Nicole Carlon

We spend a lot of time talking about how expensive it is to raise a child.
We spend a lot less time talking about what pregnancy itself can do to your financial plan.

I learned some of that firsthand.

Financial Advisor Nicole knew how deductibles worked. Pregnant Nicole had never connected a deductible reset to the timing of giving birth.

There were other decisions I also understood very differently once I was the one living them.

That’s where Part Two of The Financial Plan for Motherhood goes: the financial conversations that belong between those two pink lines and bringing your baby home.

Pregnancy & New Parenthood: Part Two of The Financial Plan for Motherhood The moment you’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Maybe you knew the second your favorite comfort food suddenly grossed you out or when the scent of your favorite perfume had you running to the toilet.

What if starting a family doesn’t happen the way you always thought it would?

Most of us never imagine having to answer that question. We assume that when the time is right, we’ll start trying and eventually become a mom.

So what happens when getting there involves egg freezing, IVF, surrogacy, adoption, or decisions you never thought you’d have to make?

Somewhere along the way, there are financial decisions wrapped into all of it that you probably never thought you’d need to plan for either.

That’s the gap I’m exploring in Part One of The Financial Plan for Motherhood.

Trying to Become a Mom: Part One of The Financial Plan for Motherhood What if starting a family doesn’t happen the way you always thought it would? No one prepares you for the moment you find yourself asking that. Because that’s never how you imagined this chapter of your life would begin.

Kinda chic, isn’t it?

Build the wealth. Create the options. Enjoy the life you worked so hard for.

And always budget for twice-a-day gelato in Italy. 🍦🇮🇹

One of the things I never expected when I entered this profession was how deeply connected you become to the people you work with.

Over the years, I’ve celebrated retirements, career changes, growing families, difficult seasons, and new chapters alongside my clients. That’s what makes this work so meaningful to me.

Financial planning is never just about numbers. Behind every financial decision is a person carrying responsibilities, uncertainty, goals, and sometimes fears they’ve never said out loud before.

People don’t just need investment management.
They need guidance.
They need education.
They need someone willing to sit beside them through every stage of life and help them make thoughtful decisions without feeling overwhelmed.

When clients trust you enough to call during some of the biggest moments in their lives, not just financial ones, you realize this work becomes much deeper than simply managing investments.

The relationships are what make this profession so rewarding.

Thank you, Sandra, for your incredibly kind words and trust over the years.

Photo by Daniel Wakefield

Most people don’t fire their financial advisor when they should.

They wait until frustration turns into distrust. By then, the damage is already done.

I see this come up most often during market pullbacks.
The market becomes the trigger, but it’s usually not the real issue. It just brings underlying concerns to the surface.

In many cases, it comes down to a few things:

* No clear plan or direction
* Not fully understanding what you’re paying for
* Communication that only shows up when something goes wrong

That’s not a market problem. That’s a relationship problem.

If you’ve been questioning the relationship, it’s worth paying attention to why.

I was recently quoted in MarketWatch on this topic if you want to read more:

‘By then, the damage is already done.’ 5 signs you might miss that it’s time to fire your financial adviser Breaking up is hard to do – even when it’s with your financial adviser.

Equal pay is part of the conversation
But it’s not the full picture.

Even when income increases, I still see high-achieving women ask themselves: “Am I actually doing this the right way?”

They have all the tools at their disposal, yet they’ve just never been shown how to structure it.

Yes, this includes negotiating.

Advocating for yourself, asking for more, and being clear on your value, but it also goes beyond that.

How to:
✔️ Turn higher income into something that actually compounds
✔️ Make confident financial decisions without second-guessing
✔️ Use what you already have more effectively

That’s the gap.

It’s not about working harder.
It’s about being more strategic with what you’re building.

I’ll be talking through this more this week.
What it really looks like to build wealth beyond just earning more.

If this is something you’ve been thinking about, I think you’ll find it valuable.

If you'd like to join the conversation, you can do that here: https://lnkd.in/eEFMt27j

We once received a withdrawal request from a client.

It came from his actual email address.
The tone matched his writing style.
It referenced prior conversations.

Everything looked legitimate.

But we have a firm policy: no money moves based on email alone. We verbally confirm every instruction.

When we called, he had no idea what we were talking about.

His email had been hacked. The attacker had studied his writing style and copied past threads.
No funds were sent.

That moment reinforced something important:

We spend years building our finances.
We rarely spend the same energy protecting our digital lives.

Today, your email, passwords, cloud storage, and even text messages are gateways to your financial world. And the tactics being used are far more sophisticated than most people realize.

I’m hosting a complimentary educational webinar with cybersecurity expert Jeff Popluder, where we’ll walk through practical steps individuals and families can take to better protect themselves online.

📅 Tuesday, March 17, 2026
🕛 12:00 PM EST
🎥 Live Webinar + Q&A
💡 Complimentary & educational

🔗Register here: https://lnkd.in/eUBf2vBH

Protecting your wealth today includes protecting access to it.

Renovate or move?
Downsize or stay put?
Use equity or preserve flexibility?

These are questions I hear often from clients, and they inspired our February WiseOak Expert Webinar.

🏡 Home Decisions That Make Sense
📅 Tuesday, February 17, 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM EST
🎥 Live + Q&A
✨ Complimentary & educational

I’ll be hosting a conversation with experts in real estate, mortgage lending, and insurance to break down what actually matters in today’s market. This includes common regrets, overlooked details, and how to think through trade-offs calmly and clearly.

This session is for anyone considering a move, renovation, downsizing, or future purchase, or simply wanting to be more informed before making a big decision.

👉 Save your spot using the link below
https://lnkd.in/e6ASTPdJ

And feel free to share this with someone navigating a home decision who could benefit.