Every year, a few stories just seem to cut through the noise and get everyone talking. You know the ones—they pop up in your inbox, on your LinkedIn feed, and in conversations with colleagues. They’re the articles that make you nod your head and think, “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m seeing with my clients.”
Looking back at 2025, it was a fascinating mix, wasn’t it? We saw everything from a massive demographic shift getting a new name to a very public, very messy business divorce between two social media giants. We also spent a lot of time thinking about the youngest generation in the workforce and the future of taxes under a new administration.
It really shows the breadth of what we have to keep on our radar. So, let's pour a cup of coffee and walk through the five stories that really captured our attention and got us all talking this past year.
Is the ‘Age Wave’ Finally Hitting the Shore?
We’ve been talking about the baby boomers retiring for what feels like decades, right? But this year, the conversation felt different, more urgent. A big reason for that was an interview with Ken Dychtwald, a gerontologist who has been studying this for his entire career. He’s the guy who coined the term “Age Wave,” and it just perfectly captures this tsunami of change we’re all navigating.
Dychtwald’s point is simple but profound: people are living longer, and that completely changes the game for retirement. The whole idea of the “golden years” is being rewritten. It’s not just about having enough money anymore. It’s about planning for 20, 30, or even 40 years of life post-career, and dealing with all the health and aging challenges that come with it.
He and his wife, Maddy, founded a think tank to study this, looking at how this shift impacts everything from business to healthcare. For us in the trenches, his work was a powerful reminder that our jobs are getting way more complex. We’re not just financial planners anymore; we’re longevity planners. And that’s a conversation that clearly resonated with everyone this year.
You Couldn’t Look Away: The Brecka vs. Cardone Showdown
Okay, let’s talk about the story you couldn’t escape if you tried. The public fallout between social media personalities Gary Brecka and Grant Cardone was like watching a car crash in slow motion. It was messy, it was personal, and it all played out online and in the courts.
It all started when their business partnership in a wellness company, 10X Health System, completely imploded. What followed was a flurry of holiday lawsuits. Seriously, they filed them the day after Christmas.
First, Brecka and his wife, Sage Workinger, hit Elena Cardone (Grant’s wife) with a massive $100 million defamation lawsuit in Florida. They filed another one for breach of contract. Not to be outdone, Grant Cardone filed his own federal lawsuit against the Brecka camp that same day. The language in the court filings made it crystal clear: this bridge wasn't just burned, it was nuked from orbit.
Why did this story get so much attention? I think it’s because it’s a modern-day cautionary tale about partnerships, personal brands, and the risks of building a business in the social media spotlight. When things are good, they're great. But when they go bad, they go really bad, and everyone has a front-row seat. Thankfully, the dueling lawsuits were eventually settled, but the whole saga was a stark reminder of the drama that can unfold when big money and big personalities collide.
The Kids Are Not Alright: A Tough Report on Gen Z
Just when we thought we were getting a handle on millennials, along comes Gen Z. And a recent MetLife study basically sent up a flare, telling us that this new generation entering the workforce is really struggling.
The report, which is set to drop in March, gave us a sneak peek, and the findings were sobering. Todd Katz, an executive at MetLife, put it bluntly: “Gen Z is not necessarily doing well.”
Here’s the thing: the study looked at “holistic health”—financial, physical, mental, and social well-being. And while it was down across the board for all employees (no big surprise there), it was down the most for Gen Z. They’re scoring lower on these measures than people their age did just five years ago.
This is a huge deal for us. Gen Z is poised to make up nearly half the workforce in the next five years. If they’re starting their careers on shaky ground, financially and emotionally, that has massive implications for employers, for the benefits we help design, and for the financial planning they so clearly need. It’s a wake-up call that the support systems and advice we offer might need a serious update for this new generation.
What a Trump Presidency Means for the Estate Tax
Politics and money are always a hot topic, and this year was no exception. With Donald Trump winning a return to the White House, the question on every high-net-worth client’s mind was: what’s going to happen to the estate tax?
As you know, the generous estate tax exemption we’ve had under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) is set to expire at the end of 2025. If nothing is done, it snaps back to the old, much lower amount. John Resnick of The Resnick Group put it in perspective, calling it a potential "biggest estate tax increase in 85 years." That’s the kind of phrase that gets clients to pick up the phone.
John and his wife Billie, who are deep in the world of estate planning, said their phones were ringing off the hook. Now, with Trump’s win and Republicans likely to control Congress, there’s a sense of relief among their clients. The general feeling is that the high exemption will probably be extended or maybe even eliminated altogether.
But as Billie Resnick pointed out, nothing is ever certain in Washington. While clients can breathe a little easier for now, it highlights just how much political winds can shift our planning strategies. It was a stark reminder that we always have to be ready to pivot.
Taking the Scenic Route with Annuities
Finally, one of the most popular pieces this year wasn’t about drama or politics at all. It was a simple, elegant analogy that made a complex product feel incredibly intuitive.
The author compared diversifying within a fixed index annuity to taking a road trip on the old Route 66. You could take the interstate—it’s faster and more direct. But by choosing the scenic route, you discover all these hidden gems you would have otherwise missed. Quirky diners, cool landmarks, amazing views. The journey becomes part of the reward.
That’s what allocating premiums to different model blends within an FIA is like. It’s not just about a single, straight path to retirement income. It’s about exploring different options that can improve the overall experience, smooth out the ride, and maybe even get your clients to their destination with more in the tank.
I love this because it’s a perfect example of how we can better communicate what we do. We’re often stuck in a world of jargon and complex charts. This story resonated because it was human. It took an abstract financial strategy and made it feel like a summer road trip. And sometimes, that’s the most powerful tool we have.
So there you have it. From demographic tsunamis to social media meltdowns, these were the conversations that defined our year. It shows that our world is constantly changing, driven by new generations, political shifts, and the timeless complexities of human relationships. It’ll be fascinating to see what stories grab our attention next.
