The Wealth Development Studio

If you couldn't make your own decisions tomorrow, would your family know what to do?

Many adults are caring for aging parents while raising kids, and their own estate plan keeps getting pushed aside.

Stephanie Rapp, a trusts and estates partner at Day Pitney, joins the show today to explain the estate planning documents that matter most. 

Listen in as she covers how a power of attorney, healthcare surrogate, and living will work while you're alive, and how a revocable trust passes your assets after you die.

You’ll learn how to start your estate plan with confidence to protect the people you love.

What You’ll Learn:

• The 3 documents that protect you if you can't make decisions for yourself.
• What to know before signing a power of attorney in Florida.
• How a revocable trust works during your lifetime and after death.
• The common mistake that leaves many trusts empty.
• How one simple account form can override your will or trust.
• What probate does well that most people don't realize.
• What the boomerang effect is and how it can backfire with your kids.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "If that revocable trust isn't funded, then it's really not effective until after probate on your death. It's not going to help you during life, and it's not going to help you during your incapacity." - Stephanie Rapp
• "At the end of the day, you are the one that knows your family the best and that dynamic the best. And so you have to deal with that, and you have to address it." - Stephanie Rapp
• "Don't be scared. It doesn't have to be scary. We can simplify it for you. And it's an important thing to get done for you and your family." - Stephanie Rapp

Resources:

• Stephanie Rapp: Website | LinkedIn | [email protected] | 561-803-3523
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• The Wealth Collaborative

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

Are you holding onto a 3% mortgage and wondering if moving will ever make sense again? 

With rates in the 6% range and home prices well above where they were a few years ago, many homeowners are staying put, and buyers have fewer homes to choose from.

Todd Sheppard, founder and owner of Inspired Mortgage Brokers and a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, explains how he builds a preapproval around a comfortable monthly payment, how discount points and loan recasting work, and what divorcing spouses should know about keeping or buying a home.

Listen in as Todd shares real client examples to help you set a price range you can live with, decide when buying down your rate pays off, and plan your next home purchase during a divorce.

What You’ll Learn:

• What's keeping homeowners with low rates from selling and what could change it.
• The question to ask before "How much can I qualify for?"
• A $250 option that can lower your mortgage payment without refinancing.
• How to tell if buying down your rate is worth the upfront cost.
• What's behind the rising age of first-time home buyers.
• How divorcing spouses can buy a new home while still on the old mortgage.
• What to expect when refinancing to buy out a spouse after divorce.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "One of the biggest mistakes folks make over the years is liquidating their retirement account because the stock market wasn't doing anything." - Todd Sheppard
• "If it's spelled out in the settlement agreement that one spouse is responsible for it, then the other spouse is not. We don't have to include that mortgage payment in their debt-to-income ratio." - Todd Sheppard
• "For every $100,000 you pay down the loan balance, it would reduce your payment by about $570 a month." - Todd Sheppard

Resources:

• Todd Sheppard: Website | LinkedIn | 770-304-6699
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

How much is one skipped negotiation actually costing you?

A missed $10,000 raise does not stay a $10,000 problem. It resets the base that every future increase is calculated from, shrinks the employer match, and removes years of compounding from the retirement number. Compensation decisions are financial planning decisions, even when they feel like career decisions.

Stacy Jackson, executive coach and founder of SBJ Consulting, works with leaders on understanding total compensation as a leadership skill. She breaks down which parts of an offer are genuinely negotiable, where people undervalue themselves without realizing it, and what the research shows about the motherhood penalty and the fatherhood premium.

Listen in as Stacy explains how to anchor your number to the market instead of your current pay, how to ask direct questions without being labeled difficult, and what to protect during a career break so re-entry starts from a stronger position.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why base salary is often the least flexible part of a compensation package.
• Where to find credible market data before entering a negotiation.
• Why anchoring your ask to your current salary limits lifetime earnings.
• How the motherhood penalty and fatherhood premium appear in pay research.
• How mitigating language weakens a request before it is made.
• Why equity, vesting schedules, and benefits belong in the total compensation math.
• What to maintain during a career break to protect future earning power.
• How workplace proximity and mentorship affect early-career pay outcomes.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "You should never anchor your base salary number off what you're currently making. That's another huge mistake." - Stacy Jackson
• "If you haven't been compensated the way you want in the past, why is that? It's not necessarily because you didn't deserve it. It's because you didn't advocate for it." - Stacy Jackson
• "All you need is somebody to answer one question, and you're off and running, because the next question will give you the next question, will give you the next question." - Stacy Jackson

Resources:

• Stacy Jackson: Website | LinkedIn | [email protected]
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Thought Partner Newsletter
• Glassdoor
• SHRM

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

How do you make the biggest decisions of your life when nothing around you feels stable?

Major life transitions strip away the routines that make people feel capable, and they tend to arrive right when the most consequential decisions need to be made. The instinct is to wait until the dust settles. But waiting is its own decision, and it usually costs more than people expect.

Marisa Messana, former professional golfer and founder of Marigold Elite Partners, coaches executives and high achievers on performance systems built for this kind of pressure. In this episode, she walks through her three pillars of mental resilience, physical optimization, and emotional intelligence, and how they combine into what she calls a personal operating system.

Listen in as Marisa breaks down the daily mental gym practice that sets the tone for an entire day, the weekly reflection ritual that builds self-trust, and the values exercise that reveals what people actually want.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why people in transition tend to make decisions based on past patterns.
• How the mental gym practice works and why the first 30 to 60 minutes of the morning matter most.
• The three foundational health levers that determine your available energy.
• How the weekly reflection ritual builds discernment and removes the pressure to be perfect.
• How zooming out and zooming in keeps long-term goals from becoming overwhelming.
• What controlling the controllables looks like in practice during a chaotic season.
• Why golf works as a setting for building confidence, trust, and business relationships.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "It's very common that I see women making decisions based off of the patterns of their past, rather than the desired future that they're looking to create." - Marisa Messana
• “There's so many things in transition that you can't control, but what are the things that you can control? That's your own energy, your mindset, and how you show up in relationships." - Marisa Messana
• "If there is an area that you're deficient in or maybe you don't feel comfortable, invest your resources in getting the support that you need to get there, whether it's golf, whether it's business, whether it's your finances." - Marisa Messana

Resources:

• Marisa Messana: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Corporate Group Programs
• 1:1 Programs
• Function Health

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

What happens when you have done everything right and you are clearly talented… but you’re still stuck?

Today I’m joined by Jackie Roby, Executive Leadership Advisor and founder of Inspired Journey Consulting, who spent two decades inside performance-driven organizations watching this play out. In this episode, Jackie breaks down how “palatability culture” turns being easy to work with into a career ceiling, as well as how her Fulfillment Formula helps with recognizing your patterns and choosing instead of reacting.

Listen in as she explains what you can do to uncover the narratives behind your decisions and what changes when you lead from a regulated place. You’ll come away with a better understanding of how the patterns that limit your career also shape your financial decisions and a one-week assignment you can start today to get yourself unstuck.

What You’ll Learn:

• What "palatability culture" is and how it quietly stalls talented careers.
• How the Fulfillment Formula's five steps create awareness and calm the nervous system.
• Why self-awareness is far rarer than people assume, and how to build it.
• How to run a "thought audit" to catch the narratives holding you back.
• Why regulated leadership outperforms leadership driven by insecurity.
• How the patterns that limit your career also shape your financial decisions.
• What it means to succeed without disappearing at work.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "Our brain does not know the difference between an unread email and being chased by a mountain lion." - Jackie Roby
• "There was a study done that said 95% of people think they're self-aware, but in reality, only 5% to 10% of people are." - Jackie Roby
• "Your busyness isn't proof of your value; it's proof that the system is broken." - Jackie Roby

Resources:

• Jackie Roby: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | YouTube
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Stay in the know about Jackie's book release: Palatable, Profitable, & Dying Inside
• 14-Event Virtual Series

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

What if the reason your financial plan isn't sticking has nothing to do with your investments?

Building wealth gets most of the attention in financial planning, but everyday decisions are where plans quietly succeed or fall apart. When daily spending isn't aligned with long-term goals, even a strong investment strategy ends up working uphill.

Kai Dickens, CEO and Money Coach at Dr. Budgets, works with individuals, couples, and small business owners to rebuild their relationship with money from the ground up. He joins the show today to share how money stories formed in childhood run in the background of adult decisions, why a spending plan works better than a restrictive budget, and how awareness paired with small, repeatable changes creates habits that actually last.

Listen in to learn how to close the gap between knowing and doing, how couples can talk about money without it turning into conflict, what keeps people stuck, and how clarity around your numbers can replace daily stress with lasting confidence.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why daily spending habits often decide whether a financial plan succeeds.
• How childhood money stories shape adult spending behavior without us realizing it.
• Why reframing a budget as a "spending plan" removes restriction and shame.
• How couples can discuss money without falling into conflict.
• How to review three months of expenses and adjust spending categories.
• Why delivery apps and forgotten subscriptions quietly derail budgets.
• How small business owners separate personal and business finances for taxes.
• How money coaching and financial planning work together to build wealth.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “The foundation of how everybody does money—and most of the time, it's from what they saw as a child, and it's been completely instilled, so they don't even know—it's… like a script that's running in the background.” - Kai Dickens
• “Instead of focusing on budgeting and how a budget could restrict you, what we really do is we flip it, and we're focusing on spending, a spending plan. So instead of ‘you can't spend this money,’ it's, ‘you can spend up to this amount in these different categories.’” - Kai Dickens
• "Getting clarity around your numbers takes away the stress, and it gives you the ability to live." - Kai Dickens

Resources:

• Kai Dickens: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• ADHD Money Mentor

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

What are you really giving away every time you tap "accept," download an app, or hand your information to AI?

Technology runs on our personal data, and every app, loyalty program, and AI tool asks for something in return for convenience. Those small exchanges add up to detailed profiles that quietly shape pricing, insurance rates, and financial decisions most people never think twice about.

Sanjana Chintalapudi, founder of the Data Conscious Collective, helps people build real agency in a data-driven world. A data scientist by training, she explains the "data trade-off," why AI is a language generator rather than a financial expert, and where the real risk lies when you hand over sensitive information.

Listen in as Sanjana shows how to spot the tech anxiety behind impulsive money decisions, protect your financial information from AI and scams, and use technology on your own terms.

What You’ll Learn:

• What the "data trade-off" is and how apps quietly collect more than you realize.
• Why uploading tax returns and financial documents into AI tools is genuinely risky.
• Why AI generates language well but often gets math and analysis wrong.
• How tech anxiety and constant notifications push people toward emotional money decisions.
• How to recognize get-rich-quick pressure around crypto, day trading, and market FOMO.
• Why data literacy matters as much as financial literacy today.
• How business owners can use AI while keeping humans on high-risk work.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “AI's intelligence is not human intelligence, and the danger is thinking those are interchangeable. I love AI for the access it provides, but at some point you will need a human, because humans are the experts.” - Sanjana Chintalapudi
• “These models are definitely game-changing, but they are not life-changing. And I think we forget that these are just tech and tools and not water and food. They're not the things we need to survive.” - Sanjana Chintalapudi
• “Accessibility does not always mean better. Just because you've opened it up—you've democratized an idea, a concept, a tool—doesn't mean it's actually a better way of living and doing for users and people.” - Sanjana Chintalapudi

Resources:

• Sanjana Chintalapudi: Website | Instagram | LinkedIn | Bits of Us
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

What if the secret to great financial advice isn't more data, but more trust?

For years, the industry treated every client the same: a spreadsheet, a return rate, and a handshake. Melissa Montalvo, Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor at Atticus Wealth Management, breaks that mold. In this episode, she explains how blending technical expertise with real human connection changes the way families plan for their money and their legacy.

Listen in as Melissa shares what trends she has noticed in serving women, as well as how she has deepened trust with her clients. You’ll learn her philosophy on meeting clients where they are (sometimes even meeting them in their own homes!), what helps families feel confident about their financial futures, and more. 

What You’ll Learn:

• Why women want reassurance and clarity over jargon from a financial advisor.
• How donor-advised funds let clients donate stock and avoid capital gains tax.
• Why in-person visits and shared passions deepen advisor-client trust over time.
• How proper trust planning prevents probate delays and preserves family wealth.
• Why every dollar should be assigned a specific, purposeful financial goal.
• Why removing fear and greed keeps clients aligned with their financial plan.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “Women just want to know that you are their biggest fan, and they're in it for the long run.” - Melissa Montalvo
• “I feel like trust is just critical when it comes to alignment, and working with one person, one family, one household at a time.” - Melissa Montalvo
• "I think there's a lion inside of everybody, and you have to get to the place where you're unleashing that, finding confidence in where you're at." - Melissa Montalvo

Resources:

• Melissa Montalvo: LinkedIn | Atticus Wealth Management | Phone: 561-425-9500
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Young Life

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

What happens when the most educated people in the room have no idea what's in their own retirement accounts?

Retirement planning for educators looks nothing like it does for everyone else. Between layered 403(b) contracts, fixed annuities with strict liquidity rules, and pensions that interact with Social Security in unexpected ways, the complexity is real… and largely underserved.

Kevin Roche, Certified Financial Planner and founder of Authenticity Financial, worked inside TIAA before going independent. He now specializes in helping educators untangle their retirement accounts, understand what they actually own, and build a tax-efficient strategy for the long term.

Listen in as Kevin breaks down how TIAA Traditional's liquidity restrictions work, why the timing of your pension and Social Security elections changes your tax picture for life, and how to turn the gap between retirement and age 70 into a powerful planning opportunity.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why 403(b) plans are far more complex than a standard 401(k).
• How TIAA Traditional's six versions differ and why liquidity rules matter.
• What the 5-, 8-, and 10-year payout schedules mean for your flexibility.
• How pensions and Social Security timing change your tax picture for life.
• What the "low tax corridor" is and how to use it strategically.
• Why 457 plans are an underutilized tool for higher-earning educators.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “Going to a financial planner is like going to a doctor. If you wait until there's a crisis, you're probably going to get bad news. You’ve got to go when you think you don't need it, and that's when you're going to make sure you probably are in good shape.” - Kevin Roche
• “It's almost like when you first sit down to create a puzzle. You’ve got to dump all the pieces out, and then you lay them all out… look for the corners and the edges, and you start putting them together.” - Kevin Roche
• “It's not just about managing income, it's about managing taxes as well. It's about managing investments.” - Kevin Roche

Resources:

• Kevin Roche: LinkedIn | Farther Financial | Email
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Authenticity Financial
• Longevity Science Foundation
• TIAA

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.

Does every money conversation in your house end in a fight? Do you leave financial meetings feeling good, then go home and do nothing?

The problem might not be your finances. It might be your relationship with them.

Erika Wasserman, founder of Your Financial Therapist and one of a small number of certified financial therapists in the country, breaks down what financial therapy actually is and why it matters. She explores how childhood money stories shape adult behavior, how shame keeps people stuck, and how couples, individuals, and professionals can start having the conversations that lead to real change.

Listen in as Erika examines the emotional architecture behind money decisions, offering practical tools and frameworks that help listeners move from avoidance and shame to awareness, action, and lasting financial confidence.

What You’ll Learn:

• What financial therapy is and how it differs from traditional financial planning.
• How childhood money stories become patterns that shape financial behavior.
• How the emotional side of money shows up at work, in negotiations, and elsewhere.
• Why 90% of financial decisions are emotional (and what to do about it).
• The Money Mindset Method: a five-step framework for productive money conversations.
• How to tell if you are a "how" or a "wow" person and why it changes how you plan.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “90% of financial decisions are emotional, 10% are logical.” - Erika Wasserman
• "Every single person has made a financial mistake. Let that shame go, and let's start thinking about how you build the confidence to make better decisions." - Erika Wasserman
• "A plan doesn't fail; people fail. And so we need the people involved to keep you on track, to keep the conversation going, and to give you those check-ins." - Erika Wasserman

Resources:

• Erika Wasserman: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook | YouTube | Instagram
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Conversations with Your Financial Therapist by Erika Wasserman
• Let’s Talk Finances: Divorce Edition | Conversation Cards
• Let’s Talk Finances: Couple’s Edition | Conversation Cards

Connect with Us:

If you're ready to stop avoiding your finances and start building the future you deserve, schedule a free call with me at pelicanfinancialplanning.com and let’s create your personalized financial plan together.

And if you want ongoing guidance, clarity, and confidence as you grow your wealth, subscribe to our newsletter for financial insights delivered right to your inbox.