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...

You scrub the baseboards. You donate three bags of clothes. You finally tackle that junk drawer. And then you sit down and feel genuinely good about your space.

But when was the last time you did that for your money?

Spring cleaning your finances isn't just about tidying up numbers on a spreadsheet. It's about getting honest with where you are, getting clear on where you want to go, and building a system that actually works for your real life. Not someone else's. Yours.

I talk about this a lot in my book, Intentional Money: The Modern Woman's Guide to Building Wealth, Purpose and Peace. The very first pillar of what I call the Intentional Money Method is Clarity. Not perfection. Not having everything figured out. Just the willingness to look.

Spring is the perfect time to look. First quarter is done. Taxes are (hopefully) filed. And there are still nine months left in the year to make meaningful progress toward your goals.

So let's do this together. Here is your step-by-step sprin...

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...

The holidays stir up a complex mix of emotions — whether you're newly separated, recently divorced, or somewhere in the middle of the process. It's no coincidence that divorce filing rates spike in January and February, right after the holiday season. If you're contemplating divorce right now, you are not alone.

Below I've pulled together resources spanning my two areas of focus — Intentional Divorce Solutions and Intentional Wealth Partners — to help you not just survive this season, but truly thrive after divorce. If you want to go deeper on any topic, I have much more on both blogs than I could link to here.

How to Increase Your Income After Divorce

One of the first things I hear from clients at Intentional Divorce Solutions is that one spouse managed the finances, leaving the other feeling uncertain about where to start and how to maintain their lifestyle. Rebuilding begins with income.

If you're currently employed, there's no better time to advocate for yourself — here are pra...

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. ...