Hosted by: Lorrie Delk Walker

In this heartfelt episode, Lorrie sits down with her husband, Michael Walker, to share his journey to retirement—a path marked by unexpected turns, disciplined financial choices, and a shared commitment to debt-free living. From following Dave Ramsey’s principles to paying off their home, their story offers real-life insight into achieving financial freedom. Lorrie’s personal experience walking through this transition with Michael deepens her empathy and sharpens her advice, allowing her to better support clients facing similar uncertainties.

In this episode we cover:

Why Michael chose to work at Publix (5:25)
Retiring before the age of 65 was important (7:46)
Living on less than you earn is a good first step to financial freedom (16:25)
Even financial advisors do not take their own advice sometimes and go into debt (24:09)
Michael’s biggest fears about retirement (28:57)
How the couple’s age impacted the retirement plan (30:48)
The social security draw and the unnecessary scare that reinforced the statement “trust the plan” (33:29)
What retirement looks like today for Michael (38:24)

Links From the Show:

Publix
The Next Chapter
Environmental Compliance Specialist

Connect with:

Lorrie Delk Walker – Financial Advisor at Allen & Company
Allen & Company – Lorrie Delk Walker
LinkedIn – Lorrie Delk Walker