Investing gets all the attention.

Stock market highs make headlines. New investment strategies go viral. Everyone has a hot take on what to do with your money right now. And somewhere in all of that noise, saving quietly gets dismissed as the boring option for people who are not ready to do the exciting stuff yet.

That is exactly backwards.

Saving is not a stepping stone to real financial planning. It is the foundation that makes everything else possible. Without it, your investments are fragile, your options are limited, and every unexpected expense becomes a financial crisis.

I see this play out regularly with the women I work with. The ones who feel genuinely secure in their finances are almost always the ones who have built a consistent saving habit alongside everything else. Not instead of investing. Alongside it.

Here is why saving still deserves your attention and how to build a habit that actually sticks.

The Brain Trick That Works Against You

One of the biggest obstacle...

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...

Last week, we surveyed the attendees of our mastermind program to determine the areas of money management where they feel strongest and weakness. Risk management was an area of weakness for many of our attendees. When managing money, risk management is a crucial factor that shouldn't be overlooked.

Risk management refers to identifying, assessing, and mitigating potential risks that could negatively impact your financial situation. Effective risk management can help you protect your wealth and increase your chances of achieving your financial goals. In this blog post, we will explore the importance of risk management in money management.

Identifying Potential Risks

The first step in risk management is identifying potential risks. This involves analyzing various factors that could negatively impact your financial situation. Some common risks include market volatility, inflation, geopolitical events, and changes in tax laws. By identifying potential risks, you can take proactive measu...

Are you wondering how to become a better investor?
It’s an admirable goal but it can feel intimidating at first. Between market fluctuations, endless headlines, and so much financial jargon, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.

The good news is that successful investing doesn’t require perfect timing or insider knowledge. It requires clarity, patience, and consistency.

Here are five timeless investing tips that can help you grow your confidence and become a smarter, more intentional investor no matter where you’re starting from.

1. Have a Clear Investment Strategy

The foundation of good investing is having a clear strategy that reflects your goals and your stage of life.

Before diving into individual investments, ask yourself:
• What are my short- and long-term financial goals?
• What time frame am I working with?
• How much risk am I comfortable taking?
• How much access to cash (liquidity) will I need?

Your answers will shape everything from how you diversify to which accounts you cho...

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...

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.

How to Rebuild Your Finances After Divorce

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 ...

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. 

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.

Prioritize Your Goals

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.

Financial Myth #1: You don’t need an emergency savings fund if you have a credit card.

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. ...