Not only does Erik make the best videos about Medicare on RU-vid, but he is easily one of the best humans we have met in the Medicare business. Thanks for the shoutout
Another fantastic channel is from Dr. Ed Weir PhD, and he was a Social Security manager for over 20 years. He goes live on RU-vid & TikTok almost every day. Great guy.
Agree. He is a great supplement to medicare focused channels because Medicare and Social Security are intertwined and he has a perspective that's worth listening to. His delivery is dry, he doesn't have the flair,, but I'm OK with that.
I'm turning 65 in September and have been binge watching You Tube Medicare channels trying to comprehend the Medicare and SS maze. I have come across almost of the channels you mentioned and many more. I come back to your channel often because of the video's like this one (credibility). I have learned enough that I know some of the so-called Medicare channels are nothing more than marketing "feeders" toward a specific insurance provider and also spread fear about other plans. Thanks for being transparent, honest, open and informative so we can make the best possible decision for our personal circumstance and location.
I'm so glad our channel is one of your go-to options. Also happy to know our intended style of transparency and openness is perceived as such. Appreciate you!
Erik, Like many in the comments have said, I have sampled (and subscribed to) all of the channels you recommended in this video. I eventually bought Medicare Supplement and Part D Plans from Christopher's company and have been very happy with our choice and the way we are treated by his team. The fact that you are willing to give a recommendation to other channels (your direct competitors!) gives you such credibility when you say you just want us (the consumers) to have the best information to make the best choices for us! On top of that, your classy decision to NOT name the channels you don't recommend is a clear example of the kind of person you are! Keep up the great work and we'll keep watching!
Thank you Mike! So glad to hear you had a good experience with Chris and his team! If you're happy, I'm happy :) The world is a big place. Plenty of opportunities for all of us!
Interesting. I have used the RU-vid videos by Erik, Abtinsurance & Chris Westfall as my gotos for Medicare information I the past few years. They helped me correct some bad decisions I made when I first entered the realm of Medicare. Thanks to them all.
Funny, before I decided to sign up for Medicare with a supplement, I watched all the experts suggested, including your channel, Erik. All of you helped me make the best decision. Thank you!
It's funny to see the RU-vid algorithm at work. One of the YT channels you mention, Medicare Specialist Abt Insurance, is at the top of my suggested videos list.
Thank you! Went through and changed them all to the actual youtube handle rather than copying and pasting the channel landing page link. Thank you for pointing that out!
Just your channel and Stephanie Abt's. I am not familiar with the others and my Medicare journey begins September 1st, as my wife will retire Aug 31 and so will her employer group coverage for me. Your approach and ability to make an extremely complicated and intimidating subject be more easily understood and less ominous is appreciated. Thanks Erik.
Your honest endorsement of competitors is both admirable and refreshing. Not surprisingly, I have subscribed to and/or watched videos from all the aforementioned channels. So, we are in agreement, for what it's worth. Truly, your presentation and content is top tier. And your growing number of subscribers reflect this. Well done!
Thank you. I have stumbled across some of those other channels thanks to the RU-vid algorithms. After watching sample videos of a few of them, I stop. I personally do not enjoy their style. I wish you continued success. To me you are the easiest to listen to and the most genuine. May God continue to bless you, your family and your business.
No one can top Marvin with the white board. Stephanie has a relaxed, informative manner. Christopher is quite knowledgeable but I wouldn’t want to cut him off in traffic. I’m not familiar with the others.
I'm 70, working full time, and plan to retire in two years. I have been on my company medical plan, Cigna, which has been fairly good. The plan renews in September. My question is, should I wait to switch to plan B upon my retirement ?
If your company has 20+ employees and the coverage is as good as Medicare at a lower cost... probably. We cover this in detail in this video here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-RnQMrn7vo_4.htmlsi=LfN1whICAmgF4Mdi There is a free download you can use to put in your company numbers to compare with Medicare national averages. It'll all depend on where you live though.
When I started looking at Medicare I found Boomer Benefits, but ended up going with Christopher, I also like Marvin, and of course and you and the other 3 are the ones I recommend.
WHen I got on medicare I didn't know about you.... I worked with Boomer Benefits and their team.. They have been very professional and knowledgeable. Good Video..
I called the Medicareschool. The lady that took my call spoke about politics and religion right from the start. It was almost impossible to get her back on track with my medicare questions. I finally just ended the conversation and picked another company.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experience. Us humans are complex creatures. I wonder if something that was going on during her day was weighing heavily on her. Hopefully you got what you needed from the other company! Appreciate you!
I had a very positive experience with the Medicareschool. When I called, the person couldn't answer my question, so he scheduled a phone call with someone else and that person was very knowledgeable and didn't go off on a tangent.
I called them asking a question about upcoming enrollment. The lady I spoke to was helpful, kind, fun to speak to and on topic. No politics or religion involved at all. It seems you got a bad apple in the group and if it were me I would notify Medicareschool about your experience.
Winchester Blue. I just started watching your informative videos, please advise which video to watch if you are thinking Advantage plan. I will have roughly $50.000 in a RHS not an HSA.
Thank you for watching! So glad you found us! This one is good for advantage: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5Tl0Ut1tTEs.html And this one: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Yf_LRloXmSo.htmlsi=FXh2GnCdj1rTwLAr Hope those help!
Thank you so much for including your background. I have followed you for a while and am really pleased with your material and your presentation methods. Medicare is such a monster at times and you really help people like me to get down to how it works. You are very professional and have great delivery. And I love your attention to detail.
I used Stephanie Abt's agency this year for my supplement and can confirm a good experience. I got a 2nd opinion from Christopher Westfall's agency (which ended up being an identical recommendation to Stephanie's agency) but while the specific agent was good I was disappointed by some pushy follow up sales tactics from Christopher after I let them know I was going with my first option.
Thank you for watching and sharing your experience. I wish I knew all of the various agencies and their general business practices. I do think we are all doing our best to help. We all just have different methods to execute that the way we feel is best. Appreciate you!
Great video. I appreciate you share with us these wonderful channels. I am happy to know that I already followed these channels and I learned a lot about the complex topic of medicare. Keep up the good work.
Hey Erik, nice video. I've watched all of the Medicare RU-vid people you mentioned except for Mindset. (I'll have to put him on my list.). I'm in Texas and I used Boomer Benefits to get my Plan N and Part D. I only used them since you don't handle Texas and they are right here in my backyard of Fort Worth. Danielle and her team are great. I do agree that Christopher Westfall is passionate and his arguments for Plan N are the main reason that I researched everything and went with Plan N. Medicare School guy is informative but pushes Plan G all the time -- kind of odd. Anyway, thanks again for this video and all you do.
Thank you so much Tom! I've heard great things about Boomer Benefits. Glad to know you had a good experience. You've been very kind to me for a very long time, so I'm glad you are all set. I am not personally licensed in Texas, but I do now have partners who are and can help with Texas now :) Appreciate you Tom!
Just so you know, Plan G pays a higher commission than Plan N, so that may be a reason why Medicare School pushes it so much. I also noticed that he routinely does not point out the negatives about Plan G, the main downside being that Plan G not only typically has a higher monthly premium, but also has higher annual rate increases than Plan N because it is the Guaranteed Issue plan. He simply never mentions anything about that.
Thank you for these informative videos! Such a great service you provide for those of us trying to learn through all the confusion out there. Having said that, I'm turning 65 in January 2025. I live in Oregon and am having great difficulty finding someone who I might speak with in person about this. Can you recommend anyone on the Western side of the country, or do you believe that buying a healthcare plan via telephone or the internet is advisable? I really value face to face service...thanks again.
I've been speaking with the people at Medicare Family. They've been very helpful and (I think) up front.I do hope they're not on your list of "avoid them" companies. I've jest entered my enrollment window for Medicare. Please feel free to DM me if there's anything you think I should know.
I got my Part N through Westfall's company. I like the way he calls out insurance companies, especially their fraud and waste. My agent at his company calls me every year to see if I'm still happy and tells me of any changes. Later I watched ABT, she has some very good videos, and Medicare school. Medicare school has good videos, but he pushes part G very hard, which isn't a good fit for me, but would be for someone who has several appointments a month. None of them like the "Advantage" programs except for people who have little income and veterans who get most of their healthcare through the VA.
You made the right choice. Medigap plan G has much higher rate increases than N. My advice is if you want comprehensive coverage, choose N or if you lead a healthy lifestyle and just want catastrophic coverage and have some money set aside choose HDG.
Thanks for telling us about some other channels you like, and very good to not name any of the ones you don't. Anybody can create a channel and like everything on the net, no facts are required to back what they say. I've watched a few videos on other channels about Medicare and always learn something, even if only that I don't care for their style.
Thank you so much for being here with us my fellow November birthday :) November will be an interesting time to consider Medicare with all the changes coming to 2025. Hopefully we can continue to put out content you find useful!
Not to diminish the role and value of the RU-vid channels, what also matters are the people at the agency when we call. I have worked with Abt Insurance run by Stephanie Abt mentioned in your video. I was upfront that I was asking for my brother, but they took time and patience to answer questions at my level of Medicare understanding. without judgment or bias or agenda. I thought they presented the pros and cons of each approach completely and fairly, and let us choose without pushing or commitment. I was very impressed. They were not like my idea of a typical insurance agent.
I would call you a salt of the earth kind of guy and am thankful for the great content you provide. I do like Chris as well for going after those that need going after.
Agree. I did purchase my supp from Boomer Benefits (referred by a bestie) and I am extremely happy with them and their service. That said? This is my fave/go-to channel for all things Medicare.
I've seen a few of the channels on the list, and some are new (stuff to do this weekend). So far, the top 2 that work for me are the Nerds (yes, YOU!) and Abt Insurance, mainly because I feel cared about. Haha, I see Stephanie commented about her "measly" height. In that case, you all are people I can look up to with my 170 cm.
Recognizing Stephanie Abt's thumbnail I wondered what possible criticism you could have against her. Then I realized that when you said "Watch Out" you weren't warning us away you were praising these other channels. Maybe "Watch For" rather than "Watch Out" would have been better, unless of course you thought it would drive more traffic lol. Had I not found a good local agent I would have contacted Stephanie, she seems very level headed and the best of the YT channels..
Are you licensed in Indiana? Not retiring for awhile yet, unfortunately, due to "life happens" events delaying my retirement plans. I've had phone appointments with a couple of agencies (one of which you mentioned, one which you didn't) and lets just say I was underwhelmed with the individual agents I spoke with, at both agencies. So the search continues, with your agency being on my short list of ones to speak with in the future. Love your content and your honesty. Much appreciated!!
Happy to help however we can. I'm not personally licensed in Indiana, but I have partners who are 🙂 Erik@theretirementnerds.com is much email and happy to make an introduction if you'd like.
Wow … been a Subscriber of yours since one of your YT videos came across my YT feed. You have a great way of explaining things and was surprised that my first go to guy … Marvin ( Medicare School ) was on your list. I have gone back and forth with him many times in his comment sections.
Thank you for following both of us and interacting with us in the comments as well! Hopefully they are responsive in the comments and get you the answers you need. Love his whiteboard... super jealous.
@@Theretirementnerds I keep thinking of the 10 Commandments scene from HISTORY OF THE WORLD, PART I. He comes down with 3 tablets, and oops, 1 falls. So that's how we ended up with just 10 and not 15. Technology keeps improving. As you can imagine, those of us on or just starting with Medicare, well, we had actual blackboards in school. And if you were the teacher's pet, you could be assigned/asked to go outside and clap them out to get all the chalk dust off (no mask included). I'm a sub to the Abt and medicareschool channels, so good to know they are on your good list.
@@Theretirementnerds Sorry, no! Massachusetts! We have no N, no G, etc, just one plan plus a grandfathered version for people who are over a certain age. But it’s hard to choose a carrier, other coverages etc.
@WinstonSmithGPT haha! Massachusetts makes more sense! I was going to say... there's quite a lot out there about Medicare Advantage. .. I am doing a road trip this summer that will hit all 48 states, including MA and I'll be breaking down how each state works, so be sure to watch for the one on Massachusetts!
Well another first of it's kind video. Medicare School with Mr. Marvin and AbtinsuranceAgency with Ms. Stephanie do a good job. I do not know the others but if you say they are good that is all I need to know. I would add Dr Ed Weir Phd. He is a former district Manager for Social Security and if someone needs help he actually does these forums where you can ask him questions. He is amazing when it comes to social security. One of the things I love is you are all from different states. I love the down to Earth talk on our level knowledge in explaining this complicated system. But what truly stuck out for me with this channel was telling us to not do it on our own, even if it is not you get someone in our area. You even said you would find someone you trusted if we couldn't. That went a long way for me. Then you allowed me to send you a copy of my son's cookbook which meant you trusted me as well. I see some of these sites have commented and thanked you. Much respect to them for doing that. I can see that 100k coming soon! Awesome Video!
Appreciate you so much! I'm not a great cook, but I do enjoy it and have tried a few meals. So good! And the seasoning has long since run out because it was used on pretty much every dinner meal I had. I'll check out Dr. Weir!
I'm curious, too. But actually, I can maybe figure it out, as there are a few agents, along with non-agents who dispense general retirement or financial advice, who regularly post Medicare-related RU-vid videos, who were not mentioned. And in most cases, I find those non-mentioned RU-vidrs to be, shall we say, "polarizing", and very opinionated.
We went with Christopher Westfall and I like so many of the other channels. I watch their videos so they'll get some income from me one way or the other. I don't support the big white screen guy, don't like that channel.
I am not physically located there, but I do have partners licensed and familiar with Medicare plans and companies there. Happy to help however we can. My email is erik@theretirementnerds.com if you need help :)
In my humble opinion, if you can afford a medigap policy and Part D drug plan stay away from Advantage Plans. You will be taken off original Medicare and put in a private health insurance plan. You will be at their mercy on coverages or lack of, and might not be able to switch back to original Medicare.
Hi Tom, in most cases, I would agree with you. For those that can afford them, they are great. There are some exceptions in certain areas of the country, but in most cases, supplements are amazing. Those costs can become an issue for many people though.
I'm not personally licensed there, but I have partners that I trust with my life who are. My email is erik@theretirementnerds.com if you want to send me an email and I can connect you to them over email.
@teams3345 not following what you mean there. No one paid me for this. Took a pay cut to go on my own. It's more like the opposite of going away from the money for more time and freedom.
