Michael Torrey

CFP (R) , AIF(R), CEPA, QPFC; University of Kansas alum, 25+yrs in financial industry. Col USMCR (Ret)

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

I was at that game—payback came in the National Semifinal a few months later…

[Mike Vernon @M_Vernon]

🚨 HEARING: Kansas will play Duke in Allen Fieldhouse. This season.

The newsletter is live. Check your inbox for details or the post below.

The exhibition will be Duke's second time ever playing in the Phog (check out the vid from 1988 below).

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Great post…sounds very familiar…

[Eric Schwalm @Schwalm5132]

As a former Special Forces Warrant Officer with multiple rotations running counterinsurgency ops—both hunting insurgents and trying to separate them from sympathetic populations—I’ve seen organized resistance up close. From Anbar to Helmand, the pattern is familiar: spotters, cutouts, dead drops (or modern equivalents), disciplined comms, role specialization, and a willingness to absorb casualties while bleeding the stronger force slowly.

What’s unfolding in Minneapolis right now isn’t “protest.” It’s low-level insurgency infrastructure, built by people who’ve clearly studied the playbook.

Signal groups at 1,000-member cap per zone. Dedicated roles: mobile chasers, plate checkers logging vehicle data into shared databases, 24/7 dispatch nodes vectoring assets, SALUTE-style reporting (Size, Activity, Location, Unit, Time, Equipment) on suspected federal vehicles. Daily chat rotations and timed deletions to frustrate forensic recovery. Vetting processes for new joiners. Mutual aid from sympathetic locals (teachers providing cover, possible PD tip-offs on license plate lookups). Home-base coordination points. Rapid escalation from observation to physical obstruction—or worse.

This isn’t spontaneous outrage. This is C2 (command and control) with redundancy, OPSEC hygiene, and task organization that would make a SF team sergeant nod in recognition. Replace “ICE agents” with “occupying coalition forces” and the structure maps almost 1:1 to early-stage urban cells we hunted in the mid-2000s.

The most sobering part? It’s domestic. Funded, trained (somewhere), and directed by people who live in the same country they’re trying to paralyze law enforcement in. When your own citizens build and operate this level of parallel intelligence and rapid-response network against federal officers—complete with doxxing, vehicle pursuits, and harassment that’s already turned lethal—you’re no longer dealing with civil disobedience. You’re facing a distributed resistance that’s learned the lessons of successful insurgencies: stay below the kinetic threshold most of the time, force over-reaction when possible, maintain popular support through narrative, and never present a single center of gravity.

I spent years training partner forces to dismantle exactly this kind of apparatus. Now pieces of it are standing up in American cities, enabled by elements of local government and civil society. That should keep every thinking American awake at night.

Not because I want escalation. But because history shows these things don’t de-escalate on their own once the infrastructure exists and the cadre believe they’re winning the information war.

We either recognize what we’re actually looking at—or we pretend it’s still just “activism” until the structures harden and spread.

Your call, America. But from where I sit, this isn’t January 2026 politics anymore.
It’s phase one of something we’ve spent decades trying to keep off our own soil.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Spot on here! I see this very often as well..

[Kurt Supe, CPA & Retirement Planner @KurtSupeCPA]

David walked in looking uneasy.

He's 68. Been dealing with some health stuff his doctor's monitoring.

His wife Sarah is 63. Healthy. Active. No issues.

$2.1M in traditional IRAs between them. Living on $142K a year. Everything seemed fine.

I pulled up their tax projection and asked a question they'd never considered: "What happens to Sarah's taxes if she ends up filing single?"

David looked confused. "We file jointly. Does that matter?"

It matters more than most people realize.
Because eventually, one of you files Single. And when that happens, your IRAs turn into a tax nightmare.

Right now, filing married, they pay $9,200 a year in federal taxes. The 12% bracket goes up to $94,600 for married couples. They're comfortable.

But here's what changes when one person files Single.
Income drops immediately. Lost pension. Lost the smaller Social Security check. Down to maybe $72K a year.

Single filer brackets are half the width. The 22% bracket kicks in at $47,150.

Then at 73, Required Minimum Distributions hit. And now the survivor has all $2.1M in IRAs under one name.
That forces out $79,000 a year. Add Social Security of $43K. Total income: $122K.

As a single filer, that pushes into the 24% bracket.
Federal taxes jump to $19,800. Medicare surcharges add another $2,100.

Total tax bill: $21,900 a year.

That's $12,700 more per year than they pay now as a married couple. On less total household income.

Over 20 years, that's $254,000 in extra taxes.
Same money they saved together. Just punished for filing Single.

David sat back. "So the survivor gets hit with higher taxes even though there's less income?"

Exactly. That's the widow's penalty.

Tax brackets get cut in half. RMDs pile up because all the IRAs are in one name. Medicare surcharges kick in faster. Pension income disappears.

Most couples never think about this. They plan like they'll both be around forever, filing jointly until they're 95.

But that's not reality. One person ends up filing Single for years, sometimes decades. And by the time it happens, it's too late to fix.

So here's what we're doing for David and Sarah.
We're converting some IRA every year to Roth. Starting now. While they're both alive and filing jointly.

David looked at me and said, "We pay the tax now at a lower rate, or she pays it later at a higher rate?"
That's it. That's the whole decision.

Most people figure this out after they're already filing Single. By then you're stuck paying the higher taxes for years with no way to go back and fix it.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Wow, that didn’t take long.

[NOVA Campaigns @NoVA_Campaigns]

Virginia Democrats’ bill introduces a new Net investment income tax of 3.8%.

Imposes a net investment income tax on individuals, trusts, and estates beginning in taxable year 2027.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Amen

[Bree Solstad @BreeSolstad]

Father Chris Alar delivers the most powerfully convicting words of this day after the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the 24th anniversary of 9/11.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is anything but easy.

Pray daily for the conversion of our enemies, even those who kill us. 🙏💔

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

YES

[Red Line Report 🇺🇸 @RedLineReportt]

🚨JUST IN: The DOGE has officially submitted 163 Members of Congress for “immediate IRS audit” — and 156 are reportedly Democrats.

Is it finally time to follow the money?
YES – Audit them ALL
NO – This is political targeting

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Thank you for your selfless service all these years, Bishop Barron!!!

[Bishop Robert Barron @BishopBarron]

A message from Word on Fire: Today is the 39th anniversary of Bishop Robert Barron’s priestly ordination! Please join our team in praying for Bishop Barron and congratulating him for his extraordinary work in evangelization, which has illuminated a path to the Church for so many.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

[College Basketball Content @CBBcontent]

Top 25 Arena Atmospheres in College Basketball per CBBUncharted:

1. Allen Fieldhouse - Kansas
2. Cameron Indoor - Duke
3. McCarthy Athletic Center - Gonzaga
4. Mackey Arena - Purdue
5. Hilton Coliseum - Iowa State
6. Breslin Center - Michigan State
7. Assembly Hall - Indiana
8. Rupp Arena - Kentucky
9. McKale Center - Arizona
10. Mariott Center - BYU
11. The Pit - New Mexico
12. Dean Smith Center - North Carolina
13. Chi Health Center - Creighton
14. Neville Arena - Auburn
15. United Supermarkets Arena - Texas Tech
16. Bud Walton Arena - Arkansas
17. State Farm Center - Illinois
18. Thompson-Boling Arena - Tennessee
19. Carrier Dome - Syracuse
20. Hinkle Fieldhouse - Butler
21. Smith Spectrum - Utah State
22. GCU Arena - Grand Canyon
23. Koch Arena - Wichita State
24. Cintas Center - Xavier
25. Xfinity Center - Maryland

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

About $2/gallon less than SOCAL

[Dr. Dawn Michael @DawnsMission]

This is the latest gas prices in Southern California, we have the worst governor. What are the gas prices in your State?

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

I think Griffen and Storr will leave

[Through The Phog @ThroughThePhog]

The transfer portal opened today. Which Kansas players do you expect to stay? Which ones do you expect to transfer? #KUbball

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

RIP Bob Davis—loved listening to you over the years!

[Matt Tait @mctait]

Bookmark this one, #KUbball & #KUfball fans. The stuff of legends.🎙️

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

#7 seed; get hot and make it to the Sweet 16. Every time we fly under the radar, we play better than expected

[Matt Tait @mctait]

All right, #KUbball fans… Selection Sunday has arrived! Not your favorite, I’m sure, but let’s get into it anyway!!!

What’s the seed and how far do these Jayhawks make it???

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

We are turning the ball over way too much and our guards are getting beaten to the glass repeatedly. It seems like we are losing every loose ball. The D was much better and I loved watching KJ and Hunter scoring in the paint. Nice to see Coit drop 14 off the bench—Let’s go!!!

[Rock Chalk Blog @RockChalkBlog]

Think it’s pretty obvious KJ and Hunter looked in the mirror after the Utah road trip. Both of them have been spectacular since. Too bad they’re getting such little help from everybody else, because they deserve better.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

The Wheel was one of my favorites when I was a KU student!

[The Wagon Wheel @TheWagonWheel]

Some things never change 😅
@notthefakeSVP @CoachBillSelf

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

Everything you mention here is spot on! I adopted a higher protein diet a year ago, cutting out useless carbs and sugar, and maintained my exercise regimen, lost 4 inches off my waist and 20 lbs overall. I feel better now that I did 10 years ago.. Thanks for sharing, Chris!

[Chris Boettcher @chrisboettcher9]

Thanks for reading!

If you learned something and want more on taking control of your health, follow me
@chrisboettcher9
.

Comment below and RT if you found value in this thread so others can see it as well.

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

You bet it does! Looking forward to being there soon—Rock Chalk!

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

@realTrumpNewsX A

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

That is a BIG NO-NO! Serious credibility issues there!

[Ltwo @PatriotLadytwo]

@DineshDSouza

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

A

[Michael Torrey @mhtorrey1]

I can’t wait for this coming college football season! Truly amazing watching Cobee, Mello, Devin and the gang—keep making us alums proud! Rock Chalk!

[College Football Edits @CollegeEdits]

Kansas CB Cobee Bryant (@cobeebryant2) had this to say about the current state of KU Football:

“Its been fun to watch how our Football program has transformed under Coach Leipold and staff. They’ve taught me a lot and continue to keep my teammates and I bought into the Kansas football culture.
They consistently make sure we focus on the small things first because it’ll take us far. Everybody in the country can see the difference in Kansas Football now and what it was. As long as stay focused, we have a real shot of getting into that College Football Playoff.” 👀