Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays with its focus on family and gratitude, and it’s the perfect opportunity to feel grateful for everything that I have, despite whatever bumps in the road tried to take me off course throughout the year. But Thanksgiving can also be a difficult time for people for a variety of reasons so I wanted to share how developing a gratitude mindset can help you take a different approach to not only Thanksgiving but each new day.Â
Gratitude is defined as the quality of being thankful and exhibiting a readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Simply put, a gratitude mindset is the ability to focus on the positive things in life rather than the negative - you know the glass is half full kind of thinking. You see opportunities instead of obstacles. When you can focus on gratitude, the number of things you appreciate continue to grow.Â
Engaging in a gratitude...
If you have ever felt nervous about asking for a raise or raising your prices, you are not alone. Many women, even successful and high-achieving women, hesitate to advocate for themselves financially.
Sometimes it is mindset. Sometimes it is fear of rejection. Sometimes it is that voice whispering “Who am I to ask for more?” But here is the truth: your skills, experience, and growth have value. Your compensation should reflect that. Whether you work for a company or run your own business, increasing your income often starts with getting comfortable asking for what you deserve.
I once worked with a client who transitioned into data analytics without a formal degree in that field. She was talented, highly capable, and significantly underpaid.
She believed she did not deserve the same salary as someone who studied analytics in school. However, I encouraged her to look at the value she was delivering: her expertise grew every year, her skills contribut...
April is Financial Literacy Month! It’s such an important time for me because I truly believe in the importance of education, especially around money. The reality is that the schools don’t provide much, if any, financial education.
So, I want to make sure you have the tools to feel confident in sharing this information with your kids and also so you are confident in advocating for yourself when it comes to your finances.
I remember learning about money at a young age — I must have been about 10 and my brother was 15. My mom was a single mom. She hurt her back and couldn't go grocery shopping, so it fell to us (my brother and I) to go to the store and get what we needed.
It was the first time we had to be responsible to get the groceries and it was a little scary. We were in charge of making sure we chose wisely so we would all have food to eat for the whole week and hadn’t loaded the cart with groceries that would exceed our budget.
Even though it was a little nerve-wracking, that ...
If you want to increase your income and feel confident advocating for yourself financially, your mindset is the very first place to start. While we cannot control everything around us, we do have influence over the most powerful piece of the puzzle: our thoughts, our reactions, and the beliefs that shape how we approach money. When you take ownership of that inner voice, you put yourself in a strong position to attract and earn more.
And it begins with a simple act: asking for what you want.
Kids have this mastered. My kids ask for McDonald’s constantly and they do it with zero hesitation. Even though they hear “no” almost every time, they keep asking. They have not yet learned the fear that so many adults feel around money, rejection, or being seen as “too much.” There is a lot we can learn from that confidence.
Wanting something does not guarantee it will happen. But believing you have agency and actively participating in your money journey opens the door to more opportunities. Yo...
If you have been here since the early days, you might remember when this community was called Moms Managing Money. If you do, I am raising a glass to you right now. Seriously. You were there at the beginning, and you matter more than you know.
Back then, I was a financial planner and former equity research analyst trying to build something that felt like a real resource for women managing household finances, navigating motherhood, and trying to figure out what "financial stability" even meant for them. The blog started as a collection of tips. It grew into a community. And then it outgr...
If you’ve ever wondered how to improve your financial situation, you’re not alone. It’s one of the most common goals I hear from women in every stage of life.
Whether you’re navigating a career transition, rebuilding after divorce, or simply trying to create more stability and confidence with money, improving your finances often feels both incredibly important and incredibly overwhelming.
The good news? Improving your financial situation doesn’t require perfection, and it doesn’t happen overnight. Instead, it happens through intentional choices, consistent actions, and a commitment to your financial wellness.
In many ways, learning personal finance for women is less about complicated strategies and more about creating sustainable habits that support your life and your values.
Think of it as financial self care. Just like physical health or emotional wellness, your financial well-being improves when you consistently make choices that support your long-term stability and peace of min...
Divorce changes everything, including your financial life. And while the process itself is incredibly hard, what comes next is where I see women do some of the most powerful work of their lives.
I'm Leah Hadley, AFC, CDFA, MAFF, the founder of both Intentional Divorce Solutions and Intentional Wealth Partners. I work with women every day who are navigating the financial and emotional terrain of life after divorce. And I've done this work myself.
This post is a curated guide to my best resources across income, money management, mindset, and co-parenting. Think of it as a starting point for wherever you are in the rebuilding process.
The financial reset after divorce is real. In many marriages, one spouse managed the money while the other stayed more removed from the details. If that was your situation, you may be starting from a place of uncertainty. That's okay. Clarity comes quickly once you decide to pursue it.
The most important first ...
The holidays can be joyful, but they can also stir up financial stress, especially for women who often balance family expectations, caregiving responsibilities, and the desire to make the season meaningful. This is exactly why holiday budgeting for women deserves its own conversation.
If this year looks different for you emotionally, financially, or simply in how you want to celebrate, you’re not alone. The holidays can be one of the easiest times to overspend, drift away from your budget, or feel pressure to give in ways that do not align with your current financial goals.
The good news is that you can create a holiday season that feels financially grounded and emotionally rich. With a mindful approach to holiday budgeting for women, you can stay on budget without sacrificing the heart of the season. Here’s how to do it.

Setting a clear spending limit is the simplest way to protect your peace and your finances. Decide in...
When you’re starting to invest, it can be overwhelming. There’s a lot of information, industry jargon, and things you can’t control. People talk about the market as a shorthand. If you aren’t in this world day in and day out, you may be missing some things that could help you in the long run. There’s no need to panic or worry, though, because with a little knowledge to get your investment life off on the right foot, it isn’t so scary.Â
First of all, let’s give you a round of applause! To some people, investing is such a big concept that they can’t wrap their brain around. They kick the can down the road and avoid the subject. But that isn’t you! You are capable, you can learn, and you’re ready to go for it. Here are a few tips for when you’re just starting to invest that will help you sort through some questions and give you a foundation of knowledge.
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Prioritizing goals is a big one that’s challenging for a lot of people. Investing is a balance of funding yo...
People like to make a lot of proclamations about what to “always” or “never” do with your money. However, these are quite often total financial myths. And, when it’s coming from a source you trust, you tend to take these financial myths at face value rather than exploring the truth of the situation for yourself.
These five financial myths can negatively impact your mental wellbeing as well as that of your budget and financial security. So let’s play MythBusters and talk through some of the things we always hear about finances and the reality of the matter instead.
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The Reality: This is a very costly (and not always assured) way to cover emergencies.
This is one of the financial myths that always gets me going! There are so many things that could get you into trouble around credit cards and the way people use them is one of them.
The reality is that you may have credit today, but not tomorrow. ...