Financial Autonomy for Women: The Personal Finance Podcast

I'm kicking off a new multi-part series: How to Pay Off that Damn Debt. And the first episode is about Getting Organized and Crunching the Numbers.

This episode can help you get mobilized and build momentum if you're on a debt pay down/pay off journey to take action instead of avoiding debt out of overwhelm or shame.

In part one, I cover two first steps: getting organized and crunching the numbers.

Here's what you can do in a nutshell:

• Tips for getting organized: Run your credit report (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) to see all current lines of credit, check for errors or identity issues, and identify each debt's current balance and interest rate by opening statements or calling lenders. You don't have to do this, but it can be a good tool to get everything organized and understand all the debts in your name.
• Tips for crunching the numbers: Then try free online debt payment calculators (like Bankrate or SoFi) to model scenarios

Getting "organized" might sound like the last thing that you want to do, and that's OK! Remember, it literally can pay off and save you thousands when it comes to high interest, high balance debt.

I walk you through a scenario of charging a milestone birthday, bucket-list vacation of of $3,800 with 26% interest paid at $100/month. TLDR: it would take about 6.75 years and over $4,000 in interest to get that milestone birthday vacation paid off!

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

Is it too late?

This is a very natural and understandable question to ask for women aged 55-60-65. In this episode of Financial Autonomy for Women, I talk with Hayley Dickson, CFP®—CEO and founder of Rippl Wealth Management—about whether it's too late to become financially successful at 55, 60, or 65.

(TLDR: It's not!)

Hayley explains that many women in this age range feel stuck not necessarily because it's too late but because they need clarity and a plan. They need to actually understand what they have to understand what they need to do next.

We talk about how "dropping a pin" and getting clear on what you have and what you need can help to reduce the anxiety that thrives in ambiguity (...that same anxiety fades with with increased clarity).

We discuss redefining retirement as "work optional," building a "joy equation" instead of a restrictive monthly budget, and using tools like catch-up contributions, Social Security timing, and tax planning (including reducing "tax drag") to improve outcomes.

Hayley also shares how to test spending changes with a cash floor/ceiling system--try them out for a few months and see how they feel...if you don't like it, change it--and why advisors should offer life-centered planning that goes beyond just investment numbers.

To find out more about Hayley and her work, follower her in IG @hayleywdickson.

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

Dolly Parton continues to be a role model for us in so many ways. And, in this episde, I focus on what she's shared with us in terms of mindset and her financial legacy.

A self-made and savvy businesswoman, gifted musician and philanthropist, Dolly Parton's life, example, and words can offer us inspiration on our financial journeys.

In a time where so many public figures act so terribly, we're lucky to have the enduring role modeling that Dolly Parton offered the world, just by being herself.

Listen for some inspiration and some optimism--undoubtedly things Dolly Parton stood for.

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

If you're needing some mid year inspiration--this is the episode to listen to!

I talk again with my teammate and friend Mary Polanco about progress on our 2026 goals and giving ourselves grace along the way.

Mary shares that she's stayed consistent with wellbeing practices while working on her dissertation, gained clarity and momentum with her schedule, navigated the shift to summer with her kids, and paid off both car loans. I update listeners on engaging more with saving and investing, staying on track to max out my Roth IRA, preparing to take the CDFA exam, and letting a Substack idea wait.

But, the best part?--We discuss attention spans, social media boundaries, the helpfulness of boredom (believe it or not, your brain likes it), and systems that create healthy friction, plus insights about self-improvement culture and how luck impacts success.

We also talked about how our listeners might want to do a quarterly check in as well--with us!--as part of a community. If you're interested in that, fill out this form. (takes less than a minute).

I also referenced a Barry's Economics video that you can access here: Diary of a CEO Is Making You Less Successful.

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

Are you aging solo?--or think you might be moving toward that path? Some women actively choose to age solo while others might find themselves solo aging without having chosen it. Either way, in this episode, financial strategist and investment manager Lisa Clements tells us what we need to keep in mind if we're "solo aging" and what it means as more people—especially women—remain unmarried, divorce, or live alone. Lisa helps us think about the big things we need to consider if we're solo aging (and even if we're not!) covering the need for larger emergency reserves, considering disability and long-term care coverage, earning better investment returns and preparing for later-life housing decisions, technology supports, and essential legal documents like powers of attorney, wills, and trusts. We also discuss the emotional and cultural conditioning around marriage, how values and life "seasons" change over time, and the freedoms and risks of making career moves solo. For women in their 40s, Lisa emphasizes boosting income through employer changes, understanding spending patterns, and using Roth IRA accounts to manage future taxes. To learn about Lisa and all the great work she's doing, visit her website at Clear Springs Wealth. You can also find her on Instagram, Tiktok, LinkedIn and https://www.facebook.com/clearspringswealth. Here are Lisa's recommendations and resources for Solo Agers:

Navigating Solo™ Network

National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys Home NAELA

National Association of Estate Planners & Councils - NAEPC

Home - Village to Village Network, Inc.

Aging Alone Together | DOROT

Aging Life Care Association Home

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

If you're new to investing--no matter how young/old you are--it might be hard to get past the overwhelm and the uknowns of the investing world so you can actually just get started on your investing journey.

In this episode, I talk about five principles every beginning investor should keep in mind:

(1) Just start, because more time in the market is the biggest beneficial factor in building long-term growth

(2) Remember investing is a two-step process—transfer money into an account and then actually select an investment, or it will sit there as cash not growing;

(3) Automate contributions and invetments to maximize consistency;

(4) Don't panic during market ups and downs, since pulling out often leads to missing the recovery and most of us aren't good at timing the market;

(5) Understand how taxes and fees erode all that good wealth you're building so you can keep more of it--do a little bit of reserch to understand the difference between brokerage accounts, traditional IRAs, and Roth IRAs, and consider lower-cost investment options like ETFs.

And, if you don't "see yourself" as an "investor"--start asking yourself why? There are most likely very valid reasons for that. And also start asking yourself: How would "future me" want to see myself in 5, 10, or 20 years? As someone who still didn't see themselves that way, or as someone who gave it a shot?

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

Time to make a PLAN for that extra CASH.

In this episode, I close out my three-part series on curbing overspending. In Part 1 and Part 2, we talked about the neuroscience of spending and also three tools to help you curb your spending.

Today, we're focusing on mindset: getting excited about what becomes possible when less money leaves you and you keep more of your income.

Here's the good news and the bad news: you must have a plan for the money. If you don't, it has a way of "disappearing."

Now you can redirecting that extra cash toward pain points such as kids' activities, upcoming expenses, paying down high-interest debt (especially over 7% APR), and building savings and investments (those are the frictionless systems you want to automate!)

Getting excited about the possibilities for that extra cash is the cheat code to making it happen--it's the glue that makes the goal of curbing overspending stick.

Be sure to share this episode, along with Part 1 and Part 2 with a friend who could use it.

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

"Intentional" -- we throw this word around a lot, especially when it comes to money. I use it all the time on the podcast. In this episode, we're taking some time to break down that word and understand what it really means to be "intentional" about money. We're joined by Leah Hadley, founder of Intentional Wealth Partners and Intentional Divorce Solutions, the ideal guest to help us define what it means to be intentional with money. Leah explains intentionality as aligning decisions with long-term impact and personal values, which can feel energizing and reduce decision fatigue We also talk about intention when it comes to: budgeting, earning, divorcing, and planning for retirement. Leah reframes budgeting as planning and positioning resources toward exciting goals and reminds us--it's ok to get excited about money. We talk about earning with intention and how work environments and stress can affect our overall financial health. Leah shares the importance of intentionality during divorce: processing emotions, seeking supportive professionals, and designing a new chapter rather than rushing decisions. We also talk about investing and planning for retirement early, as well as how to be intentional in our giving (as women, we are givers!) and how to set boundaries on giving money to adult children. For more information about Leah and her work, you can find her on Instagram LinkedIn and YouTube. ***

Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

Would you drive a car with no brakes?

Of course not. Brakes helps us stay safe and get to our destination.

In Part 2 of my series "How to Stop Spending So Much Damn Money" I give you three practical tools you can start using today to create intentional "friction" in today's "frictionless" spending systems.

The three tools include turning off autopay, the "24 Hour Rule" and the "Envelope Method"--give the full episode a listen (it's only 20 mins)--to understand the rationale. It's all about stepping back into the driver's seat. Granted some of these can be controversial, but they also work.

Adding good friction to our spending helps us slow down, reevaluate and make decisions we actually like and feel in control of.

Share this episode with someone in your life who needs it!

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.

How do we get to those BIG WINS we're hoping for? With achievable goals--intention and action on the way to what we want. It's kind of unsexy, isn't it? Just make the goals achievable? Take action, rinse and repeat. Yep, that's pretty much the recipe. Sounds simple, but it's not exactly easy. It's better when you talk to a friend about it! Join me and my friend, entrepreneur, and leadership and wellness expert Mary Polanco while we reflect on intentions set in January 2026 for what we want for this year, all while prioritizing joy, creativity, ease and avoiding all-or-nothing thinking. In this episode, Mary shares how the mantra "find the cash flow" led to a 400% increase in YouTube ad revenue through intentional, realistic scheduling, plus several thousand in annual savings on expenses by examining her finances more closely and taking action. Maureen has paid off $25,000 in credit card debt using 0% interest strategies, and she also took steps to maximize passive income by turning on podcast ads to pay herself for production time. She also started pursuing the Certified Divorce Financial Analyst designation. Looking ahead to Q2, Mary aims to maintain balance in the final leg of her doctorate program and will also be training for a half marathon. And, Maureen will focus on increasing saving and investing, exploring Substack, and maximizing passive income streams. If you're needing a boost of humor, honesty and passion to get you sticking to your goals this year--give this episode a listen and share with a friend!

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Note: Information in this podcast 1) is informational/educational in nature; 2) does not constitute financial or personal advice of any kind; 3) is never a substitute for clinical care from a health professional. Listeners should consult with a qualified professional regarding their individual circumstances before making any financial decisions.

Check out my FREE Mini Course: "Know Where the Money Is Going" to help you get back into the driver's seat with your monthly spending.

Find more ways to work with me, download free resources, and join my e-mail list at maureen-paley.com.

Financial Autonomy for Women 30-Day Workbook now available on Amazon. ***20% off the E-book when you buy directly from me.

Daily Money Affirmations for Women Entrepreneurs now available on Amazon.

Follow me on IG @maureenpaleycoach.

Visit my Etsy shop for budget-friendly resume and cover letter templates, budget trackers and more.