115: Financial Therapy: The Intersection of Money and Emotions with Wendy Wright
Take Back Retirement
“There is not good or bad with money” Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down with financial therapist Wendy Wright to unpack the emotional complexities that often underlie our financial behaviors. Wendy believes that money issues aren’t just math problems—they’re emotional ones too! Rather than focusing on dollars and cents alone, Wendy helps her clients understand why they avoid budgeting, overspend in emotional moments, or feel incapable of managing money. Her mantra? “Abundant, compassionate curiosity and zero judgment.” Wendy discusses common patterns like...
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114: Child-free Estate Planning: Picking the Right People for Key Roles - and What to do if You are Picked! with Patricia De Fonte
Take Back Retirement
“Usually, people are not trying to kill you or keep you alive for nefarious reasons, unless you're very old and very rich and very mean.” -Patricia De Fonte When most people think of estate planning, they imagine dividing assets among children or a spouse—but Patricia De Fonte, founder of De Fonte Law, offers a broader and deeper perspective. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down with Patricia to explore what “estate planning with heart” really means, especially for those without children or partners. People often name child-free individuals as caretakers without...
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113: Side Hustle or Second Career? Navigating Midlife Entrepreneurship with Shannon Russell
Take Back Retirement
“Do your research. Do your planning yourself until you get that confidence to project it to the world, and whatever they say will bounce off your armor because you know you’re doing the right thing.” -Shannon Russell Thinking about trading your day job for a business of your own? You’re not alone—and you’re not crazy. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, talk with Shannon Russell, a career transition coach who specializes in helping women reinvent themselves through entrepreneurship. Shannon shares her journey from TV producer to franchise owner to...
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112: Navigating Family Wealth Transfers: Emotional Intelligence and Effective Communication with Jill and Sean Maher
Take Back Retirement
“We’re talking about giving space to practice. Not only practice the relationships but also practice managing money.” -Sean Maher Most people plan their estate down to the last dollar, but forget to prepare for the emotional fallout that almost always comes from a lack of proper communication between family members. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down with husband and wife team Sean and Jill Maher to talk about their book The Greatest Gift: 9 Principles for the Transfer of Your Legacy Along with Your Wealth, which journeys into the emotional side of...
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111: From My Way to Our Way: Financial Planning for Blended Families with Donna Kendrick
Take Back Retirement
"In a blended family, fairness and mutual understanding are key, especially when navigating the complexities of prenuptial and postnuptial agreements.” -Donna Kendrick Navigating love after loss or divorce comes with a host of emotional and financial complexities, especially when blending families. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, speak with Donna Kendrick, a financial planner who has lived through these transitions herself. After losing her husband unexpectedly, Donna rebuilt her life and career with a mission to help families in flux—widows, divorcées, and...
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110: Navigating the Complexities of Aging: Proactive Planning for Seniors and Families with Jill and Steve Marshall
Take Back Retirement
Our hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines sit down with Steve and Jill Marshall of Silver Path Consulting to discuss all things future care, from housing, to finance, to family support. Jill and Steve lament the current lack of societal preparedness for a growing senior population, often referred to as a “silver tsunami” that’s growing bigger each year. They stress the importance of starting early discussions about aging within families, the benefits and drawbacks of different living arrangements, and an effective way to handle comprehensive information and resource...
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109: Remarriage & Money: Janice Guinn Joins the Conversation on Love, Legalities, and Life Planning
Take Back Retirement
Congratulations on your remarriage! How do you ensure that your finances are in order as you step into this next phase of your life? Our hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines explore the vital legal and financial considerations of remarriage, from beneficiary designations to tax implications, with guidance from fellow Financial Planner at Sofia Financial, Janice Guinn! There are legal considerations aplenty when deciding between cohabitation and remarriage. Money talks can often be the elephant in the room, but they're essential for maintaining harmony in marriage. A...
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108: Retire on Your Own Terms – Or Don’t! (rerun)
Take Back Retirement
There is no one right way to retire. Even if you don’t do everything you had hoped to do, you can still build a plan so that you can do more of the things you want and less of the stuff you don’t. In this episode, we’re Taking Back Retirement by redefining the old image and definition of this phase of life. Our hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines break it down in this rerun episode dating back to episode 2 from 2020. Key topics: Redefining Retirement to What YOU Want to do (02:12) When Things Don’t Go According to Plan (07:34) How Technology is Changing Retirement...
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107: Exploring the Psychology of Retirement with Dr. Meir Statman
Take Back Retirement
“It's nice to get millions when you're 65, but wouldn't it be better if you gave [your children], say, 10s of 1000s when they are in their 20s and 30s?” -Meir Statman Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, are joined by world-renowned behavioral finance expert Dr. Meir Statman to explore the intricate dance between human behavior and financial decision-making! Dr. Statman is a pioneer in the world of behavioral finance, currently serving as a professor and researcher at Santa Clara University. He attempts to understand how people make financial choices and how...
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106: What Women Need to Know About Bitcoin with Marianne Borneman
Take Back Retirement
Picture a world where your money isn't controlled by any government, but rather exists in the form of digital code. That's the idea behind Bitcoin and cryptocurrency, where freedom meets cryptography, and transactions are recorded transparently on a blockchain. But we get it–to those looking to add cryptocurrency to their portfolio, the subject of decentralized finance can be pretty intimidating. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines break it down with special guest Marianne Borneman, founder of Access Tax Solutions, the home of Real Clear Tax Advice. They look into...
info_outline“We’re nothing if not resourceful. That’s our generation’s superpower.” -Kevin
In celebration of the 100th episode of Take Back Retirement, our hosts Stephanie and Kevin Gaines reflect on the defining characteristics of their very own generation–Gen X–and key lessons that women in this age bracket can put into practice today in preparing for retirement.
From the seismic shift from pensions to 401(k) plans, to navigating the rollercoaster of financial events like the 1987 Black Monday and the dot-com bubble at the turn of the century, today’s conversation explores the pivotal moments that molded an entire generation's approach to financial planning.
Our hosts shed light on the realities of midlife day-to-days in the 2020s, from dealing with the fallout of being the “Sandwich Generation” to considerations around financially supporting family members amid shaky times.
At the same time, Stephanie and Kevin celebrate the unique brand of resourcefulness that defines GenX, emphasizing their quest to find “balance, flexibility, and self-determination.”
Key Topics:
- The Defining Characteristics of GenXers (5:00)
- Why GenXers are More Cautious with Money (10:19)
- The “Sandwich Generation” (12:34)
- “How Do We Deal With All This Crap?” (18:06)
- Accepting That You Can’t Control Everything (22:23)
- Financially Supporting Family (32:10)
- Key Takeaways (32:36)
Resources:
- Leave a Voice Memo for Take Back Retirement
- Personal Financial Inventory Downloadable Resource
- Take Back Retirement Ep 15: What Women Need to Know About Social Security
- Take Back Retirement Ep 82: Getting the Most from Social Security: Smart Strategies for Women with Heather Schreiber
- Take Back Retirement Ep 21: Simplifying Medicare: What’s Important For You To Know with Susan Sloan
- Take Back Retirement Ep 14: What Women Need to Know About Caregiving and Elder Law with Cathy Sikorski
If you like what you’ve been hearing, we invite you to subscribe on your favorite platform and leave us a review. Tell us what you love about this episode! Or better yet, tell us what you want to hear more of in the future. [email protected]
You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.
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