Women's Money Wisdom

Debt is one of the most emotionally charged topics in personal finance -- and one of the most common. This week Melissa Joy, CFP®, sits down with Bruce McClary, lead spokesperson for the National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC), to take the stigma out of the conversation and walk through what it actually looks like to get professional help with debt. Whether you're watching balances c...

In many households, one person quietly carries the full weight of the family's financial life: tracking premiums, coordinating with advisors, managing the budget, and planning for the future. Melissa Joy, CFP®, founder and president of Pearl Planning, calls this person the family's chief financial officer, and she has been seeing the role come up repeatedly in client conversations.  Whet...

As we move into the second half of the year, Melissa Joy, CFP®, takes a solo deep dive into five major themes shaping the current investment landscape. From artificial intelligence and IPO cycles to persistent inflation and the resilience of employment, Melissa unpacks what is actually happening in the markets and what it means for your financial life. Rather than reacting to pessimistic headlines...

High-achieving women often wear exhaustion as a badge of honor, pushing through until the warning signs become impossible to ignore. For Molly Rosen , co-founder and co-CEO of Project Next Leadership, that moment came while driving between obligations, fantasizing not about a vacation, but about simply being allowed to stop. That recognition led to a sabbatical that stretched from one year to six,...

Almost everyone has heard of a prenup, but very few of us have actually sat down and thought one through in practical terms. In this episode, Melissa Joy, CFP®, opens up a candid, surprisingly approachable conversation about what prenuptial agreements really are, who they are for, and why they belong in the financial planning discussion. Whether you are considering one for yourself or thinking abo...

Women are told to lean in, negotiate, and step up. And many do. But new research reveals that doing all the right things still isn’t enough — and may actually work against them. On this episode of Women’s Money Wisdom, Melissa Joy, CFP® , sits down with award-winning journalist and author Stefanie O’Connell to unpack the systemic forces that penalize women for their ambition, and what that means f...

What does it look like to turn a hobby into a thriving business — with no roadmap, no industry model to follow, and a drafty warehouse as your starting point? Melissa Joy, CFP®, sits down with Christy Howden, CEO and co-founder of Wolverine Pickleball, to trace an extraordinary entrepreneurial journey from stay-at-home mom to leader of one of the country’s first pickleball-centric destination faci...

The financial news cycle moves fast, but the fundamentals of investing have not changed. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Ben Carlson, Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management and author of five books including his latest, Risk and Reward, to explore what history actually teaches us about markets, human nature, and the psychology behind smart long-term investing. Be...

Nearly a quarter of Americans have no traditional next of kin, yet the financial planning industry has long operated as if everyone will eventually have children. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Maddy Roche, co-host of the Child Free Life by Design Podcast and Chief Growth Officer of Partnerships for Child Free Trust, to talk about what changes and what becomes possible when you are building a fi...

A new type of savings account has entered the conversation, and if you have young children, you need to know about it. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Ann Garcia, CFP® , returning guest, college funding expert, and author of How to Pay for College , to break down the newly created Trump accounts. Also known as 530A accounts, these IRA-style vehicles are generating a lot of buzz, and Ann helps sep...

What would it look like to stop working at 50? Or to step away from a high-powered career and spend your time doing something that lights you up instead?  For many women, this is not just a dream. With the right plan, it is a very real option. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Bridget Grimes, founder of Wealth Choice and co-founder of Equita Financial Network, to talk about what retiring in your 50...

Most people know they need an estate plan. Far fewer actually have one, and even fewer have had the conversations with their families that make that plan meaningful. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Nicole Adkison, estate planning attorney and wealth strategist, to talk about what thoughtful estate planning really involves, from the foundational documents to the deeper family conversations that gi...

No one expects to get in an accident. But when you do, and when injuries are involved, navigating the insurance system and legal landscape can feel overwhelming. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Megan Burns, founder of Mirador Law and personal injury trial lawyer, to pull back the curtain on what actually happens after an accident and how to protect yourself before one ever occurs. Megan brings bo...

Most people think investing means picking the right stocks and getting rich. But according to Cullen Roche, founder and CIO of Discipline Funds and author of Your Perfect Portfolio, that mindset is one of the most costly mistakes investors make. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Cullen to unpack what investing actually is, why time horizons matter more than almost anything else, and how to build a...

Retirement is one of the most talked about financial milestones, but the concept of retirement itself, what it looks like, how it feels, and how to actually envision it, often goes unexplored. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Jamie Hopkins , CEO of Bryn Mawr Trust, and Bonnie Treichel, CEO of Endeavor Retirement, to talk about their new book, Your Retirement Sketchbook. Equal parts workbook, coffe...

Teaching kids about money is one of the most important things we can do as parents, but it's also one of the most overlooked. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with returning guest Charlotte Geletka, CFP® and owner of Silver Penny Financial Planning, to talk financial literacy at every age and the charming children's book she co-authored with her 12 year old son, Battery, the Bulldog and the F...

What does it look like when financial planning meets love, courage, and intentional family leadership? Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Shelby Nicholl, founder of Muriel Consulting, to share the story of her father-in-law's remarkable family meeting, held just weeks before his passing. From a handout at the table to a hug at the end, this episode is a powerful reminder that clarity is one of...

Money isn’t just math. It’s emotion, identity, and sometimes a whole lot of anxiety, even for people who are objectively doing “fine” financially. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with speaker, author, and coach Josie Ann Lee to unpack why so many people feel uncomfortable talking about money, and how to move from financial anxiety to real confidence. They explore why anxiety is a normal stage of learn...

Medicare is a cornerstone of most retirement plans, but it’s also a brand-new system for people who’ve spent decades on employer coverage. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Cameron Giardini of to break down what Medicare is, when you actually need to enroll, and how to avoid the most common (and costly) mistakes. They cover the major coverage paths (Original Medicare + Medicare Advantage vs Medigap...

Financial confidence doesn’t come from knowing everything. It comes from knowing what questions to ask . In this episode, Melissa Joy, CFP®, is joined by Tony Steuer , a longtime personal finance educator, insurance analyst, and host of the Get Ready Before Life Happens podcast. Tony shares how his early career as an insurance agent led him to a deeper mission: helping people understand why smart,...

What happens when a world-changing technology attracts trillions of dollars in investment and how do you avoid being on the wrong side of the boom? On this episode of the Women's Money Wisdom podcast, Melissa Joy is joined by Kai Wu, founder and chief investment officer of Sparkline Capital, for a thoughtful, data-driven conversation about AI and its real investment implications. Rather than...

On this episode of the Women's Money Wisdom podcast, Melissa Joy is joined by Michelle Taylor , founder of Women in Wealth , for a practical, honest conversation about what actually creates long-term financial stability for women. Rather than focusing on fear or restriction, this discussion centers on habits — the everyday behaviors that help women build confidence, resilience, and freedom wi...

What happens when you do everything “right” and still feel unfulfilled? Melissa Joy, CFP®, sits down with Regina Sih-Meynier, PharmD, a former clinical and pharmaceutical industry leader who followed a quiet inner nudge toward a completely different kind of success. Regina shares how growing up in an immigrant family shaped her drive for security and achievement, why the traditional “success check...

Employer retirement plans can be one of the most powerful wealth-building tools available, yet they are also among the most confusing. In this episode of the Women's Money Wisdom podcast, Melissa Joy, CFP®, breaks down how to make the most of your workplace retirement benefits in 2026. Melissa walks through the key retirement plans many employees have access to, including 401(k), 403(b), and...

Long-term care is one of the most personal topics in financial planning, and also one of the most frequently avoided. Melissa Joy, CFP®, is joined by Pearl Planning colleague Alexa Kane, CFP®, to unpack how families can think about care earlier and more realistically. This conversation goes beyond nursing homes to explore in-home care, assisted living, and memory care, along with the emotional and...