Who makes decisions for you when you can't? For Childfree people, the answer has never been straightforward. Dr. Jay Zigmont sits down with Robert Allan and John Steiner from Welon Trust to reveal how they spent two and a half years building something that didn't exist: a trust company designed specifically for the Childfree community.

This episode pulls back the curtain on creating Childfree Trust®. From a 752-page application to navigating banking regulators who'd never seen this model, John and Robert share why every other trust company said no, the social bias they faced raising capital, and how they're building a system that has to outlive everyone involved. If you've ever wondered what it takes to create something entirely new in a 200-year-old industry, this conversation delivers the unfiltered truth.

Key Takeaways:

• Traditional trust companies refused to serve Childfree clients: Every company demanded $10,000-$20,000 annual minimums and wouldn't touch medical power of attorney. They just don't want to do it.
• Banking oversight protects like the FDIC: If Welon fails, regulators step in seamlessly—the document doesn't die, the company may. To clients it looks like nothing happened.
• Building to outlive the founders: This company has to bury Dr. Jay, John, and Robert. They're creating documented processes that ensure continuity for decades.
• Social bias against Childfree investing: One investor loved Childfree Trust® but couldn't invest because "they can't go to church and say they invested in a Childfree company." Robert: "There's a market that needs to be served."

Episode Host:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Board member and investor in Welon Trust. Jay spent two and a half years partnering with John and Robert to create the first trust company designed specifically for the Childfree community.

Meet the Guests:

John Steiner, CFA® - a Founding Member and Managing Director of Welon Trust. He brings more than 35 years of investment management expertise to the firm working with both individuals and institutions. 

Robert Allan, CFP®, CFA®, CPA - a Founding Member and Managing Director of Welon Trust. With over a decade of financial, operational, and accounting experience, he brings a unique perspective that allows him to provide value to his client’s beyond managing their portfolio.

Learn more about Welon Trust:  https://welon.com

About Childfree Insights

Childfree Insights delivers education for financial and estate planning without children. It supports people with no kids in making informed decisions about retirement, legacy planning, beneficiaries, and long-term care. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

What happens to your pets if you're suddenly unable to care for them? For Childfree people with animal companions, this isn't just about planning for after you're gone. It's about having a solid plan for emergencies, temporary disability, and ensuring your pets get the care they need when you can't provide it.

Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® tackle pet protection planning, from 155-pound English Mastiffs with special dietary needs to orange cats with attitude problems. They break down the difference between temporary care (you're in the hospital for three days) and permanent arrangements (you pass away), the legal reality that pets are considered property, how pet trusts work differently than wills, and Childfree Trust®'s 24/7 emergency response system that activates care plans the moment someone is hospitalized.

Key Takeaways:

• Temporary vs permanent care requires different plans: Emergency disability needs immediate pet care with existing sitters or facilities. Permanent arrangements require identifying long-term guardians willing to take animals with special needs.
• Pet trusts protect animals beyond wills: Pet trusts ensure trustees oversee that guardians actually spend funds on your pet's benefit.
• Care documents enable emergency response: Document feeding schedules, medical conditions, allergies, medications, veterinarian contacts, and house access information so caregivers know exactly what your pet needs.
• The 3 C's framework: Caretaker, Communication, Critical information: Who takes responsibility, how they're reached in emergencies, and everything they need to know about food, medicine, behavior, and routines.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Protecting pets emergency checklist - Download it here
• Start your estate planning here - www.ChildfreeTrust.com

Episode Hosts:

Bri Conn, CFP® -  Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. Bri has multiple backup caretakers lined up for her dog and maintains a detailed "doggy resume" with all care information readily accessible

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Jay's 155-pound English Mastiff has extensive special needs and a precise 5:00 PM dinner schedule, making detailed care planning essential.

About Childfree Insights

Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth and Childfree Trust, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

Who will make decisions for you when you can't? For Childfree people, that question has never had a good answer until now.

In this episode, Maddy Roche and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® introduce Childfree Trust®, the first nationwide professional fiduciary solution designed specifically for Childfree individuals. After three and a half years of research and development, Childfree Trust® solves a problem that's plagued the Childfree community: who will act as your medical power of attorney, financial power of attorney, executor, and trustee when you don't have the traditional next of kin most estate planning assumes you have?

Jay and Maddy break down the four crucial estate planning roles every person needs to fill, what really happens if you don't have these documents in place, and why relying solely on friends and family can put everyone in a difficult position. 

Key Takeaways:

• Estate planning is about decisions while you're alive: The four critical roles,  medical power of attorney, financial power of attorney, executor, and trustee, ensure someone can make decisions on your behalf during emergencies, cognitive decline, or after death. 
• Childfree Trust® is the first nationwide professional fiduciary solution: Acting in all 50 states & DC, Childfree Trust® can serve as your medical power of attorney, financial power of attorney, executor, or trustee. 
• Professional fiduciaries protect everyone involved: Even if you have someone willing to serve in estate planning roles, appointing Childfree Trust® as a backup gives your loved ones an out if circumstances become too challenging. 
• Guarantees ensure lifelong protection: If you've been a client for 24 consecutive months and go on Medicaid, Childfree Trust® will continue making decisions on your behalf without billing you. Your decisions are protected even if you run out of assets.

Episode Hosts:

Maddy Roche - Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and responsible for all sales & marketing initiatives.

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. After spending three and a half years researching estate planning solutions for Childfree people, Jay created Childfree Trust® to solve a problem no one else would address.

About Childfree Insights:

Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

The Childfree Life By Design team just got back from CES in Las Vegas, and they're sharing everything: the coolest tech, the weirdest products, and what it's really like to run a booth at the world's biggest consumer electronics show.

From hip airbags and remote dementia diagnosis tools to robot dogs and AI-powered picture frames that clone voices, this episode covers it all. The team also reflects on community connections, including a special dinner with Childfree community members, and what they learned about the growing interest in Childfree resources from around the world.

Key Takeaways:

• Age tech is having a moment. Hip airbags, remote dementia diagnosis, subtitle glasses for hearing impairment, and exoskeletons for everyday use signal a shift toward technology that supports aging well.
• The Childfree mission resonates globally. International attendees and even parents expressed genuine interest in Childfree resources, confirming the team is on the right track.
• Community connection matters. The team dinner with Childfree community members was a highlight, reinforcing the value of gathering with people who just get it.
• Focus on the people who get it. Rather than convincing skeptics, spend energy on the millions who already understand and want to engage.

Resources Mentioned: 

Tech Crunch Article: https://techcrunch.com/snippet/3081558/childfree-trust-was-one-of-the-sleeper-surprises-at-ces-unveiled/ 

Episode Hosts:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Author of "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money."

Bri Conn, CFP® - Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust® and co-host. Bri joined the Childfree space after connecting with Dr. Jay while studying to become a CFP® professional.

Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC - Associate Advisor at Childfree Wealth®. Scott is the go-to expert for long-term care strategies and tax planning questions.

Maddy Roche - Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and responsible for all sales & marketing initiatives.

Alli Gage - Chief of Staff at Childfree Insights. Alli is the behind-the-scenes coordinator who ensures all organizations operate in an orderly fashion across the board.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

What do you want the second line of your obituary to say? For most people, it reads "father of three" or "survived by spouse and children." For Childfree people, that line looks different. This episode tackles the identity crisis that comes when your career defines you and you're facing a major transition without the traditional markers of legacy.

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® sits down with Drew Blickensderfer, two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief and current Competition Director at Front Row Motor Sports, to discuss his transition from crew chief to leadership after nearly 20 years at NASCAR's highest level.  This conversation reveals how Childfree people can create legacy through leadership, not lineage.

Key Takeaways:

• The obituary question reframes identity: What do you want the second line of your obituary to say? 
• Legacy through leadership, not lineage: Childfree people build impact through mentoring, developing talent, and doing the morally right thing for others' careers. 
• Being Childfree enabled career longevity: Crew chiefs rarely last 19 years. No children meant Drew could travel 36-38 weeks per year, miss no little league games, and pursue his dream longer than peers with family obligations.
• Platinum rule over golden rule: Treating people how you want to be treated fails with different generations and learning styles.
• Small wins sustain teams through adversity: When winning seems impossible (35 losers every NASCAR race), celebrate incremental progress. 

Episode Host:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Jay embedded with Drew's NASCAR team for a year to research leadership and legacy for Childfree individuals, creating what he calls his "secret project" exploring how people build impact without traditional lineage.

Meet the Guest:

Drew Blickensderfer - Competition Director at Front Row Motor Sports. Two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief with 19 years in NASCAR. Drew transitioned from crew chief (NASCAR's "head coach") to competition director, managing multiple teams instead of one. Being Childfree allowed him to travel constantly and stay in his role longer than most, while now entering an encore career with better work-life balance.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

Who's on your bench? When you're building a Childfree life on your own terms, the professionals and teammates you surround yourself with make all the difference in how well you age.

In this episode, Maddy Roche and Bri Conn, CFP®, walk through the essential people you need in your corner, from certified financial planners who understand Childfree planning to aging care managers who can help you navigate long-term care. They tackle why estate planning is more complex when you don't have a next generation to handle decisions, how Childfree Trust® provides a professional fiduciary solution, and why outsourcing the right things frees you to focus on what matters most.

Key Takeaways:

• CFP® professionals are fiduciaries legally obligated to act in your best interest, and finding one who understands how being Childfree fundamentally changes your financial picture ensures you get advice that actually fits your goals.
• Medical power of attorney, financial power of attorney, executor, and trustee are essential positions that take time to fill, especially when you don't have a next generation to rely on.
• Childfree Trust® provides a professional fiduciary solution. Acting in all 50 states as any of the four key estate planning roles, Childfree Trust® can serve as your primary choice or backup option, giving your existing representatives the gift of being able to transfer responsibility if needed.
• Whether it's tax preparation, home maintenance, or health management, identifying what you can delegate to professionals frees you to spend time with people and activities you actually care about.
• Primary care doctors, aging care managers, personal trainers, and community leaders all play a role in preventing issues before they arise and ensuring you have advocates when you need them.

Episode Hosts:

Maddy Roche - Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and responsible for all sales & marketing initiatives.

Bri Conn, CFP® - Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust® and co-host. Bri understands firsthand that the CFP® curriculum doesn't address Childfree planning.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

What if the way you think about wealth is keeping you from building it? In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and  Carl Richards, CFP® creator of the Sketch Guy column in the New York Times, sit down to explore how simple drawings unlock profound truths about money and life.

Carl shares the stories behind his most powerful sketches, including the Venn diagram asking "What can I control?" and "What matters?" and why their overlap is where real financial planning happens. 

Key Takeaways:

• Focus on the overlap of what matters and what you control.
• Real financial planning aligns money with life.
• The only goal that matters is yours.
• Childfree planning requires different tools and thinking.

Episode Host:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping people simplify their finances so they can live an amazing Childfree life. Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.” His Ph.D. is in Adult Learning from the University of Connecticut.

Meet the Guest:

Carl Richards, CFP®, wrote The Sketch Guy column in The New York Times for a decade, using cardstock and a Sharpie to make money feel less complicated. He's the author of bestsellers The Behavior Gap and The One-Page Financial Plan, and his latest book, Your Money: Reimagining Wealth in 101 Simple Sketches, released in October 2025. Carl hosts the daily podcast Behavior Gap Radio and founded The Society of Advice, a community for financial planners dedicated to the craft of advice.

 Learn more on his website: behaviorgap.com.

Connect with Carl Online: LinkedIn   X   Instagram. 

Pre-order Carl’s book on Amazon or at your favorite bookstore. 

To place a bulk order of Carl’s book, visit this link and use the code YourMoney5 at checkout to save an additional 5%.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

Building better financial habits is less about willpower and more about understanding how your brain works. In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®, and Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP® dive into the behavioral side of personal finance, exploring why all-or-nothing thinking keeps you stuck, how to make progress visible, and what the science of habit formation teaches us about lasting change.

Drawing from Dr. Jay's background in adult learning and Fiona's training as a therapist, this conversation goes beyond spreadsheets and investment strategies to tackle the messy, gray area of human behavior. If you've ever wondered why you keep repeating financial patterns you inherited or why your budget never seems to stick, this episode offers practical tools to help you build habits that actually support the intentional Childfree life you're designing.

Key Takeaways:

• All-or-nothing thinking sabotages progress: The mindset of "be the best or don't do it at all" keeps you stuck at extremes and prevents you from making meaningful progress in the messy middle ground where real change happens.
• Financial success is 80% behavioral: The hard work of personal finance isn't in the spreadsheets or investment calculations. It's in understanding your behaviors, mental models, and the voices in your head that drive your financial decisions.
• Starting small creates sustainable change: Rather than attempting major overhauls that lead to failure, focus on getting 1% better each day or making one small improvement at a time to build momentum without burnout.
• Naming your internal voice creates distance: Identifying whose voice is in your head and why it's there allows you to acknowledge its role in getting you this far, then consciously choose to take it from here on your own terms.

Episode Hosts:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Author of "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money." Dr. Jay's background in adult learning brings a unique behavioral focus to financial planning.

Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP® - Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®. Fiona brings a unique perspective as a former therapist, focusing on the intersection of mental health and money using a trauma-informed background to help clients align their financial and life plans with their values.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

Welcome to a brand new era! After two and a half years as the Childfree Wealth® Podcast, we're excited to introduce Childfree Life By Design. This isn't just a rebrand; it's an expansion of our mission. While finances remain a cornerstone, we're now diving deeper into relationships, career decisions, and designing a life that works for you. In this special relaunch episode, hosts Bri Conn and Dr. Jay Zigmont introduce the expanded team. 

Key Takeaways:

• The rebrand expands the mission: Childfree Life By Design goes beyond financial planning to cover relationships, career pivots, healthcare navigation, community building, and finding meaning on your own terms.
• Traditional planning doesn't work for Childfree people: The financial planning industry is built around funding college educations and passing wealth to the next generation, leaving Childfree individuals without tailored resources.
• Childfree planning is actually more complex: End-of-life planning, long-term care, and determining who makes decisions when you can't advocate for yourself require more intentional planning without children.

Meet the Team:

Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® - Founder & CEO of Childfree Wealth®, Childfree Trust®, & Childfree Insights. Author of "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money."

Bri Conn, CFP® - Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust® and co-host. Bri joined the Childfree space after connecting with Dr. Jay while studying to become a CFP® professional.

Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP® - Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®. Fiona brings a unique perspective as a former therapist, focusing on the intersection of mental health and money using a trauma-informed background to help clients align their financial and life plans with their values.

Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC - Associate Advisor at Childfree Wealth®. Scott is the go-to expert for long-term care strategies and tax planning questions.

Maddy Roche - Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and responsible for all sales & marketing initiatives.

Alli Gage - Chief of Staff at Childfree Insights. Alli is the behind-the-scenes coordinator who ensures all organizations operate in an orderly fashion across the board.

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

We've reached the final episode of the Childfree Wealth podcast hosted by Bri and Dr. Jay, CFP®!  It's been an incredible two-and-a-half-year run with 171 episodes published and over 100,000 downloads, and we couldn't be more grateful for this community.

So, to celebrate all the amazing things that have happened, the whole Childfree Wealth team—Bri, Dr. Jay, Scott, and Fiona—joins us for a special episode to share wins, battle it out with some hilarious holiday finance trivia, and drop some major news about the future of the podcast.

Note to Listeners: The podcast is NOT going away! It is simply changing names to Childfree Life by Design and launching with a new episode on January 1st. Stay subscribed!

🔹 Celebrating Our Wins

🔹 Holiday Finance Trivia

🔹 Rapid-Fire Holiday Q&A

🔹 Amazing Stats & Listener Impact

🔹 The Future is Now! Stick around to the end as we reveal the exciting rebrand and relaunch — you won't want to miss what's next!

Connect with Us:

Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.

Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights

Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.