Michael Gurr is a licensed insurance advisor based in University Place, Washington, specializing in Medicare, long-term care, life insurance, and retirement income planning. He serves Pierce County and Western Washington from his office at 3560 Bridgeport Way W. Washington State insurance license: WAOIC #1335287. Consultations are complimentary. Call (253) 880-6527 or book at calendly.com/michaelgurrinsurance.
Background
Michael grew up in the Pacific Northwest and attended Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, where he played football for the Lutes. PLU sits about seven miles from the University Place office where he works today. The roots here are real.
After college, he built a career in financial services and insurance, eventually focusing entirely on the transition into retirement. That is the window when Medicare, Social Security, pensions, long-term care costs, and investment accounts all start interacting in ways most people have never thought through together.
He has been based in University Place serving Pierce County and the surrounding region ever since.
What Michael Specializes In
Four areas of retirement planning. Each one is its own discipline. Each one affects the others.
Medicare
Helping Washington residents navigate Medicare enrollment, understand the difference between Medicare Supplement and Medicare Advantage, and avoid the penalties and gaps that come from missing enrollment windows. For state employees leaving PEBB coverage, for people coming off COBRA, for anyone turning 65 in Pierce County or Western Washington who needs a clear picture of what their Medicare options actually are.
Long-Term Care Planning
Washington is one of the most expensive states in the country for nursing home and assisted living care. The WA Cares Fund pays a lifetime maximum of $36,500, about two to three months of actual care costs. Most families are underexposed to this risk without knowing it. Michael works through the options: long-term care insurance, hybrid life and care coverage, self-funding strategies, and Medicaid planning awareness for families approaching the planning window.
Life Insurance
For retirees, the life insurance question is different than it was at 35. Employer coverage ends at retirement. Pension elections are irrevocable. Washington's estate tax threshold is approximately $3 million per person and does not transfer between spouses the way the federal exemption does. Michael reviews existing coverage, identifies gaps, and connects clients with estate planning professionals when the situation calls for it.
Retirement Income
Retirement is a coordination problem. Social Security, pensions, IRA withdrawals, Medicare costs, and taxes all interact. A Roth conversion that makes financial sense can trigger an IRMAA surcharge two years later. A pension election made in a single meeting shapes a surviving spouse's income for decades. Michael's role is to see the full picture and make sure the right specialists are working together.
The Approach
The philosophy is Clarity Before Confidence.
A retiree cannot be genuinely confident about their financial picture until they have clarity about what they own, how it is structured, what income sources exist, how much risk they are taking, and what role each piece plays. Confidence built without that clarity is fragile. It tends to collapse at the worst possible time, usually when markets fall, when a spouse dies, or when a healthcare event draws down savings faster than expected.
The first conversation with Michael is not a product presentation. It is a picture-building exercise. What do you have? How is it structured? What happens when the first spouse dies? What does Medicare cost you at your income level? What would long-term care cost your family if the need arose?
The goal is that by the end of the first conversation, the picture is clearer than it was at the start. Whether a product makes sense comes after that, and only if it actually fills a gap in the picture.
The Team
Retirement planning requires more than one kind of expertise.
Through our office, clients have access to a team of specialized financial advisors who have tailored training specific to common retirement accounts. They are built to work with folks 65+ navigating the transition from saving to spending.
Tax planning and investment advisory work routes to specialists within the office. Michael's role is to be the trusted coordinator, the person who knows the full picture and makes sure the right professional is handling the right part of the plan.
Service Area
Michael works with households across Pierce County and Western Washington, including:
University Place, Tacoma, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, Lakewood, Federal Way, Olympia, Lacey, Tumwater, Port Orchard, Bremerton, Centralia, and surrounding communities throughout Pierce County, Thurston County, Kitsap County, King County, Mason County, and Lewis County.
Why Clients Work With Michael
Three things come up consistently.
First, the explanations are clear. Not simplified in a way that leaves things out. Clear in a way that lets someone make a real decision. The Medicare landscape, the retirement income coordination picture, the long-term care options. These are genuinely complex. The goal is not to pretend they are simple. It is to make them understandable.
Second, he does not disappear. The insurance industry has a well-earned reputation for advisors who are present during the sale and unavailable after. Annual reviews are part of the practice. When a client's situation changes, whether a spouse dies, income changes, or Medicare costs shift, there is someone to call.
Third, the conversation is honest. If a product does not fit the situation, it is not recommended. The man from Gig Harbor who came in wondering whether he still needed life insurance was told he probably did not. His situation did not have a gap that insurance was meant to fill. That is the kind of conversation that creates long-term trust, and long-term clients.
Book a Complimentary Conversation
A retirement and Medicare review covers the full picture: Medicare options, coverage costs, income sources, long-term care exposure, and what happens when the first spouse dies. No products introduced until the picture is clear.
3560 Bridgeport Way W STE 3E, University Place, WA 98466
WAOIC #1335287
Michael Gurr is a licensed insurance advisor, not a registered investment advisor or tax professional. Investment advisory and tax planning services are provided through specialists in the office. Washington State insurance license WAOIC #1335287.