A Message for Female Financial Planners Returning from Maternity Leave

If you're a mother returning to financial planning after childbirth, I see you.

I see your determination to care for your family while remaining committed to a profession you believe in. I see you juggling between client meetings, daycare pickups, pumping schedules, and performance reviews. I’ve listened to the stories of women like you, and I’ve studied the systems that either support or fail you. And most importantly, I’m here to help.

What the Research Says—and Why It Matters

A recent study published in the Financial Planning Review (McCoy et al., 2025) reveals what many of you already know too well: returning to work after childbirth in this industry can be a lonely, confusing, and exhausting experience. Mothers reported feeling like they were "drinking from a firehose" as they returned to offices lacking leave policies, empathy, and flexibility.

Others were forced to forgo promotions, accept reduced pay, or relinquish their professional identity altogether. Some faced microaggressions, were excluded from networking opportunities, or were burdened with the invisible mental load of managing everything at home while still maintaining a professional presence.

Fin Plan Rev - 2025 - McCoy - Exploring Mothers Experiences Returning to Work in Financia.

Download • 287KB

In the spring of 2025, I interviewed Nobel Prize-winning economist Dr. Claudia Goldin. Dr. Goldin found that the driving factor of today's gender pay gap stems from what she calls "greedy work" in careers, characterized by long hours in the office that lead to promotions but leave a void of work to be filled at home, historically filled by women.

In simple terms, Dr. Goldin found that after children are born, men tend to work longer hours outside the home, while women fill the caregiving and domestic labor void within the home, which can negatively impact their careers. Doing so is okay if it’s an intentional and informed choice, but that’s not always the case. Couples often slip into this decision, unknowingly nudged by societal norms. 

How I Can Support You

Support for financial planners like you has to go beyond the technical. You don’t just need someone who understands fee structures or practice management—you need someone who understands you.

That’s where I come in.

Why Me?

I’ve been married since 2002, raised three children with my wife in a dual-career household, and I’m the only expert in the country who is both an Accredited Financial Counselor® and a Fair Play Facilitator®—the only professional trained in both the financial and domestic dynamics that shape modern family life.

That unique combination allows me to support you not just as a financial planner, but as a person navigating career, caregiving, and personal fulfillment all at once.

Personalized Coaching for Managing Home and Work

Together, we’ll build a plan that includes not just your career trajectory but also your family structure, household labor dynamics, and long-term goals. I’ll help you and your partner create systems that allow both of you to thrive, financially and emotionally.

Family Financial Planning Tools Designed with Real Life in Mind

Through my free Family Financial Planning Calculator, I help couples map out their financial future in ways that account for childcare, parental leave, reduced work hours, and dual incomes. It's not just math—it’s a mirror for real life.

Reach out. Let’s build something sustainable—together.

Click here to contact me.