It Started in the Trunk
of a Car in Las Vegas.
A photographer with a growing family, a stack of insurance applications, and an idea that retirement planning should start with education, not a sales pitch. Twenty-five years later, the idea hasn’t changed. Just the number of families we’ve helped.
David Schaeffer, Founder. Started in Las Vegas, now nationwide.
The Story of American Retirement Advisors
David Schaeffer was a photographer in Las Vegas with a growing family. His photo studio was doing fine, but fine wasn’t going to be enough to take care of his two kids. So he started learning the insurance business on the side, studying for his licenses at night and meeting clients during the day. His first office was the trunk of his car.
It didn’t take long for David to see a problem. The insurance industry treated Medicare beneficiaries like transactions, not people. Advisors pushed products based on carrier incentives. Clients made decisions they didn’t understand. And the confusion wasn’t an accident. It was the business model.
David decided to build something different.
He called it American Senior Advisors and built it on a simple principle: educate first, always. If you help people understand their options, they make better decisions, and they come back year after year because they trust you.
One of the first people David connected with was Marc Frye. The two built the early foundation of the business together in Las Vegas before eventually parting ways to pursue their own paths. But the separation didn’t last. Marc came back, and today he leads the Las Vegas office while David runs Scottsdale. The partnership picked up right where it left off, stronger for the time apart.
“If the only way to earn your business is to pressure you into a decision, something is broken. Education isn’t a marketing strategy for us. It’s the whole point.”
Then came David Edge. When Edge joined the firm, something clicked. The “David and David Show,” as clients started calling them, became the heartbeat of ARA’s growth. Two Davids, two personalities, one shared commitment to doing right by clients. Edge brought a quiet intensity and a gift for handling the most complex Medicare transitions. Together, they built the Scottsdale office into what it is today.
That growth led to the 123Easy Medicare Workshop, a concept David Schaeffer pioneered years before webinars were common. He started teaching at community centers and libraries across Arizona and Nevada, explaining Medicare in plain English to packed rooms of people who were tired of being confused by the system.
By 2012, he wrote the book. Literally.Medicare Made 123Easy has been published annually since then, helping thousands more families who couldn’t attend a workshop in person. It’s now in its 2024 edition.
In 2010, the firm was renamed American Retirement Advisors as services expanded beyond Medicare into comprehensive retirement income and inheritance planning. Kyle Jacobs joined the advisor team, bringing a calm, methodical approach that clients love, especially those navigating the complex transition from employer coverage to Medicare.
Over 25 years, the firm grew from the trunk of David’s car to a team of Certified Medicare Planner®s serving 14,000+ clients in all 50 states, with offices in Scottsdale, Mesa, and Las Vegas. But the founding principle never changed. Every advisor at ARA earns flat compensation regardless of which plan they recommend. There are no carrier quotas, no hidden incentives. Just honest, patient, expert guidance, the way David always imagined it should work.
25 Years of Building Trust
Started from the Trunk of a Car
David Schaeffer leaves his photography studio in Las Vegas to build an insurance practice. His first office is his car. He connects with Marc Frye and they start building together.
First Workshop Series
David launches community center Medicare workshops across the Las Vegas and Phoenix metro areas. Rooms are packed from day one.
The David and David Show
David Edge joins the firm. The two Davids become the heartbeat of ARA’s growth, building the Scottsdale office into a powerhouse.
Renamed to American Retirement Advisors
Services expand beyond Medicare into retirement income and financial planning. Marc Frye returns to lead the Las Vegas office. The band is back together.
Medicare Made 123Easy Published
David authors the first edition of the Medicare guide book. Updated annually, now in its 2024 edition.
Kyle Jacobs Joins the Team
Kyle brings a calm, methodical approach that becomes the go-to for clients navigating complex employer-to-Medicare transitions.
Workshop Goes Digital
When in-person workshops paused, ARA launched the on-demand digital workshop, reaching families nationwide for the first time.
14,000+ Clients. 50 States. Still Family-Owned.
Ian Schaeffer leads operations as the next generation. Three offices. The original team, still together. Same values. Bigger reach.
The Next Generation
I grew up watching my dad help families navigate one of life’s most confusing transitions. I watched him spend 45 minutes on the phone with someone’s mother, not because there was a commission on the line, but because she had questions and he could answer them.
When I stepped into operations at ARA, I brought a simple question: how do we reach more families without losing what makes this special?
The answer wasn’t to become a call center. It wasn’t to chase volume. It was to build systems that preserve the personal, patient, education-first model David created, and make it accessible to anyone in the country, not just the families lucky enough to live near Scottsdale.
That’s what 123EasyMedicare.com is. It’s the workshop, the virtual meeting, the personal advisor relationship, but available to you wherever you are, whenever you’re ready.
My dad still helps clients every day. I make sure the systems behind him are as good as he is. Together, we’re building something that lasts.
Ian Schaeffer, COO
Meet the Team
Certified Medicare Planner®s who do this every day, not seasonal contract workers reading scripts.
David Schaeffer
25+ years. Published author. Teaches other advisors nationwide.
David Edge
2,800+ personal clients. Complex Medicare transitions specialist.
Kyle Jacobs
Medigap expert. Employer-to-Medicare transitions. Calm under pressure.
Marc Frye
Family-focused planning. Helps multi-generational households coordinate coverage.
Our Values
Education Over Selling
We teach first and always. An informed client makes better decisions, and stays a client for life. We’d rather you watch the workshop and decide on your own than pressure you into something today.
Relationships Over Transactions
Medicare isn’t a one-time event. Plans change, health changes, life changes. Your advisor knows your story and reviews your coverage every year, not because they have to, but because that’s how this should work.
Independence Over Incentives
We represent 30+ carriers. Our advisors earn the same flat compensation regardless of which carrier or plan they recommend. Zero quotas, zero bonuses for pushing specific products. Just the right recommendation for you.
Generations Over Years
David started this. Ian runs operations now. We think in decades, not quarters. A family business approaches trust differently than a private-equity-backed call center, and that difference matters when you’re making decisions that affect the next 20+ years of your life.
Medicare Made 123Easy
David wrote the book. Literally. Medicare Made 123Easy: The Facts You Need has been published annually since 2012, helping thousands of families understand their Medicare options in plain English.
Now in its 2024 edition, the book covers everything from the basics of Parts A, B, C, and D to advanced strategies around IRMAA, Medigap enrollment windows, and the Annual Election Period.
Ready to Experience
the Difference?
25 years of education-first Medicare guidance. No cost. No pressure. Just real help from real people.