Breaking Money Silence

Lisa Schermerhorn, Certified Hypnotist and Coach   Does money buy happiness? Research says no, but still this myth prevails. Listen in to Kathleen’s conversation with Lisa about how money mindsets impact your perception of wealth and how changing your mindset can increase financial health. Lisa Shermerhorn received her B.A. in Management from Simmons College. She is certified in NLP, a Certified Hypnotherapist, Clarity Coach and a professional speaker. Lisa founded Indigo Wellness Center in Duxbury, MA, and has spoken for the Depression and Bipolar Alliance at McLean Hospital, Peoples Bank, Plymouth State University, Dental Group of NH, Women Inspiring Women, NH Charitable Foundation and NH Council on Aging. She lives in Vermont and currently is the VP Business Development of a virtual reality health and wellness company Meditainment VR™. You can contact her at lisaschermerhorn1@gmail.com. Breaking Money Silence® Podcast was recorded at Sugarhouse Soundworks, LLC  

Clint Bierman, Owner, LionTone Studio and Founding member of The Grift The Grift is a Vermont band with a cult-like following. As a fan, I wanted to know what made the band so successful and how Clint, one of the front men of the band, seemed to bust through the money myth that musicians make no money. I invited him for a candid conversation about money, music, and his dedication to teaching the next generation of musicians the art of songwriting. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: American Idiot - May 2-4, 2019, at Middlebury College The Grift - August 3, 2019, at Mad River Glen (20 Year Anniversary Party) Clint Bierman is a bandleader, studio engineer, songwriter, producer, and composer out of LionTone studios in Middlebury, VT. He has produced dozens of full-length albums, released nine original albums with his band The Grift, played guitar for the NBC show, Smash, and co-wrote the song “I'm on My Way” featured on the Shrek 2 soundtrack. Clint also runs a bi-annual Rock Camp for kids called Rock-It Science. You c

A financial advisor can save you time and help you remain disciplined about reaching your financial goals. But are they an expert at giving advice? And should you always follow their recommendations? Listen in as Kathleen and Moira discuss the human side of finance and how advisors may need a little more training to become proficient in advice giving. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Dr. Somers published a book for financial professionals in 2018 called Advice that Sticks: How to Give Financial Advice that People Will Follow. KBK Wealth Connection highly recommends it to all advisors and related disciplines. Dr. Moira Somers is a clinical neuropsychologist, executive coach, author, and owner of Money Mind and Meaning. Her work focuses on helping people make lasting behavior change, particularly in the domain of money. Areas of interest include the psychological factors at play during major life transitions, the reasons why good clients may fail to follow good advice, and the particular challenges faced by women in le

While the audio quality of this episode is less than ideal, the information is valuable, so we decided to publish it. Thank you for your patience with the sound. Melanie Mendiola, Farm to Table Guam, Project Director Risha Aguon, MA, Risha Aguon Counseling Services, Licensed Professional Counselor Do female breadwinners and their partners have unhappy marriages? As the number of women who primarily earn the money for the family rises, more people are wondering what toll this takes on the family. Listen in as Kathleen interviews Melanie and Risha about this belief and find out if it is fact or fiction. Bios: Melanie Mendiola, a Guam native, was practically born into the local food scene. Her grandfather opened one of Guam’s oldest restaurants – Kinney’s Café – in 1947, which survived into this decade. She currently is the CEO/Administrator of the Guam Economic Development Authority, works at Farm to Table Guam as the project Director and is a doctoral student at Kansas State University.     Risha Aguon is

Gwen Pokalo, Director, Center for Women & Enterprise In honor of Women’s History Month, Gwen and Kathleen discuss stereotypes surrounding female entrepreneurs and how these fallacies negatively impact access to funding and gender parity. Listen in and learn tips for busting this myth wide open and how and why you should take women business owners seriously. Check out cweonline.org and sba.gov for more information and support in starting and growing a business. Gwen is the Director of the Center for Women & Enterprise Vermont, an economic development nonprofit that helps people start and grow their businesses. She got started as an entrepreneur when she developed one of the first student-run retail incubators in the country featuring products from emerging Vermont entrepreneurs. Gwen holds a Master’s in Applied Economics and Community Development from the University of Vermont and teaches at the college level. She serves on the boards of LaunchVT, the Vermont Community Loan Fund, and the Women’s Business Ow

Eric Friedman, Mad River Glen,  Marketing Director When you look for an activity to do as a family – with your kids, your grandkids – does skiing enter the picture or is it immediately rejected because of the cost? Kathleen and Eric discuss the myth that skiing is too expensive and offer you tips for saving money when you do hit the slopes. Eric Friedman comes from a long line of great, Jewish skiers from New Jersey and didn’t realize until he was an adult that it wasn’t normal for kids to ski 4 days a week. After attending New England College, training as a high school social studies teacher, he fell into the ski business at Mad River Glen in Vermont. For the past 24 years, he has been the Marketing Director of the iconic ski area and is proud of his contribution to resuscitating the legendary ski area as America’s only cooperative owned, not-for-profit ski area. He raised two children in Vermont’s Mad River Valley and still resides in town with his cat. He is excited to soon be moving in with his new wife

Daniel Crosby, Ph.D., Chief Behavioral Officer, Brinker Capital  Are you tempted to fill your portfolio with the latest, greatest hot stocks, predicting that they will continue to increase in value and create more wealth for you? If so, then you should listen in as Kathleen interviews Daniel Crosby, New York Times Bestselling author and behavioral psychologist, about the psychology around stock selection and how human error blocks many investors from realizing the best returns. Educated at Brigham Young and Emory Universities, Dr. Daniel Crosby is a psychologist and behavioral finance expert who helps organizations understand the intersection of mind and markets. Dr. Crosby's first book, Personal Benchmark: Integrating Behavioral Finance and Investment Management, was a New York Times bestseller. His second book, The Laws of Wealth, was named the best investment book of 2017 by the Axiom Business Book Awards and has been translated into 5 languages. His latest work, The Behavioral Investor, is a comprehens

Ashley Paré, Founder and CEO of Own Your Worth LLC  Is it true that women don’t ask for help at home or more money at work? In this episode, Kathleen interviews Ashley Pare, about this myth and together they discuss the skills you need to ask for what you want and empower others around you to do the same. Listen and discover….  Negotiations are about more than money To be successful you need to know your value and be able to discuss numbers Explore and overcome your fears about money and conflict Ashley Paré is the Founder and CEO of Own Your Worth LLC, an organization on a mission to break glass ceilings through career negotiation. As a Leadership Coach, Negotiation Expert, and Speaker, Ashley works with women who want to feel confident when they ask for what they want in life and career. Ashley leverages over 12 years' experience in global Human Resources and she consults with start-ups to create inclusive cultures. Ashley is a certified facilitator for the AAUW Work Smart

Carol Craigie, MA, CHFC®, CFP®, Managing Partner & Chief Compliance Officer, Fiscal Fitness Clubs We spend 33% of our life energy on money and then we ignore it. Listen in as Carol and Kathleen discuss how to make peace with making a budget and tips for making the process easier using technology. Carol is a psychologist turned financial planner. She knows first-hand what it is like to face a financial crisis as her husband’s total disability at a young age resulted in a career change. When she retired from the corporate world, she authored a textbook on developing a financial plan and became a professor with the College for Financial Planning. She has authored several textbooks and courses. Now Carol brings her passion for helping individuals improve their financial life and her skills in financial planning curriculum development to Fiscal Fitness Clubs. She currently serves on the national board of the Financial Planning Association (FPA). SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: Fiscal Fitness Clubs helps people get what

Ben Jones, President & Chief Operating Officer, BMO Global Wealth Management and Host of Better Conversations podcast Do you believe that financial advisors only provide investment advice? If so, you are not alone. In this podcast, learn the truth about the services and value a trusted advisor provides to you and your family. In this episode, listen to Kathleen as she interviews Ben Jones about this myth and how an emotionally intelligent advisor addressed the human side of finance. Listen and discover… A good advisor explores the connection between money and emotions. Advisors empower clients to examine and change money behaviors and habits. Advisors help facilitate difficult financial conversations. 3 questions to help you and your advisor to understand your relationship with money. Ben Jones is responsible for leading the U.S. distribution of BMO Global Asset Management’s investment capabilities through financial intermediaries. His responsibilities include leading and coordinating the client e

Growing up, I was taught that “A Spouse Comes with a House.” Not a very feminist notion, but one that was woven into the fabric of our societal beliefs about money and home ownership. In this NPR, Nothing Funny About Money segment, I bust open the myth, “A Spouse Comes with a House,” and discuss some interesting statistics, including the fact that 24% of homebuyers in the United States are single and 17% of these homebuyers are single women. Why is it that more than twice as many single women are purchasing a home compared to single men? Tune in and find out. Breaking Money Silence® Podcast was recorded at Sugarhouse Soundworks, LLC  

Patti Black, CFP®, Bridgeworth, LLC, Partner https://bridgeworthfinancial.com/ Are you looking forward to the day you retire and sail off into the horizon without any cares? Did you know that planning for the non-financial side of retirement is just as important as the financial side? Patti and Kathleen talk about how to determine your retirement vision and how doing so along with number crunching is vital to when preparing for this next phase of life.  Key Take-Aways:  Don’t just focus on the day you are to retire. You actually need to think about what life is going to be like the days after you retire. For example, what are you going to be doing on the first Monday of your retirement? Better yet – what are you going to be doing six months into your retirement? Spend time working on your health and relationships. These are two things that everyone can work on. Take care of yourself now, so you can enjoy your retirement fully. Also, spend time creating and maintaining friendships as social interactions

Paulette Perhach, Author, Host of Can We Talk About Money podcast Why bother saving money because you’ll either just spend it or give it away. Kathleen and Paulette discuss this myth and the psychology behind saving money and roadblocks to being financially healthy. Key Take-Aways: Understand your money history. Understanding your money history is crucial to understanding your mindset about money, savings, spending, and investing. It is the first step toward changing an unhealthy financial habit. Be compassionate to yourself. Knowing who you are and how you relate to money can help you deal with feelings about wealth and ambivalence about taking financial responsibility. Compassion is key in removing money shame and being more at peace with your finances. Find accountability partners. Make yourself accountable to your financial goals by finding an accountability partner (could be friends, family, or an advisor). We all struggle from time to time and need support. Paulette Perhach’s writing has been

Lisa Zeiderman, Managing Partner, Miller Zeiderman & Wiederkehr, LLP https://mzwnylaw.com/ Lisa and Kathleen delve into the myth that as a stay-at-home parent, you don’t have to worry about finances. Getting married can offer many benefits, including financial ones. It can also bring some devastating financial consequences. Couples who don’t talk about money before they get married might find themselves in a situation where they feel they are shouldering more of the financial burden than their partner. Having these hard conversations before getting married sets financial expectations from the beginning, helps build trust, and reduces financial conflict. Key Take Aways: Believe and understand marriage is a financial partnership. Once you understand your marriage is a financial partnership, each partner has the ability to negotiate a better outcome for themselves, if things start to fall apart. Negotiations can be done before or during marriage with pre- or post-nuptials. Honesty and understanding finances

We all know estate planning is an important part of being financially responsible and leaving things in order for our family so they don’t have to worry about when we die. But, did you know that estate planning for our pets (or our furry kids) is equally important? Did you know: 68% of the households in the United States have at least one pet. Less than 40% of dog and cat owners have named a pet caretaker upon their death. Only 12% of dog and cat owners have made financial provisions for their pets in their will. According to the legal world, pets are property, so they can’t inherit money, but you can assign a guardian and set aside funds to cover the cost of their care after your death. In this Nothing Funny About Money segment, I talk about the importance of estate planning for our pets and offer some tips on how to break money silence and get the conversation started with friends and family about taking care of our furry kids. Breaking Money Silence® Podcast was recorded at Sugarhouse Soundworks

Jacqueline Porter, CFP®, Carte Wealth Management  In our society, women still are expected to get married as a way of securing their financial future. However, the modern day woman is often putting off marriage until her career is established or forgoing walking down the aisle altogether. In this episode, Jackie Porter talks with Kathleen about how the myth that single women can’t be financially successful without a man hurts her clients and why she has dedicated her career to empowering women to be money smart. Key Take Aways: Women should invest time to learn more about money and investing. You may know you should be more actively involved in your financial life, but not take action. Listen to Jackie highlight the real financial implications of not proactively managing your money – whether single or married. If you are in a committed relationship, it is vital to break money silence with your partner. Ideally, talk about money with your partner before you walk down the aisle. Discuss how each of you

Stacy LeBaron, Host of Community Cats Podcast At a young age, Stacy’s mother taught her to invest, and the money she made from her portfolio allowed her to pursue her passion for rescuing animals. In this episode, Kathleen interviews Stacy about her belief that parents should empower their children from a young age to invest in the stock market and how it is inevitable that your kids (or the next generation) will control your finances as you age. Key Take Aways: Women are great financial role models. Stacy’s grandmother and mother were skilled investors and passed this talent down to her. Learn how Stacy plans to pay this gift forward. Allow teenagers to practice investing. Many experts encourage parents to wait until their children are in their mid-twenties to discuss their inheritance. Stacy thinks this is a big mistake and wants parents to know that practicing these money skills is important while the kids are still live under your roof. Stay open to ongoing money conversations. Stacy grew up in a

Steve Lockshin, Founder and Principal of AdvicePeriod Will robo-advisors replace human advisors? Find out one thought leader’s opinion in this episode. Listen in as Kathleen interviews Steve about his work at AdvicePeriod and his view of how advisors need to embrace change to best serve their clients. Key Take Aways: Technology helps advisors better serve you. If you are a do-it-yourselfer now, then you probably will embrace robo-advisors. However, if you prefer to meet with an advisor in person, this technology will only enhance your advisor’s customer service. Women tend to be more receptive to changes in client service models. Steve notices a difference in how women versus men think about robo-advisors. In general, his research shows that women tend to be more receptive to this type of change in the industry and like the simplicity of the technological offerings. Talk to your advisor about how technology can help you achieve your financial goals. Are you still unsure about robo-advisor offerin

Michael Thompson, CAP®, Copper Leaf Financial LLC  Is being philanthropic one of your life’s goals but you believe you have to be wealthy or have lots of extra cash lying around? There are many ways to be philanthropic for the charities or organizations you want to support and it doesn’t always mean having an open checkbook. Kathleen and Michael bust the myth that philanthropy is not just for the super wealthy. Sit back and listen to an enlightening conversation about how you can be involved in social causes without giving away all of your hard-earned dollars. Key Take Aways: Do not let the new tax laws influence your generosity. The new tax laws around charitable giving may make gifting seem less attractive. Michael encourages you to continue to follow your passion and talk to an advisor about how to still get a tax benefit for your good work and contributions. Talk to your advisor and family about your values. Philanthropy begins with identifying your values, then investing and gifting using these as

Crystal Arnold, Founder, Money-Morphosis and Money-Wise Women Podcast  Shame, guilt, and fear are the three strongest influences that stop people from talking about money. Listen to Kathleen’s interview with Crystal Arnold about the emotional side of money and learn some ways to get past the emotion and the influence of mainstream media to start money conversations with loved ones and become a more engaged, holistic consumer. Key Take Aways: Increase your financial awareness. Ways to be a rational consumer include doing a budget, checking prices, and doing comparison shopping. Become self-aware. Looking beneath the rational mind and examining your learned money messages and what motivates you to spend or save can help you make more empowered financial decisions. Assess your values. Crystal identifies four areas of wealth – financial, inner wealth (gifts and skills), relational or relationship, and environmental (home and work). Assess your values and then take some of your financial resources and inv