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...

If you have a college-bound young adult at home right now, I want to talk to you about something that probably isn't on your back-to-school checklist. It might matter more than the extra-long twin sheets.

Money.

Specifically: how to have an actual conversation about it before they walk out the door.

As a financial planner who has worked with women through some of the biggest money moments of their lives, I can tell you that the habits formed in those first years of independence tend to stick. The good ones and the not-so-good ones. And while you can't control every choice your kid makes once they're on campus, you absolutely can set them up with a foundation that will serve them for decades.

Here's how.

Start With Clarity: Know What You're Each Responsible For

The first pillar of my Intentional Money Method is Clarity, and it applies beautifully here. Before any conversation about budgets or credit cards can go well, you and your young adult need to be crystal clear about the bas...

Do you ever feel like your money disappears without warning—or find yourself so afraid to spend that you can’t fully enjoy life?
If so, you’re not alone. Many women in midlife, especially after a major life change like divorce or retirement, struggle to find the right balance between saving and living.

The good news is that there’s a solution: creating a personalized budget plan.

A personalized budget isn’t about restriction—it’s about clarity, confidence, and control. It helps you understand your income, expenses, and priorities so your money supports the life you want to live.

Why a Budget Plan Is Your Financial Roadmap

Think of your budget as your personal roadmap to financial freedom.
It shows where your money is coming from, where it’s going, and how to use it in alignment with your goals.

Instead of feeling deprived, you’ll feel empowered to make intentional financial choices that reflect your values.

Let’s take a look at how one woman transformed her relationship with mo...

Have you ever been told that you're not good with money? That women aren't as financially savvy as men? That we're more prone to overspending and living beyond our means? Unfortunately, these kinds of stories are all too common. But the truth is, they're just myths.

I’m going to bust some of the most pervasive myths about women and money, and share some truths that will help you take control of your finances.

Myth #1: Women are naturally bad with money. 

There's no biological or genetic reason why women would be less skilled at managing finances than men. Studies have shown that women tend to be more diligent about budgeting and saving than men, and are less likely to take on risky investments.

A report published in 2018 by the Warwick Business School in the UK analyzed data from 2,800 investors over a three-year period and found that women generated higher returns on their investments than men. The report attributed this trend to the fact that women tend to be more patient and less li...

Table of Contents

1. The Setback Nobody Talks About
2. Why Financial Setbacks Hit Women Differently
3. What a Financial Setback Actually Looks Like (Real Examples)
4. The Emotional Spiral: Why Your Mindset Takes the First Hit
5. How to Start Over Financially Without Starting From Zero
6. Rebuilding Financially: The Practical Steps That Actually Work
7. What Financial Resilience Looks Like in Real Life
8. The Role of Community in Recovering from a Financial Setback
9. Frequently Asked Questions

The Setback Nobody Talks About

Here is something I have noticed in nearly two decades of working with women and their finances. The setback that derails people is rarely the one they saw coming.

It is the divorce they thought they could afford but could not. The job loss that happened eight months before retirement eligibility. The emergency fund that got used up for one emergency and then another before it could be rebuilt. The business that almost made it. The medical bill that showed up the same month...

Looking for the best budget app or money management tool? There are so many facets of budgeting, and you'll likely have to make some sacrifices, but using one of these tools can make those sacrifices easier and can take the most challenging work out of budget. These are the best budgeting apps and tools to download now if you want to get your spending under control. 

What is a budgeting app?

A budgeting app is a digital tool that helps you track and manage your income, expenses, and savings. It allows you to create and stick to a budget by categorizing your expenses, setting limits, and providing insights into your spending habits. With the rise of technology, budgeting apps have become increasingly popular as they make it easier than ever to stay on top of your finances.

Why use a budgeting app? 

There are many benefits to using a budgeting app. For starters, it can save you time and effort by automatically tracking your transactions and organizing them into categories. This elimi...

Having a budget is essential to successful financial planning, and over the years I have heard so many myths about budgets and why people say they don’t work or why they don’t need a budget. These budgeting myths can prevent you from achieving financial security so in this blog post, let’s play MythBusters and walk through some of the misinformation I hear about budgets and what the truths are instead. 

Budget Myth #1: Creating and managing a budget takes too much time.

The Reality: Taking control of your money is worth the investment.

Creating a budget for the first time can seem overwhelming and time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. There are so many tools, templates and apps available to help you through the process. And once your budgeting framework is in place, you can easily and quickly adjust your budget. 

If you use an app or other online money management tool for your budget, the tool walks you through the set-up process. You often link your financial accounts, answer...

Give Your Budget a Check-Up

We’re in the full swing of Summer, and whether you’re in vacation mode or you’re working just as hard as ever, July is a great time to review your budget. After all, if you created it in January, a lot can change in 7 months, and you want to make adjustments now if you need to. Budgets are fluid documents that are meant to be changed and updated as needed to make sure your money is always working for you.

You don’t need to spend hours and hours pouring over every detail of your budget, but I do suggest taking the five steps listed below to make sure you’re on track to reaching your goals by the end of the year. 

Review & update your budget

If you created your budget at the beginning of the year, now is the time to make sure that it’s still working for you. Are you staying within your budget, or are there some categories that need to be adjusted? With the increases we’ve seen in food and gas prices, many of our clients are finding ways to reduce spending ...

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, many women are thinking about how to show love to the special people in their lives. But before you buy the flowers or book the dinner, I want to invite you to pause and do something equally meaningful: show love to yourself and your financial future.

Self-love is not selfish. It is one of the smartest investments you can make. Just like the airplane safety reminder says, you need to put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others. The same is true with your money. When you prioritize your financial wellness, you create stability, confidence, and peace that benefit everyone around you.

As a financial planner who has helped hundreds of women through major life transitions, I have seen how financial clarity can transform confidence. When you feel in control of your money, you show up differently in every area of your life. You make choices that align with your values, not your fears. And that is the ultimate form of self-love.

Here a...