Childfree Life by Design

In this episode, Bri Conn, CFP® sits down with Ilaria Rawlins, CEO of Fortuna Bank, to talk about why female entrepreneurs are denied business loans three times more often than their male counterparts, what it actually took to build one of only 15 women-owned banks in the country, and what every woman building a business needs to know about finding a banking partner who is genuinely in their corner. Fortuna Bank is only the second bank in U.S. history ever intentionally created to be women-owned, and Ilaria spent 30 years in banking before making it happen.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
Why female entrepreneurs are denied commercial loans three times more often than men and what the network gap between male and female business owners actually looks like in practice
What questions to ask when interviewing a banker, why community banks are often a better fit for startups than large national banks, and how to find a lender who will look at your business holistically rather than running your application through an AI underwriting system
What it actually takes to start a bank from scratch, including raising $20 million in capital, navigating a 500-page regulatory application, and launching in the same month that SVB and First Republic failed
Why Fortuna dropped its minimum shareholder investment from $50,000 to $10,000 and how 350 shareholders -- 75% of them women -- came together to build something that had almost no precedent in the industry
Out of 4,300 banks in the United States, only 15 are women-owned -- and why that number tells you everything you need to know about where the gaps in capital access actually live
Resources Mentioned:
Building Your Bench with Maddy Roche and Bri Conn, CFP®
https://childfreeinsights.com/resources/podcast/episode-175/ 

Episode Guest:
Ilaria Rawlins is the CEO of Fortuna Bank, a newly launched women-owned de novo bank dedicated to expanding access to capital, fostering community impact, and supporting entrepreneurs who have historically faced capital barriers. With over 30 years of banking experience and recognition as 2025 CEO of the Year by Columbus CEO magazine, she is a leading advocate for women in business and financial empowerment.
Connect with Ilaria on her website: fortunabank.com
Episode Host:
Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.

About Childfree Insights:
Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.
Connect with Us:
Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.
Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

Carol Marak spent years as a family caregiver before a single, sharp realization changed the course of her life: her parents had three daughters looking out for them, and she was navigating the road ahead solo. Rather than let that fear sit, she turned it into a decade of research, a widely followed community, and a body of work on how to age safely and securely as a soloist, without a spouse or kids. In this episode, she joins Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® to talk about what it actually takes to build that kind of independent life on purpose.
Together they get into the three questions that surface the moment you land in a hospital bed, why finances sit at the center of a holistic aging plan, and how the soloists who end up with the most options are the ones who built their support system long before they needed it. The conversation reframes independence itself: not as doing everything alone, but as assembling the right people and structures around you while you still have the time and health to choose them.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
Why finances sit at the center of a holistic aging plan, how they connect to health, housing, and social support, and why "I have my finances set" is the place people wrongly stop instead of start
The three questions that surface the instant you end up in a hospital bed: who can speak to your physicians, who can access your finances, and who will physically show up to advocate for you, plus the fourth one most soloists forget
Why being single can cost you between $400,000 and a million dollars over a lifetime, what the single tax actually adds up to, and why soloists tend to land in one of two financial buckets with very little in between
How creative housing models, from naturally occurring retirement communities to dorm-style shared living, can build a support system right outside your door without sacrificing your private space
Why true independence means building the right structures with the right people rather than doing everything yourself, and how to take the first small step before a crisis makes the decision for you
Resources:
The Purpose Code by Jordan Grumet, MD: https://jordangrumet.com/books 
Episode Guest: 
Carol Marak is an aging-alone advocate, author, and educator who has spent over a decade helping people plan to live safely and securely as soloists, without a spouse or kids. After a wake-up call at 55 following her years as a family caregiver, she built her work around the realities of solo aging and founded the Elder Orphan Facebook group, a carefully moderated community of more than 11,000 members. She coaches and teaches on designing an independent later life, with finances, health, housing, and social connection treated as one connected system.
Connect with Carol:
Website: carolmarak.com 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/carolmarak
Independent Solo Peer Group for Independent Adults 60+
https://carolmarak.com/aging-solo-peer-group 
Life Plan Assessment:
https://carolmarak.com/life-plan-assessment 
Elder Orphans Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/elderorphans 
Episode Host:
Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping people simplify their finances so they can live an amazing Childfree life. Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.”
About Childfree Insights:
Childfree Insights is a trusted resource for life planning without children. It explores financial planning, estate planning, relationships, and long-term decisions for adults building a future without kids. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.
Connect with Us:
Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.
Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

For Childfree adults over 50, the next wave of AI-driven job displacement does not have to be a crisis. It can be the push that finally makes starting something of your own feel not just possible but necessary. In this episode, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Alli Gage break down what it actually takes to launch a small business in the second half of life,  from the two questions every founder needs to answer first, to how AI can make you a more efficient and resilient solopreneur from day one.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
Why the two most important questions before starting any business are who do you want to serve and how do you want to serve them -- and why the answers to those questions also happen to make your business more AI-resistant
How to tell the difference between owning a job and building a business, why most people actually want the former, and why getting clear on that distinction early saves you from building the wrong thing
Why Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® asks every client to double their prices before anything else, what happened when a dog walker raised her rates by 50%, and why setting boundaries around the clients you serve is the most important business decision you will make
How to use AI as a thinking partner rather than a replacement for your own expertise, why the first draft AI gives you will always be terrible, and why fighting with it upfront is exactly how you get value out of it later
Why the business has to help you rather than hurt you, what limits to set before you start, and how to know when it is time to walk away from something that is no longer adding joy
Episode Hosts:
Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder of Childfree Wealth, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping people simplify their finances so they can live an amazing Childfree life. Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.” 
Alli Gage is the Chief of Staff at Childfree Insights. Alli is the behind-the-scenes coordinator who ensures all organizations operate in an orderly fashion across the board.
About Childfree Insights:
Childfree Insights focuses on planning for solo aging and later life without children. It offers trusted education on financial planning, estate planning, and building support systems for people aging independently. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.
Connect with Us:
Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.
Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

In this episode, Bri Conn, CFP® and Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW sit down with Jennifer Crowley, registered nurse, certified life care planner, and founder of The Life Care Experts, for a conversation about what it actually takes to plan for aging with intention. Jennifer has spent over 30 years walking alongside individuals through the most vulnerable chapters of their lives, and she brings a clear-eyed, practical framework for Childfree and solo aging adults who want to stay in the driver's seat of their own care -- even if their health or cognitive abilities change.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
Why hope is not a care plan and what the difference between reactive crisis management and proactive life care planning actually looks like in practice
How Jennifer's seven-step U DECIDE framework helps solo agers and Childfree adults build a structured, values-aligned aging roadmap without feeling overwhelmed by where to start
Why sharing your financial and healthcare information with a trusted person is not about losing control -- it is about preserving it -- and what someone needs to know to step in on your behalf if you cannot
What dementia-proofing your future actually means, why rural aging requires earlier and more intentional planning than most people realize, and how to start building your care ecosystem before you need it
Why your power of attorney document is only as useful as the conversation you have had with the person you named, and what it costs when that conversation never happens
Episode Guest:
Jennifer Crowley is a registered nurse of 32 years, dual certified life care planner and care manager, and founder of The Life Care Experts in northwest Montana. She is the author of 7 Steps to Long-Term Care Planning, The Life Care Management Handbook, and The Ultimate Care Plan Guide, and co-founder of the Life Care Management Institute, which offers over 30 online courses and do-it-yourself resources for aging and life care planning.
Connect with Jennifer:
7 Steps to Long-Term Care Planning by Jennifer Crowley: available at https://thelifecareexperts.com  
Family Aging Life Care Planning online course: https://lifecareexperts.thrivecart.com/familyagingplan/

Instagram: @lifecaremanagementinstitute 
Facebook: @lifecaremanagementinstitute 
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/lifecaremanagementinstitute
Episode Hosts:
Bri Conn, CFP® is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist® at Childfree Wealth®, and Customer Experience Manager at Childfree Trust®.
Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker and Doctor of Social Work with a background in probate court and guardianship. She brings a unique clinical perspective to the intersection of aging, legal planning, and intentional life design for Childfree adults.
About Childfree Insights:
Childfree Insights delivers education for financial and estate planning without children. It supports people with no kids in making informed decisions about retirement, legacy planning, beneficiaries, and long-term care. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®.
Connect with Us:
Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.
Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.

In this episode, Maddy Roche sits down with Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. Sherrill brings over two decades of advocacy experience, a deeply personal connection to the community she serves, and a clear-eyed understanding of what it means to age as an LGBTQ+ adult in a world that was not always built to support you -- particularly when you are doing it without children.
In This Episode, You'll Learn:
Why LGBTQ+ older adults face a unique set of aging challenges rooted in a lifetime of discrimination, family estrangement, and a legal system that was not designed with their relationships in mind -- and what SAGE is doing at the national level to change that
What the Long-Term Care Equality Index is, how it helps LGBTQ+ older adults identify affirming housing and care communities, and what specific questions to ask when evaluating whether a provider is truly equipped to serve your community
How SAGE Care's cultural competency training is equipping senior centers, assisted living facilities, and area agencies on aging across the country to serve LGBTQ+ older adults with dignity and respect
What Sherrill's sabbatical to Antarctica with her mother taught her about the freedom that comes with being Childfree by choice, and why building a life on your own terms sometimes means spending it exactly the way you want

Episode Guest:
Sherrill Wayland (she/they) is the Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, the country's largest and oldest organization dedicated to improving the lives of LGBTQ+ older adults. With a career rooted in advocacy for marginalized communities, Sherrill oversees the National Resource Center on LGBTQ+ Aging, SAGE Care, SAGE Collab, and SAGE U, and has spent over two decades working to ensure LGBTQ+ elders have access to affirming, dignified care and community.
Learn more about SAGE on their website: https://www.sageusa.org/
And follow along on social media:
https://www.instagram.com/sageusa
https://www.facebook.com/SAGEUSA 

Episode Host:
Maddy Roche (she/her) is Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust®. She understands the challenges of being Childfree as it relates to estate planning and is passionate about educating her community about ways to prepare.

About Childfree Insights:
Childfree Insights is the trusted education hub for people who are Childfree or permanently Childless. It provides guidance on finances, estate planning, relationships, and life decisions for adults without children. Home of Childfree Wealth® and Childfree Trust®, supporting long-term planning for people living without kids.
Connect with Us:
Ready to work on building better financial habits? Connect with our financial planning team at childfreewealth.com or learn more about estate planning at childfreetrust.com.
Follow Childfree Life by Design on your favorite podcast platform and join the conversation on social media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/childfreeinsights
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ChildfreeInsights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/childfreeinsights
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ChildfreeInsights
Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational & entertainment purposes. Please consult your advisor before implementing any ideas heard on this podcast.