Wealthy After 40: Personal Finance, Budgeting, Retirement Planning, Savings, Spending, Financial Freedom, and How to Retire for Gen Xers
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© 2025 Wealthy After 40: Personal Finance, Budgeting, Retirement Planning, Savings, Spending, Financial Freedom, and How to Retire for Gen Xers
Description
The Podcast That Helps Gen Xers Retire Up to 5 Years Sooner
Top 5% Personal Finance Podcast
You’ve worked hard for decades, but now the big questions are creeping in:
👉 Will I have enough to retire?
👉 Is it too late to start retirement planning?
Welcome to Wealthy After 40, the podcast for Gen X women and couples who want to feel confident and clear about how to retire, even if you’re starting late or feel behind on your retirement savings.
I’m Dalene Higgins, a financial and retirement coach helping Gen Xers take control of their money through simple retirement systems that work now and later.
Together, we build a personalized money system that aligns with your values and lifestyle, so you can budget with confidence, save consistently, and create a clear path to retire on your own terms.
Each week, you’ll get step-by-step guidance for retirement planning, smart budgeting strategies, and realistic ways to grow your savings, both your emergency fund and retirement savings, without overwhelm.
If you’re ready to stop stressing about money, build a financial plan you trust, and create a future you’re excited about, this podcast is for you.
Retirement isn’t out of reach. Let’s simplify your next steps with clear advice on how to retire, starting today.
Book your free 30-minute Q&A call. This is your chance to bring one question or challenge and get clear, personalized guidance. Whether it’s budgeting, savings priorities, retirement timelines, or simply “Where do I start?”, you’ll leave with a confident next step.
👉 Click here to book your free call
Or visit my website www.elevatefinances.us to learn more about financial coaching and find free resources to support your retirement planning journey.
173 Episodes
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[Ep 169] As the new year begins, it’s the perfect time to reflect on your progress and set yourself up for success. In this episode, we’ll help you take a closer look at your retirement journey, what’s fueling your momentum, what’s holding you back, and where you can make meaningful adjustments. You’ll learn how to review your financial wins from the past year, identify the small leaks that may be slowing your progress, and clarify your vision for retirement. We’ll walk through pr...
[Ep 168] If you’ve ever thought, “I just need more discipline with my budget,” this episode is for you. Many smart, motivated women already have a budget or money plan that works until it doesn’t. A birthday, a trip, an emotional splurge and suddenly it feels like you’ve failed. But the truth is, your budget problem can’t be solved with more discipline. In this episode, I explore why discipline is often the wrong tool for achieving consistent financial progress and how relying on it can...
[Ep 167] Are you dreaming of the retirement you truly want, but constantly caught in the what if stage? What if you run out of money? What if you can’t travel, buy that second home, or live the lifestyle you’ve imagined? Many individuals over 40 find themselves stuck between the retirement they desire and the fear that it may never happen. In this episode, I’m breaking down a practical, 3-step process to move from fear to possibility. You’ll learn how to gain clarity about your fi...
[Ep 166] If you’ve been quietly hoping retirement will work itself out, this episode is your wake-up call. Becoming retirement ready isn’t about luck, guesswork, or crossing your fingers. It’s about clarity, consistency, and having a simple plan you can actually follow. In today’s episode, I’m walking you through a practical 3-step process that takes you from uncertainty to confidence, no matter where you’re starting. We’ll break down what retirement really looks like for you, h...
[Ep 165] If you’re a GenXer wondering what the first step in retirement planning really is, this episode will give you the clarity you’ve been missing. So many of us feel retirement fear because you don’t know where to start or which numbers matter most. Before you think about investments or complicated strategies, you need to know your numbers. In this episode, you’ll learn how to start a retirement plan with five key numbers that bring direction, confidence, and a clear path f...
[Ep 164] Have you ever wondered why some people make steady progress on their retirement journey while others stay stuck, even with a good income? I was there too, budgeting, saving, planning, but never feeling confident it was enough. That's why I became a financial coach. Over my 13-year retirement journey, I learned that reaching retirement is possible, but I didn’t have a clear path, checklist, or anything telling me what to do next. What I learned on my journey is the exact s...
[Ep 163] If you're wondering how to maintain your retirement lifestyle without sacrificing what you love, this episode is for you. You're enjoying life and the thought of preparing for retirement has you feeling you will have to give up everything. Planning for lifestyle changes now actually saves you from stress, money struggles, and disappointment later. The problem isn't your spending, it's unclear priorities. When you don't know which parts of your lifestyle truly matter most,...
[Ep 162] Feel overwhelmed by debt and unable to plan for retirement? In this episode, I explore retirement and debt, and why they don't have to be mutually exclusive. The truth about paying off debt before retirement is that you don't have to eliminate everything first. But you do need help with identifying what's really causing your debt cycle. Discover how understanding what creates your debt changes everything. What You'll Learn: ✅ Why you don't need all debt paid off before ...
[Ep 161] Feeling anxious about retirement? Many people believe retirement isn’t even an option for them. But understanding your retirement timeline is the first step toward finding peace about your future. This episode will help you move from hopelessness to having a clear, achievable retirement timeline. What You'll Learn: ✅ How to identify when you want to retire versus when you can retire ✅ How understanding your retirement timeline reduces anxiety and creates motivation ✅ How...
[Ep160] If you’re worried about retirement, this episode is your nudge to stop avoiding the fear and start exploring it. Because the longer you sit in uncertainty, the more complacent you become. In this episode, I’m unpacking what it really means to “get serious” and why facing your retirement fears is the key to taking action. You’ll learn how to identify what’s triggering your worries, how to turn those thoughts into motivation, and the first steps to move from anxiety to clarity.&nb...
[Ep 159] In this episode, I talk about why you are the expert of your money and what you need in place before bringing in a financial advisor. You’ll learn how to build confidence around your cash flow, set realistic savings goals, and create the clarity that helps you make smart financial decisions. If you’re ready to feel in control of your money and confident in your next financial step, this episode is for you. What you’ll learn: ✅ Why a financial advisor can’t fix what a strong money s...
[Ep 158] You may be thinking, “I just need to save a certain amount of money to retire,” but the truth is, getting ready for retirement requires so much more than just hitting a number. In this episode, I’m walking you through my Retirement Confidence Formula, a simple, step-by-step framework designed to help you get clear, organized, and take action so you can truly become retirement ready. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why retirement isn’t just about saving a number ✅...
[Ep 157] Instead of stress and panic in most emergencies, your emergency fund can help you have a sense of peace. In this episode, I’m showing you how to build an emergency fund that doesn’t feel like a restriction or a sacrifice. Instead, it’s a tool that brings peace, freedom, and confidence so that you can handle life’s surprises without fear. In this episode, you’ll learn: ✅ Why your emergency fund is a symbol of wealth, not limitation ✅ The hidden mindset shift that makes s...
[Ep 156] When you think about retirement, does it ever feel like everything is an urgent must-do? Should you pay off debt, be saving more, or catch up on savings for retirement? No wonder it feels overwhelming! The truth is, trying to tackle everything at once keeps you stuck. By the end of today’s conversation, you’ll know how to cut through the noise, choose the right priority for you, and start creating a retirement plan that feels doable instead of overwhelming. What You’ll ...
[Ep 155] When you think about retirement planning, do you feel pressured to give up the things you enjoy today so you can save for the future? That’s a false choice. You don’t have to live with restrictions to create security for tomorrow. In this episode, I’ll show you how to bring balance to your money so you can enjoy life now while still building your retirement dreams. By the end of today’s conversation, you’ll know how to structure your spending and saving in a way that fe...
[Ep 154] I’ve tried every kind of budgeting and tracking system. Along the way, I discovered what truly worked for me and turned those lessons into the philosophies I now teach my clients. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my personal budgeting journey, the mistakes I made, and the shifts that finally gave me clarity, control, and confidence. By the end of this conversation, you’ll see how a budget can be designed around you, your values, your priorities, and the retirement lifestyl...
[Ep 153] In this episode, I am sharing why a budget is important in your retirement planning. I’m breaking down what a budget really is, why it matters for your retirement, and how you can start making one work for you today. By the end, you’ll know how to shift from seeing a budget as a punishment to seeing it as permission and the tool that will help you retire. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: ✅ What a budget really is (and what it’s not) ✅ Why budgeting is essential if you want ...
[Ep 152] If you’ve ever wondered, “Am I on track for retirement?” or felt unsure where to even begin, you’re not alone. So many people think they need one major change to catch up, but the truth is, you get on the right track to retirement through small, consistent steps. In this episode, I’m sharing 5 quick wins to help you get your retirement on track. Simple actions you can start today that build confidence, clarity, and real momentum toward your dream retirement. In this episode, you’ll...
[Ep 151] You might think you’re behind, but what if I told you that starting late for retirement actually gives you an advantage? By your 40s and 50s, you’ve built wisdom, clarity, and life experience that your 25-year-old self simply didn’t have. That means the money decisions you make today are smarter, more intentional, and more powerful. If you’ve been worried that you’re “too late,” this episode will show you how your late start is actually the exact boost you need to create the retireme...
[Ep 150] If you’ve ever felt behind in retirement planning or caught yourself thinking you’re starting late, this episode will feel like a breath of relief. In this episode, I’m breaking down why “too late thinking” holds you back far more than actually starting late ever will. This episode is the first of a three-part series designed to help you release shame, reframe your mindset, and begin retirement planning with clarity, confidence, and urgency that feels empowering, not over...
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