Women's Money Wisdom

Doing great work is supposed to protect your career. But what happens when being a high performer, speaking up, or challenging the status quo is exactly what puts you at risk? Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Shannon Nutter, a global executive, board director, and founder of My Classroom Economy, whose career includes leadership roles at Vanguard, Deloitte, and General Motors. Shannon is the co-author, with Julia C. Carreon, of the new book Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling, a decoder kit for recognizing the biases and double standards that have been normalized in so many workplaces.

Shannon explains the idea of a "takedown," when accomplished people, many of them women, are purposefully managed out after they push back, question power, or simply succeed. After a single LinkedIn post flooded her inbox, she paused writing to interview more than 100 people, and she shares the early signs and signals that emerged from those stories. She and Melissa also unpack the Goldilocks syndrome, why so many women personalize what is actually systemic, and the everyday choices we can all make as colleagues, leaders, consumers, investors, and voters to change the culture. Along the way, Melissa connects it back to financial planning: your career is often your largest asset, and preparing for career risk is part of protecting your balance sheet.

What You'll Learn

• What a "takedown" is, and why high performers who challenge the status quo, question compensation, or exceed their goals can be the ones managed out
• Early warning signs to watch for, from canceled one-on-ones and shrinking decision rights to a sudden performance plan after a new boss or merger
• Practical ways to protect yourself: documenting achievements, keeping your resume current, and building a network outside your company
• The Goldilocks syndrome, and why women are so often described as too much or too little but rarely just right
• Simple, low-risk phrases you can use in a meeting to redirect credit or reframe biased feedback for a colleague
• Why workplace bias is systemic rather than personal, and how that recognition can be validating
• How your choices as a leader, consumer, investor, and voter can push for change, even if you are not in the C-suite
• Why career risk belongs in your financial plan, since your human capital is often the largest asset on your balance sheet

Guest Bio

Shannon Nutter is a global executive, board director, business advisor, and author with more than two decades of leadership experience at organizations including the Vanguard Group, Deloitte, and General Motors. She is the founder of My Classroom Economy, a free K-12 program that teaches children financial responsibility through experiential learning. Shannon is the co-author, with Julia C. Carreon, of Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling (Practical Inspiration Publishing, 2026). She holds a BA from Macalester College and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business.

Connect with Shannon:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shannon-nutter

Co-author Julia C. Carreon on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/julia-c-carreon

Book: Walking on Broken Glass: Navigating the Aftermath of the Glass Ceiling

My Classroom Economy: myclassroomeconomy.org

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Charitable giving can grow your impact, pass your values to the next generation, and lower your tax bill, but only when the intent to give is genuine. 

Melissa Joy, CFP®, sits down with Grace Bernhardt, Director of Charitable Solutions and Advisor Experience at Raymond James Trust, for a wide-ranging conversation on charitable giving philosophy and the planning tools available to put it into practice. Melissa and Grace walk through the full spectrum of giving vehicles, from private foundations and charitable lead and remainder trusts to the fast-growing donor advised fund, explaining how each structure works, who it tends to fit best, and the tax and legacy benefits each one offers.

The conversation goes beyond the mechanics to explore why families give: using philanthropy to pass down values across generations, preparing heirs to be good stewards of wealth, and building giving strategies around major income events like a business sale, a large bonus year, or an inherited retirement account. Grace and Melissa also share how they each use donor advised funds in their own families, and Melissa reflects on why charitable giving should never be pursued purely for a tax break if the charitable intent isn't genuinely there.

What You'll Learn

• The difference between a private foundation, a donor advised fund, and community foundations, and how to choose among them
• How charitable lead trusts and charitable remainder trusts work, and when each one makes sense
• Why donor advised funds have become one of the fastest-growing charitable structures in the industry
• How donating appreciated stock or other assets, rather than cash, can help you give away a future capital gains tax liability
• How to use charitable giving strategically around high-income years, bunching deductions, and inherited retirement accounts
• How to set up successor donors and legacy giving plans so a donor advised fund can outlast your lifetime
• Why charitable giving should be grounded in genuine intent, not pursued for tax benefits alone

About Grace Bernhardt

Grace Bernhardt is Director of Charitable Solutions and Advisor Experience at Raymond James Trust, where she works with clients and financial advisors on philanthropic planning strategies, including donor advised funds, private foundations, and charitable trusts. She previously served as Director of Sustainable Investing at Raymond James. Learn more about Raymond James Charitable at raymondjamescharitable.org or connect with Grace on LinkedIn.

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Hugh Massie, founder of DNA Behavior International, to explore how our natural, hardwired behavior shapes the way we make financial decisions, especially under pressure. 

Hugh traces his path from CPA to behavioral pioneer, explaining how a simple observation, that people revert to their instinctive behavior when money puts them under stress, led him to build an objective measurement system now used in more than 125 countries. 

Together, Melissa and Hugh unpack why a strengths-based conversation, rather than a deficit-based one, keeps clients empowered and engaged, and why understanding a person's struggles (their strengths overplayed) is just as important as celebrating their talents.

The conversation turns to couples and money, where Hugh shares how opposite behavioral styles often attract each other in early marriages, and how an advisor can serve as a bridge that helps both partners feel heard rather than sidelined. Hugh also introduces DNA Behavior's assessment tools, including the newly launched GoDNA.ai, and explains how identity, not just strategy, is the foundation every sound financial decision should flow from.

What You'll Learn

• Why people revert to their natural, instinctive behavior when money puts them under pressure
• The difference between a strengths-based financial planning conversation and a deficit-based one, and why it keeps clients empowered
• Why understanding a client's “struggles” (strengths overplayed) matters as much as celebrating their strengths
• How identity, not just goals or strategy, is the foundation every financial decision should flow from
• Why couples often marry someone with an opposite behavioral style, and how that shows up in money decisions
• How an advisor can act as a neutral bridge that helps both partners in a relationship feel heard
• How DNA Behavior's assessment tools, including the new GoDNA.ai platform, measure natural behavior in minutes

About Hugh Massie

Hugh Massie is the Founder and Executive Chairman of DNA Behavior International, “The Behavior and Money Insights Company,” which he founded in 2001 after beginning his career as a CPA and wealth manager in Sydney, Australia. Now based in Atlanta, Hugh has spent more than two decades building behavioral assessment tools that measure people's natural, hardwired behavior, work that today reaches individuals and organizations in more than 125 countries. He is the author of several books, including Financial DNA: Discovering Your Unique Financial Personality for a Quality Life, and is also the co-founder of Boys Without Fathers, a nonprofit mentoring organization.

Website: https://www.dnabehavior.com

Try GoDNA: https://www.godna.ai

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hughmassie/

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Most people have never heard of an ABLE account, but it may be one of the most useful and underused tools in disability financial planning. Melissa Joy, CFP®, is joined by Scott de Varona, division director of MiABLE, Michigan's ABLE savings program, to explain how these accounts let people with disabilities save and invest money without jeopardizing benefits like Medicaid, SSI, and SNAP. 

For decades, individuals had to stay under a $2,000 asset limit to keep those benefits. ABLE accounts, modeled after the 529 education savings plan, changed that by giving people with disabilities a legal way to shelter savings, up to $20,000 a year, or $35,650 for those who are employed, while still qualifying for the programs they depend on.

Scott and Melissa cover who qualifies (the eligibility window recently expanded from before age 26 to before age 46), what the money can be used for (housing, transportation, technology, health and wellness, and even funeral expenses, among many other categories), and how the accounts work alongside special needs trusts and other estate planning tools. 

They also discuss an important open question: the Medicaid clawback provision that currently allows states to recoup funds from an ABLE account after the owner's death, and the pending state and federal legislation aimed at eliminating it. With an estimated one million Michiganders eligible and fewer than one percent enrolled, this conversation is a reminder that ABLE accounts likely apply to more listeners, or their family members, than they might expect.

What You'll Learn

• What an ABLE account is and how it protects eligibility for Medicaid, SSI, SNAP, and other disability benefits
• Who qualifies: the recent expansion of the eligibility window from disability onset before age 26 to before age 46
• The three ways to prove eligibility, including SSI/SSDI status, the compassionate allowances list, or a physician certification
• 2026 contribution limits: $20,000 annually, plus up to $15,650 more for employed account owners under ABLE to Work
• The wide range of qualified disability expenses, from housing and transportation to assistive technology and funeral costs
• How authorized individuals can manage an account on behalf of someone who lacks capacity
• The current Medicaid clawback provision and the pending state and federal legislation that could eliminate it
• How ABLE accounts can coordinate with special needs trusts and other estate planning strategies

About Scott de Varona

Scott de Varona is the division director of MiABLE, Michigan's ABLE savings program for people with disabilities, and has led the program since its creation. He has worked for the State of Michigan since 1999 in various roles within the Departments of Treasury and Health and Human Services. Scott holds a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Northwood University and an MBA from the DeVos Graduate School of Management. Learn more or start an account at Michigan.gov/MiABLE.

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

After her husband Doug's sudden death in 2023, Samina Bari discovered that having a will, a trust, and a team of trusted professionals in place made almost no difference in the chaos that followed. What she needed was not a checklist, but a guide, someone or something to tell her what to do first, second, and third while she was too overwhelmed to think clearly. That gap became the foundation for Farewell, the first life admin operating system built to help individuals and families move through loss, divorce, aging parent care, and other major life transitions with clarity instead of chaos.

Samina joins Melissa Joy, CFP®, to talk about what she calls life administration, the emotional, legal, financial, and practical work most of us postpone because it is simply too heavy to face. She explains how Farewell uses an empathetic AI to meet people where they are emotionally, break large to-do lists into manageable steps, and walk families through everything from locating vital documents to navigating an aging parent's finances. The conversation also turns personal, as Samina shares what she wishes more people understood about supporting someone through the loss of a spouse, and why she wrote Don't Call Me Widow to help close that gap.

What You'll Learn

• Why Samina calls the tangle of legal, financial, and emotional tasks after a major life event “life administration,” and why no system existed to manage it
• How Farewell's empathetic AI checks in on how you're feeling and curates next steps accordingly
• What to expect when gathering essentials like death certificates, and why timing and sequencing matter
• How families can delegate tasks and control what each member can see and do
• Why the planning phase, before a crisis hits, is where tools like Farewell add the most value
• How financial advisors can use Farewell to see client progress and offer more integrative support
• What Samina wishes people understood about showing up for someone who has lost a spouse

About Samina Bari

Samina Bari is the founder and CEO of Farewell, the first life admin operating system for financial advisory firms and their clients. She spent three decades leading more than $40 billion in biotech mergers and acquisitions before the sudden death of her husband, Doug, in 2023 revealed a systemic gap in how individuals and families navigate loss and major life transitions. 

Samina is an Operating Partner at How Women Invest and the two-time Amazon bestselling author of Don't Call Me Widow and I Can, I Will and I Did: Lessons on Life, Love, and Leadership. 

Learn more at saminabari.com and withfarewell.com. 

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Historian and investor Joseph Moore, PhD, spent over a decade digging through 300 years of American financial advice to find out what actually worked, and what everyday people, not just the Rockefellers of the world, were told to do with their money.

In this conversation with Melissa Joy, CFP®, Joseph explains why Americans used to say “go ahead” instead of “get ahead,” what that shift in language reveals about self-reliance and the American dream, and why perspective on how hard life used to be (one and a half shirts per person in 1870, no flush toilets well into the twentieth century) can reframe how we think about today's challenges.

They also dig into a subject close to Melissa's heart: the long, well-documented history of women managing, investing, and building wealth, from Ladies' Home Journal financial columns to Abigail Adams quietly out-investing John Adams. Joseph shares what his own real estate investing taught him about the myths of passive income, makes an unlikely defense of personal finance gurus, and reflects on how his working-class upbringing in rural South Carolina shaped a book that became a national bestseller.

What You'll Learn

• Why Americans historically said “go ahead” instead of “get ahead,” and what that language reveals about self-reliance versus collective pessimism
• How dramatically material life has improved in the last 150 years, and why that context matters when comparing today's challenges to the past
• Why the idea of a long history of stay-at-home moms is a myth, and how women's self-employment and part-time income kept most American families afloat
• The overlooked history of women investing in mortgages, securities, and real estate going back to the 1700s, including Abigail Adams's investment returns
• Why real estate is not always a passive investment, and what it actually takes to make money owning it
• A historian's case for what personal finance gurus get right, and where their advice tends to fall short
• Why saving a percentage of every paycheck in the stock market is newer advice than most people realize
• The power of living on one income and investing the other, a strategy with roots stretching back generations

Guest Bio

Joseph Moore, PhD, is a national bestselling author, historian, and investor whose self-experimentation with history's wildest financial strategies made him financially independent in his mid-40s. His writing has appeared in The New York Times and through HarperCollins and Oxford University Press. His new book, How to Get Rich in American History: 300 Years of Financial Advice That Worked (and Didn't), is an instant USA Today bestseller. You can find his free newsletter and more of his writing at josephmoorebooks.com, and follow him on Instagram.

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Midlife comes with plenty of taboo topics that rarely get discussed together: money, sex, and the fantasy of burning it all down. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Lindsay Goldwert, a writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Slate, and MarketWatch, and the author of Bow Down: Lessons from Dominatrixes on How to Be a Boss in Life, Love, and Work, a Glamour Magazine Best Book of 2020.

Lindsay is now the co-author of The Midlife Plot Twist: How to Reboot Your Life Without Burning It Down (Even If You Really, Really Want To), out this September. She and Melissa talk about why it is so hard for women to ask for what they want, and why that difficulty tends to build up quietly until it boils over.

The conversation covers why financial planning benefits from a therapist's sense of empathy, how couples can use a financial planner as a neutral party for hard conversations, and why proactively involving a financial planner before a relationship ends, not after, tends to lead to better outcomes for everyone.

Lindsay and Melissa also get into how small, incremental investments in friendships, hobbies, and curiosity pay off over a lifetime, why knowing what you do not want is just as valuable as knowing what you do want, and why midlife deserves to be treated as a plot twist worth celebrating rather than a crisis to survive.

What You'll Learn
Why asking for what you want is especially hard for women, and how that difficulty compounds over time if left unaddressed

Why a good financial planner should function like a financial therapist, holding space for feelings as well as numbers

How bringing a financial planner into a relationship can give every partner's voice a seat at the table, and why that matters most in unequal power dynamics

Why getting financial planning support before a relationship ends, rather than after, tends to lead to fairer and faster outcomes

How to have tough money conversations with aging parents about wills, executors, and financial oversight before a crisis forces the issue

Why small, incremental investments in friendships, hobbies, and curiosity are a legitimate use of money for long term health and longevity

Why knowing what you do not want anymore is just as valuable as knowing what you do want

Why midlife deserves reframing as a plot twist to celebrate rather than a crisis to survive

Guest Bio:
Lindsay Goldwert is an editorial director and writer whose work has appeared in The New York Times, New York Magazine, Slate, MarketWatch, and many others. She is the author of Bow Down: Lessons from Dominatrixes on How to Be a Boss in Life, Love, and Work (Simon & Schuster, 2020), a Glamour Magazine Best Book of 2020, and the co-author, with Gabrielle Moss, of The Midlife Plot Twist: How to Reboot Your Life Without Burning It Down (Even If You Really, Really Want To) (Running Press, September 2026).

Connect with Lindsay:
Website: lindsaygoldwert.com
Instagram: instagram.com/lindsay_goldwert

Melissa Joy, CFP®, is the founder and president of Pearl Planning, a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm based in Dexter, Michigan. Pearl Planning is a registered investment advisor with the Securities Exchange Commission. Information presented is for educational purposes only and does not intend to make an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any securities. This podcast offers news, commentary, and generalized research, not personalized investment advice. Nothing on this podcast should be interpreted to state or imply that past performance is an indication of future performance. All investments involve risk and unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to consult with a tax professional before implementing any investment strategy. Mellissa Joy hosts the Women's Money Wisdom podcast, where she talks with experts and everyday women about the real financial questions and challenges women face. Lindsay Goldwert is not a client of Pearl Planning and is not being compensated for sharing her opinion and experience with our firm.

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Retirement talk tends to fixate on a magic number, but Melissa Joy, CFP®, and fellow financial planner and podcaster Stephanie McCullough argue the real work happens well before and long after that number is reached. In this candid conversation, the two planners compare notes on what they see in their own practices: clients who retire on a fixed rule of thumb only to discover it doesn't flex with real life, retirees who under-spend out of fear even when the plan says they can afford more, and families quietly overwhelmed by aging parents' finances, unspoken inheritances, and adult children who haven't yet launched.

Melissa and Stephanie also dig into the myths that shape how people think about retirement long before they get there, from the outdated idea that retirement equals age sixty-five, to the belief that a portfolio should get more conservative simply because a client is getting older. 

They close with a rapid-fire round covering the most overrated retirement rule of thumb, the most underestimated expense, and what people should and shouldn't be losing sleep over, before reflecting on how their own work with retirees has shaped how they each plan to retire themselves.

What You'll Learn

• Why the idea that retirement equals age sixty-five is outdated, and how ageism, layoffs, and longer lifespans complicate that math
• Why Melissa and Stephanie now encourage many clients to spend more, not less, in the early years of retirement
• The difference between a plan “failing” and a plan needing adjustment, and why that framing matters
• Why the four percent rule and age-based portfolio allocation are two of the most overrated pieces of retirement conventional wisdom
• The most underestimated retirement expenses, including Medicare surcharges (IRMAA) and dental care
• How to navigate family conversations about aging parents' finances, inheritance, and adult children who still rely on financial support
• Why having a plan for aging in place, or choosing not to, is one of the most overlooked parts of retirement planning
• Why even confident self-managed investors need a transition plan for handing off financial management as they age

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

What is money actually for? On this episode of Women's Money Wisdom, Melissa Joy, CFP®, welcomes Shanna Due, CFP®, founder of Due Financial and editor of the book series More Than Money and Even More Than Money, back to the podcast to talk about her newest project. 

Shanna walks through how a group of advisors turned an idea into a traditionally published book, why the follow-up book needed to go further than the first, and how the five-purposes framework, living, changing, dreaming, giving, and enduring, reframes money as a tool for a meaningful life rather than an end in itself.

The conversation also digs into how readers can use the book to find and vet a financial advisor, from understanding the alphabet soup of credentials to knowing what questions to ask and what a real advisor relationship looks like over time. 

Melissa and Shanna talk candidly about permission to spend versus permission to save, giving during your lifetime, and why finding an advisor you genuinely like and trust matters just as much as their credentials. All proceeds from the book benefit Third Decade, a nonprofit that provides long-term financial coaching to people rebuilding their financial lives.

What You'll Learn

• How a group of financial advisors turned an idea into a traditionally published book, twice
• Why Even More Than Money was built around a five-purposes framework: living, changing, dreaming, giving, and enduring
• The difference between a must-save mindset and giving yourself permission to spend
• Why giving during your lifetime can be as meaningful as giving through an estate
• How to decode financial advisor credentials and know what questions to ask before hiring one
• What a real financial advisor relationship looks like, from one-time projects to ongoing partnerships
• Why liking and trusting your advisor matters as much as their technical expertise
• How the book's proceeds support Third Decade, a nonprofit providing long-term financial coaching

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only.  No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...

Real estate decisions carry enormous financial weight, and yet many people navigate them with a realtor who treats the work as a side hustle rather than a true advisory relationship. Melissa Joy, CFP® sits down with Donna Castillo, a top 1% producer realtor with Intero Real Estate Services in Silicon Valley, to talk about what separates a transactional agent from a real financial partner. Donna shares how she works with clients neighborhood by neighborhood, weighing schools, square footage, and competitive dynamics so buyers can win a home without overpaying by six figures.

The conversation turns to Donna's R.E.A.L. Method, a framework she created specifically for homeowners over 55 who are weighing whether to stay put, downsize, or explore new options like an ADU or a 55-plus community. Melissa and Donna cover capital gains exposure on long-held homes, the role of a good lender in structuring financing around equity compensation and investment portfolios, and why having candid family conversations about aging in place, trusts, and estate plans is one of the most generous things a person can do for the people they love.

What You'll Learn

• Why working with a realtor who treats real estate as a true advisory relationship, not a side hustle, matters most on high-value transactions
• How hyper-local market knowledge, down to the specific street, shapes a competitive offer strategy
• The R.E.A.L. Method: a framework built for homeowners 55-plus to evaluate reality, equity, available options, and lifestyle impact
• How capital gains exclusions work for primary residences, and why the math differs for single versus married homeowners
• How a 1031 exchange can defer capital gains on rental property, and why the full proceeds need to stay in real estate
• Why using investment portfolios, RSUs, and other equity compensation to finance a home purchase requires careful tax planning with the right lender
• The importance of having proactive conversations with family about aging in place, trusts, and estate plans before a crisis forces the decision

Connect with Donna:

Website: donnacastillo.com

Facebook: facebook.com/gotodonna

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