101: What Women Need to Know (and Do) About Estate Planning with Your Friend the Lawyer, Pam Starsia
Release Date: 10/30/2024
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
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“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
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"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
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“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_outlineOur hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines sit down with Pam Starsia, who swapped her corporate lawyer gig for the world of estate planning, and now runs a firm alongside her husband. Once a pro in high-stakes mergers and acquisitions, Pam’s now all about creating personalized, relationship-focused estate plans. Listen in as she takes us through the sometimes-tricky and always-emotional landscape of family legacy planning.
“If you have the resources to pay for help, do so. You deserve it.”
Pam unpacks the Personal Family Lawyer model she follows, which emphasizes the human side of legal advice to meet a family’s evolving needs. Her insights help us balance the emotional and practical sides of family legacy planning, offering a new take on the whole process beyond just writing a will.
When dealing with clients, Pam’s all-in on personal touch. Our hosts and Pam chat about the emotional twists that can pop up, like sibling dynamics and particularly sentimental items. She dishes out practical tips for navigating these situations, reducing conflicts, and making sure everyone in the family gets a say.
They also explore some unique aspects of estate planning, like the question of your furry friends, and Pam gives us the lowdown on setting up options like pet trusts to ensure they’re cared for in the future. She reminds us that estate planning isn’t just a one-time deal—it’s an ongoing process that adapts to changing laws, relationships, and life situations.
Key Topics:
- From Corporate Lawyer to Estate Planning Attorney (3:31)
- The Advantages of the Personal Family Lawyer Model (9:45)
- Staying Accountable as an Estate Planning Attorney (15:46)
- Being Thorough with Clients (25:28)
- The Challenge of Working with the “Sandwich Generation” (31:37)
- Dealing with Joint Trustees (34:30)
- Pet Trusts: Making Sure Your Fur Babies Aren’t Forgotten! (39:46)
- Why It Literally Pays to Plan with an Attorney (47:44)
- Stephanie and Kevin’s Key Takeaways (50:10)
Resources:
- Starsia Law Website
- Starsia Law on Facebook
- Starsia Law on Instagram
- Starsia Law on LinkedIn
- PersonalFamilyLawer.com if outside of NY
- Who Gets Grandma’s Yellow Pie Plate? (Article)
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You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.
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