Childfree Life by Design

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211

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Jun 2026

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About the show

Childfree Life by Design is a podcast for people who are Childfree or permanently childless and thinking seriously about money, legacy, and what comes next. It tackles financial planning, estate planning, and life decisions for adults building a future without children and without a default script to follow. Hosted by experts in financial and life planning, the show cuts through outdated assumptions about family, retirement, and aging. Conversations focus on utilizing wealth, solo aging, long-term care, relationships, and how to plan with clarity when you don’t have kids. This isn’t about justifying your choices or debating labels. It’s about practical guidance for planning life without children making smart financial decisions, defining legacy on your own terms, and building support systems that actually work. If you’re Childfree, childless, or planning without kids and want thoughtful, trusted education, this is where those conversations happen. Disclosure: This podcast is for educational and entertainment purposes only. Please consult your professional advisors before implementing any ideas discussed. For full disclosures, visit Childfreewealth.com.

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June 11, 2026Episode 19533 min

LGBTQ+ Solo Aging: What Childfree Adults Need to Know | Maddy Roche & Sherrill Wayland

In this episode, Maddy Roche sits down with Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. Sherrill brings over two decades of advocacy experience, a deeply personal connection to the community she serves, and a clear-eyed understanding of what it means to age as an LGBTQ+ adult in a world that was not always built to support you -- particularly when you are doing it without children.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why LGBTQ+ older adults face a unique set of aging challenges rooted in a lifetime of discrimination, family estrangement, and a legal system that was not designed with their relationships in mind -- and what SAGE is doing at the national level to change thatWhat the Long-Term Care Equality Index is, how it helps LGBTQ+ older adults identify affirming housing and care communities, and what specific questions to ask when evaluating whether a provider is truly equipped to serve your communityHow SAGE Care's cultural competency training is equipping senior centers, assisted living facilities, and area agencies on aging across the country to serve LGBTQ+ older adults with dignity and respectWhat Sherrill's sabbatical to Antarctica with her mother taught her about the freedom that comes with being Childfree by choice, and why building a life on your own terms sometimes means spending it exactly the way you wantEpisode Guest:Sherrill Wayland (she/they) is the Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. With a career rooted in advocacy for marginalized communities, Sherrill oversees the National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, SAGE Care, SAGE Collab, and SAGE U, and has spent over two decades working to ensure LGBTQ+ elders have access to affirming, dignified care and community.Learn more about SAGE on their website: https://www.sageusa.org/And follow along on social media: https://www.instagram.com/sageusa https://www.facebook.com/SAGEUSA Episode Host:Maddy Roche (she/her) is Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust®. She understands the challenges of being Childfree as it relates to estate planning and is passionate about educating her community about ways to prepare.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

June 4, 2026Episode 19437 min

Business Growth Without the Burnout | Bri Conn CFP® & Nikolai Blinow

In this episode, Bri Conn, CFP® sits down with Nikolai Blinow for a conversation about wise mind decision-making, the real definition of rest, and what calm hustle actually looks like when you are building a business on your own terms. Nikolai Blinow built her entire practice around one idea, that you should not have to burn your life down to build a successful business. As a licensed mental health counselor, life coach, and TEDx speaker specializing in professional burnout and adult ADHD, she brings both the clinical framework and the lived experience to back it up.In This Episode, You'll Learn:What the wise mind concept from Dialectical Behavior Therapy actually means and how applying it to business decisions helps you stop swinging between guilt-driven overwork and avoidance of the hard stuff.Why being entirely rational in business is just as problematic as being entirely emotional, and how finding the overlap between the two leads to more grounded, effective decisions.How to use a values inventory to identify whether you are building a business around what you actually care about or unconsciously chasing someone else's definition of success.Why the idea that productivity means being at your desk for 40 hours a week is a byproduct of technology, not human biology.Resources Mentioned:Stolen Focus by Johann Hari: https://stolenfocusbook.com/ Burnout by Emily and Amelia Nagoski: https://www.burnoutbook.net/ Episode Guest:Nikolai Blinow is a licensed mental health counselor, life coach, and TEDx speaker. Her clinical specialties include professional burnout, adult ADHD, and the science of stress. She integrates mindfulness and holistic living with behavioral science in her virtual therapy and coaching practice, and her TEDx talk Yoga and Its Connection to Mental Health has over 300,000 views.Connect with Nikolai on her website: ompowermentpsych.comRequest her Free burnout checklist: ompowermentpsych.com/checklist And request the values inventory by emailing: nikolai@ompowermentpsych.com Episode Host:Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

May 28, 2026Episode 19335 min

AI and the Future of Work: How Childfree Adults Can Prepare | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®

In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® brings his TED Conference takeaways directly to the Childfree community for a straight-talking look at what the AI economy actually means for people building a future without children. He does not sugarcoat it. The next recession will likely be the one that takes the jobs and does not bring them back, and the people who will be okay are not necessarily the ones who saw it coming, they are the ones who prepared before it arrived.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why the next recession is likely to be a structural job loss event rather than a temporary one, and why AI replacing 80% of desk jobs is not doom and gloom, it is just mathWhy being the expert in your field is no longer the competitive advantage it once was, and what the one skill is that will actually protect you in an AI economyHow Childfree adults are uniquely positioned to navigate a post-work world, and why not having to worry about your children's job prospects is a genuine advantage when the economy shiftsWhy Dr. Jay is temporarily back on the hustle train and what he is doing personally to build his financial cushion before the window closesWhat the obituary exercise has to do with AI, why your second line will not say "Father of three," and why figuring out what it does say is the most important work you can do right nowResources Mentioned:Leadership Lessons from NASCAR with Drew Blickensderfer: https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-176/ The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist - Available on YouTube, Apple TV & Amazon PrimeWant to talk more about this? Join us on June 3rd for Navigating the AI Economy a Real Talk with Dr. Jay: https://childfreeinsights.com/event/20260603-realtalk/Can't make it on June 3rd? Check out our other free events here: https://childfreeinsights.com/events/Episode Hosts:Dr. Jay Zigmont, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people, and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

May 21, 2026Episode 19231 min

Renting, Buying and Vacation Homes | Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® & Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP®

Buying a home has been sold as the responsible, obvious next step for so long that most people have never actually stopped to ask whether it fits their life. Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® owned homes from age 21 to 45 and now rents. Fiona Waller CFP® works with clients who have spent years in properties they quietly resented. In this episode, they take apart the financial math, the family voices, the passive income myth, and the real cost of owning a vacation home to help Childfree adults make housing decisions based on what they actually want rather than what they have been told to want.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why the stock market returning seven to ten percent annually makes a stronger financial case than a mortgage at six percent interest on a home appreciating three to five percent per year.How to tell whether you should buy or rent based on your life first and your finances second, and why being unable to say where you will be in three years is the only answer you needWhy rent is the most you will pay each month while a mortgage is the least, and what that difference means for a Childfree adult who values flexibility and simplicityWhy rental properties are not passive income, what the 1031 exchange strategy assumes about passing wealth to children, and why that assumption does not work for Childfree peopleWhy vacation homes are the worst of all worlds for Childfree adults, and why renting wherever you want to go beats owning a property you have to manage from a distanceResources Mentioned:What if your Parents Run out of Money | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Bri Conn, CFP®https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-136/ Inheriting Parent Care Responsibility | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Bri Conn, CFP®https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-137/ Episode Hosts:Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people, and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®. She brings a unique perspective as a former therapist, focusing on the intersection of mental health and money using a trauma-informed background to help clients align their financial and life plans with their values.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights delivers education for financial and estate planning without children. It supports people with no kids in making informed decisions about retirement, legacy planning, beneficiaries, and long-term care. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

May 14, 2026Episode 19135 min

What Longevity Science Means for Childfree Adults | Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® & Joshua Herring

For Childfree adults building a future without a traditional family support structure, the quality of your later years matters as much as the quantity. In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont CFP® sat down with Joshua Herring, President and CEO of the Longevity Science Foundation, to talk about what it actually takes to fund the research that could extend not just how long you live, but how well. In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why 85% of researchers spend the majority of their time looking for funding instead of doing research, and what the Longevity Science Foundation is doing to change thatHow 100% of every donation to the LSF goes directly to research, and why that is possible when most nonprofits allocate 10 to 20% to operational overheadWhy women who go through menopause before 40 face a 43% higher risk of Alzheimer's, and how a menopause clock currently in development could become one of the most impactful predictive health tools ever builtResources Mentioned:Dr. Jyoti Patel | How medicine is failing women and what you can do to fix it | TEDxWilsonParkhttps://youtu.be/z8SXmSi0eGI?si=F20HYvyXOBUlQ0b7 The Diary Of A CEO Female Health Debate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kizDk8idpT8 Episode Guest:Joshua Herring is the President and CEO of the Longevity Science Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit funding research to expand the healthy human lifespan. Prior to joining the LSF, he managed over $2 billion in assets for ultra-high-net-worth clients at AllianceBernstein. Since taking the helm at LSF, he has launched funding for research at Oxford, Stanford, and the University of Copenhagen, and developed the LSF Education Bank to give everyday people agency in their own health journeys. Connect with Joshua on his website: https://longevity.foundation/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-herring-2a6099185/Or send him an email: jh@longevity.foundationEpisode Host:Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® (he/him) is the Founder of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people, and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

May 7, 2026Episode 19038 min

What No One Tells You About Rental Properties | Bri Conn CFP® & Justin Brown-Woods

Rental properties, passive income, and long-distance real estate investing sound great on social media. The reality looks a lot more like what Justin Brown-Woods actually lived -- two properties across Michigan and Ohio, squatters, stolen copper pipes, three evictions in one year, and a net loss of $25,000 on the first property alone. Bri Conn, CFP® sits down with Justin Brow-Woods, Accredited Financial Counselor® and co-founder of Price of Avocado Toast, for an honest look at what small investors need to know before they buy.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why rental properties are rarely passive income, and how a single repair -- a sewer pipe, a roof, a set of stolen copper pipes -- can wipe out months of cash flow for a small investor with no cushion to absorb itWhat inheriting tenants actually means, why the deal that looks great on paper can come with problems that no inspection uncovers, and how three evictions in one year became Justin's realityWhy out-of-state investing creates a specific set of risks around property management, oversight, and the gap between what you are paying for and what you are actually gettingHow social media turns real estate investing into a fantasy product, and why the person with 99 properties and a beach vacation is not the same person as the small investor trying to build long-term wealthWhy having trusted people in your corner -- a real estate coach, a financial therapist, a straight-talking property manager -- made the difference between staying stuck and getting out with a planEpisode Guest:Justin Brown-Woods is an accredited financial counselor and co-founder of Price of Avocado Toast, a podcast and financial counseling service he runs with his wife Hailey. He helps people ditch shame, embrace mindful spending, and build a sustainable financial life aligned with their values, with a focus on progress over perfection.Learn more about Justin on his website: priceofavocadotoast.com And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/priceofavocadotoastEpisode Host:Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

April 30, 2026Episode 18943 min

You Hit Your Financial Goals. Now What? | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Dr. Bill Yount

In this crossover episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® sat down with Dr. Bill Yount, host and founder of the Catching Up to FI podcast, for a conversation that starts where most financial conversations never go. Bill recently hit financial independence and found himself in what he calls the fog of FI -- that disorienting stretch after you reach the number and realize the number was never really the point. He and Dr. Jay compare notes on what it actually feels like to arrive at a goal you spent years building toward, what it takes to build a meaningful second chapter, and what legacy really means when you are not leaving it to children.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Reaching your goals is an identity shift, not a finish line. Dr. Bill calls it the "fog of FI." For Childfree people, legacy is not about lineage. Dr. Jay's second-line obituary exercise cuts to it: after your name and date, what does your life actually say?Lowercase p purpose is what keeps you from wandering. It's not a grand mission, it's knowing who you want to serve and how.Most retirement readiness has nothing to do with money. Fritz Gilbert's framework puts roughly 15 of 20 steps in the "soft" category: relationships, creativity, identity, and giving.The right financial planner is a thought partner. Both Dr. Jay and Dr. Bill make the case for flat-fee planners who focus on life and behavior, not portfolio management.Episode Host:Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people, and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.Episode Guest:Dr. Bill Yount is a practicing Emergency Physician and the host and founder of Catching Up to FI, a podcast for late starters at any age on the journey to financial independence. A self-described late starter himself, his mission is to help others begin where they are. Learn more on the Catching Up to FI Website: https://catchinguptofi.com/And find him on Catching up to FI: https://www.facebook.com/groups/catchinguptofi/ And the Financial Literacy Project: https://www.facebook.com/groups/371081386982173/ About Childfree InsightsChildfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

April 23, 2026Episode 18829 min

Preparing for Major Life Events | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Bri Conn, CFP®

Every major life change comes with a to-do list most people don't think about until they're already in the middle of it. The job switch that leaves you a month without a paycheck. The move that triggers a tax bill from a state you no longer live in. The divorce where nobody updated the beneficiary and the ex-spouse got the pension.Being Childfree means more flexibility to make bold moves. It also means more responsibility to plan them deliberately. In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Bri Conn, CFP® walk through the financial and legal checklist that should come with every major life transition, from career pivots and relocations to marriage, divorce, and everything in between. In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why timing a job change can be worth tens of thousands of dollars.How to build a relocation plan that accounts for the costs most people miss.Why a prenup is really a financial conversation first, and how working through money values, spending habits, and what Jay calls compatible baggage.What gray divorce means for Childfree adults and why updating beneficiaries is non-negotiable.How to build a sinking fund for any major life transition, so that when the move, the career pivot, or the life change actually happens, your emergency fund stays untouched and the stress stays manageable.The episode referenced in this conversation can be heard here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/18504425Episode Hosts:Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.”Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.About Childfree InsightsChildfree Insights focuses on planning for solo aging and later life without children. It offers trusted education on financial planning, estate planning, and building support systems for people aging independently. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

April 16, 2026Episode 18729 min

Life Can Change on a Dime | Bri Conn CFP®, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Maddy Roche

In this episode, Bri Conn CFP®, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®, and Maddy Roche share four real client stories, the kind that start with someone doing everything more or less right, and then life intervening in ways nobody planned for. These stories are not cautionary tales. They are honest, human reminders that planning is not about predicting the future, it is about being ready for the version of it that actually shows up.In This Episode, You'll Learn:How an inheritance can sit quietly in the background of someone's life for years before a financial planner asks the right question and everything changes.What homeowner's insurance actually needs to cover, why so many people are underinsured without knowing it, and what 80% of home value really means when a tree comes through the roof.Why stock options are often dismissed as monopoly money and what that mindset costs people when an acquisition or IPO creates a narrow, time-sensitive window to save millions in taxes.How one form filed within 30 days with the IRS can protect up to $10 million in stock option gains.Additional Resources Mentioned in this Episode are: Building Your Bench with Maddy Roche and Bri Conn, CFP®https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/18504425 Planning Without Next of Kin | Maddy Roche & Chris Dale, CFP®, CeFT®https://www.buzzsprout.com/2002436/episodes/18748824 What if your Parents Run out of Money | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Bri Conn, CFP®https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-136/ Inheriting Parent Care Responsibility | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Bri Conn, CFP®https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-137/ Episode Hosts:Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.Maddy Roche is Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust® and handles all marketing, growth, and prospect engagement. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people, and Childfree Trust®. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

April 9, 2026Episode 18647 min

Planning the Life You Actually Have | Bri Conn CFP® & Hillary

In this episode, Bri Conn CFP® sits down with Hillary, a client who is Childfree not by choice, for a real-life Childfree Wealth® checkup. Hillary has already done much of the emotional heavy lifting, moving through grief, redefining what her future looks like, and arriving at a place of clarity and intention. Now she is ready to match that clarity with a financial plan that actually fits her life.What unfolds is an honest, grounded conversation about inherited accounts, trust income, estate planning gaps, career sustainability, and what it really means to plan for a future you once imagined differently.In This Episode, You'll Learn:Why a Childfree Wealth® checkup is a discovery session first, and how the process of gathering your financial information can bring surprising clarity before the first meeting even beginsHow the emotional journey from childless not by choice to Childfree by intention shapes the way you save, plan, and envision your futureWhy inherited IRAs come with time-sensitive distribution rules that depend on the original account owner's date of death, and what that means for long-term planningHow to tell the difference between an HSA and an FSA, why it matters more than most people realize, and the triple tax advantage you may already have access toWhy six months of liquid savings carries even more weight when you are single, and how an accessible emergency fund protects you when disability coverage, job changes, or healthcare costs create unexpected gapsThe episode mentioned in this conversation can be found here: https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-168/ Episode Host:Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.About Childfree Insights:Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.Connect with Us:Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsightsFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsightsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsightsDisclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.