April 2026: A Simple Walk

We’re already getting the April showers where I live. I can’t wait for the May flowers.
Speaking of showers, this newsletter (I hope) will shower you with useful tips, a book that will make you smile, and a walk to remember.

Here’s the Agenda

1. Weight Loss Drugs, The Medicare Playbook, & The Social Security Series
2. A Book That Will Make You Laugh
3. Words of Wisdom: A Simple Walk That Means More Than It Probably Should

Weight Loss Drugs

You may have seen the articles or headlines about Medicare now covering GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs at $50/month copays.

It is actually federal law that Medicare Part D CANNOT cover weight loss drugs, so the government has created a new “demonstration” program from July 1st, 2026 – December 31st, 2026 where Medicare beneficiaries can get these medications at just $50/month.
It’s called the Medicare GLP-1 Bridge.

However…

1. You must qualify for this program and this is based on certain health conditions and a prior authorization request.
2. This is outside the Part D benefit, which means it is not covered through your Part D plan, it does not apply to your Part D deductibles or out of pocket cap, and it is not guaranteed to continue after December 31st, 2026.

I have an entire video coming out soon that goes over this in more detail, but for the readers out there, here is the Medicare FAQ page on the topic:
https://www.cms.gov/medicare/coverage/prescription-drug-coverage/medicare-glp-1-bridge

The Medicare Playbook

I have been wanting to put together a Medicare playbook for years.

I actually built one at my employer before splitting off, but just haven’t had the time to re-create it completely.

Until now 🙂

The Retirement Nerds Medicare Playbook just went live for 2026!
You can download your free copy here: The Retirement Nerds Medicare Playbook

I’d love your feedback and if you see any errors 🙂
A thousand sets of eyes will be much better at catching my mistakes than just my two eyes.

The Social Security Series

Zacc and I have also been hard at work at putting together a complete video series on Social Security: How it’s calculated, The Menu of benefits you can choose from, Break Even Age Analysis, and Deciding When to File.

Episode 1 of that series went live tonight!

You can click the picture or Click Here to watch 

Book Recommendation

The 100-Year-Old-Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared, Jonas Jonasson

My family and I went on a long road trip to Bend, Oregon and my wife and I wanted to find a book that we would enjoy while the kids listened to their own books, slept, or played on iPads.

This… was the book we chose. And boy are we glad we did!

She and I both found ourselves laughing out loud, and I’m talking… belly laughs… and maybe a few tears (the happy kind) as we listened to this story about a 100-year-old man deciding to climb out his window and go through some funny adventures.

If you’re looking for a read that will lighten your mood, you should check this one out.

Get it Here

Words of Wisdom – A Simple Walk That Means More Than It Probably Should

I read (or listen to) every book I give you in the book recommendations section.
Reading is an obsession, and I find my list of books to read being… a bit overwhelming, but what a great problem to have.

I mostly listen to audiobooks and my time for this comes in the form of yard work each Saturday and going on a daily walk.

My wife is a fitness instructor, and she gets in around 18,000 – 20,000 (or more) steps every day. An absolute beast.

I, on the other hand, spend my time in front of a computer or camera for most of the day, with some basketball and tennis sprinkled in there.
So… I need to find a way to hit my goal of 10,000 steps a day by going on a neighborhood stroll every day.

Two days ago, I was all excited to go on my walk.
I threw my comfortable walking shoes on.
I put my wireless earbuds snugly into my ears with the audio confirmation, “Connected.”
I opened the front door and took a few steps towards the street when I heard, “Wait!”

The Importance of “Me Time.”

These walks are my Me Time.
I know I look cool, calm, and collected on camera (I probably don’t) but in real life, from the moment I get up until I’m laying down to sleep, I’m pretty much always “logged in” to The Retirement Nerds.

I answer emails from wonderful people like you.
I respond to as many comments on YouTube as I can.
I have meetings with my partners to make sure we are helping people.
I am researching topics and ideas for future videos.
I put together thumbnails, clip long videos into shorter ones for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube Shorts.
I work with my video editor on most videos or I edit several myself.

Then… we have the high school basketball practices, taking the kids to and from school, my oldest child’s volleyball practices and games, my middle child’s basketball practices and games, my youngest child’s gymnastics practices, trying to be a present and loving husband…

My point is… these walks… are my alone time.
They are the only real reprieve from the chaos that is middle-aged manhood – which I absolutely love, by the way.

So as I’m taking the first steps into my walk… fully expecting to make meaningful progress with my current book (Dungeon Crawler Carl), taking the time to clear my head, and find new houses and neighborhoods I like…

Side note, we are considering selling our home and moving, so I like to scope out other homes for designs and styles I like.

But…

All of this gets interrupted with that one word… “Wait!”

The Culprit

I turn around.
Standing at the door is my 10-year-old boy.

“Dad, can I come with you?”

The Meaning

I’ve written about this in the past, but the time I have with my kids where they actually want to hang out with me is limited.

My 13-year-old already wants to spend every hour of every day with her friends and my job has become finding fun ways to embarrass her in front of her friends.

But my 10-year-old…
All he wants to do is hang out with dad.
“Dad, can we throw the baseball?”
“Dad, can we go to the gym and shoot hoops?”
“Dad, can we watch Steph Curry highlights?”
“Dad, can I go on your walk with you?”

Before I went out on my own to start The Retirement Nerds, I found myself too often telling him, “Yes, let me finish up this project real quick.” Only to look up, and it was dark outside, and I’d missed the moment.

So… I made a commitment to myself that – if I pursued this adventure – I would jump up and say yes to any opportunity I had to spend quality time with my kids.
Even if it meant I wouldn’t learn what perils Dungeon Crawler Carl would overcome on this walk.

The Walk

No momentous moments happened on the walk.
No deep truths were discussed or eureka moments had.

We mostly walked in silence.
We saw some super interesting houses and he told me which ones he liked.

He asked me a bunch of questions about basketball.

And it was wonderful.

I think the choice to become a parent kind of means I have given up true Me Time for a good stretch of 25 years or so as they become adults.

Right now, I see my kids every day. We get to spend time together… each and every day.

I no longer see my dad daily.
It hasn’t been that way for… 20 years?
But, I do get to see my dad four times a month for our weekly lunches.

Chilis is our restaurant of choice.
The staff all know us and take us to “our table” when we arrive where Kate takes care of us every week.

“The usual today?”
“You know it!”

A bowl of potato soup for him.
The chicken bacon ranch quesadilla for me.

I’m told by most of my friends that it’s crazy that I see my dad THAT much.
They will go months or years without seeing their dad in-person, let alone having any meaningful conversations that aren’t text messages or quick phone calls.

There was a time in our lives where we were all like my son.
All we wanted to do was spend time with mom and dad – even if that just meant a walk around the neighborhood, talking about nothing.

I still get those moments and those chances – both with my son and with my dad.
I won’t always have these opportunities, so I’d be foolish to turn them down when they make themselves available.

Your Challenge

Find the moment this month.
The moment to spend with someone you love.

It might be a spouse or a kid or a neighbor or a friend, but if the opportunity to spend in-person time with them presents itself, take it.

Whether you solve the world’s problems together, or you walk around the neighborhood without saying a word.
Take it.

Thank You
Thank you for being a part of my life.

I hope you have a wonderful month, and I’ll see you in the next newsletter.

Erik

My son on our walk.
He went with me the next day, too.