and I met her after she had come back. It was my first time really sitting down with someone who was trans and, and talking and, and being, like, acclimated to someone who had transitioned. And her and I became wonderful friends. Um, she was actually the maid of honor in my wedding. Um, and through her. I met, uh, like a dinner party, monthly dinner party of a lot of trans women. And this was over a decade ago. This was a long time ago. So it was back when people still needed, um, like 6 to 12 months of therapy before they could start hormones. And it kind of upset me and, you know, made my, like, social justice, um, spidey senses come up. And I said that when I got fully licensed, I wanted to open a practice to break down barriers for the trans community. So it was all just being, um, being introduced to the community and, and becoming friends and, and then, um, through all that, my self-exploration, um, I realized that I was queer myself. Um, and so I am a part of the community, even though I'm married to a guy, I'm bisexual. So it's just been an interesting journey.

Speaker1:
Yeah, it's one of those don't judge a book by its cover kind of situations there. Um, and, you know, what would you say, you know, in your own experience, um, with, with your friend initially and then through the years in your, in your practice and in your life, what are some of the, the biggest things that people at large don't necessarily understand, um, about gender identity?

Speaker4:
You know, I think so. There's a few things. There's lots of things that people don't understand about gender identity. Um, one thing is that it's not a choice. Much like sexuality is not a choice. Gender identity is not a choice either. Um, people don't choose to be transgender. Um, I mean, with all the bills and legislation and the hate crimes and just everything that's happening, just just know that nobody would choose this unless it was truly, truly genuine. And then, um, I was just talking about this with a client yesterday. Um, is that sexuality? Um, and who who you love. Your sexuality is not. Directly related to gender identity. So people assume, oh well, like I had a client whose dad asked them their trans woman oh, do you do you still like women or what does this make you? Are you going to change who you like? Um, so just know that there are two different things. And, um, that's I think that's the biggest thing is, is it's not a choice and it's it's separate from sexuality.

Speaker1:
Yeah. Sometimes it can just get lumped together. And I feel like in, in people's minds it all does. But it's all just as I think, um, at least in my own personal experience, sexuality is on a spectrum. I think gender identity is on a spectrum as well. There's a big, um, you know, there's a lot of there's a lot of talk. And I think growing understanding about that and about how that the sort of binary, um, doesn't fit a lot of people. Right.

Speaker4:
Exactly. Um, and, and gender identity is also separate from presentation. So, um, you are correct. Gender identity is a spectrum. There's, um, trans men, trans masculine people, non-binary people, trans feminine people and trans women. And that doesn't even include people who are a gender or gender fluid. Um, and also, I mean, like, I have teenagers, they're trans masculine or they're trans guys, but they still enjoy wearing a skirt every so often. And so their parents questioned them, like, are you really trans? But but like I said, presentation doesn't directly correlate to gender identity either. Yeah.

Speaker1:
I think one of the one of the more famous examples of that I think currently is probably Jonathan Van Ness, who is who identifies as trans, and a lot of times now will wear like a dress, but still has like the big full beard and everything. And it really is I think it's on a spectrum. And, and I think a lot of what you say is so true is that, you know, it's not um, and I talk about this in retirement planning a lot, too. It's not like a one size fits all kind of a thing. It's, you know, everybody in their situation, in their personal life, in their financial life, whatever it is, is different. And so understanding and appreciating that, I think, means so much, especially to the people who fall outside what society considers the norm. Right.

Speaker4:
Exactly. Yes. Exactly. Yeah.

Speaker1:
And so and talk about that too. I mean, because, you know, a lot of what I discuss on this show does have to do with with finances and with aging and all of that. And so much of that with the LGBTQ+ community, um, is just, is just different by its very nature. We have different types of family units. We have different types of relationships that we are are in. And so what have you found in your practice and in your experience? That is, you know, a major struggle or some of the major struggles that people go through as queer people as we get older?

Speaker4:
Yeah. So I would say that if if you're a queer person and you're, you're not partnered, um, as you get older, loneliness is a really big factor. Um, you know, you're you're coming home every day and you might not have a partner at home. And as you get older, the the scene and the city might not be something that you're interested in. And there's not as many opportunities for the LGBTQ community to gather or, you know, socialize, um, outside of, you know, partying. There's softball leagues and choirs and things like that, but not not really much of a a good, um, kind of sober, um, socialization. Um, so loneliness is one thing. Um, members of the LGBTQ community might have grief over not having children or grandchildren. Um, they see their friends, um, you know, babysitting their grandkids and that that could have some feelings. Um, they might have feelings about not having a retirement or a partner for double income. Um, you know, that's a big thing. If we're, you know, this is a retirement podcast. So that's a big thing to think about. Um, is that, you know, if you didn't if you didn't get married, you might not have a partner for double income.

Speaker4:
Um, and then advanced directives. Um, I did want to talk about that. I was a hospice social worker for a while. So if if someone's, you know, unpartnered, there could be a very, very big need to set up an advanced directive so someone can execute your will or your wishes, um, without any legal. Um. Ramifications. And then if your partner, even if your partner, there can still be that grief over not having children or, um, just. Just those those kind of unique obstacles I was reading. This is a little, um, a little clinical, but I was reading Erik Erikson's Stages of Development, and it said that one of the stages of development from 30 to 50 is like establishing a family. Um, so I thought about how that really wasn't LGBTQ aligned or friendly because our, you know, our families might be just, you know, two people. Um, so, so I thought I noticed that when I was kind of researching for this podcast. Um, yeah.

Speaker1:
Yeah, yeah, it's funny that you say say that that way because my, my husband and I have been we've been together for over 15 years and we've been married for over 12 years now. Um, so it's like. And now, you know, I'm in my early 40s, I'm like, okay, well, I've, I guess I was done building my family 15 years ago and didn't quite know it. So. Yeah, I mean, that's that's very true. Um, and and there is, I mean, even in my own, my own personal life, like my dad before he passed, I know that he wanted us to have a grandchild for for him. He's got one. We have a niece and and actually I have two nieces. The other one's on the other side of the family. But we have a niece on this side of the family, my side. And, uh, you know, my dad loved, absolutely loved her. They were like, best friends. And I know that he wanted another grandchild. And, um, there is a certain amount of guilt now that he has passed, um, in my mind that that we didn't give him that. Um, and so I think that's not uncommon. It sounds like.

Speaker4:
Yeah, it's it's really not uncommon. And, and moving past that guilt, um, you know, sometimes therapy can help, um, sometimes building your purpose in life. Um, another stage of development is generativity versus stagnation. Um, so kind of realizing how you contributed to society, how you contributed to your family, um, you know, even though you didn't produce a grandchild, you know, you might have shown up every Christmas and been a role model to your niece. Um, so just thinking about these things in a more kind way to yourself.

Speaker1:
Yeah. I think being kind to yourself is so important and and difficult, I think for a lot of us to do. Um, so, you know, also, I think one one thing that popped into my mind as I was thinking about our conversation today ahead of time, um, was just, you know, the fact that, uh, you know, people as they get older, I think whether they're partnered or not, uh, if they don't have children or maybe they don't have a large extended family or something might be thinking, okay, when I get older, if I need long term care, for example, who in the world is going to take care of me? I might not necessarily want to go into the nursing home or into a facility if I don't have to. Um, who in the world is going to take care of me? Is that that another thing that you've found?

Speaker4:
It definitely is. Um, that's why I was that's what I was mentioning, like, earlier in the show was, um, to have an advanced directive and, you know, talk about who's going to who's going to care for you in your place. Um, if you don't want to go into a nursing home, you know, that does create a challenge, because who's going to care for you? And I know that you mentioned that I'm cis, but and married to married to a guy, but, um, I have a friend, um, you know, a friend. I've known her for 12 years. Um, I refer to her as, like, my best girlfriend. And, um, we have this, like, pact that, you know, if if my husband passes away, we're going to move in together. And, you know, she's also single and unmarried. So my husband's been like, you know what? If it gets to the point where she, you know, has some chronic pain and needs a place to stay, like, she can just be our roommate, you know? So so I think that having a plan like that would be a good option. You know, think about, especially if you're unpartnered or even if you're partnered like I am. You know what? What are you going to do if your partner passes away? Or who are you going to stay with? Is anybody going to take you in? Especially like you said, if you don't want long term care?

Speaker1:
Yeah. It's so important to just have a plan. And, you know, I mean, no matter how you come up with that plan, make sure it's a plan that makes sense to you. It's something that aligns with your wishes and and not anybody else's. Um, exactly. Super, super important. Um, you know, I mean, what also have you. And, um, you know, with people who are, you know, worried about maybe I think obviously, you know, we talk about, at least statistically, the number one reason that people say get divorced later in life are financial reasons. Um, what are maybe some unique challenges that LGBTQ+ folks face, um, in your experience financially, especially as, as they age?

Speaker4:
Um, I think that if there is not as much money, um, not as much retirement, I think people are concerned about where they're going to live, how they're going to pay their mortgage. You know, who's gonna who's gonna who's like, if there's no children. Um, sometimes children would arrange for their parents to be in long term care and help with the finances. So there is kind of that fear that you don't have someone. You know, to place put you in placement or or, you know, help you pay for, uh, retirement or, um, I know some people sell their house previously, um, to not get stuck in their house, um, being, uh, used for long term care. So who do we who do we give our house to? You know, who do we sell our house to? Um, so there are some unique challenges around finances with that. Um, and you mentioned couples getting divorced, you know, over finances. And, you know, people who are in the LGBTQ community can get divorced as well over finances. Um, and then that creates a unique challenge because you were previously partnered and felt like you had a game plan, kind of, and now you're suddenly not. And you also don't have children. So.

Speaker1:
Yeah, it's, you know, you think you just when you think you've got it all figured out. Sometimes the life happens. Yeah. And you don't. And that's why I sort of like I always like to tell people plan for whatever could happen. Like, obviously we don't have a crystal ball and we can't, you know, say, oh, well, this is what my life situation is going to be x, y, z number of years from now. But, um, control the things that you can and plan for the unknowns.

Speaker4:
Right? Right. Definitely. And and with my, with my experience in hospice, I did want to talk about, um, advanced directives, if you don't mind. Yeah.

Speaker1:
Please do please go further into that because I know that, you know, people might have heard that term, obviously. And you've mentioned it here just a couple of times so far. But talk about what an advanced directive is and how easy or difficult it is to to put one of those in place.

Speaker4:
Yeah. So an advanced directive basically states your wishes, um, before you pass away. Um, it's like, do you want to be on life support? Do you want, um, food? Do you want water? It's very specific. Um, to your wishes. Um, and it even goes into like, is there something you want to do? It can be as, as as important as and as detailed as. Is there something you want done at your funeral? Is there a special song you want to play? Is there someone that you want to speak? Um. Is there it's it's a little different from a will. So it doesn't really talk about finances, but it's basically everything that's not the finances. Um, you know, uh, and then it's very important because it names who's going to make those decisions for you if you're incapacitated and can't do it for yourself. So the specific to the LGBTQ community is who are you going to choose you. You might have a partner and you know, that might be the obvious choice, but if you're unpartnered, then you need to choose one, two, three people you know that can that can honor your wishes and be there for you. And then you need to give this to your health care providers.

Speaker4:
Like, for instance, I'm in Atlanta, so I have a lot of health care providers at Emory. So Emory has a copy of my advanced directive, um, already right now, even at my age. So that's that's very important. And as far as how to create one, um, you can go to a lawyer and create one, um, and, you know, they'll, they'll usually whip it up and in and lump it in when you do your will or trust. Um, but you can also just Google, uh, an advanced directive. One of the ones we used in hospice was called the Five Wishes. Um, and and I don't I can't speak for other states, but I know that in Georgia, as long as you have two unrelated witnesses to sign it, um, it is a legally binding advance directive. So if you're finances aren't in a row that you can, you know, pay for a will or advance directive, you can, um, get one from the internet and, and get it signed. Um, if you want to go as far as getting it notarized, you can. But otherwise it's it's kind of pretty simple. And I think the hardest part is, is making the decisions and really thinking about what you want.

Speaker1:
Yeah, I think so as well. My dad actually had, um, an advance directive. My mom has one, um, as well. And, you know, I mean, it is it's those big decisions that, you know, if I am in a situation where I cannot tell you what I want, this is what I want. Here it is in black and white, written down, um, in a, in a legally binding document so that there's no, uh, discussion to be had about it. This is what I want. And or, as you say, here's who can make a decision on my behalf. Someone who I trust and, um, like, you know, with my with my dad, of course, it was my mom. And, you know, with my mom, it's my sister and I. And so, yeah, it's a very, very important thing, um, to have as part of that. End of life planning, which is something that, you know, and we talk about that a lot on the show, too. It's it goes to like, you know, getting life insurance and, and all of those types of things, um, you know, final expense coverage is something that we talk about on occasion. Also, it's not like, you know, the happiest discussion to have because as human beings, we don't like to necessarily talk about death. We like to talk about life and living and having fun. But it's a necessary thing. And that's, um, but it can be a struggle to, to discuss.

Speaker4:
It can be a struggle to discuss. And, you know, again, that's another thing that you might, um, want to seek therapy for. Um, if you're having really a hard time with in the life discussions and end of life plans. Um, and, and it can be hard. Like I said, if you're if you're part of the LGBTQ community, it can be hard to make the decision of who who to make those who to speak in your place. If you're not partnered or you know, if you want someone other than your partner. Um, but that is a unique challenge. And then, um, another unique challenge I wanted to speak about is, is your your will. Um, and if you have a trust, you know, if you if you didn't have children, what do you do? Um, I know a lot of times pets are very important to members of the LGBTQ community. Um, and I mean, even, like, my pets are like my children right now. Um, so, you know, I have people who are come to session and they're worried about what's going to happen to their animals. Um, and you can actually, if I'm not mistaken, Matt, you would know this better than I do, is that you can name finances to care for your animals. Um, and so, so it's just it is a unique, unique challenge for the LGBTQ community.

Speaker1:
Yeah. You can designate that, um, you know, particular type of, uh, fund, uh, to be able to, to take care of your animals. Name. Of course. Who, who you want them to be in their care as well. And, and all of that. And. Yeah, it's, um, and that's another thing that that we, um, I'm a future guest on the show is going to talk about is, is estate planning and a lot of the different things that we've been talking about here. And one of those things, you know, you mentioned was a trust. And people might say, oh, well, do I have to be filthy rich to have a trust? You really don't. I mean, you know, it's just it's it's a legal vehicle for making sure that your, you know, wishes are carried out. Basically, it's just another way to be able to, like, protect and control again, the things that you can control in life.

Speaker4:
Right, right. And, you know, a lot of my clients are politically active. Um, so a trust could even be like when I pass away my house, the, the, you know, the proceeds from my house can go to this organization or that organization if you don't have children. So.

Speaker1:
Yeah, it really is. Um, you know, basically kind of whatever you want to do with it in a in a legal fashion, of course. Um, Katie, anything else that you wanted to add or talk about before we, uh, before we run here in a couple of minutes?

Speaker4:
Um, I, you know, I guess I just want to talk about the fact that, um, I want to talk about therapy for a second. Sure. Since I'm a therapist and absolutely.

Speaker1:
Well, and I. And I'm a big advocate for it as well. I've, I've, uh, you know, off and on, at least for years, uh, been in therapy. And it is something that I am a big, big believer in even just having somebody to, to talk to about what is going on in your life.

Speaker4:
Yeah. And that's, that's kind of what I was going to talk about was the stigma of therapy. I think a lot of people think that if you go to therapy, it means you're depressed or you have anxiety or you're bipolar or something pretty significant. And the truth is, is that therapy can be, like you said, just to have somebody to talk to. You don't have to have some sort of, you know, diagnostic mental health illness to go to therapy. And you're not necessarily going to be labeled with one either to go to therapy. So, you know, therapy is open to people, like, for instance, like this conversation, you know, you might just want to sit down with a therapist and talk about your end of life planning. Um, so, you know, that has nothing to do with depression or mental health, but you still are open to going to see a therapist. You know, it's not I just don't want to stigmatize therapy. I want to lift that stigma.

Speaker1:
Yeah. It's so important. And it's, um, you know, I think that a person who we recently lost just in the last few months, Rosalynn Carter, was someone who I think did a lot to of work during her life to sort of, um, try and and release that stigma from, you know, mental health and all of that obviously still work to do. But she got us started, I think, down that road in a big way. And thank you for continuing that, because it's a very important it's a very important thing. And it doesn't mean you know it just because you are, you know, seeing a therapist or some sort of mental health professional that you are in any way, um, quote unquote crazy or, you know, should be, you know, thinking twice about that or anything. I think lesser of yourself because it's a very normal thing. Just as you take care of your of your body, of your physical body, um, take care of your of your mind, take care of your, um, of your mental health, your emotional health as well. It's so, so important.

Speaker4:
Yes, definitely. Definitely. Um, just just super important. And, you know, I think, you know, people will go to a business coach and or or a life coach. And if you would go to a business coach or a life coach, you should be comfortable going to a therapist, because most of the difference is just that therapy's going to process not only your your goals and, you know, business goals, but it'll process your emotions surrounding those.

Speaker1:
Yeah, absolutely. And that's that's the thing because there are emotions attached to pretty much everything that we do in life. And, um, you know, often we'll talk about, you know, stay away from investing with emotion and that kind of thing because that can get you into a lot of financial trouble. That's a place where we want you to keep your emotions out of it. Right. But there are emotions attached to pretty much everything that we do. And so not only being able to process the actual thing, whatever that might be, but the emotions involved in it and intertwined with it, um, is, is just essential, I feel. And, uh, thank you for doing the work that you do.

Speaker4:
Thank you. I really, really appreciate you having me on this show. Um, I went back to school, um, after like 15, 20 years into my career of a therapist to get my MBA. So, um, you know, when you mentioned that this was a retirement show and financial literacy, it really, really piqued my interest.

Speaker1:
Well, great. Well, I thank you for coming on, and, yeah, it's, you know, I was I was looking at kind of the impetus for the show was I was looking around at, at resources, uh, for LGBTQ plus people in this, you know, sort of retirement financial planning space out there, there weren't many to be seen that focused specifically on the community. So, um, that's why I do what I do, um, is to really sort of give back to the community that has given me so much in my life. So, um, I appreciate you being a part of it. And if people want to get in touch with you, um, after hearing you on the show today, how can they do that?

Speaker4:
Yeah, my website is my name. You know what Katie Lakome.com on. That side is a contact form. That's the easiest way to get through me. It's well, email me immediately when you fill it out. Um, and if you prefer, um, phone, that's fine too. Um, I generally like to, instead of paying phone tags, set up a time to call and I offer free ten minute phone consults for people to see if we're a good fit. Um, my number is (400) 494-8618 six, and it'll hopefully be in the show notes.

Speaker1:
Very good. We'll put that there and direct people, uh, to get in touch with you via any of those ways. Yeah. Um, Katie, thank you so much once again for being a part of Take Pride in Retirement.

Speaker4:
Thank you, I appreciate it.

Speaker1:
I am so glad that I was able to have Katie Leikam on the show. And, uh, I really hope that you got as much out of that conversation as I did. So many issues that we face and so many different ways to be able to overcome those, to be able to, um, to persevere, to power through, but not only to persevere, not only to to make it, but to thrive as well as we age as LGBTQ folks, no matter what part of the extended LGBTQ+ community you fall into, um, you know, you can have a retirement that you can take pride in. There are resources out there for you if you have any struggles, like we were just talking about, um, there are ways to overcome, to survive and to thrive. And I just thank Katie so, so much for being a part of the show today. She, uh, has really, really, um, just brought so much to the table and I hope to have her back once again on the show. Now, of course, you can listen to past episodes of Take Pride in Retirement. Maybe this is the first time you have joined us. Uh, maybe you saw where Katie posted on social media that she was going to be on the show. Or maybe you got a blast email that she was going to be on the show, for example. And this is your first time joining us. A lot of great content here on Take Pride in Retirement. Just go to take pride in retirement.com. That is take pride in retirement.com. You can email me Matt at take pride in retirement.com as well or give us a call (855) 246-9211.

Speaker1:
That's 855246 9211. And you'll get in touch with me. And we can talk about any of these issues, a free consultation, uh, with no obligation to continue on. You'll only work with me if it's best for you. I want to help you review your current financial situation, give you a plan that you can then stick to and work, and then compare where you're headed to, where you could be headed with a plan that we come up with for you to give you a retirement you can take pride in. That's the goal. You can also listen to back episodes of Take Pride in Retirement at the website. Once again, that's Take Pride in retirement.com, and please like and subscribe to the podcast as well anywhere you get podcasts. We are there. So I would appreciate that a lot. And also on YouTube, go to the YouTube channel to search. Take Pride in retirement. Uh, give us a like subscribe to us. That really helps the algorithm and helps us grow. Well, that is going to do it for this edition of Take Pride in Retirement. Really. Thank you again for joining me. And thank you for for just being a part of things, being a part of the family and the community here at this show. We really want to just continue to grow and to thrive in what we're doing here, and we hope that you get something out of it each and every week. And as I say, every time we end a show. Thank you again so much for joining us. Take pride in yourselves and take care of each other. We'll see you next time.

Speaker2:
Thanks for listening to Take Pride in Retirement. Members of the LGBTQ+ community deserve to work with a fiduciary financial advisor who puts their needs first to schedule a free, no obligation consultation with Matt McClure and the team at Active Wealth Management. Call (855) 246-9211 or go online to take pride in retirement. Dot com investment advisory services offered through Brookstone Capital Management LLC. Bcm, a registered investment Advisor, BCM and Active Wealth Management Incorporated are independent of each other. Insurance products and services are not offered through BCM, but are offered and sold through individually licensed and appointed agents.

Speaker1:
Registered investment advisors and investment advisor representatives act as fiduciaries for all of our investment management clients. We have an obligation to act in the best interest of our clients and to make full disclosure of any conflicts of interest, if any, exist. When it comes to retirement planning, focus more on income than building a big nest egg. I'm Matt McClure with the Retirement Radio Network, powered by Amara Life. It may sound counterintuitive, but that big nest egg number you probably have in your head means a lot less than the income you'll have each month in retirement.

Speaker5:
The math has all changed here, but the bottom line is time is your superpower. Save as much as you can.

Speaker1:
Nbc news senior business correspondent Christine Romans recently said on the. Today show that you should not just rely on Social Security in your retirement years.

Speaker5:
Social security alone is not likely to support you in the manner to which you're accustomed, right? You want to wait as long as possible to get that maybe 70. If you wait till you're 70 to collect Social Security, you'll get the biggest check.

Speaker1:
And she says, contribute to your retirement accounts early and often.

Speaker5:
So this is from fidelity. They say at age 30 you should have one time your salary in a retirement account when you're 30. So think about what your salary is at age 30, and that's how much you should have in your entire retirement account. By 50 it should be six. This is where I start to freak out, because I know a lot of people can't and don't do this by age 67, it should be ten.

Speaker1:
Times a personal pension. Using a fixed indexed annuity is also a great option for many pre-retirees and retirees to consider. It offers protection from market volatility and a guaranteed stream of income that will last the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. Having a big nest egg may sound nice, but focusing more on income will set you up for success in your golden years. So do you know where your paychecks and play checks will come from each month when you leave the workforce? That's a key question to consider as you plan for what's ahead with the Retirement Radio Network. Powered by Amira Life. I'm Matt McClure.

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