109: Remarriage & Money: Janice Guinn Joins the Conversation on Love, Legalities, and Life Planning
Release Date: 03/31/2025
124: Leap Smart: Career Transitions and Financial Strategies for Midlife Women with Tabatha Jones
Take Back Retirement
"It is never too late to start something new and to put your energy into something that you’ve loved your whole life, but you’ve never had time to focus on." Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, explore the strategic path to entrepreneurship in midlife with the Corporate Escape Sherpa herself, Tabatha Jones! After 30 years in corporate tech leadership, Tabatha made her leap at age 50 and now guides women through building profitable businesses before they leave their steady paychecks behind. "If it's not on your calendar, if it's not something you are focused on doing, it...
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123: Making Your Own Story: Finding Meaning After 50 with Diane Gansauer
Take Back Retirement
“You don’t build courage by avoiding what you’re afraid of. You build courage by moving through it.” -Diane Gansauer Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, explore an extraordinary midlife reinvention with Diane Gansauer, who traded a high-profile government position for one of the few full-time funeral celebrant roles in the United States. Her transformation proves that stepping away from prestige can lead to real personal fulfillment! "I became more effective and a happier person," Diane reflects on leaving her role as deputy director of a Colorado state agency...
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122: Redefining Retirement: Finding Your Creative Voice Through Comedy with Lynn Harris
Take Back Retirement
"Comedy is power because when you make people laugh, you make people listen." -Lynn Harris Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, explore the unexpected world of midlife comedy careers with Lynn Harris! She’s the founder of Gold Comedy, a comedy school and professional network specifically designed for women and non-binary creators seeking to build comedy careers or creative side hustles. Lynn's journey from journalist and standup comic is proof that midlife transitions can be moments of opportunity and not just crisis. She describes a "very vocal, powerful, creative, awesome...
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121: Radical Transparency: Diane di Costanzo’s Real Retirement Story
Take Back Retirement
“Stop stopping. If something is stopping you from doing this thing you know you should do, just stop stopping.” - Diane di Costanzo Former Chief Content Officer and Financial Journalist Diane di Costanzo proves it's never too late to take control of your financial future! Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, chat with her in this inspiring episode of Take Back Retirement. At 48, she had saved just $28,000 for retirement. It’s a number that felt shamefully inadequate against the backdrop of million-dollar retirement commercials. Yet eighteen years later, she successfully...
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120: Women, Retirement, and the Lessons of Behavioral Finance (rerun)
Take Back Retirement
“The human brain is actually wired to trip us up, to shoot ourselves in the foot when it comes to money and investing. A little bit of self-examination can help pull us out of these knee-jerk reactions.” Prepare for a knowledge voyage as our hosts Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines redefine retirement for women, bringing insights from behavioral finance, a fascinating field that explores how we make decisions around money. By the end of this episode, you'll have a deeper understanding of financial behaviors and how to make smarter choices. Our hosts dissect the concept of...
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119: Redefining Success and Identity After 50 with Deborah Heiser
Take Back Retirement
“Generativity. Think of it as generating something from yourself and putting it into the world.” Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, explore the positive side of aging with Dr. Deborah Heiser, an applied developmental psychologist who pivoted from studying depression and Alzheimer's to researching what we actually have to look forward to as we age. "You can run faster than me, but I'm happier than you." Dr. Heiser's transformation began at a dinner party when someone challenged her: "What do we have to look forward to as we age? You are studying everything that...
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118: Reclaiming Life: Lessons from a Gray Divorce Survivor with Pat Fenner
Take Back Retirement
"What I really was grieving was the loss of what I'd hoped my marriage would have been." – Pat Fenner Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down with author and podcaster Pat Fenner, who shares her powerful journey through "gray divorce"—divorce that happens to women over 50, typically after a decade or more of marriage. After 37 years of marriage, Pat found herself having to start over at an age when most couples are planning retirement together. Her story brings to light the unique challenges facing women in gray divorce, from employment gaps that make renting an...
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117: The Power of Presence: Supporting Those in Grief with Paula Harris
Take Back Retirement
“‘Let me know if you need anything’ is one of the most useless things you can say.” –Paula Harris Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, sit down with financial advisor and author Paula Harris, who shares practical insights on how to support someone grieving the loss of a spouse. Drawing on years of experience working with widowed clients and her own faith-rooted perspective, Paula shares thoughtful, actionable ways to be present during what can be one of life’s most isolating seasons. Drawing from her publications Rise Up: A Widow’s Journal and A Grief Journal,...
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116: Reimagining Your Next Chapter: Longevity, Intention, and the Power of Yes with Allison Davis
Take Back Retirement
“Body work, brain work, and world work - all longevity habits fit into those three categories.” -Allison Davis When author and naturopath Allison Davis turned 60, she didn't accept it as the “gateway to old age”—she saw it as a turning point. Our hosts, Stephanie McCullough and Kevin Gaines, talk with Allison about her transformative journey and her new book, Sixty Is a Good Start: A Powerful Body, A Purposeful Life, and a Plan to Make It Happen. Allison recounts a yearlong period of reflection that led to saying “yes” to new challenges, most notably, the intense 75 Hard program....
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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...
info_outlineCongratulations 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 partner's reluctance to engage in these conversations could be a red flag. Financial transparency is key to building a healthy and lasting partnership.
Our hosts also get into the nitty-gritty on taxes and retirement plans, trusts and long-term care, as well as pre and post-nuptial agreements!
Key Topics:
- The Most Important Step: Discussing Your Goals and Expectations (03:53)
- Financial Obligations to Children and Parents When Remarrying (08:26)
- Joint or Separate Bank Accounts? (13:42)
- Long-Term Care as You Age (20:08)
- Estate Planning and Pre/Post-Nuptial Agreements (23:21)
- How Remarriage Impacts Your Taxes (31:37)
- “If You Are Under 60, Think Twice About Getting Remarried.” (34:18)
- Retirement Plans and Beneficiaries (38:04)
- To Marry or Cohabit? (40:31)
- What About Trusts? (42:42)
Resources:
- Take Back Retirement Episode 66: Transform Your Relationship with Money: Lessons from Bari Tessler
- Take Back Retirement Episode 43: The Psychology of Money and Marriage with Special Guest Ed Coambs
- Take Back Retirement Episode 31: What the Heck is a Trust, and Why Might I Need One?
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. stephanie@sofiafinancial.com
You can find the transcript and more information about this episode at www.takebackretirement.com.
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