American Retirement AdvisorsIan Schaeffer
Chief Operating Officer
You will probably never sit in a meeting with Ian. You will feel his work in every meeting you have with us.
Ian is ARA's Chief Operating Officer, and he does not take client appointments. He builds the systems, the shows, and the client experience that get the advisor at your table ready before you walk in.
Scottsdale office · (602) 281-3898
Ian holds active insurance licenses and does not practice as an agent. Book a Discovery Day and your first call is with our client care team, who match you with the advisor who fits your situation.
We are here to optimize the client experience.Ian
How Ian contributes
- He sits in on the meetings he does not run. The same question comes up fifty different ways, week after week. He builds the answer once so every family gets it, not just the one who asked.
- Every weekday morning: he writes the article, Eddie and Betty talk it through on the podcast, and a Short goes up on the channel. Three ways to get the same answer before you ever book.
- Your advisor opens your file before you sit down: your coverage, your past conversations, what you asked last time, what changed since. Ian built that.
- The annual check happens whether or not you call. He built the outreach that reaches every client on the books before the deadline.
- Sixty-four episodes across twelve series in the Retirement Insights library, each one an article and a podcast, all pulled from what families actually ask.
- He holds the standard for everything around the advice: the marketing, the content, and the systems client care and the front desk run on. The advice itself always comes from your advisor.
The Shorts
A short every weekday on the ARA channel, in plain English, from the questions our advisors heard that week. Tap one to play it here.
Written every weekday
Ian writes the day’s article from the questions our advisors heard that week, one answer at a time, for everyone who is not in the room.
October 9, 2026What do the extras really cover?Dental, vision, and hearing are the extras people notice first, and the plan letter rarely shows their limits. On Medicare.gov, the dental flag read 'not specified' for every plan...Read →
October 8, 2026Is your doctor still in your plan's network?The plan letter can say the network changed. It cannot say whether your doctor left. And as of October 7, Medicare.gov still had no 2027 doctor information loaded for any of...Read →
October 7, 2026Is your drug plan still the right one?The plan letter can list changes to the drug list. It cannot tell you what your own prescriptions will cost at your own pharmacy in 2027. Fewer stand-alone drug plans in Maricopa,...Read →
October 6, 2026What's your worst-case year?The plan letter lists an out-of-pocket maximum. It does not add up what a bad year costs you all in: the premium, Part B, the medical limit, and the drug cap. An engineer does the...Read →Eddie and Betty, every morning
Two voices, one conversation. Eddie and Betty take the day’s article and talk it through the same morning, the way you would with a friend who happens to know retirement. Ian built the show. Press play.
Your Discovery Day
Takes about a minute. Adam from our office calls you back and matches you with the advisor who fits your situation, in the office or on Zoom, whichever you prefer.
- About an hour with the advisor who fits your situation.
- Bring whatever is keeping you up at night. That is the agenda.
- Discovery Day, not decision day. You decide when you are ready.
Rather talk now? (602) 281-3898
Request your Discovery Day
We will call you to set the time.
Got it. Adam will call you.
Usually within one business day, to set up your Discovery Day with the right advisor. Would you rather pick a time yourself right now?
Choose a time on the calendarThe questions we hear most, answered once, for everybody
Twelve series, sixty-four episodes, every one written as an article and recorded as a podcast. It exists because the same questions come up in meeting after meeting and most families are not in the room to hear the answer. Start anywhere.
Subscribe on YouTubeBrowse the Retirement Insights libraryFiscal Footnotes · @fiscalfootnotes
Things Ian says in almost every meeting
People doing people's jobs, and computers doing what computers should be doing, which is the repetitive stuff.Ian
We are here to optimize the client experience, not the advisors.Ian
David built the firm. My job is what comes next.Ian
What Ian is good at
What that means for you
You get an advisor who already knows your file, a firm that checks on you whether or not you call, and answers you can read or listen to before you ever book. That is Ian's job. The advice always comes from the advisor at your table.
Three offices, one team
8501 E Princess Dr, Suite 210
Scottsdale, AZ 85255
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Arizona time
4140 E Baseline Rd, Suite 101
Mesa, AZ 85206
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Arizona time
8072 W Sahara Ave, Suite A
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Pacific time
Call any office, or request a time right here. Your first call is with our client care team, who match you with the advisor who fits your situation.
Book a Discovery Day(602) 281-3898