"Big Three Retiree" offers a free book and audiobook, planning guides, and pension/buyout education for Detroit autoworkers facing accelerating workforce changes
DETROIT, MI / ACCESS Newswire / May 11, 2026 / As General Motors announces its latest round of layoffs amid a year of mounting workforce reductions across the Big Three, Richard W. Paul & Associates, a Michigan-based financial planning firm, today launched Big Three Retiree - a free educational platform built specifically for current and retiring Ford, GM, and Stellantis employees navigating pensions, buyouts, 401(k) rollovers, healthcare gaps, and Social Security decisions.
The launch comes at a critical moment. With GM's announcement adding to ongoing reductions across the domestic auto industry, thousands of Michigan autoworkers are now facing decisions that will define the rest of their financial lives - often with little time to prepare and limited unbiased guidance.
"When a Big Three employee gets a buyout package or a layoff notice, they're handed a stack of paperwork and given a window to decide on choices that are essentially irreversible," said Rich Paul, CFP, founder of Richard W. Paul & Associates. "Lump sum versus pension. Rolling over a 401(k). When to claim Social Security. How to bridge healthcare until Medicare. These aren't small decisions - and most people are making them alone. We built Big Three Retiree to change that."
Available at BigThreeRetiree.com:
The free resource hub includes:
A free 12-chapter book and audiobook - The Autoworker's Guide to Retirement - covering pension election, buyout evaluation, 401(k) rollover strategy, and retirement income planning.
Plain-English guides and articles on 401(k) rollovers, Social Security timing, Medicare enrollment, and healthcare/long-term care strategies for early retirees
Pension vs. lump-sum analysis frameworks tailored to Big Three pension formulas
The Fulfillment Factor guide discussing how to live with purpose in retirement
No-cost educational content with no email gate to access core materials
Why Now
Michigan's auto sector has shed thousands of jobs as EV transition costs, restructuring, and softer demand reshape the industry. For workers in their 50s and 60s, a layoff or buyout offer can accelerate retirement by years - compressing planning decisions that normally take a decade into a few weeks.
"There's a real information gap," co-author Steven Paul, CFP, added. "Big Three retirees built the American middle class. They deserve resources that meet them where they are - not generic retirement calculators or sales pitches."
About Richard W. Paul & Associates, LLC
Richard W. Paul & Associates, LLC is located in Novi, MI, and is an SEC Registered Investment Advisor, specializing in retirement income planning, investment management, and pension/buyout analysis for autoworkers and corporate retirees. The firm's advisors include CFP professionals and CFA charterholders, providing fiduciary, fee-based guidance to families across Michigan and nationwide.
For more information, please visit bigthreeretiree.com or rwpaul.com.
Media Contact:
Kristi Hardy
Richard W. Paul & Associates, LLC
(248) 305-9911
info@rwpaul.com
bigthreeretiree.com
SOURCE: Richard W Paul and Associates
View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire:
https://www.accessnewswire.com/newsroom/en/banking-and-financial-services/as-gm-announces-new-round-of-layoffs-michigan-advisor-launches-free-1165823
