You can have a big net worth and still have missed what it is actually worth. So what is the number really for?

A historic amount of wealth is moving to women right now, and most say they do not feel ready for it.

Melissa Jenkins is a CPA and a CFA, a principal and wealth advisor at R|W who brings tax and investing together under one roof. She is also Ryan and Shannon's niece and a mom to two young boys, so when she talks about what money is really for, she is not speaking in theory.

Melissa's whole approach starts from one idea. Wealth is not something to fear, to chase, or to worship. It is simply a tool. So she spends less time talking and more time asking questions, she makes sure both spouses get a voice, and she helps families step off the comparison treadmill and the arbitrary number they think they are supposed to hit.

In this episode, Ryan, Shannon, and Melissa talk about why a bigger number does not always mean a richer life, why so many people actually need permission to enjoy what they have saved, and what really happens inside a good client meeting, which turns out to be mostly not about the investments. They get into the hardest money transition there is, going from a lifetime of saving to actually spending, and the question sitting underneath all of it... what is enough?

They also talk about the wave of wealth moving to women, why planning ahead can be one of the most loving things a spouse ever does, how to give while you are still alive to enjoy the result, and why your money and your goals both live beyond you. Melissa even shares the line that makes her clients laugh, that children are not charities, and what it really takes to prepare the next generation to carry wealth well.

If you have ever chased a number without stopping to ask what it was for, this one is for you.

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DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are for general informational purposes only. R|W Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

#WorthBeyondWealth #WomenAndWealth #GreatWealthTransfer #WealthManagement #FamilyFirst #FinancialPlanning #IntentionalLiving

🎧 Follow Worth Beyond Wealth Podcast
Redefining what it means to live well — beyond money, beyond success.
Join Ryan and Shannon as they help families, founders, and leaders discover fulfillment through purpose, peace, and legacy.

💬 Let’s Connect:
🌐 RW Investment Website
📩 Questions? Email us!

🪙 Because real wealth isn’t measured in dollars — it’s measured in impact.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are for general informational purposes only. R|W Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

© 2026 Worth Beyond Wealth. All rights reserved.

If something happened to you tomorrow, would the people you love know what to do with the money? Would they even know who to call?

A historic amount of wealth is moving to women right now. Many of them have never been asked what they actually want.

Kim Jaques got into this business before she even finished college. She earned her Series 7 while she was still taking classes and working full time, and more than thirty years later she still has no interest in leaving. She is a CFP and a principal at R|W. Before she moved into advising she built and ran operations and worked in compliance, so she has seen this industry from just about every seat there is.

A lot of what Kim does comes back to one simple idea. The money is never really the point. She takes all the industry jargon and brings it down to plain language, so someone who is new to all of this can finally relax and start asking questions. The way she puts it, when a person trusts you with their money, they end up trusting you with their life. Most of her real conversations are about the things people will not even say to their own family.

In this episode, Ryan, Shannon, and Kim talk about why both spouses belong in the room, why no question is ever too small, and what it really means to be a good steward of someone else's life savings. They get into how people actually learn and hold onto hard information, why a balance sheet was never the whole story, and the question almost every family ends up asking... are we going to be okay?

They also talk about the wave of wealth moving to women, why so many women got left out of the money conversation for so long, and why real wisdom often means knowing when to bring in help instead of pretending to have all the answers. Kim shares what has kept her in this work for thirty years, and why she still treats every client as a person and never as a number.

If you have ever caught yourself thinking your family would have no idea where to start, this is the episode for you.

🎧 Follow Worth Beyond Wealth Podcast
Redefining what it means to live well — beyond money, beyond success.
Join Ryan and Shannon as they help families, founders, and leaders discover fulfillment through purpose, peace, and legacy.

💬 Let’s Connect:
🌐 RW Investment Website
📩 Questions? Email us!

🪙 Because real wealth isn’t measured in dollars — it’s measured in impact.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are for general informational purposes only. R|W Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

© 2026 Worth Beyond Wealth. All rights reserved.

What if the family finances suddenly became your job? Would you know where to start, or who to call?

A historic amount of money is moving to women right now. A lot of those women have never been asked a single question about any of it.

Raleigh Ann Vachek never planned to work in finance. A college professor told her to go job-shadow an industry she was curious about, she picked investments, and a conversation she had back in the spring of 2000 turned into a job. She's now a CFP and a principal at R|W, and she's spent more than twenty years walking families through big life transitions, the planned ones and the ones nobody sees coming. That includes the phone call no one wants to make.

A lot of her work is something she calls life raft drills. She sits couples down and talks through the what-ifs before anything goes wrong: what could happen, how likely it really is, and what you'd actually do about it. Shannon knows that feeling firsthand. She's married to a wealth advisor, she trusted Ryan completely, and she still couldn't have answered basic questions about their own money. One day Ryan asked her what she wanted to do with their next investment, and she cried, because no one had ever asked her that before.

In this episode, Ryan, Shannon, and Raleigh talk about why both spouses need to be in the room, why money is never just numbers, and where our beliefs about money come from. They get into the hard switch from saving to spending in retirement, why a balance sheet was never enough on its own, and the question almost every family ends up asking... are we going to be okay?

They also talk about the wave of wealth moving to women, why so many women have been left out of the money conversation, and how to start small. One meeting a year. No question too basic. Nobody expects you to know everything on day one.

If you've ever told yourself you'll get to it later, this is the episode.

🔔 Subscribe for more conversations on wealth, legacy, and family
💬 Comment: Have you and your spouse ever had the "what if something happened to you" conversation?
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⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Cold Open
0:54 Welcome to Worth Beyond Wealth
1:37 Introducing Raleigh Vachek
2:32 How Raleigh Fell Into Finance
5:03 Being the First Phone Call
6:40 What Money Can't Buy
9:50 What Is a Life Raft Drill?
12:44 "It's Going to Be Okay"
15:47 Why Both Spouses Belong in the Room
21:54 The Psychology of Money Starts in Childhood
27:13 Learning to Spend What You Saved
32:27 Keeping Both Voices Engaged
36:05 The Great Wealth Transfer to Women
41:50 What Real Wisdom Looks Like
46:54 Advice to the Next Generation
49:26 Closing & Disclaimer

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are for general informational purposes only. R|W Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

#WorthBeyondWealth #WomenAndWealth #GreatWealthTransfer #WealthManagement #FamilyFirst #FinancialPlanning #IntentionalLiving

🎧 Follow Worth Beyond Wealth Podcast
Redefining what it means to live well — beyond money, beyond success.
Join Ryan and Shannon as they help families, founders, and leaders discover fulfillment through purpose, peace, and legacy.

💬 Let’s Connect:
🌐 RW Investment Website
📩 Questions? Email us!

🪙 Because real wealth isn’t measured in dollars — it’s measured in impact.

⚠️ DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed are for general informational purposes only. R|W Investment Management, LLC is a registered investment advisor. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

© 2026 Worth Beyond Wealth. All rights reserved.