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.

What happens to the family home when a loved one passes or transitions into care?

Real estate is often the largest and most emotionally loaded asset a family holds, and when the time comes to act, it rarely transfers cleanly. It comes with logistical complexity, financial decisions, and family dynamics that can stretch for months or years.

Chris Losquadro, founder of Quantum Realty Advisors, has spent nearly three decades specializing in estate, trust, and inherited properties. He breaks down how families and advisors can handle the sale of inherited real estate, from multi-state coordination and property optimization to the growing trend of donating real estate to charitable organizations as part of a planned estate.

Listen in as Chris walks through the full lifecycle of an estate property transaction: what happens when estate planning is airtight versus when it isn't, how families can avoid costly delays, and why donating appreciated real estate can generate far greater philanthropic impact than a cash gift.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why inherited real estate requires a specialized advisor.
• How to manage estate property sales across multiple states with one point of contact.
• The carrying costs that quietly drain estate value while a property sits unsold.
• Why the timing of a property sale (before or after death) changes the tax outcome.
• How donating real estate can generate 6X the impact of a cash gift.
• What families and charities must know before designating property as a charitable gift.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• "If you donate non-cash assets—whether it's appreciated stock, whether it's real estate, whether it's tangibles like artwork or jewelry—you are giving six times the average of a cash donation." - Chris Losquadro
• "I represent the property. I don't represent you. How the pie is cut up when it's all said and done is up to you." - Chris Losquadro
• "Consult with somebody like [a financial advisor]. Consult with your attorney. Some of these decisions are not easy... but at the end of the day, you don't want to leave your spouse, your children, in a little bit of a lurch." - Chris Losquadro

Resources:

• Chris Losquadro: Website | LinkedIn
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• Palm Beach and Martin County Community Foundation

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 do the latest tax law changes actually mean for your money, and are you making the most of the opportunities available right now?

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act was enacted and made effective in 2025, creating an unusually compressed window for planning that caught many professionals off guard. It touched nearly every corner of personal finance: standard deductions, SALT caps, estate tax exemptions, inherited IRAs, and charitable contribution rules, all in one sweeping bill.

In this episode, Aaron Hattenbach, founder of Rapport Financial, breaks down the key elements of the new legislation and how they show up in real financial decisions. He explains the most consequential provisions of the OBBBA and how each piece connects, so you can bring more questions to your financial planner and CPA before the next planning window closes.

Listen in to learn how to evaluate planning opportunities within this new structure, align tax strategies with your long-term goals, and make informed decisions that support both your current financial life and the legacy you want to build.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why the OBBBA created a compressed planning window inside the 2025 tax year.
• How the $40,000 SALT cap increase works and when it phases out.
• When Roth conversions make sense and how to avoid a higher tax bracket.
• How the Secure Act 2.0 inherited IRA rule affects legacy planning.
• What the $30 million estate tax exemption means for families through 2030.
• How donor-advised funds reduce taxes while growing your charitable giving power.
• Why standard deduction filers now qualify for a $1,000-$2,000 charitable deduction.
• How cash balance pension plans help small business owners lower taxable income.

Ideas Worth Sharing:

• “With the passing of the OBBBA, there's certainty with tax planning… for the next four years. We can do a lot of tax planning for our clients.” - Aaron Hattenbach
• "Each little decision matters, and that's why you don't want to make a decision in isolation because it will impact something else in your financial plan." - Aaron Hattenbach
• "A hundred million people in the United States don't even have a basic will. It ends up putting an unnecessary burden on your spouse, on your children to interpret. Probate is very expensive and public." - Aaron Hattenbach

Resources:

• Aaron Hattenbach: Website | LinkedIn
• Genevieve George: Website | LinkedIn
• DAFgiving360 (Schwab Charitable)
• Fidelity Charitable Giving Account

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.