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Women's Money Wisdom

Women's Money Wisdom

Written by: Melissa Joy CFP®
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About this listen

You’re working hard, caring for everyone else, and managing a thousand details a day - but when was the last time you focused on your finances?

As a woman, you might carry the emotional and logistical weight of caregiving, parenting, career-building, and household management. It’s no wonder financial planning tends to fall to the bottom of your list -yet it’s one of the most important tools you have for protecting your future, your family, and your peace of mind.

Women’s Money Wisdom is here to change that.

Hosted by Melissa Joy, CFP®, founder of Pearl Planning in Dexter, Michigan, this weekly podcast is your space for practical insights and relatable advice to help you take control of your financial life. From investing and retirement to navigating life transitions and shifting your money mindset, you'll gain the clarity and confidence you need to make empowered decisions.

Maybe you’re preparing for retirement, juggling the needs of both kids and aging parents, or growing a business you’ve built from the ground up. You want to build wealth in a way that reflects your values. You want guidance that honors your full life, not just your portfolio. And most of all, you want a trusted partner who sees the whole picture, not just the numbers.

If you’re ready to stop putting yourself last - at least financially -this podcast is your starting point.

Subscribe to Women’s Money Wisdom and make your financial future a priority.


The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https://pearlplanning.com/

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Episodes
  • Episode 348: College Admissions Today: Fit, Cost, and Timing with Amy McVeigh

    Episode 348: College Admissions Today: Fit, Cost, and Timing with Amy McVeigh
    Nov 3 2026
    Melissa Joy, CFP®, welcomes back Amy McVeigh, founder of Smart College Selection, an independent college consulting firm serving families in Indiana and Michigan. Amy first joined the podcast in 2020, and this conversation catches up on what has changed since. Standardized testing has swung back at many schools, artificial intelligence is showing up in both admissions offices and parents' worries about majors and job markets, and the cost of college remains one of the biggest financial decisions a family makes. Amy's steady message is that the process comes down to fit for the individual student, and that being careful about where you get your information is the key to keeping the process sane.Melissa and Amy dig into the money side of the decision: why even families who say price is no object benefit from a real look at cost, how merit aid differs from need-based aid, why the real dividing line is in-state public versus everywhere else, and how sticker price and net price can look very different. They also talk about how to think about the financial health of small colleges. Amy then shares what parents of seventh and eighth graders should focus on, how the high school years typically unfold through the application workshops before senior year, what working with an independent consultant involves, and why she encourages every parent to write down their own hope for their child's college experience.What You'll LearnWhy standardized testing matters again at many schools, and what a reasonable approach to test preparation looks likeHow artificial intelligence is changing admissions, essays, and parents' concerns about majors and job marketsWhy choosing a college is one of a family's biggest financial decisions, and why emotion should not be the only driverThe difference between schools that award merit scholarships and schools that direct their institutional funds to demonstrated needWhy in-state public versus everywhere else, rather than in-state versus out-of-state, drives the cost differenceHow sticker price and net price can differ, and why the financial health of small colleges deserves a lookWhat parents of seventh and eighth graders should focus on, and what can waitHow the high school years typically unfold, from study habits in ninth and tenth grade to application workshops before senior yearWhat an independent college consultant does, and how to decide whether to hire oneWhy writing down your own hope for your child's college experience can keep the whole process groundedAbout the GuestAmy McVeigh is the founder of Smart College Selection, an independent college consulting firm that guides students and their families through the college selection process in Indiana and Michigan. Before starting Smart College Selection in 2014, Amy spent more than two decades running a business performance consulting firm and held corporate roles in finance, public relations, sales, marketing, and communication at Fortune 100 companies. She holds a college counseling certificate from UCLA, an MBA from Harvard, and a degree in public relations from Boston University. Amy is a Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA), where she serves on the Board of Directors as Vice President of Education and Training, and she works with the University of California, Berkeley Extension on its college counseling curriculum.Connect with Amy: Smart College Selection | About Amy | Contact Smart College SelectionThe previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...
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    33 mins
  • Episode 347: Money Is a Mirror: Finding the Life Underneath Your Finances with Liz Hand

    Episode 347: Money Is a Mirror: Finding the Life Underneath Your Finances with Liz Hand
    Oct 27 2026

    Money is rarely the real problem. More often it points to the life underneath. Melissa Joy, CFP®, is joined by her friend Liz Hand, CFP®, ACC, a second-generation financial planner and certified coach, to talk about Liz's new book, Money Is a Mirror, and what our relationship with money can reveal. Liz traces the book back to the farming sayings she grew up around in the Midwest, such as waste not, want not and the early bird gets the worm, and to the patterns she noticed in her clients, in the advisors she coaches, and in herself. She explains what she calls making do like the Millers, a frugal, stay-below-the-radar mindset she sees as the flip side of keeping up with the Joneses, and why it so often shows up in high-achieving, responsible, community-oriented women.

    From there, the conversation turns to what changes when a person slows down and starts to experiment. Liz describes her triangle of trust, how years of hyper-saving that left her own wants off the table gave way to creative expression, and how that led her to a live performance of Money Is a Mirror. Melissa and Liz discuss why contentment looks different for every person, how clients and advisors can get stuck in a gridlock of both trying to be the responsible one, and why unprocessed emotions such as regret can keep people from using their money in ways that feel satisfying. Liz also shares where to find the book and how conference planners can book the performance.

    What You'll Learn

    • How farming sayings like waste not, want not and the early bird gets the worm reveal patterns in the way people save, spend, and give
    • What making do like the Millers means, and how it differs from keeping up with the Joneses
    • Why high-achieving, responsible, community-oriented women often leave their own wants and needs off the table
    • How Liz's triangle of trust (trust in yourself, in others, and in a higher power) shifted the way she approaches money and life
    • Why slowing down and running small financial, time, and attention experiments can help you learn what you actually want
    • Why contentment looks different for everyone, and why more money or less money is not the whole answer
    • How advisors and clients can break the gridlock of both trying to be the responsible risk mitigator
    • How emotions like regret, confusion, anger, sadness, limerence, and jealousy can keep you stuck, and what Liz means by calling them the smoke of a fire

    About the Guest

    Liz Hand, CFP®, ACC, is a second-generation financial planner at Pleasant Wealth in Canton, Ohio, where the team serves women planning for and living in retirement. She is also a mindset coach for financial advisors and the author of Money Is a Mirror, which she brings to the stage as a live performance for women's conferences and financial planner conferences.

    Pleasant Wealth

    Liz Hand Mindset Coaching

    Liz Hand on LinkedIn

    Money Is a Mirror (Amazon): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0HH1PYXPZ?lv=shuf&channelId=500&plpRedirect=mhFallback

    The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...
    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Episode 346: The Great Wealth Transfer Is About More Than Money: Caring for Aging Parents and Planning Ahead with Tiffany Charles

    Episode 346: The Great Wealth Transfer Is About More Than Money: Caring for Aging Parents and Planning Ahead with Tiffany Charles
    Oct 20 2026

    The great wealth transfer is usually framed as a story about accounts changing hands. Melissa Joy, CFP®, and Tiffany Charles, a wealth advisor at Traction Financial Partners, talk about everything that surrounds that headline: aging parents, shifting care needs, caregivers stretched across work and family, and the paperwork, phone calls, and decisions that land on the next generation. Tiffany shares what she learned after losing her father two years ago, including how an estate attorney, a financial advisor, and a tax professional working together gave her mother comfort during a hard season.

    Melissa and Tiffany also discuss what to look for in an advisor who can serve more than one generation, from a planning focus that goes beyond the investment accounts to a professional network that reaches into care, legal, and housing decisions. They cover how to start the money, aging, and legacy conversation with parents, why roles named in an estate plan should be explained to the people who hold them, and how a family sit-down, a letter, or a video can open the door when conversations feel too hard to have in person.

    What You’ll Learn

    • Why the great wealth transfer involves caregiving, housing, health, and family dynamics, not only account transfers
    • How a now, soon, and later triage list can help caregivers decide what to handle first and what can wait
    • Why caregivers need space for their own wellbeing while they manage a parent’s finances
    • What types of aging and after-loss support exist, and why finding them before a crisis helps
    • What to look for in an advisor for your parents or yourself, including planning beyond investments and a connected network of professionals
    • Common items that get missed, such as required minimum distributions, tax filings, and tax withholding
    • How a coordinated team of advisors can help a family manage timing, including estate tax return decisions and the step-up in value on a home
    • Why trusted contacts, powers of attorney, and estate plan roles should be explained to the people named
    • Ways to open the conversation with parents, including a family meeting, writing, or video
    • How inheritance can be approached in your own planning without counting on it

    About the Guest

    Tiffany Charles is a wealth advisor at Traction Financial Partners, where she helps women, families, and business owners make confident wealth decisions. She brings a strategic, relationship-driven approach to wealth planning and long-term financial decision making. Tiffany has worked in the wealth management industry for 15 years and serves on the board of bQuest, a platform that helps advisors connect clients with vetted aging care and after-loss resources.

    Website: https://tractionfp.us/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiffany-charles-1a3998b0/

    The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https...
    Show More Show Less
    44 mins
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