Safe Money Radio

Your Retirement Fear Is Bigger Than Reality

On this week's episode of Safe Money Radio, host Brett A. Blake sits down with David Starr, a recently retired network engineer from Plano, Texas, with four decades in software and IT. His story is a real-retiree account of a fear that turned out bigger than what actually happened, one a lot of pre-retirees will recognize. Part of his answer came from The MoneyWorks Group in Dallas and a plain-language conversation about income.

by, Brett Blake
Oct 20, 2026

About This Blog

Some retirements are chosen. David Starr's was not. The fear that came with it turned out to be the least accurate part of the story.

The Notice Nobody Wants

David did not see it coming. He had been with a very large global company, roughly forty thousand employees, and he considered himself part of the core network group. "That's why I thought I was safe," he told Brett. "I mean, I was major, major. I worked seven days a week a lot of times." When the merger closed, the downsizing followed. The end-of-May notice gave him ninety days, with pay running through the end of the year. Technically, he was still on the payroll during the recording. Practically, he was retired. He had planned on working several more years. He liked his job, he was good at it, and he had no intention of leaving anytime soon. None of that mattered once the merger closed. The choice about his career was made in a room he was not part of.

The First Fear Was Not Financial

For a career workaholic, the first shock was not about money. It was about purpose. "I always worried that I would have no purpose," David said. "I'd been working since I was fourteen years old continuously. That's all I knew was work." The identity attached to his career had been the load-bearing wall of his week. For decades, he associated who he was with what he did. That association does not dissolve on notice day. It follows you into the first Monday morning without a job. The financial fear followed close behind. David had been saving carefully, with a 401(k), company stock, and an HSA, but with no written plan to turn those assets into income. "I thought I would have time to make a plan," he said. "I've got plenty of time to sit down and figure this out. I got caught by surprise."

The Fear That Follows Every Retiree

David's biggest worry was the one most retirees carry, which is running out of money. He was not imagining it. According to the Allianz Reclaiming the Future Study, 64% of retirees worry more about running out of money than dying. That fear tends to eat at retirees day in and day out, regardless of how carefully they saved. For David, it hit hard because the retirement was unplanned. He had savings, but no picture of how those savings would become monthly income he could count on. "I was really worried," he said. "I had savings. I didn't know if it was enough." That gap between what you have and what you know how to use is the gap Safe Money Radio was built to close.

The Meeting That Changed His Mind

David turned to the internet. He searched for a retirement advisor, read reviews, and landed on The MoneyWorks Group, a Plano-based firm led by David Duston. The MoneyWorks team walked him through his finances the way a good coach walks through a play, which is patiently, specifically, and without jargon he could not follow. "I'm a complete financial neophyte," David said. "Ask me a software question, no problem. Ask me a financial question and it's over my head." What surprised him was that the first meeting did not require him to hand over his investments. He came in with a spreadsheet listing every asset, every account, every number he could pull. The team looked at it and told him what most retirees do not expect to hear at a first advisor meeting: you're in good shape, you just need a plan for how to use it. That answer, delivered in plain language, changed the shape of the conversation. What David actually needed was clarity, and the MoneyWorks team gave it to him in a way he could act on.

What Retirement Actually Feels Like

Two weeks after David retired, his former company called and asked him to come back. He said no. "You made my decision for me," he told them. "I'm done. Fully cooked." The urgency of the anxiety had already passed. What replaced it was time. "I'm pursuing my hobbies again," David said. "I was really consumed by work and now I've got all the time in the world." He and his wife went to a museum on a weekday afternoon, when the crowds were somewhere else. He picked up a side project as a professional Santa, running virtual and in-person visits out of a green-screen studio at his home under the name PlanoSanta.com. For a man who had spent four decades in enterprise IT, the shift felt strange for about a minute and welcome for every minute after. "I didn't realize how much I would enjoy it," he told Brett.

What David Would Tell You

David's fear of retirement turned out to be bigger than the retirement itself. That gap, between what he braced for and what he actually got, is the heart of his story. His message at the end of the episode was two words, spoken twice. "Make a plan. Make a plan." He did not say it to be clever. He said it because the difference between his first week retired and his tenth was the difference between panic and peace, and the only thing that made that shift possible was a written plan. For the pre-retiree who has been dreading the same notice, David's story offers two things at once. The fear being carried into retirement is often bigger than what actually happens. And a plan, made now, can make that gap even wider. That is the trade worth making.

FAQ

What happened to David Starr's job? David worked as a network engineer at a large global company for four decades. A merger closed his role, and he received notice at the end of May with a transition period before his last day.

Why was David Starr afraid of retirement? Two fears stood out. He worried retirement would take away his sense of purpose after a lifetime of work. He also worried about running out of money, since he had savings but no formal plan for turning them into income.

What helped David Starr feel less afraid? A plain-language conversation with The MoneyWorks Group in Dallas. The team reviewed his full financial picture and helped him build a plan, which is what actually quieted the fear, not the size of his savings alone.

Did David Starr's fear match what actually happened? It did not. Two weeks into retirement, his former employer called and offered his job back. He turned it down. The purpose he feared losing came back through hobbies and time with his wife, and the money fear eased once he had a plan in place.

Where To Start

Want to take the next step? Run your own numbers with the free WIYN calculator at brettblake.annuity.com, which takes about three minutes. Ready to talk it through? Book a Retirement Clarity Session with Brett. Not a sales call. Not a slide deck. Your numbers, not ours.

You've spent decades filling the bucket. It might only take an afternoon to learn how to turn on the tap without running it dry.

Worry Less. Live Longer.

About the host

Brett A. Blake is the host of Safe Money Radio and the CEO of Annuity.com, Inc. He lives in Gilbert, Arizona with his wife Erin and their five children and three grandchildren. Before Annuity.com, he built and scaled a business from roughly fifty million to nearly one billion in revenue. He is a builder before he is an executive and a fellow traveler on the same retirement questions his listeners are asking.

About the guest

David Starr is a recently retired network engineer from Plano, Texas, with four decades in software and IT. His retirement came earlier than expected after a corporate merger closed his role. When he is not enjoying his hobbies, David runs Plano Santa, a professional Santa Claus business offering virtual and in-person visits across North Texas.

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Follow Brett A. Blake

LinkedIn: @brettblake | Retirement tools: brettblake.annuity.com | Email: brett.blake@annuity.com

Follow David Starr

Website: planosanta.com | Email: Santa@PlanoSanta.com | Facebook: David Starr

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DISCLAIMER: Safe Money Radio is for educational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. Products discussed may not be appropriate for everyone. Always consult a licensed professional before making financial decisions. Product availability varies by state. Our agents are licensed to sell insurance products, including annuity products that guarantee retirement income based on the financial strength of the insurance company providing the product. Annuities may not be suitable for everyone. Guarantees are not government-backed or provided by Annuity.com, Inc. Guest experiences are personal and are not representative of any specific product outcome. Safe Money Radio, Brett A. Blake, and Annuity.com, Inc. are not affiliated with The MoneyWorks Group and do not endorse or guarantee its services. Annuity.com, Inc. is a licensed insurance agency. National Producer Number (NPN): 21086345. Licensed in all states where required by law. Doing business in Florida and California as "Annuity.com Insurance Marketing," CA License No. 6013124. In New York, licensed as Annuity.com Insurance Solutions, License No. LA-1860109.

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