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Description
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Hosted by experts in financial and life planning, the show cuts through outdated assumptions about family, retirement, and aging.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.
196 Episodes
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In this episode, Maddy Roche and Bri Conn, CFP®, explain why legal documents alone aren’t enough. Estate plans grant authority. Care plans provide direction. They spell out the details that make real-world care possible: where to find your mailbox key, your alarm code, how to feed your pets, what medical history your doctors should know, and what living with dignity truly means to you. They also discuss documenting cultural or religious preferences and why these plans should be treated as liv...
Who makes decisions for you when you can't? For Childfree people, the answer has never been straightforward. Dr. Jay Zigmont sits down with Robert Allan and John Steiner from Welon Trust to reveal how they spent two and a half years building something that didn't exist: a trust company designed specifically for the Childfree community. This episode pulls back the curtain on creating Childfree Trust®. From a 752-page application to navigating banking regulators who'd never seen this model, Joh...
What happens to your pets if you're suddenly unable to care for them? For Childfree people with animal companions, this isn't just about planning for after you're gone. It's about having a solid plan for emergencies, temporary disability, and ensuring your pets get the care they need when you can't provide it. Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® tackle pet protection planning, from 155-pound English Mastiffs with special dietary needs to orange cats with attitude problems. They break dow...
Who will make decisions for you when you can't? For Childfree people, that question has never had a good answer until now. In this episode, Maddy Roche and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® introduce Childfree Trust®, the first nationwide professional fiduciary solution designed specifically for Childfree individuals. After three and a half years of research and development, Childfree Trust® solves a problem that's plagued the Childfree community: who will act as your medical power of attorney, financial...
The Childfree Life By Design team just got back from CES in Las Vegas, and they're sharing everything: the coolest tech, the weirdest products, and what it's really like to run a booth at the world's biggest consumer electronics show. From hip airbags and remote dementia diagnosis tools to robot dogs and AI-powered picture frames that clone voices, this episode covers it all. The team also reflects on community connections, including a special dinner with Childfree community members, and what...
What do you want the second line of your obituary to say? For most people, it reads "father of three" or "survived by spouse and children." For Childfree people, that line looks different. This episode tackles the identity crisis that comes when your career defines you and you're facing a major transition without the traditional markers of legacy. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® sits down with Drew Blickensderfer, two-time Daytona 500-winning crew chief and current Competition Director at Front Row Mot...
Who's on your bench? When you're building a Childfree life on your own terms, the professionals and teammates you surround yourself with make all the difference in how well you age. In this episode, Maddy Roche and Bri Conn, CFP®, walk through the essential people you need in your corner, from certified financial planners who understand Childfree planning to aging care managers who can help you navigate long-term care. They tackle why estate planning is more complex when you don't have a next...
What if the way you think about wealth is keeping you from building it? In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Carl Richards, CFP® creator of the Sketch Guy column in the New York Times, sit down to explore how simple drawings unlock profound truths about money and life. Carl shares the stories behind his most powerful sketches, including the Venn diagram asking "What can I control?" and "What matters?" and why their overlap is where real financial planning happens. Key Takeaw...
Building better financial habits is less about willpower and more about understanding how your brain works. In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®, and Fiona Waller, MSW, LCSW, CFP® dive into the behavioral side of personal finance, exploring why all-or-nothing thinking keeps you stuck, how to make progress visible, and what the science of habit formation teaches us about lasting change. Drawing from Dr. Jay's background in adult learning and Fiona's training as a therapist, this conversation...
Welcome to a brand new era! After two and a half years as the Childfree Wealth® Podcast, we're excited to introduce Childfree Life By Design. This isn't just a rebrand; it's an expansion of our mission. While finances remain a cornerstone, we're now diving deeper into relationships, career decisions, and designing a life that works for you. In this special relaunch episode, hosts Bri Conn and Dr. Jay Zigmont introduce the expanded team. Key Takeaways: The rebrand expands the mission: Ch...
We've reached the final episode of the Childfree Wealth podcast hosted by Bri and Dr. Jay, CFP®! It's been an incredible two-and-a-half-year run with 171 episodes published and over 100,000 downloads, and we couldn't be more grateful for this community. So, to celebrate all the amazing things that have happened, the whole Childfree Wealth team—Bri, Dr. Jay, Scott, and Fiona—joins us for a special episode to share wins, battle it out with some hilarious holiday finance trivia, and drop...
Caring for aging parents is a universal experience, but for the Childfree, the dynamics are completely unique. In this episode, Dr. Jay sits down with Beth Pinsker, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and retired MarketWatch columnist, to discuss her new book, My Mother's Money: A Guide to Financial Caregiving. They share personal stories and professional insights on navigating the emotional and financial challenges of becoming a financial caregiver. Tune in to learn how to prepare for the unexpec...
Join us for a fascinating conversation with Don, a disciplined saver who's embracing the "Die With Zero" philosophy but finding it hard to shift gears! We dive into his journey of planning generous gifts to family and charities now, rather than later, and the mental gymnastics required to actually spend the money he's so diligently saved. We also tackle the nitty-gritty of optimizing investments, navigating healthcare, and the unique estate planning considerations for those who are Childfree....
What does it really take to plan your taxes to - and through - early retirement? In this week's episode, Dr. Jay sits down with Certified Financial Planner® and author Cody Garrett to unpack the key ideas from Cody’s new book, Measure Twice, Money Once. Together, they explore how intentional tax planning can turn early retirement from a financial dream into a sustainable reality. From understanding how tax brackets shift when your income changes, to strategically timing Roth conversions an...
Ever wonder if you truly have enough to retire, or if your long-term plans are actually achievable? This week, we dive deep with Claudia, a bright, resourceful, and wonderfully human individual who, despite a significant net worth, finds herself grappling with the emotional side of financial independence. We tackle her core question: should 60% of her portfolio be in fixed index annuities? But as always, we dig beyond the numbers to uncover the real questions: What life does she truly want to...
Today, Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay, CFP® dig into what it really means to retire as a Childfree person—and why it might not look like what you’ve been told. Whether you're dreaming of beaches or terrified of boredom, this episode helps you get real about what comes after work. 🔹 00:40 – When retirement chooses you 🔹 02:00 – Why retiring to something matters more than retiring from something 🔹 04:00 – Test-driving retirement before you commit 🔹 06:15 – The “Retirement Smile” and how spe...
Ever feel like the traditional "work for 40 years, then retire" plan just isn't cutting it anymore? You're not alone! This week we're flipping the script with Jillian Johnsrud, author of Retire Often. We dive deep into the concept of "mini-retirements" – intentional breaks from your primary profession that are a month or longer and focused on something meaningful to you. Jillian shares how these strategic breaks aren't just about vacations; they can actually boost your financial independence ...
Are you tired of the traditional work-and-retire-at-65 plan? This episode is for you. We're diving into the concepts of FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) and FILE (Financial Independence, Live Early), and exploring how you can break free from the traditional script. Dr. Jay and Bri challenge the idea that retirement is an "on/off switch" and introduce the "dimmer switch" approach of FILE, which allows you to design a life you love now, rather than waiting for a distant retirement. T...
As the year comes to a close, it’s time to pause, review, and make sure your finances are in shape for what’s next. In this episode, Dr. Jay and Childfree Wealth Specialist® Scott Barnes walk through their 2025 Year-End Financial Checklist - covering everything from tax strategies and RMDs to Medicare IRMA surcharges, spending analysis, and estate planning for Childfree individuals. They discuss what’s changed this year, what you need to know before the calendar resets, and how to make smart...
Ever fantasized about moving abroad or traveling the world while working? This episode is your permission slip to start! Join us as we talk with two incredible women living their best expat and digital nomad lives. First, we chat with Maggie Dickens, founder of Unapologetically Childfree, who shares her inspiring journey as a therapist and business owner in Lisbon, Portugal. She gives us the real scoop on what it's like to transition to a new country and why living authentically is the key to...
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It's so important to think about long term care options (and potential expectations) for the people who were our own caretakers. Clear and consistent communication is key.