Fall isn’t just for cider mills, football games, and cozy sweaters—it’s also the perfect season to reset your financial life. In this solo episode, Melissa Joy shares seven practical tips to help you take advantage of seasonal opportunities and set yourself up for success before the year ends.

From open enrollment decisions and maximizing workplace benefits to planning for holiday spending, reviewing your investments, and checking in on your estate plan—Melissa walks through the steps that can help you move forward with clarity and confidence.

You’ll learn how to:

• Make the most of your employer benefits and avoid last-minute enrollment stress
• Use remaining 2025 benefits wisely, from FSA dollars to legal perks
• Take proactive steps on taxes before December 31
• Plan and budget for the holidays to avoid year-end financial regret
• Rebalance your portfolio and revisit investment opportunities
• Update beneficiaries, life insurance, and estate planning documents
• Conduct a fall financial health check and set goals for the new year

As Melissa reminds us, progress is always more important than perfection. Pick one or two of these seasonal money tasks, get them done, and set the tone for a stronger financial future.

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...

What if fear could become the framework for your strength?

Chiropractor, business owner, and TEDx speaker Dr. Rubina Tahir joins Melissa Joy, CFP® for an inspiring and deeply personal conversation on navigating fear, health, and money with courage and clarity.

Rubina shares her journey as a BRCA1 carrier, her shocking breast cancer diagnosis just weeks before delivering her TEDx talk, and how she built a practical framework—Honesty, Options, Decisions—to move from paralysis to empowerment. Along the way, she reveals why self-talk can be life-saving, how body autonomy shaped her medical choices, and what financial lessons she learned from facing the unexpected costs of cancer treatment.

Together, Rubina and Melissa unpack the intersections of health and money: why knowing your deductible is essential, the role of disability insurance, and how emergency reserves protect you from both everyday curveballs and life-altering diagnoses.

This episode is a reminder that while fear is inevitable, you do have power over your plan.

💡 Key Themes Covered:

• How “financial scar tissue” from past experiences shapes both money and health choices
• Why self-talk and inner dialogue are powerful tools for resilience
• The importance of body autonomy and choosing what’s right for you in medical decisions
• Knowing your medical deductible and building cash reserves as part of financial self-care
• Disability insurance, business continuity, and other protections for life’s “what-ifs”
• How community, advocacy, and the Making Strides Walk fuel hope and healing

🔗 Connect with Dr. Rubina Tahir
🎥 TEDx Talk

💗 Fundraising page (Making Strides Walk, October)

📸 Instagram & Instagram (Positivity & Truth)

Facebook

💼 LinkedIn

🌐 Website

Twitter/X

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...

What if your biggest money challenges aren’t about math at all—but about the feelings and “financial scar tissue” you’ve been carrying for years?

In this episode of Women’s Money Wisdom, Melissa Joy, CFP®, welcomes fellow advisor and author Shannon Ryan, CFP®, to talk about her new book Your Money Has Feelings. Together, they explore why money is so deeply emotional, how early experiences shape lifelong financial habits, and what it takes to align money with what really matters.

In this conversation:

• What “financial scar tissue” is and how it quietly drives our choices
• Why money feels primal—and why society equates wealth with worth
• The hidden cost of “shoulds” like paying off the house or funding 100% of college
• Permission to spend: overcoming scarcity when you have more than enough
• Overspending as self-soothing—and ways to realign short-term habits with long-term goals
• Why micro-decisions (like raising your 401(k) 2%) create big momentum
• The psychological leap into retirement and why it feels harder than the numbers suggest

Key takeaways:

• Naming your money story is the first step to changing it.
• You can have anything, but not everything—clarify what matters most now.
• Progress is built on small, repeatable actions, not perfection.
• A trusted planner can simplify the math and hold space for the feelings.

Resources & Links:

• Your Money Has Feelings by Shannon Ryan, CFP® – https://www.amazon.com/Your-Money-Has-Feelings-Understand/dp/B0F1XH6DYD
• Author website: https://www.shannon-ryan.com

The previous presentation by PEARL PLANNING was intended for general information purposes only. No portion of the presentation serves as the receipt of, or as a substitute for, personalized investment advice from PEARL PLANNING or any other investment professional of your choosing. Different types of investments involve varying degrees of risk, and it should not be assumed that future performance of any specific investment or investment strategy, or any non-investment related or planning services, discussion or content, will be profitable, be suitable for your portfolio or individual situation, or prove successful. Neither PEARL PLANNING’s investment adviser registration status, nor any amount of prior experience or success, should be construed that a certain level of results or satisfaction will be achieved if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. PEARL PLANNING is neither a law firm nor accounting firm, and no portion of its services should be construed as legal or accounting advice. No portion of the video content should be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if PEARL PLANNING is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services. A copy of PEARL PLANNING’s current written disclosure Brochure discussing our advisory services and fees is available upon request or at https:...