Talk About Money Before Life Happens

Hi,

Welcome to this week’s Get Ready Newsletter: ideas, conversations, questions, and resources to help you prepare before life happens.

Prior to going whitewater rafting, it was important to talk to the participants about what to expect. People often had anxiety about what to expect. Having a conversation helped them to feel more confident and ready for the adventure.

This would take the form of a safety talk where we’d cover what to expect on the river that day - the specific conditions, how to deal with something unexpected like falling out of the raft as well as to answer questions. The goal was to give people enough information to feel calmer and ready for the adventure. 

With money, conversations about what we may face help us to feel more confident and prepared.

The Big Idea: Talking about money before decisions become urgent helps reduce anxiety, build confidence and get everyone on the same page. 

Question to Ask Before Life Happens

What information could I share now so others are not left guessing later? 

Featured Conversation: Talk About Money Now So You’re Ready When Life Happens

On this episode of Get Ready Before Life Happens, I spoke with Tricia Daniel, TEDx speaker and founder of the Starting Over Wealth Network about how early, open money conversations create confidence, reduce fear, and help families stay prepared through life’s changes. Tricia shares how to overcome shame, communicate with clarity, and build a plan that supports both you and the people you care about.

🔹 Talking about money early helps build clarity, confidence, and preparedness

🔹 Small, consistent conversations make money feel more approachable and less overwhelming

🔹 Bringing money topics into the open helps release shame and build stronger connections

Tony’s Take: A simple conversation can change everything. When you talk about money early and often, you reduce fear, build clarity, and create a path forward for yourself and the people you care about.

🎙️(Watch or listen)

More on Money Conversations Before Life Happens

The Money Conversation Most Couples Never Have. You share a bed, a mortgage, a life. Do you share the numbers? Nobody wants to talk about money. I do, and so should you, with the person you share your future with today. Jacqui Clarke (read)

How to Navigate Money Conversations With Your Partner. Why full financial transparency matters, what couples should understand before signing a prenup, and how to approach essential money conversations before marriage. Jill Schlesinger on Money Moves with Jill Schlesinger Podcast (YouTube)

Don't Wait for a Crisis: How to Talk with Aging Parents. Why families often delay difficult conversations with aging parents until a crisis leaves them with few choices. How adult children can approach these discussions with empathy instead of urgency, why connection creates better outcomes than control, how having conversations earlier can help families avoid unnecessary guilt, and practical ways families can preserve a loved one's voice while planning for future care. Tami Calais and Eric Blake on the Get Ready Before Life Happens Podcast (watch or listen)

Tony’s Take: Money conversations are easier when they happen before life happens. Family financial meetings with spouses, aging parents and children help everyone get on the same page and come up with collective solutions. 

This week’s action: Choose one family money conversation to schedule.

It could be with a spouse, partner, parent, adult child, or sibling. If you have aging parents, consider scheduling a time to talk with them and your siblings about their wishes, the plans they have made, and how they would like help if life changes.

Why it matters: Talking about an aging plan before a care event allows everyone to familiar with the plan, ask questions and avoid rushed decisions.The goal is to listen first, understand their wishes, and clarify roles.

👉Start Your Financial Readiness Plan

A free, practical plan that helps you create your in-case-of-emergency Financial First Aid Kit, organize what matters, and prepare before life happens. Start Your Free Financial Readiness Plan

In the Conversation: 

Curious about creating your own in case of emergency plan? 

I’ll be joining Barry Fisher on his radio show “Protecting What Matters” to talk about about why it’s never too late to start a financial readiness plan. 

We’ll talk about ten commonsense steps you can take to bolster your financial literacy and preparedness as well as why declining financial literacy is a multi-generational challenge. 

Catch the show live on September 1st at 1pm PT on KPRL, 1230 AM & 99.3 FM or you can listen online at https://kprl.com/kprl-1230am-radio-live-stream/. After the show, I’ll share the recording. 

Also this week: Does It Make Sense? A Better Way to Make Spending Decisions

On this episode of Get Ready Before Life Happens, I spoke with Karen Holland, founder of the nonprofit Gifting Sense and creator of the DIMS “Does It Make Sense?” Score Calculator. Karen shares how to understand trade-offs, avoid common buying mistakes, and build habits that support long-term financial confidence for both adults and kids.

🔹 Pausing before a decision creates space for clearer thinking and better outcomes

🔹 Understanding full costs, including fees and ongoing expenses, improves decision quality

🔹 Teaching kids to slow down and evaluate choices builds lifelong financial confidence

Tony’s Take: A pause is one of the most powerful financial tools we have. When you ask better questions before you spend, you make decisions you feel good about long after the moment passes.

🎙️(Watch or listen)

Stat Of The Week:

What percentage of parents avoid money conversations due to shame?

A. 55%
B. 44%
C. 33%
D. 22%

Answer: 33%. 1 in 3 parents avoids money conversations due to shame and more find it easier to discuss drugs or sex than finances. 

Why it matters: When parents avoid money conversations, kids may absorb silence, stress, or shame instead of practical guidance. Talking earlier helps make money a normal part of family life.

Source: Acorns Money Matters Report™ for Kids 2026 (here). 

Five Worth Your Time

A Billion Dollars. A thought experiment about values, possibility and what is enough. By Kevin Kelly (read)

Why Don’t We Teach Risk Before We Sell Insurance. Insurance has a curious problem. Almost everyone needs it. Very few people are genuinely interested in it. Pierre Perrenoud for Paul the Insurer (LinkedIn) 

Working With ‘Misengaged Couples’: Ways To Engage Both Parties In Planning Conversations. What happens when one partner takes the lead on finances and the relationship with their financial advisor while the other stays quiet, disengaged, or simply operates on a different wavelength? Sidney Squires - Financial Advisor Technician Podcast (Apple Podcasts)

Golden Handcuffs: Burnout, Money, and Feeling Trapped at Work. Why do high-achieving women burn out even when they know they need to slow down? Julie Merriman and Linda Grizely on the Real Money, Real Life Podcast (YouTube)

AI AND THE FUTURE OF FINANCIAL ADVICE. The question isn’t whether AI will disrupt advice, it’s how firms choose to deploy it. Chris Heye for LIMRA (white paper)

Final Thought: 

A good safety talk does not remove every risk from the river. It helps people understand what may happen as well as what to do next.

Family money conversations work the same way. They reduce uncertainty, build confidence, and help people face what comes next together.

Because when life happens, the way you think about money matters.

Tony

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