The Social Security MISTAKE That Could Cost You BIG ! With Russ Gaiser & Mike Hoeflich

Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast 2.0Thursday, August 20, 2026

Show Notes

ARE YOU MAKING A SIX-FIGURE SOCIAL SECURITY MISTAKE? 💰

Most Americans spend decades building their retirement, but one Social Security decision could impact their income for the rest of their lives.

On this powerful episode of the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast, I sit down with Social Security experts Russ Gaiser, CFP®, CSSCS®, MBA, and Mike Hoeflich, MBA, M.Ed, CSSCS®, CLTC®, co-founders of Retirement Income Headquarters of America and authors of the #1 Amazon bestseller Beyond Break Even: The Essential Guide to Social Security Optimization.

Russ and Mike challenge the traditional question of “When will I break even?” and reveal why Social Security needs to be considered as part of your entire retirement strategy.

We talk about:

🔥 Why claiming Social Security at the wrong time can have lifelong consequences

🔥 Why the traditional “break-even” calculation may not tell the whole story

🔥 How taxes, inflation and longevity can change your retirement equation

🔥 Why married couples need to think about spousal AND survivor benefits

🔥 How Social Security can work alongside your investments and retirement income

🔥 Why protecting the surviving spouse should be part of the conversation

🔥 How smarter planning today can potentially protect more of the wealth you’ve spent a lifetime building

You may only get one shot at making one of the biggest financial decisions of your retirement.

Make it an educated one.

If you’re approaching retirement, or you have parents, friends or family members who are, this is an episode you need to hear and SHARE.

🎧 Listen now. 📲 Subscribe to the Vertical Momentum Resiliency Podcast. ♻️ Share this episode with someone preparing for retirement.