By Leah Hadley, CDFA, MAFF, AFC 

I still remember the first financial book that made me feel like someone was finally talking to me. Not at me. Not over my head. Directly to me as a woman trying to figure out her financial life. It was David Bach's Smart Women Finish Rich, and it landed in my hands at exactly the right time.

Since then, I've read dozens of personal finance books, and I keep coming back to the ones that do more than just explain compound interest. The books that stick are the ones that help you understand *why* you think about money the way you do and then give you practical tools to do something about it.

Whether you're rebuilding after a major life transition, trying to get a handle on investing for the first time, or just ready to stop feeling anxious every time you check your bank account, there's a book on this list for you. I've included a mix of classics and newer voices, covering everything from mindset to strategy to building real wealth.

Here are the 10 mo...

I spent the first half of my life trying to blend in with the wall.

Making myself smaller, quieter, less visible. If you had told the teenage version of me that I’d one day run a financial planning practice, lead a community of women, and write a book about money, I would have laughed. That girl didn’t believe she had anything worth saying out loud.

What changed? Community. Specifically, the women’s empowerment networks that showed me what I was capable of before I could see it myself.

That’s not a soft, feel-good sentiment. It’s the most practical career and life advice I can give you. The right support circle of women will change your trajectory. It changed mine.

The Communities That Shaped Me

Girl Scouts: Where Personal Growth Begins

I grew up a Girl Scout. And I know that might sound quaint, but the truth is, that’s where I first experienced what happens when girls are given space to lead without being told to tone it down. We learned how to set goals, manage money (hell...

Setting financial boundaries with adult children can feel emotionally complicated, especially for women in midlife.

Many women come to me saying something like this:

“I want to help my adult child, but I’m starting to feel anxious, resentful, or stretched too thin.”

If that sounds familiar, take a breath. Nothing has gone wrong. This is often the moment when awareness shows up before change.

Helping adult children financially can come from a place of deep love. But when that support continues without clear boundaries, it can quietly create stress, guilt, and tension that no one really wants.

Setting financial boundaries is not about withdrawing love. It is about creating clarity, sustainability, and trust for everyone involved.

Why Financial Boundaries With Adult Children Matter in Midlife

Midlife is a season of competing responsibilities. You may be planning for retirement, supporting aging parents, rebuilding financially after divorce, or growing a business. At the same time, ...

Legacy planning conversations are some of the most important discussions families can have, yet they are also the ones most often avoided. In a recent masterclass inside the Empowered Sisterhood, I taught a values based approach to these conversations and shared how to prepare both assets and loved ones for the future with clarity and compassion.

Legacy planning sounds straightforward on the surface. In reality, these conversations touch deeply emotional areas of family life. Anyone who has ever settled a loved one’s estate knows how difficult it can be when clarity is missing or communication never happened.

This subject is especially meaningful to me right now. When my mom passed away unexpectedly, I experienced firsthand how powerful clear communication can be. She shared her wishes openly, helped me understand what I needed to know, and made sure I felt prepared. That clarity was a tremendous gift in the middle of grief, and it reinforced the importance of intentional legacy plan...

When it comes to feeling confident with your money, most women aren’t just looking for investment returns. They’re looking for relationship returns.

A true money partnership between a woman and her financial team goes deeper than numbers or market performance. It’s about trust. It’s about being heard and respected. And it’s about having people beside you who help you align your money with your values, your goals, and your bigger vision for your life.

In The Empowered Sisterhood, we talk a lot about reclaiming your financial power. One of the most powerful ways to do that is by building a financial partnership that feels genuine and grounded in mutual respect.

Let’s look at what that kind of partnership really means and how you can start creating it today.

Trust Is the Heart of Financial Empowerment

Trust is the foundation of any healthy relationship, and that includes your relationship with your advisor.

When you trust your financial team, you feel comfortable asking questions...

When it comes to investing, our minds can play tricks on us. One of the most common culprits is recency bias, the tendency to let the latest events loom larger in our decision-making than they should. When markets are strong, it convinces us that this will continue forever, tempting us to overpay. When markets drop, it tells us the slide will never end, pushing us toward panic-selling and missed opportunities.

It is human nature. We are wired to respond to what is happening right now. But that wiring can hurt us when it comes to our finances. The antidote is not complicated. It is returning to timeless fundamentals that work in good times and bad. One of the most powerful fundamentals is saving.

Why Saving Still Deserves the Spotlight

Investing tends to get all the attention. We hear about record-breaking stock highs, dramatic losses, or the latest hot trend in real estate or crypto. Saving rarely makes headlines. It is not flashy and it is not fast, but it is foundational.

A stron...

by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach

What do the following have in common?

• You’re in the grocery store, looking for your favorite brand of stone-ground mustard, only to find that they no longer carry it. The replacement brand is twice the price, and you don’t like the packaging either.
  
• You’re accustomed to your second shift schedule, but you have just been informed that you are moving to first shift for the foreseeable future. This throws a wrench in your Pilates class schedule.
  
• Your spouse has just announced that he is leaving you for the neighbor down the street that you have been casually saying hi to on your evening walks if she’s out in the yard.

If you answered “things that make you go hmmmm,” you are partly correct. Actually, these are all examples of change, albeit in varying degrees of the impact it will have on a person’s life. New mustard brand versus your world being turned upside down by divorce are not on the same par, for sure. If you’ve been around in this...

by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach

Growing up, you probably heard the "F-word" at some point, and it wasn't "fudge." In this post, we're talking about a different F-word, one that can quietly undermine your financial empowerment and overall wellbeing: FAIRNESS.

For women navigating careers, money, relationships, and midlife transitions, the belief that things should be fair can be a surprisingly powerful obstacle. Here's what the research and real life experience tell us about why fairness thinking holds us back, and what to do instead.

Why "Life Isn't Fair" Is Actually Useful Wisdom for Women

The concept of fairness seems harmless enough. It has the ring of righteousness. When things go our way, fairness feels like justice. But that's precisely the problem: the expectation that things should be fair sets us up for indignation, resentment, and paralysis when life doesn't deliver.

At the extreme end, a rigid attachment to fairness can keep us stuck, waiting for the world to ...

Financial empowerment is a crucial aspect of personal growth for women, enabling them to take control of their financial futures. This guide aims to provide actionable insights into building financial confidence, clarity, and lasting wealth. Women often face unique challenges in financial management, from societal expectations to a lack of representation in financial sectors. By addressing these issues, this article will explore strategies for enhancing financial literacy, effective budgeting, and investment practices tailored specifically for women.

Throughout this guide, readers will learn about the importance of a positive money mindset, practical budgeting techniques, and the basics of investing. Additionally, we will highlight resources and community support available to women seeking financial guidance. By the e...

Picture this: You just received your final divorce papers. It is sinking in that you are free to move on to the next chapter of your life. The only problem is that it looks suspiciously like yesterday, except if you wanted to marry someone tomorrow, you could. No one comes to mind. While you are planning to drink a glass of champagne later with your bestie to celebrate, it is only 10 o'clock in the morning, and the feelings washing over you are the exact opposite of celebration.

Now you are confused. You thought that once you were divorced, you would feel happy. Inspired. Free. Instead, all you feel is fear, sadness, and loneliness. This cannot be all there is, right?

The Overwhelming Reality of Life After Divorce

You know what your settlement numbers are, so you sit down to make a budget. Essentials are covered. Are weekly manicures considered essential? Apparently not. Daily Starbucks? Maybe if you pack your lunch every day, those can stay. What about Netflix? This is not fun.

Yo...