Chelsea Brennan is a contributing writer at Forbes, as well as the founder and host of Mamas Talk Money and Smart Money Mamas. Smart Money Mamas is a family finance website that helps mothers build wealth in alignment with their values and in ways that feel good to them. Chelsea's mission is to change the way that we talk about money so that women see it as a means of self-care, similar to going to the gym. She talks about financial concepts that seem overwhelming but are actually easy to do. Women are conditioned from a young age to have an uncomfortable relationship with money. The things women want are generally treated as frivolous purchases, and things that bring them joy are considered bad expenses. If you are dealing with deep-seated anxiety surrounding finances, you may want to see a professional called a money therapist. They have the specific training necessary to help you through emotional blocks caused by money. While it’s essential to have serious conversations about money with your children, it’s equally important that your daily financial operations, decisions, language and even body language align with those conversations. A family’s financial values are key to understanding what is most important to them, what their priorities and goals are, and what they want their money to do in the world. Resources Chelsea Brennan on LinkedIn SmartMoneyMamas.com Family Money Values Template Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Financially Ever After

Smart Money Mamas – Overcoming Financial Overwhelm

Andrea Boulanger, a university administrator, is the breadwinner of her family and describes herself as ‘happily divorced.’ She joins Stacy Francis to discuss her journey, from her marriage to deciding to get divorced and life after divorce. She shares how she was able to move forward despite having so many responsibilities, including being the caretaker for her son with autism.  Studies have shown that women who are breadwinners are often doing just as much work at home, and even sometimes more. The bigger the income disparity between her and her partner, the more she does. Mothers often decide not to leave or get divorced because they worry how it will affect their children; they don’t want their kids to have to go through the difficulties of seeing their parents separate and all the changes that come with it. Gathering all the information you can about the divorce process can help you build confidence in your decision and make you feel at ease. Too many unknowns can be overwhelming. When getting divorced, you should carefully consider if staying in your home is the right financial decision to make. Rather than clinging to the sentimental value, you must go over whether you can safely afford to keep your home or whether it would be wiser to move. Resources Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Juggling Divorce, Parenting, and Other Responsibilities

Karen McMahon is a certified relationship and divorce coach and the host of the Journey Beyond Divorce podcast, where she helps men and women navigate difficulties in the divorce process. In this special episode, she draws from her personal experience of a high-conflict divorce as well as a decade of helping her clients as she shares what we need to build muscles of acceptance for moving on.  Karen gives details about her divorce. Rather than focusing on all the shortcomings of her then-husband, she paid attention to her part in the conflict and her responsibility in reconciliation. When she emerged from her divorce, she felt healed and refined. At the heart of resistance is the belief that the world should be operating and unfolding in accordance with your views. If we could expect and accept what we know to be true, our suffering would be reduced.  Accepting your circumstances gives you choices that you would have otherwise missed. When you are in resistance, these choices are not visible because you don’t have the right perspective to see them. We must always remember to treat ourselves with deep compassion and gentle kindness whenever we are struggling with something. Adding self-condemnation on top of that struggle is only going to push you backward, not forward. Resources Karen McMahon on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook JBDDivorceSupport.com | Podcast Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Divorce Ease Through Radical Acceptance with Karen McMahon

Tanya-Marie Dubé is a master of transformation. She has lived through some very traumatic experiences: from being born into the foster care system, to being homeless from ages 12 to 18, to leaving her marriage of 18½ years without her home or any finances. Through each adversity, Tanya was able to change her perspective and come out a stronger, happier person. Now she teaches women around the world how to thrive after divorce. She joins Stacy Francis to talk about the five stages of transformation and things women need to know to create the best life possible for themselves and their families. Tanya says that her life has presented her with a series of transformational opportunities. She started to study psychology at age 17 and inadvertently started to coach others. She learned that the only way for her to grow was to help others achieve their goals.  By the time Tanya left her marriage 3½ years ago, she had been out of the workforce for more than a decade. Information about how to survive through and after divorce was hard to find. This inspired her to put together her first online summit where she invited 21 experts to speak on every aspect of separation. Over 300,000 women have been impacted to date. There is a time and place for tears and anger when you’re experiencing a divorce. However, when you're rebuilding your life after divorce you need to remove the emotion out of it some of that time so you can focus on what’s working. Tanya shares why gratitude and meditation are vital, no matter what you’re going through. Stacy asks about the five stages of transformation after divorce. Tanya says that the five steps are building blocks and you’re going to be in and out of them, much like the grief cycle. She emphasizes that you need to work with someone because you need a new perspective and a mindset shift. The five stages of transformation are: Visionary: building a new foundation by working on your belief systems. This stage focuses on aligning who you think you are with who you want to become.  Renewal: self-love and reconnection to spirituality. You learn how to overcome your addiction to people-pleasing and putting yourself last. You begin to take charge of your healing and personal development. Alignment: busting through your comfort zone. If you push yourself out of your comfort zone, you’re going to move forward. The confidence you gain by doing so will propel you into other areas of your life and open doors and opportunities you never dreamed of. Courage: finding your true purpose. Tanya shares the simple but powerful exercise she used to find her purpose. Powerful: creating incredible relationships. Now that I found my purpose, how am I going to achieve it? Who do I need to surround myself with? How can I become the best version of myself so that I’m showing up for everybody else the right way, but I'm also attracting people at this high energy level? Stacy talks about the importance of community when you’re going through a divorce. Tanya has created a membership site where these women can find the support they need through divorce and after, to launch them into the next phase of their lives. She shares how listeners can be part of that community, as well as the summits she produces. Resources: Tanya-Marie Dubé | Facebook Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com

[REPLAY] What Wise Women Do After Divorce

Victoria McCooey was one of the many women who thought she had a husband who loved and idolized her but found herself married to an abusive man who kept her isolated and financially disempowered – questioning her own knowledge and pressuring her into taking on debt while controlling almost every aspect of her life. Victoria saved herself and her children from this situation and has gone on to help hundreds of other women take their power back from abusive, narcissistic partners. Victoria McCooey is a transformational divorce coach, speaker and inspirational thought leader committed to guiding smart but overwhelmed people out of a toxic marriage and into a life they can’t wait to live. In this episode of Financially Ever After, Victoria and Stacy talk about recognizing, understanding and escaping from abuse, and how to handle the aftermath, and how Victoria has dedicated her life to helping other women escape deadly situations. How Victoria came to the realization that her situation was not normal, not okay, and not going to end well [10.15] The myths too many people believe about abuse in marriage [14:00] The moment Victoria left the situation [23:15] What Victoria is doing now – and how she is turning her experience into programs and support for other women in similar situations. [28:45] Victoria’s advice to women who are currently in abusive situations. [35:15] Resources Domestic Violence Help: https://www1.nyc.gov/nyc-resources/service/1542/domestic-violence-help-for-victims https://ncadv.org/resources Victoria McCooey Victoria McCooey | Email   Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

[REPLAY] Recognizing Financial Abuse and Gaslighting

Karen McMahon is a certified relationship and divorce coach and the host of the Journey Beyond Divorce podcast, where she helps men and women navigate difficulties in the divorce process. In this special crossover episode, she invites Stacy Francis to talk about the complexities of executive compensation packages, understanding the worth of alternative investments, and the importance of assessing your business’ value if you or your spouse owns one. Stock options are the most common type of executive compensation package. They allow employees the opportunity to purchase a stock in the future at a certain price. Stock options are great wealth generators because the value of most stocks increases over time. Even the best matrimonial attorney can potentially put their clients at risk if they don’t have experience working with high net-worth. These divorce cases are best settled with seasoned experts. There is a lot of risk associated with cryptocurrency. The good thing about digital assets is that you are now required to report them on your tax returns, which makes it more difficult to hide money this way. Real estate is an asset that should be reviewed more often. Sometimes the sentimental value we place on our vacation homes can cloud our vision of what’s best for us financially. We should first consider whether we can afford to support the ongoing upkeep and costs before we get attached to the idea of keeping a house. Resources Karen McMahon on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook JBDDivorceSupport.com | Podcast The High Net Worth Divorce Playbook Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

The High Net Worth Divorce Playbook: How to Divide and Distribute Complex Assets

Paul Stagias is Senior Advisor at Francis Financial, where he provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and divorce planning to help clients navigating a life transition organize, grow, and protect their assets. He is also a CFP®, CDFA®, and CPWA®. Paul is a matrimonial and divorce expert specializing in financially complex divorces. He joins Stacy Francis to share do’s and don’ts pre- and post-divorce. They discuss why it’s important for women to be financially intelligent, and how you can rebuild your life in the aftermath of divorce.   Divorce causes disproportionately more financial harm to women. For most women, income drops significantly after they and their partner have completed the process.  A cross-country survey of divorced women revealed that the majority of respondents felt like they had no support. 60% said they wished they had some type of mental health professional or coach to help them through the process, and 64% regret not having a financial advisor. Sometimes after a divorce, one spouse is required to pay off the debts of the other spouse, despite not being the one to rack them up. It’s imperative that both parties make clear who will be responsible for paying off debts during the divorce process. Unfortunately in the case of credit card debt, divorce settlements have no bearing on the legalities; whoever’s name is on the card will have to pay it off. An important step to rebuilding your finances after divorce is to remove your name or your spouse’s name from any joint accounts that were created during your marriage.     Resources Paul Stagias on LinkedIn FrancisFinancial.com Financial Do's & Don'ts Before, During & After Divorce Webinar Presentation Unveiling the Unspoken Truth: The Financial Challenges Women Face During and After Divorce Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today! Download our free divorce resource guide: Divorce Checklist Reach out to clientservice@francisfinancial.com to receive a copy of the template statement of net worth

Financial Do's & Don'ts Before, During & After Divorce

Elise Pettus is the founder and Editorial Director of UNtied.net, an online community for NYC women navigating separation and divorce. UNtied hosts online panels each month featuring experts who provide assistance and resources to make the divorce process as smooth as possible and help members become their best selves. Elise joins Stacy Francis to talk about how women can relaunch their lives post-divorce and feel their best during the process. She shares her personal journey to find happiness and fun. When going through a divorce, it’s better to let the grief for your lost relationship run its course. You can’t skip it or run around it; trying to suppress or ignore your grief will only force it to become deeper and eventually so unmanageable that it will explode in your face. UNtied is a community of women who have experienced divorce. The purpose of the community is to provide a safe space for women to talk to other women who intimately understand their circumstances and can provide practical and emotional assistance. Having a community of people who accept, support, and encourage you is important, and even more so during a divorce. Separation is not easy, but it becomes easier to navigate when you have a team. Many women often forget that taking care of their mental health is critical and do not prioritize themselves. Self-care should be seen as a medical necessity; even something as simple as going for a massage is a good activity to indulge in. Resources Elise Pettus on LinkedIn UNtied.net  Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Finding Your Tribe during Divorce, and Why it Matters

Ivy Slater is the founder and CEO of Slater Success. She works with C-Suite executives and upper-level managers to create clear strategies that impact their business. She is a speaker, a bestselling author, and host of a podcast and LinkedIn Live show. She joins Stacy Francis to discuss succeeding through a divorce as a business owner and pulling your emotional and professional support teams together.  Even when we are aware of an impending crisis, it still catches us off-guard, and we never truly understand the scope and impact of it until it happens. Crises are notorious for not allowing time for us to create strategies to combat them.  When couples who are also business partners are going through a divorce, priorities can get mixed up. It is important to know who your support team is, and have professional counsel for your business that is separate from your matrimonial affairs.  One of the most frustrating things about divorce is how much time it takes. Take a step back and delegate your responsibilities to people you trust while you are going through the divorce process. Sometimes we need someone to be our cheerleader, coach or consultant, especially when we fail or don’t do as well as we hope. We don’t have the same compassion for ourselves as they would have for us, so their support will help us succeed.  Resources Ivy Slater on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram | Facebook SlaterSuccess.com | Connect  Connect with me on Clubhouse! Visionary Leader Roundtable Info Sheet National Association of Women Business Owners Women Presidents’ Organization The Alternative Board Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Divorcing as a Business Owner: Finding Your Professional & Emotional Support

Evan Schein is a matrimonial attorney and head of the litigation department at Berkman Bottger Newman & Schein, LLP. He specializes in financially complex divorce litigation and is the host of the Schein On Podcast. He joins Stacy Francis to discuss how to identify if litigation is the right process for you and how you can use that process to come to the settlement table quickly. He shares tips for how you can build your circle of trust to help you come out of your divorce as healthily and financially secure as possible. Divorce cases often evolve into unnecessarily complex litigations. This happens because proper preparation and research are not done in the early stages of the case.  For many people, mediation and collaborative law are not sufficient solutions to resolve their divorce. In these cases, litigation is selected because there is no alternative.  The divorce litigation process provides structure, oversight, and clarity, as well as the benefit of having judges, court staff, and court attorneys. It helps move cases forward, but that doesn’t always mean things will be resolved quickly. You should choose the divorce process that works best for you and your circumstances. It should also protect you, because you’re making decisions that will impact you for the rest of your life. Being well informed is a good way to ensure this happens. Resources Evan Schein on LinkedIn | Twitter | Instagram  Email: eschein@berkbot.com  ScheinOnDivorce.com BerkBot.com Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com

Identifying when Complex Financial Divorce Litigation is Necessary

Dr. Elizabeth Cohen is a clinical psychologist, a specialist in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), with over 15 years experience treating anxiety and depressive disorders. She is a columnist whose work has been featured on NBC News, Wall Street Journal, and Huffington Post. Elizabeth is the author of Light on the Other Side of Divorce: Discovering the New You. She is also the host of The Divorce Doctor podcast, where she applies her extensive knowledge about mental health to helping women heal, grow, and thrive post-divorce. She joins Stacy Francis to discuss the cognitive effects that divorce has on one’s life and shares exercises listeners can use to start deliberately designing the life they want for themselves.  Divorce can be considered a kind of trauma, as trauma delivers a shock to your nervous system. When you are experiencing trauma, the amygdala, which is responsible for your emotions, overrides your frontal cortex, which is the more logical side of your brain. Zebras’ way of dealing with stress is episodic as opposed to humans’ chronic nature of worry and anxiety; zebras respond to physical stressors and immediately return to their daily activities when the stressor is gone. By adopting the zebra way of thinking, we can reduce the effects of stress on our minds and bodies. Many women who go through divorce are left without a sense of identity and an uncertainty of what they want to do. One exercise women can use to understand their wants is to write down their ideal weekend, hour-by-hour. Coaches can provide assistance with resources and exercises, psychologists can diagnose and psychiatrists can prescribe medication. Deciding what kind of support to get during and after divorce depends on your personal needs.  Resources Elizabeth Cohen on LinkedIn | Facebook DrElizabethCohen.com - Free Course: “How to Not Screw Up Your Kids: 3 Secrets from A Psychologist” Email: doctorcbt@gmail.com  The Divorce Doctor Podcast Light on the Other Side of Divorce: Discovering the New You | Amazon | Bookshop | Barnes & Noble Free Course: “How to Not Screw Up Your Kids: 3 Secrets from A Psychologist” Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Light on the Other Side of Divorce

Michelle Sarao is the founder and Principal of Divorce Rx, a company that focuses on the needs of divorcing parents and families. Her background as an educator and professional organizer gives her the key techniques and experience to support clients going through the divorce process and provide them with the tools they need to move forward. She joins Stacy Francis to talk about how she facilitates amicable divisions of possessions and how newly divorced women can set up new homes for their families.  Overwhelm or concern over how their shared possessions will be allocated is one of the most common obstacles that hold people back from deciding to move forward with a divorce or separation.  Hiring a professional organizer as a neutral third party during a divorce can reduce friction and make the process of dividing belongings much smoother. Ensure that your children have the comforts of home in each parent’s house. This is essential to helping them adjust to a divorce. Let them choose how to decorate their rooms: this gives them some control in an otherwise uncontrollable situation. Reimagining your living space can assist with moving forward after a divorce. Instead of purchasing new things to replace what your spouse took with them, creatively fill the spaces by remodeling the layout of your home.  Resources Michelle Sarao on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram Divorce-Rx.com Email: michelle@divorce-rx.com Phone: 646-753-1401 Three Ways to Work with a Professional Organizer During Divorce Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

How Organizing Your House & Life Can Pave the Way Forward

Wendy Sterling is a parent coach at Circle4Parents, featured coaching expert at The Forem, and the founder, CEO and Divorce Recovery Specialist at The Divorce Rehab. She has helped hundreds of women overcome divorce and move to a place of empowerment, drawing strength and compassion from her own experience. She joins Stacy Francis to teach listeners about setting and communicating boundaries, as well as saying no and standing up for themselves without having to give explanations. A divorce can be the most empowering experience that anybody can go through to find their true voice and identity. It can help you start designing and creating a life you love from a place of confidence instead of feeling stuck wherever you are.  Some common reasons people have for not setting boundaries are guilt, and fear of judgment, resentment, abandonment and rejection. It is very difficult for people pleasers to set boundaries because the hardest word for them to say is ‘no.’ Two go-to phrases that people who have challenges setting boundaries can use when they feel a boundary is being stepped on are: “Interesting,” and “We’re going to have to agree to disagree.” We often think that we have to be automatic in our responses to things. Time is a very valuable thing that people do not set boundaries around enough.  Resources Wendy Sterling on LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Podcast WendySterling.net | wendy@wendysterling.net | +1 (310) 283-5053 Free Divorce Recovery Support Call Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

To Reset After Divorce, Learn to Set Boundaries

Nikki Bruno is the founder and CEO of The Epic Comeback™ and a technical recruiter at Rocket. She is an empowerment coach and a thought leader in high-conflict divorce, emotional abuse, and intuition. As a successful 20-year veteran of the publishing industry, she has been featured in Forbes, Reader’s Digest, and Cosmopolitan. Nikki joins Stacy Francis to teach divorced women how to start their epic comeback. She shares her testimony of her high-conflict divorce and how it inspired her to not only reclaim her power but help others to do the same as well.  Having an epic comeback is a decision you must consciously make. Different things motivate different people, but something aligns within you when you reach the point of making that decision. An epic comeback is different for each person. In order to have one, you must first have an epic low. When you allow yourself to be open even in the midst of pain and challenges, you’ve reached the turning point that marks the earliest stage of your epic comeback. One of the best ways to disempower a woman post-divorce is to mess with her finances. Working with a professional like a coach, financial analyst or advisor accelerates the process of your epic comeback after your divorce.  Resources Nikki Bruno on LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook Email: nikki@coachnikkibruno.com Phone: 617-417-9242 Schedule a Free Consultation The Epic Comeback | Podcast GetRocket.com Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

Your Epic Comeback after Divorce

Robin Hauser is a director and producer at Finish Line Features and Managing Director at Unleashed Productions, Inc. Her most recent film, $avvy, is a documentary for women that emphasizes the importance of understanding and taking control of their finances. It investigates the historical, cultural, and societal norms surrounding women and money, and brings humor and honesty to why women take a backseat to managing their money. Robin joins Stacy Francis to discuss why it is critical for women to take the reins of their financial future.  The pandemic has impacted women in negative ways. Statistics show that due to the current crisis, the rates of unemployed women have risen and the rates of women being promoted have declined. Additionally, a 2019 study showed that 54% of women abdicate major financial decisions to men in their lives, and 61% of millennials are doing the same.  One way for married women to become more involved in their finances is by asking their spouse questions about how their money is being managed. It raises a red flag if their spouse becomes defensive and wants to withhold such information. Women spend more time out of the workplace to care for elderly parents and children, which makes them earn less money and less social security. Single women are impacted the most by this.  The stock market is the number one generator of wealth in the US, but the aggressive, warlike attitudes and terminologies associated with it intimidate women and deter them from participating in it. Robin Hauser on LinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram   FinishLineFeatures.com $avvy | Santa Barbara International Film Festival When She Makes More: 10 Rules for Breadwinning Women Stacy Francis on LinkedIn | Twitter Email: stacy@francisfinancial.com FrancisFinancial.com Reach out to receive a complimentary consultation! Contact Francis Financial at +212-374-9008 or visit Francis Financial today!

$avvy: Take Back the Reins of Your Financial Future

Welcome to Financially Ever After, where award-winning, and nationally recognized financial expert, Stacy Francis, will bring you savvy tips and words of wisdom on how to secure your financial future before, during and after divorce. For 30 minutes, every other week, you'll hear personal stories from women who have either faced or are currently facing this transition. In addition, you will soak up knowledge and inspiration from the industry’s top legal, financial, residential and mental health professionals.

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Financially Ever After

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