September 29, 2025 • 7 mins
Matthew Eilers, founder and CEO of Medalist Weath Management, joins Steve and Bret for a Talk of the Town.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
It's Talk of the Town on news radio Wind thirteen
hundred and one oh six nine FM. Steve Kelly and
Brett Pakita from West Michigan's Morning News joining us. The
founder and CEO of Medalist Wealth Management, also the host
on television and radio of the retirement Caddy, Matthew Eilers
is with us. Matt Is that okay to call you Matt.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yes, sir, you can call me Matt only my mom
calls me Matthew.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Well, if you get in trouble in the middle of this.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Will Matthew, Oh no, if I've stepped over, that's right.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So tell us a little bit about what's behind the
TV and radio show. You hear it on Wood Radio
Sundays at eight. It's all over local television as well.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Absolutely, So the name in and of itself is a
little bit of kind of what we're doing behind the scenes.
It's a retirement caddy. Think of a caddy as someone
that's kind of going along with you on a journey.
So if you're not a golfer out there and you're
wondering what a caddy does, they're the ones that help
you navigate the course and select the clubs and really
create the right strategy. We look at retirement planning the
(00:59):
exact same way, where we help people create a strategy
to get through the golf course called retirement or to
get through their financial life, so to speak. So on
the TV show and on our radio show, we try
and simplify the complex and we try and just kind
of break down some of the different strategies and tools
(01:19):
and ideas that are out there to help retirees. Here
in West Michigan.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Love the name. I am a golfer, so is Steve.
So we can follow that analogy. And the reason I
like it is because there's two different things that always change, Right,
The golf course always changes, and then if caddies change,
players or sometimes the players have to change their swing
even Yeah, you've got to deal with a lot of
different factors, just like you do in retirement. I'm going
through that process right now. I'm in my middle fifties,
(01:44):
and as you look at it, it's exciting, but there's
also a lot of things that I didn't know and
maybe didn't even learn from my parents or grandparents.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah. No, absolutely, I like to think of retirement as
it's not the end of something, and maybe the end
of a working career, but it's the beginning of something else.
And if you look at the best golfers in the world,
when they're going to go and compete on an eighteen
hole course for a tournament that lasts four days, hopefully
if they make the cut, they have a plan for
(02:12):
how they're going to navigate that round. They know on
what holes, what clubs they're going to hit, They have
a strategy for every single little thing. They have a
strategy for if they landed on this section of the green,
you know where they're going to be, you know, putting
to and aiming and all these different things. And retirement
I really think needs to be looked at the same
way where you need a plan, and that's one of
(02:34):
the things when we visit with families here in West
Michigan almost every single day, we see that they're really
looking for that. They're looking for something that's written and
something that is spelled out for exactly how they should
get through retirement, how they should manage their risk, how
they should be invested, what they should own, how they
should create income. So we help those families really unpack
(02:55):
all of that.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
We're talking to Matthew Eilers, founder and CEO of Medallist
Wealth Management. You'll hear the show on what radio Sundays
at eight called the Retirement Caddy, and you know, just
do a show on radio and television. You also host
some educational workshops and events around West Michigan too. Tell
us a little bit about what those look like.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely, honestly, that's probably the most fun I get to
have is when I'm in front of a room full
of people with a marker and a whiteboard and we
get to just break down concepts and what I have
been really intentional about with our educational workshops, whether you're
joining us for dinner at a wonderful restaurant, you know,
we like to host them at either Ruth's Chris or
(03:35):
a Cooper's Hawk, and we have a kind of a
rotation that we go through. We use other beautiful venues
like the Amy Vanandel Library and Ada. Regardless of where
we are, the content is going to be educational. I
never want someone coming into some sort of a presentation
where we're explaining investments and products and they feel like
(03:55):
they're being sold something, because I know for many that
at ten workshops like that a little bit frustrated. So
we keep it purely educational. There's nothing for sale. It's
all about breaking down some of the really complex things
that are out there in this world of retirement planning
and helping people learn a little bit. So we really
(04:16):
enjoy doing that.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
He's Matt Eiler's founder and CEO Medalist Wealth Management again
the website medalistwealth dot com, the TV or radio show,
the Retirement Caddy. So let me ask you this, Matt,
as we go through this process, both Steve and I
and we've had, you know, parents pass away, so then
we're dealing with that. We're in that kind of OREO
generation effort described right. So you've got your kids below
(04:37):
you that you're taking care of, you're taking care of
your elders, and then you've got your own retirement to plan.
What are some of the biggest things or that you see,
not necessarily mistakes, but frustrate people are or maybe they're
not aware of like they should be.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, well, I'm really glad you asked that, because we
call it the blind spots, and these are things that
are out there that can creep up on people and
they don't realize how expended so they could make retirement.
It boils down to a few, the first being market volatility,
you know, to the degree of the ups and the
downs on the market and how that's going to affect you.
Inflation is another one of those things, and I think
(05:12):
we're all feeling it right now because if we've been
to the store recently, everything's just more expensive, right. And then,
you know, one of the really big ones, and we
spend probably more time than most in this arena, is taxes.
And I apologize if I just cussed on the radio,
because in my family, that's like a cuss word, because
I hate taxes. I hate paying them, and I don't
(05:32):
want to pay, you know, a penny more than what
I owe. And really, what we're trying to do with
retirees is help them lower their overall tax bill throughout
retirement to the lowest that it could possibly be. And
that's by implementing tax strategy. Now I'm not a CPA.
I don't prepare returns, but we engage in active tax
strategy to help lower, you know, the tax burden throughout retirement.
(05:56):
Because the biggest thing that's facing you know, guys like
you that are looking at retirement here from the beginning
and starting to script this out is most of your
nest egg likely has never been taxed. You've got a
silent partner in if you have a four oh one
k or an ira, and that's Uncle Sam, and we
have to figure out how can we make sure that
(06:16):
he's not getting overpaid during year golden years?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Oh boy, I guess so. You can find out more
at metalistwealth dot com, medalistwealth dot com, or be listening
to wood Radio on Sunday nights at eight o'clock. Lastly,
your firm has built something around what you call the
tailor made wealth plan. Can you touch on that a little?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah. Absolutely, it's what we call really kind of our
finished product, because you know a common misconception in this
industry is that it's just about investments. Guess what we
can get access to all the same investments that any
big box planning firm out there can. What we bring
to the table is having a written plan for why
(06:55):
you're going to own, what you're going to own, and
how you're going to use those things, having that infused
with a tax strategy, and having it infused with having
the right estate planning documents, whether that's trusts and wills
and powers of attorney, and coordinating with those attorneys to
help you get those things done and really thinking through
retirement from a comprehensive basis as opposed to just owning
(07:19):
some different stocks and bonds on a portfolio. So we
like to have a written plan that tells people when
their paychecks are going to start, where they're going to
come from, how long they're going to last, and how
they're going to go up over time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I'm on board. Find out more in medalistwealth dot com. Again,
be listening to the Retirement Caddy on Wood Radio Sunday
nights at eight. You can't miss it on local television
as well. Matt Eiler's founder and CEO of Medalist Wealth Management.
It has been a pleasure. Thanks for your time, taxsfellas,
it was great to be here. It's Talk of the
Town on news radio w thirteen hundred and one oh
(07:51):
six nine FM.
It's Talk of the Town on news radio Wind thirteen
hundred and one oh six nine FM. Steve Kelly and
Brett Pakita from West Michigan's Morning News joining us. The
founder and CEO of Medalist Wealth Management, also the host
on television and radio of the retirement Caddy, Matthew Eilers
is with us. Matt Is that okay to call you Matt.
Speaker 2 (00:19):
Yes, sir, you can call me Matt only my mom
calls me Matthew.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Well, if you get in trouble in the middle of this.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
Will Matthew, Oh no, if I've stepped over, that's right.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
So tell us a little bit about what's behind the
TV and radio show. You hear it on Wood Radio
Sundays at eight. It's all over local television as well.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
Absolutely, So the name in and of itself is a
little bit of kind of what we're doing behind the scenes.
It's a retirement caddy. Think of a caddy as someone
that's kind of going along with you on a journey.
So if you're not a golfer out there and you're
wondering what a caddy does, they're the ones that help
you navigate the course and select the clubs and really
create the right strategy. We look at retirement planning the
(00:59):
exact same way, where we help people create a strategy
to get through the golf course called retirement or to
get through their financial life, so to speak. So on
the TV show and on our radio show, we try
and simplify the complex and we try and just kind
of break down some of the different strategies and tools
(01:19):
and ideas that are out there to help retirees. Here
in West Michigan.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
Love the name. I am a golfer, so is Steve.
So we can follow that analogy. And the reason I
like it is because there's two different things that always change, Right,
The golf course always changes, and then if caddies change,
players or sometimes the players have to change their swing
even Yeah, you've got to deal with a lot of
different factors, just like you do in retirement. I'm going
through that process right now. I'm in my middle fifties,
(01:44):
and as you look at it, it's exciting, but there's
also a lot of things that I didn't know and
maybe didn't even learn from my parents or grandparents.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Yeah. No, absolutely, I like to think of retirement as
it's not the end of something, and maybe the end
of a working career, but it's the beginning of something else.
And if you look at the best golfers in the world,
when they're going to go and compete on an eighteen
hole course for a tournament that lasts four days, hopefully
if they make the cut, they have a plan for
(02:12):
how they're going to navigate that round. They know on
what holes, what clubs they're going to hit, They have
a strategy for every single little thing. They have a
strategy for if they landed on this section of the green,
you know where they're going to be, you know, putting
to and aiming and all these different things. And retirement
I really think needs to be looked at the same
way where you need a plan, and that's one of
(02:34):
the things when we visit with families here in West
Michigan almost every single day, we see that they're really
looking for that. They're looking for something that's written and
something that is spelled out for exactly how they should
get through retirement, how they should manage their risk, how
they should be invested, what they should own, how they
should create income. So we help those families really unpack
(02:55):
all of that.
Speaker 1 (02:56):
We're talking to Matthew Eilers, founder and CEO of Medallist
Wealth Management. You'll hear the show on what radio Sundays
at eight called the Retirement Caddy, and you know, just
do a show on radio and television. You also host
some educational workshops and events around West Michigan too. Tell
us a little bit about what those look like.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Absolutely, honestly, that's probably the most fun I get to
have is when I'm in front of a room full
of people with a marker and a whiteboard and we
get to just break down concepts and what I have
been really intentional about with our educational workshops, whether you're
joining us for dinner at a wonderful restaurant, you know,
we like to host them at either Ruth's Chris or
(03:35):
a Cooper's Hawk, and we have a kind of a
rotation that we go through. We use other beautiful venues
like the Amy Vanandel Library and Ada. Regardless of where
we are, the content is going to be educational. I
never want someone coming into some sort of a presentation
where we're explaining investments and products and they feel like
(03:55):
they're being sold something, because I know for many that
at ten workshops like that a little bit frustrated. So
we keep it purely educational. There's nothing for sale. It's
all about breaking down some of the really complex things
that are out there in this world of retirement planning
and helping people learn a little bit. So we really
(04:16):
enjoy doing that.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
He's Matt Eiler's founder and CEO Medalist Wealth Management again
the website medalistwealth dot com, the TV or radio show,
the Retirement Caddy. So let me ask you this, Matt,
as we go through this process, both Steve and I
and we've had, you know, parents pass away, so then
we're dealing with that. We're in that kind of OREO
generation effort described right. So you've got your kids below
(04:37):
you that you're taking care of, you're taking care of
your elders, and then you've got your own retirement to plan.
What are some of the biggest things or that you see,
not necessarily mistakes, but frustrate people are or maybe they're
not aware of like they should be.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah, well, I'm really glad you asked that, because we
call it the blind spots, and these are things that
are out there that can creep up on people and
they don't realize how expended so they could make retirement.
It boils down to a few, the first being market volatility,
you know, to the degree of the ups and the
downs on the market and how that's going to affect you.
Inflation is another one of those things, and I think
(05:12):
we're all feeling it right now because if we've been
to the store recently, everything's just more expensive, right. And then,
you know, one of the really big ones, and we
spend probably more time than most in this arena, is taxes.
And I apologize if I just cussed on the radio,
because in my family, that's like a cuss word, because
I hate taxes. I hate paying them, and I don't
(05:32):
want to pay, you know, a penny more than what
I owe. And really, what we're trying to do with
retirees is help them lower their overall tax bill throughout
retirement to the lowest that it could possibly be. And
that's by implementing tax strategy. Now I'm not a CPA.
I don't prepare returns, but we engage in active tax
strategy to help lower, you know, the tax burden throughout retirement.
(05:56):
Because the biggest thing that's facing you know, guys like
you that are looking at retirement here from the beginning
and starting to script this out is most of your
nest egg likely has never been taxed. You've got a
silent partner in if you have a four oh one
k or an ira, and that's Uncle Sam, and we
have to figure out how can we make sure that
(06:16):
he's not getting overpaid during year golden years?
Speaker 1 (06:19):
Oh boy, I guess so. You can find out more
at metalistwealth dot com, medalistwealth dot com, or be listening
to wood Radio on Sunday nights at eight o'clock. Lastly,
your firm has built something around what you call the
tailor made wealth plan. Can you touch on that a little?
Speaker 2 (06:35):
Yeah. Absolutely, it's what we call really kind of our
finished product, because you know a common misconception in this
industry is that it's just about investments. Guess what we
can get access to all the same investments that any
big box planning firm out there can. What we bring
to the table is having a written plan for why
(06:55):
you're going to own, what you're going to own, and
how you're going to use those things, having that infused
with a tax strategy, and having it infused with having
the right estate planning documents, whether that's trusts and wills
and powers of attorney, and coordinating with those attorneys to
help you get those things done and really thinking through
retirement from a comprehensive basis as opposed to just owning
(07:19):
some different stocks and bonds on a portfolio. So we
like to have a written plan that tells people when
their paychecks are going to start, where they're going to
come from, how long they're going to last, and how
they're going to go up over time.
Speaker 1 (07:31):
I'm on board. Find out more in medalistwealth dot com. Again,
be listening to the Retirement Caddy on Wood Radio Sunday
nights at eight. You can't miss it on local television
as well. Matt Eiler's founder and CEO of Medalist Wealth Management.
It has been a pleasure. Thanks for your time, taxsfellas,
it was great to be here. It's Talk of the
Town on news radio w thirteen hundred and one oh
(07:51):
six nine FM.
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