Childfree Life by Design

Hosted by Childfree Insights

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228

Latest episode

Oct 2026

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EN-US

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 Hosted by experts in financial and life planning, the show cuts through outdated assumptions about family, retirement, and aging.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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60 recent

October 15, 2026Episode 21328 min

Turning Passion Into Impact on Nonprofit Boards | Maddy Roche & Lemon Price

For a lot of Childfree people, the question isn't whether they have time and energy to give, it's where to point it so it actually means something. Lemon Price has an answer. A civic leader who's been in these rooms since she was ten, she joins Maddy Roche to demystify the path from casual volunteer to the seat where decisions actually get made. She's honest that the work itself is refreshingly unglamorous, it's governance, not glory, and she makes the case that showing up with intention is what turns your passion into real influence in your community. The conversation also lands somewhere freeing: your cause doesn't have to be your forever, and giving yourself permission to evolve is part of designing a meaningful life. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The real difference between volunteering and board service, why a board's actual job is governance, and what's expected of you once you have a seat How to "volunteer with intention," name your skill set so the right people can tap you, and learn an organization's strategic plan and gaps before you ever ask to join The tactical things every prospective board member should know, from the fact that nonprofit boards are unpaid and carry fiduciary responsibility, to why you want liability coverage and accurate minutes How to build a reputation that opens doors, why leadership is a whole-life practice, and how to network your way toward a board seat without awkwardly asking for one Why your passions are allowed to shift over time, how to find the "through line" that connects the causes you care about, and why you're never married to a single mission Resources: Recommended next listen: Finding Friendship and Community as a Childfree Adult, Ep 201 https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-201 Episode Guest: Lemon Price is a civic leader, ICF-trained leadership coach, and certified public speaker whose work sits at the intersection of institutional influence, intentional living, and women's leadership development. She hosts the Well Lived Society podcast, ranked in the top 2 percent of podcasts globally, and has been featured twice in Forbes for her work in leadership development. She's the founder of Civic and Board Fellowship, a six-week experience helping accomplished women enter the rooms where decisions are made, and she currently serves the Junior League of Savannah and as a legislative liaison for the Georgia State Public Affairs Committee. Connect with Lemon Price: Website: lemonprice.co Podcast: The Well Lived Society LinkedIn: Lemon Price Episode Host: Maddy Roche is the Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust®, where she leads all sales, marketing, and partnership initiatives and brings sharp insight to estate planning, LGBTQ+ legacy considerations, and Childfree financial decision making. About Childfree Insights: Childfree 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

October 8, 2026Episode 21231 min

Giving Strategies for Money, Time, and Impact | Bri Conn, CFP® & Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®

Giving gets complicated fast when you start asking where your time and money can make the most impact. Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® explore how Childfree people can give with more intention, whether that means volunteering, donating to causes, supporting friends and family, or creating meaningful experiences. They also cover giving while you are alive, vetting organizations before making larger commitments, and setting boundaries so generosity does not turn into obligation. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why deciding who you want to impact comes before deciding how much to give. How to choose between giving time, money, skills, services, or a combination that fits your life. Why giving while you are alive can help you see the impact, test organizations, and adjust your plans over time. What to consider before making a large gift to a small local nonprofit that may not have the systems to manage it. How paying for education, services, experiences, or specific needs can create healthier boundaries when helping friends and family. Mentioned in this episode: Ann Patchett TEDx Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBx86QE4k3s Episode Hosts: Bri Conn, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth® and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. She specializes in financial management, life design, and estate planning, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, drawing on her own early financial challenges and recovery to fuel her work in personal finance education. 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money . 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

October 1, 2026Episode 21136 min

The Truth About the Cost of Healthcare in America | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Jordan Grumet, MD

You pay more for healthcare than almost anyone on earth, and it keeps getting harder to actually get the care you're paying for. Jordan Grumet, MD, the hospice doctor known as Doc G, returns to explain why, and his answer is blunt: the system isn't broken by accident, it's built to pull money out of the middle and away from the patients and the people caring for them. He and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® get honest about what that means for Childfree people especially, who can't assume a family member will be there to advocate or provide unpaid care. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How the modern healthcare system shifted from a public good to a business, and why Americans pay roughly double per person while so much of that money never reaches actual care Why the "divide and conquer" dynamic pits doctors and patients against each other, and how that keeps the people who could demand change too busy fighting each other to see what's happening What concrete steps individuals can take right now, from direct primary care and concierge medicine to asking for generics, appealing insurance denials, and seeking out doctors who still own their practices Why long-term care is an especially hard road for Childfree people, since standard plans quietly assume a family member available for unpaid caregiving, and how to plan around that Why Dr. Grumet stays hopeful despite it all, how past movements turned public outrage into real reform, and why building enough financial freedom to cover the basics is what lets you live a purposeful life Mentioned in this episode: Finding Purpose Beyond Financial Independence with Doc G, Ep 120 https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-120 Episode Guest: Jordan Grumet, MD (Doc G) is an internal medicine and hospice physician, currently an associate medical director at Unity Hospice, and the host of the award-winning Earn & Invest podcast, which won the Plutus Award for Best New Personal Finance Podcast. He is the author of Taking Stock: A Hospice Doctor's Advice on Financial Independence, Building Wealth, and Living a Regret-Free Life , The Purpose Code , and his newest book, The Healthcare Heist: How Physicians and Patients Can Unite to Transform Healthcare . After his own burnout in medicine, he turned toward writing and speaking about financial independence, purpose, and living a meaningful life. Connect with Jordan Grumet, MD: Website: jordangrumet.com Podcast: Earn & Invest Books: Taking Stock , The Purpose Code , and The Healthcare Heist Episode Host: 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money . 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

September 24, 2026Episode 21044 min

Childfree Estate Planning and Long-Term Care | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®

The entire estate and long-term care system runs on one assumption: that you have kids who will make your decisions, provide your care, and inherit what's left. For Childfree people, that quietly turns standard legal documents into a liability. In this deliberately nerdy solo episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® pulls apart the 6,000-word article he wrote for financial planners at Kitces and turns it into a plan you can actually use, from the trust language that should put your care first to the net worth buckets that decide how you pay for it. It's technical, honest, and built on one blunt truth: the system won't protect you, so you have to build the plan that will. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the standard estate planning system breaks down for Childfree people, and why the goal is a plan for both paying for care and naming decision-makers in place by your mid-40s How traditional HEMS trust language limits your own care, and why "exhaustion for care" provisions that put your comfort first are essential in a Childfree trust Why naming a relative who also inherits creates a conflict of interest, how it opens the door to elder financial abuse, and what the alternatives are, from state-licensed fiduciaries to a nationwide service Why a pet trust matters, how to fund one so your animal is genuinely protected, and why pets are the number one reason Childfree people finally complete their estate paperwork How to actually pay for long-term care using the net worth buckets, why Medicare doesn't cover it, and how the single tax makes care more expensive when you're on your own Resources Mentioned: The full Kitces article: Childfree Trust Planning: A Lifetime Care Defense https://www.kitces.com/blog/client-childfree-trust-planning-lifetime-care-defense-estate-ltc-insurance/ Childfree Trust: https://childfreetrust.com/ FreeWill, free estate paperwork: https://www.freewill.com/ The NOKBOX (Next of Kin Box): https://www.thenokbox.com/ Recompose: https://recompose.life/ Episode Host: 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

September 17, 2026Episode 20930 min

How to Talk About Money With Your Partner | Bri Conn, CFP® & Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®

Money is one of the top reasons couples split, and almost half of us dodge the conversation entirely to keep the peace. Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® make the case that avoiding it is the actual risk, and they get refreshingly personal about how to do it well, chicken nugget meltdowns and all. They dig into why the fight is almost never about the dollar amount, how a 20 dollar argument and a 100,000 dollar one are the exact same issue wearing different clothes, and why every couple needs a safe pocket of no-judgment "fun money." Along the way they share the specific structures that actually work: the credit report date before things get serious, weekly money dates dressed up with a little life and gratitude, and a single code word that can pause a hard conversation before it boils over. It's honest, funny, and built for anyone designing a shared life on their own terms. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the argument is almost never about the dollar amount, how a small purchase and a six-figure one can be the identical communication issue, and what to address instead How to set money boundaries as a couple, what to share and what stays private, and why the boundary around what you tell family and friends matters just as much Why the person who manages everything solo is setting up a crisis, and how to build a backup so a death, disability, or illness doesn't become an administrative disaster Why every couple needs a pocket of no-judgment personal money, and how "fun money" protects the relationship from guilt and control The concrete tools that make hard talks easier, from the credit report date to weekly money dates to a code word that calls a timeout before things escalate Mentioned in this episode: Business Insider Article: I'm a childfree and a millionaire. I rent my home, have no plans for full retirement, and want to spend all my money before I die. Episode Hosts: Bri Conn, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth® and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. She specializes in financial management, life design, and estate planning, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, drawing on her own early financial challenges and recovery to fuel her work in personal finance education. 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money . 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

September 10, 2026Episode 20831 min

Long-Term Care Planning for Childfree Adults | Bri Conn, CFP® & Jesse Vickey

Nobody wants to picture the version of later life where their mind or body stops cooperating, so most people file long-term care under "deal with it later." Jesse Vickey built a whole company on the belief that later is exactly the wrong time to start. The founder of Long Term What? joins Bri Conn, CFP® to make one of the most avoided money conversations feel clear and even a little hopeful, walking through what long-term care actually is, the four ways people pay for it, and why roughly 70 percent of adults will need it while the average long-term care bill already runs about $129,000 a year. For Childfree adults especially, who can't assume an adult child will step in as the default caregiver, the planning window and the health that lets you qualify for coverage are everything. The throughline is one Jesse comes back to again and again: the best time to plan is while you're still healthy enough to have all your options open. In This Episode, You'll Learn: What long-term care actually means, the two triggers insurers use to define it, and why 70 percent of adults will need care while costs climb around 5 percent a year The four ways people pay for long-term care, from relying on family to Medicaid to insurance to self-funding, and how to think through which fits your life Why insurance can act as a psychological "permission slip" to actually accept care, when self-funders often deny it to themselves to preserve their savings Why a health pre-screen before you formally apply is critical, how a single recorded decline can follow you across insurers, and why your healthy window is the time to act What to look for in a policy, from benefit length and cash versus reimbursement to rate-increase risk and the new coverage that finally follows you abroad Episode Guest: Jesse Vickey is the founder of Long Term What?, a company built on the belief that long-term care is one of the biggest untold stories in America. After graduating from Duke and beginning his career on Wall Street, he left banking to found two mission-driven companies, one using humor to teach college graduates the life skills school never covered, and another connecting busy families with in-home meal prep. Through Long Term What?, he now helps people cut through the confusion of long-term care, learn their options, talk with their families, and build a plan, guiding them through insurance when it's the right fit. Connect with Jesse Vickey: Website: longtermwhat.com YouTube: Long Term What? Episode Host: Bri Conn, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth® and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. She specializes in financial management, life design, and estate planning, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, drawing on her own early financial challenges and recovery to fuel her work in personal finance education. About Childfree Insights: Childfree 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

September 3, 2026Episode 20733 min

Scary Stories: Tax Mistakes Childfree People Make | Bri Conn, CFP®, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Maddy Roche

The worst tax stories aren't about criminals, they're about ordinary people doing what they thought was allowed and stepping into a trap. Bri Conn, CFP® reads a string of real-world cautionary tales while Maddy Roche reacts and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® explains what actually went wrong, from the influencer myth that your whole life becomes a write-off, to the unpaid tax bill that can revoke your passport at the airport, to the rent your unmarried partner pays you that the IRS counts as income. The throughline is one every Childfree person building a life outside the standard script needs to hear: the tax code has sharp edges around staying single, filing unmarried, and living abroad, and ignorance of the rules is the one excuse the IRS will never accept. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why "I post about my life, so my life is a write-off" is a myth, how the IRS separates a real business with a profit motive from a hobby, and what actually happens when you never show a profit How unpaid taxes can get your passport revoked, why the IRS can lien your home or garnish wages after the fact, and why a payment plan keeps you current and protected Why chasing a lower tax bill by moving states or obsessing over brackets can cost you far more in happiness than it saves, and how to weigh the real tradeoffs Why getting legally married often works against Childfree couples on taxes and student loans, and how filing unmarried, gift-tax limits, and estate-tax cliffs quietly reshape the math How an ordinary foreign bank account can trigger FBAR reporting and life-altering penalties, and why your CPA and financial planner can only protect you if you tell them everything Episode Hosts: Bri Conn, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth® and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. She specializes in financial management, life design, and estate planning, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, drawing on her own early financial challenges and recovery to fuel her work in personal finance education. 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money . Maddy Roche is the Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust®, where she leads all sales, marketing, and partnership initiatives and brings sharp insight to estate planning, LGBTQ+ legacy considerations, and Childfree financial decision making. 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

August 27, 2026Episode 20633 min

Tax Planning for Childfree People | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC

Most mainstream tax advice runs on autopilot, and the autopilot assumes you're married with kids, funding a 529, and leaving an inheritance behind. When none of that describes your life, following it can cost you a fortune. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC start from a blunter premise: the tax code is built to reward having children, so Childfree people are never going to get those breaks, and the smarter move is to design your own. The throughline is the opposite of chasing a lower bill this year. It's using taxes as one more tool to fund the life you actually want, paying the IRS what's owed without leaving a tip, and knowing when the strategy some influencer swears by simply doesn't fit a life without kids. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why the tax system is intentionally pronatalist, how that shapes everything from the child tax credit to head-of-household status, and why designing your own tax breaks matters when the built-in ones were never meant for you Why the popular "become a landlord for passive income" advice often breaks down for Childfree people once you factor in the lost step-up in basis, and how a charitable remainder unitrust can turn an appreciated property into lifetime income plus a charitable benefit How to think through the pre-tax versus Roth 401(k) decision, why your tax bracket, your state's income tax, your student loans, and any dream of moving abroad all change the answer Why the Roth conversion and backdoor Roth strategies the financial press pushes every November are so easy to get wrong, and when the paperwork simply isn't worth it Why paying zero tax in a given year is not always the win it looks like, how donor-advised funds let you time your giving for maximum benefit, and why coordinating a CFP® professional and a CPA protects you over a lifetime rather than a single April Resources Mentioned in this Episode: Early Retirement Tax Planning with Cody Garrett, CFP® , Ep 166: : https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-166 Get Dr. Jay's book "The Childfree Guide to Life and Money" here: https://childfreewealth.com/childfree-guide/ Learn more about Childfree Wealth: www.childfreewealth.com Learn more about Childfree Trust: https://www.childfreetrust.com Episode Hosts: 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®, the first of its kind next of kin representation service for Childfree people. He is also the author of The Childfree Guide to Life and Money . Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC is an Associate Advisor at Childfree Wealth® and the go-to expert for long-term care strategies and tax planning questions. 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

August 20, 2026Episode 20518 min

Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney: Protecting Your Choices as a Solo Ager | Bri Conn, CFP® & Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW

Most people first hear the words guardianship and conservatorship in a moment of crisis, when an accident, illness, or cognitive decline has already taken the decision out of their hands. Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW has spent years inside that court system, conducting the capacity assessments that decide whether someone keeps the right to manage their own life or a court steps in to decide for them. She joins Bri Conn, CFP® to pull these intimidating legal terms apart and draw a clear line between the reactive path and the proactive one: guardianship and conservatorship are what happen when no plan exists, while a power of attorney set up ahead of time keeps every medical and financial choice in your hands. For solo adults who may not have a default next of kin to name, they talk through how to build that safety net on purpose and how Childfree Trust® can step in when there is no obvious person to list. In This Episode, You'll Learn: The real difference between guardianship and conservatorship, why guardianship is best understood as reactive, and how a court process gets triggered when no plan is already in place How a guardian or conservator actually gets chosen, who can file the petition, what the two-professional assessment involves, and how the role can fall to a stranger or the state when no one you know is willing or able to serve Why guardianship is so difficult and costly to reverse once it is granted, and what the ward has to go through to try to reinstate their own rights How a power of attorney for both medical and financial decisions keeps your choices in your hands, why it never requires a court, and why naming a backup is just as important as naming your first choice What belongs in your care documents, from doctors and billing details to your wishes on treatment, facilities, who to notify, and even who cares for your pet, and how Childfree Trust® can serve as the power of attorney when you have no one to name by default Explore Childfree Trust: Explore Childfree Trust & start protecting your future today: https://childfreetrust.com/ Episode Hosts: Bri Conn, CFP® is a Childfree Wealth Specialist at Childfree Wealth® and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®. She specializes in financial management, life design, and estate planning, with particular focus on LGBTQ+ individuals and couples, drawing on her own early financial challenges and recovery to fuel her work in personal finance education. Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW is a Senior Advisor at Childfree Trust® with three decades in social services across child welfare, public schools, and guardianship and probate. She is also one of the nation's first Certified Veterinary Social Workers, with deep expertise in the legal and emotional terrain that vulnerable individuals navigate. She has conducted guardianship and capacity assessments within the court system for many years. 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

August 13, 2026Episode 20437 min

The Myth of the Maternal Instinct | Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® & Dr. Amy Blackstone

There's a particular kind of quiet worry that comes with being Childfree, the suspicion that everyone else received some piece of wiring you're missing. Dr. Amy Blackstone spent her mid-30s certain she was broken as a woman, and she went looking for the research to explain what had gone wrong with her. What she found became her life's work. There is no maternal instinct waiting to switch on, and the majority of Childfree people she interviewed had opted out for a reason that genuinely surprised her: they watched their parents do it well, understood exactly what good parenting asks of a person, and chose to put their energy somewhere else. She joins Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® for a conversation that runs from the political noise around falling birth rates to what the research actually says about regret, and lands on the thing that reframes everything. If you feel wrong, it may be because you've been measuring yourself against the wrong population. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why there is no scientific basis for the maternal instinct, and how the absence of that supposed pull leaves so many people convinced something is wrong with them The biggest surprise in Dr. Amy Blackstone's research, that most Childfree people she interviewed had good childhoods and opted out precisely because they saw how much good parenting requires What the research actually shows about regret, why the distinction between Childfree and Childless matters so much, which group does report unhappiness later in life, and how that compares to the share of parents who regret having kids Why measuring your life against the standard life script guarantees you'll feel like you're doing it wrong, and how comparing yourself to the right population changes the entire picture How stigma around the Childfree choice has shifted over the decades, what today's pronatalist politics and policy fights look like, and why roughly a quarter of the country remains almost entirely underserved Resources Mentioned: Laura Carroll, Childfree author and advocate who revitalized International Childfree Day: https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-74/ Marcia Drut-Davis, author of Confessions of a Childfree Woman: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marcia-Drut-Davis/author/B08429L4CL The Childfree Path to a Healthier Planet | Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® | TEDxWilsonPark: https://youtu.be/ltZpfHCpHPg?si=38LrZlkf4oMGWyE8 Episode Guest: Dr. Amy Blackstone is a public sociologist who studies and writes about reproductive justice, population trends, workplace sexual harassment, activism and other forms of civic engagement, power and politics, and any other topic that strikes her fancy, hits the news, or gets myopic dingdongs with too much power riled up. In recent years, much of her focus has been dedicated to the COVID-19 pandemic and what's been left in its wake: a silent but no less crushing aftershock, an illness known as Long COVID, that has claimed millions, snatching her from public life, while the world carries on as if nothing has happened. Her book, CHILDFREE BY CHOICE (Penguin Random House) enraged pronatalists the world over, a career highlight. Dr. Blackstone worked as a professor of sociology at the University of Maine for a quarter century and she now looks forward to a future of retirement and troublemaking. Connect with Dr. Amy Blackstone: Website: amyblackstonephd.com Instagram: instagram.com/a.maria.blackstone/ Childfree by Choice by Dr. Amy Blackstone https://www.amazon.com/stores/Amy-Blackstone/author/B07T7TM4DT Episode Host: Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® (he/him) is the Founder of Childfree Wealth , a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping people simplify their finances so they can live an amazing Childfree life. Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book " The Childfree Guide to Life and Money. " About Childfree Insights: Childfree 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/childfreeinsights Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.