Thomas C. West - SEIA

11/26/2025

Most of us spend Thanksgiving feeling thankful but not sure what to do with that feeling. We say grace and get back to life as usual once the pie's gone.

Gratitude that stops at words is like a car in the driveway: nice to look at, but it doesn't go anywhere. What transforms it is putting it in motion — an hour a month, a few dollars a week, a call to someone struggling.

https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/the-gratitude-economy

11/19/2025

Ray Kurzweil thinks we're on the brink of "reverse aging." That sounds great, but who gets access? And are we even ready for 120-year lives?

I wrote about the paywall of longevity, healthspan vs. lifespan, and my 102-year-old client who tells me, "Stillness is death. Keep moving."

https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/can-we-outrun-the-clock

11/12/2025

I've learned that people fall into three groups when facing major transitions:

• Planners (30%) have everything organized and anticipate change rather than simply react to it.
• Crashers (20%) live reactively until crisis hits. They rely on luck and someone coming to the rescue.
• Procrastinators (50%) this is most of us. We know what we should do, but don't follow through.

I wrote about this framework and what it means for preparing for major life transitions—whether you're the planner, the procrastinator, or helping someone who's crashing.
https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/planners-procrastinators-and-crashers

10/30/2025

Read the newest The Brew from Signature Estate and Investment Advisors

☕ The latest edition of The Brew is here!
This month’s newsletter dives into:

🔹 What’s Driving the Price of Gold in 2025
Gold has moved sharply higher this year—but it’s not a single story. Explore the global forces driving demand, from central bank buying to rising macro uncertainty.
🔹 What’s Fueling the Move
Strong physical demand in Asia, China ETF inflows, and reserve diversification have all played a role in supporting prices.
🔹 How We’re Thinking About It
Gold can serve as a portfolio diversifier and potential insurance during regime shifts—but it’s not the only opportunity we’re watching.

📘 Stay informed. Stay strategic. Start here: https://bit.ly/Brew1025

10/29/2025

Happy Halloween! The holiday lets us mock death—followed by Día de los Mu***os, our chance to remember those we've lost.

It's the perfect time to ask: If Almost-Dead-Me or Just-Dead-Me is looking back, what's left undone? Unsaid?

I wrote about visualizing our own demise, useful hauntings, and writing Dead Love Letters.

https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/death-becomes-you

10/15/2025

Most of us will age alone at some point. Spouses die, relationships end, and kids drift away (something like 27% of Americans are estranged from their families). But solo aging doesn't have to be depressing, and we can all prepare to age "alone together."
https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/many-of-us-will-age-aloneheres-how

10/08/2025

I've noticed that procrastination changes as we get older. We generally procrastinate less, but when we do, the stakes are higher – health, money, all the big things.

Even the people we'd think would be most on top of things often put them off. I wrote about a client who spent years helping cancer patients face hard truths but couldn't face his own estate plan. And how to slay our own ProcrastinAging™ beasts.

https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/procrastinaging-when-procrastination

10/01/2025

I wrote about a client who taught me that accepting help isn't giving up. It's practicing generosity. A decorated general who said receiving assistance was harder than combat, because it meant letting go of being the captain.

It turns out learning to receive help is one of the most generous things we can do for the people we love.
https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/the-gift-of-receiving

09/24/2025

New links: ways to slow down time, the health benefits of greeting strangers, and Dave Barry's hilarious take on male medical avoidance (one guy walked around with a knife in his chest for 8 years).

Plus a Zen approach to difficult tasks and a neuroscientist's cure for brain rot.

https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/this-weeks-reads-slowing-down-time

09/17/2025

I wrote about how the stuff we buy connects us to old versions of ourselves. And giving up dad basketball and a brand new pair of LeBrons. Do you have closets full of stuff connecting you to your past self?

Let me know. I’m thinking about future posts on how our relationship to our stuff changes as we age.

Read the Substack article here: https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/rehabbing-our-future-selves-as-we

09/10/2025

I wrote about Financial Wellness, with input from my colleague Suzanne Schmitt, who’s helped create some of these programs.

Often, people are unaware that workplace programs monitor their data in real-time. These programs reach out to help navigate divorce paperwork or find emergency caregiving, the moment you update your beneficiaries or take a leave of absence. They solve your problems, then start suggesting products they happen to sell.

More on how to separate the useful parts from the sales pitch over on Age Against the Machine. https://ageagainstmachine.substack.com/p/the-hidden-costs-of-financial-wellness

09/09/2025

When we picture retirement, we tend to imagine the best chapters, including travel, family, freedom.

What we don’t often picture are the harder chapters with slow, uncertain seasons when we or someone we love may need help with daily living. Many families, even those with significant wealth, are unprepared for this stage that comes with big decisions and big expenses.

The good news? Wealth creates choices. But only if you’ve prepared for this possibility. I recently shared some thoughts on this in Worth magazine. I hope it sparks conversations that give you and your family more peace of mind.

Discover the importance of planning for long-term care in retirement. Learn about different funding strategies and insurance options. Prepare for the future.