Guests: Karen Stawicki & Samantha Irish | Co-Founders, Compass Financial (Charleston, SC) - A mother-daughter team on a mission to help high-net-worth clients minimize taxes and build a retirement income they can’t outlive.

Episode Overview:

Markets wobble. Taxes rise. Most retirees feel trapped and afraid they’ll outlive their savings or pay more to the IRS than they must. In this episode, Karen Stawicki and Samantha Irish unveil the strategies behind their bestselling book, The Power of Three, and reveal how ordinary families can reclaim control over both taxes and income.

They call themselves the “Retirement Power Duo,” and in this dynamic conversation you’ll learn:

How to Fire the IRS as Your Silent Business Partner

• Why most retirees unknowingly overpay taxes year after year.

• The simple repositioning tactics that shift dollars into tax-friendly vehicles—so the IRS stops acting as a silent partner in your nest egg.

• Real-life case studies: how one couple paid $500K less to the IRS over a lifetime.

Whether you’re a seasoned advisor or a retiree terrified of stock-market swings and hidden tax traps, Karen and Sam deliver truth bombs, actionable insights, and the road map you need to build a “tax-sheltered, guaranteed-income ecosystem.” Tune in to discover how to break free from Wall Street’s fear tactics, fire the IRS from your retirement plan, and reboot your Roth strategy before markets rebound.

Tune in to learn:

• How to keep every dollar performing a defined role (income, growth, liquidity) so you never worry about running out of money

• The “silent tax trap” hiding in traditional IRAs and 401(k)s—and how to escape it

• Why a mother-daughter approach to wealth management can be the secret to your financial peace of mind

Don’t miss Karen & Sam on the “Financial Freedom with Tom Hegna” podcast and discover the strategies to outsmart the IRS, guarantee steady income, and create the retirement you’ve always envisioned.

Guests:

Karen Stawicki grew up in a family that valued both hard work and service. She followed her natural affinity for numbers into 45-year career guiding families through market downturns and retirement transitions. In 2013, Karen launched Compass Financial with a simple promise: never abandon a plan when markets get tough. Her expertise in tax-efficient annuities and legacy planning has earned her local TV appearances, media features, and a loyal “Compass family” of clients who trust her to safeguard their financial futures.

Samantha Irish didn’t major in finance—she majored in sociology and communications to learn what her mom didn’t teach her. After a decade in marketing and consulting, Sam joined Compass Financial to marry her empathy and problem-solving skills with Karen’s deep expertise. As the “future of Compass Financial,” she helps each client feel heard, supported, and empowered to rewrite their own retirement story. Together, Karen and Sam combine logic and heart, structure and soul, to create “bullet-proof” retirement plans for high-net-worth families.

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Winston P. Stevenson is the President and founder of Winston and Companies Retirement and Financial Services, a full service, holistic “Boutique” style family owned and operated financial firm. Boutique is a word used to describe how we prioritize building strong, personalized relationships with clients, fostering trust, and understanding. Our smaller size and focused approach allow for greater flexibility and agility in responding to client needs. Our clients love our small intimate approach to planning compared to the impersonal experience of the large wire houses and banks.

Shane Stevenson entered the financial services industry to help others feel secure in retirement. He enjoys seeing clients’ satisfaction as they uncover a sense of direction, which pushes him to help even more clients achieve their dreams.

Although officially joining the family firm in 2019, Shane has been around the firm since the day he was born, helping behind the scenes and even attending some client appointments in a baby carrier. Shane graduated from the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona, earning a degree in business administration and marketing.

As a licensed advisor Shane holds Life and Accident and Health or Sickness Insurance Licenses in the state of Arizona. He has also passed the FINRA Series 65 Uniform Investment Adviser Law Examination.

Shane and his wife Kelly were married in November of 2022 at the Boyce Thompson Arboretum in Superior, AZ.

He is proud to be part of his family business, and he loves building relationships with clients. Away from the office, Shane and Kelly like to travel and spend time with their dogs.

Their holistic approach to retirement planning focuses on 5 key areas

1. Income Planning
2. Investment Planning for and in Retirement
3. Tax planning
4. Health Care Planning
5. Legacy Planning

Winston P. Stevenson and Shane A. Stevenson are both fully licensed fiduciary investment advisor representatives with their RIA Brookstone Capital Management utilizing the custodial services of Charles Schwab.

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Steve Hutchinson has been involved in the financial industry for over 40 years. For the last 10 years he has been developing software for the financial industry. Known as the advisor's advisor, that software has helped evaluate billions of dollars of tax deferred investments, IRA and 401ks.

In 2015, after analyzing billions of dollars in bank-managed life insurance and annuities using Internal Rate of Return (IRR) at various life expectancy's, Steve Hutchinson developed foundational concepts for evaluating and comparing annuities. This process helped determine the fair value of these financial products which ultimately led to the development of the Roth Blueprint.

This powerful tool is specifically designed for Fixed Index Annuities and is transforming how advisors manage portfolios. By digitizing the Roth conversion process, it aims to unlock significant value for both advisors and their clients, offering new possibilities for tax-free retirement planning. Hutchinson and his team are particularly focused on educating and supporting advisors in leveraging this unique technology and are dedicated to helping one million people achieve a tax-free retirement with this innovative tool.

Tom is great at breaking down complex financial topics into easy-to-understand strategies. This episode is specifically designed for anyone looking to build a more stable financial future. A top financial expert Hutchinson has achieved the impossible. Two years ago Hutchinson was diagnosed with inoperable stage 4 cancer and given 6 months to live. Against all odds a surgeon agreed to operate and saved Hutchinson’s life. One in a million Hutchinson’s legacy is to help a million.

To learn more about the Roth Blueprint visit https://rothblueprint.com/.

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Retirement planner Parker Faulkner has been helping families retire happily for nearly three decades. Every sound retirement plan, Parker believes, must start with a detailed structure for future monthly income. He truly enjoys showing clients the ways in which they can achieve their financial goals, and often, retire sooner than they ever would have expected. In addition to decades of work in retirement planning, Parker Faulkner possesses a Series 65 license to work as an Investment Advisor Representative, which means he offers his clients true one–stop financial services. Whether choosing investments or preparing for life after their working careers, Missourians rely on the expertise at Faulkner’s Retire Happy Network.

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Daniel Rondberg is an American serial entrepreneur, author, and keynote speaker. He is best known for his bestselling books No Stone Left Unturned, Retirement Simplified, and Pay Off Your Mortgage. Rondberg is the founder of The Rondberg Companies under which he operates Cass & Spence Publishing, and Advisors to Authors.

Rondberg is regarded for his clear-cut style of writing and storytelling that focuses straight on the core concepts of financial strategies on tax reduction and retirement security. He was listed in Yahoo Finance’s top ten entrepreneurs of 2021 in February 2021.

Rondberg has been featured in several media outlets including Forbes, CNBC, and New York Times, The financial Magazine, and others. He has also appeared on multiple radio shows, YouTube channels, and podcasts.

Early Life and Education

Rondberg was born in 1989 in Arizona. While growing up, he was influenced by his father's work as an insurance agent with Nation's First Financial. Later, this also served as a major motivation for him to join the industry.

Career

Rondberg started his career in 2012 when he joined JPMorgan Chase as a relationship banker and small business specialist. After working for a year at this firm, he joined the family business in 2013 and took his career to another level. He has been working for over eight years at this firm, during which Rondberg has acquired national attention as a tax reduction and retirement income specialist.

In 2018, Rondberg started working at Life Hacks as an Annuity Agent Specialist. A year later, he became an instructor at The Retirement Research Foundation, where he teaches multiple courses to financial professionals and pre-retirees.

In 2020, Rondberg established Cass & Spence Publishing and The Rondberg Companies. Cass & Spence Publishing focuses on providing educational and inspirational materials for children, entrepreneurs, and financial professionals. The Rondberg Companies is an umbrella firm that owns his retirement practice Generations, a company focused on wealth preservation, and a small publishing company that writes exclusively about retirement. In the same year, Rondberg also founded Advisors to Authors, a consulting firm known for its ghostwriting program for financial experts. The program covers everything from research, book writing, and Amazon launches to bestselling status.

Rondberg has sold his other businesses to focus all of his time and attention on serving his clients. He works as an agent at Nation’s First Financial where he prioritizes helping client’s find their purpose in retirement.

Rondberg also travels globally to host educational seminars for financial professionals and the general public covering a vast range of topics such as retirement security and tax-reduction strategies. Throughout his career, he has also worked as a blog writer contributing to the world-renowned economist Tom Hegna.

Books

Rondberg published his first book on June 12, 2020, entitled No Stone Left Unturned. This financial guide focused on a tax-free privilege hidden in the tax code. Following this success, he soon released Retirement Simplified and Pay Off Your Mortgage. Both of his books have become international bestsellers.

Personal life

Rondberg is married to Jennifer, and they have two daughters named Cassidy and Spencer.

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