Name: Ryan Richardson

Age: 35

Business name: Compare Medicare, 13711 W. Camino del Sol, Suite B9, Sun City West; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, available for appointments outside of regular business hours, call 623-299-7972 or visit CompareMedicareAZ.com to schedule an appointment.

Town/Neighborhood: My new office is in Sun City West on Camino Del Sol. I am close to PORA Art Gallery and just a couple of minutes from Banner Del E Webb Medical Center.

Personal background highlights: My family is my biggest accomplishment. I have an incredible wife, a 3-year-old son (he is LOTS of fun!) and a newborn baby girl that loves to sleep, snuggle and eat. I am an Eagle Scout and love to be outdoors hiking, camping, learning Pickleball and competing in races (Tough Mudders and Spartans are always a blast).

Professional background highlights: I graduated from the University of Nebraska in 2013 and have lots of experience in financial products and insurance. I have been helping people compare their Medicare options since 2016.

What I do: Having fun and educating people at the same time has always been a goal of mine. I host several Medicare educational events. The fourth Tuesday and Wednesday of each month I teach people a simple class on Medicare at a local restaurant. You can also find me at many of the Independent senior expos.

What I like most about doing business here: I love how people are so friendly. People are from all over, it really is a mixing pot, and it makes it so fun to get to know people and hear about their lives. Being from Missouri, I thought people here couldn’t possibly be as nice, but I was happily surprised.

Changes I’d like to see in this area: From my lens of helping people with Medicare every day, I would love to see the confusion surrounding health care coverage become a thing of the past. Nearly everybody I speak with tells me it is too confusing. I agree that if you don’t have someone helping you, it really can be confusing. On our company banners and website, we have the slogan, “Making Medicare as Easy as riding a bike,” and we really try to do that for everybody we talk to.

What am I promoting: Exploring your Medicare options is important, everybody’s situation is a little bit different, and we have several plan options in our area. For the people that I speak to, I make sure they are on a plan that suits them for the upcoming year. It can make a huge difference for ensuring you will get the care you need without spending an arm and a leg. I am licensed and contracted with all the Medicare insurance carriers in the area so I can truly speak to and help people get the plans they need.

What I’m excited about and why: I love talking to people and getting to know their story. Everybody is so unique, and it is what makes life so interesting.

Favorite community cause and why: I have been active in the community and my church group, from hosting blood drives to setting up camping for some of the young men or scouts. I can’t think of one single cause that I support more than another, but I love being involved and helping those in need.

When and why I started my business/employment here: This area has a lot of people that need help with their Medicare questions and they need additional support in navigating this aspect of life. Unfortunately, there are a few pitfalls that people easily tend to fall into when they don’t get help from a professional. We help make sure people are educated and get the advice and support that they need.

Where I was before and why I left: I was born and raised in Missouri. My little family moved out here to support me in opening my office to help serve people who need help with their Medicare. It is a great place to be and there are a lot of people that need help.

My family: My wife is a CPA (accountant) at Ernst and Young, my son is a highly active and incredibly cute 3-year-old, and the most recent addition to our family is a newborn baby girl that is 3 months old now.

My interests and hobbies: Being outdoors, meeting people, reading, running, learning Pickleball and playing board games with my family.

People who inspire me (and how): My parents are the best. They were the first clients I helped when I started assisting people with Medicare, and they continue to tell all their friends about me. They are in their upper 70s and are still a constant source of love and encouragement. It is so fun to see my son’s face light up when I tell him we will talk to grandma and grandpa on FaceTime.

My guiding philosophy: Listen and care about people, then do what you can to help them.

My advice to today’s youth: Learn to love yourself and then love those around you. For some reason I have the Jackie DeShannon song, “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” stuck in my head.