

Financially Intentional
Naseema McElroy
Welcome to the FInancially Intentional Podcast with Naseema McElroy! This is a weekly podcast covering all things personal finance for those ready to build wealth but who may not know where to start. We believe that you have all the tools to improve your finances because you and your family deserve it. Our hope is that by listening to this podcast, your circle of influence is enhanced. Let us be the folks you choose to surround yourself with.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 11, 2025 • 50min
Long Term Care Planning - Part 2 - Episode 155 (Classic Episode)
Send us a textOur Expert CFP Dr. Jay and I revisit the long term care planning conversation and what I discovered from my conversation with my parents. To say that I feel underprepared is an understatement. Dr. Jay provides resources and things to consider when taking on the responsibility of caring for aging loved ones.Have you created a plan for when you eventually need assistance with everyday activities and are unable to care for yourself for a long period of time? Do you know what you would do if the sole responsibility of long-term care for a loved one falls on you?Resource Mentioned:Aging Life CareAbout our guest:Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder and CEO of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people. Childfree Wealth is the first firm dedicated to serving Childfree people.Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book “Portraits of Childfree Wealth” and the upcoming book “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.” Dr Jay is the co-host of the Childfree Wealth podcast. His Ph.D. is in Adult Learning from the University of Connecticut.He has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, and many other publications. In 2023, he was named a “Rising Star” by Financial Planning.Childfree Wealth Website The Childfree Guide to Life and Money: Make Your Finances Simple So Your Life Without Kids Can Be Amazing by Dr. Jay ZigmontSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Dec 4, 2025 • 42min
When should you start planning for Long Term Care? - Episode 154 (Classic Episode)
Send us a textHave you created a plan for when you eventually need assistance with everyday activities and are unable to care for yourself for a long period of time? It's best to start considering long term care insurance when you're relatively young and healthy, as this will help you secure a lower premium rate. Generally, the younger and healthier you are, the more cost-effective and suitable the policy is likely to be. I was always under the assumption that I should purchase a policy somewhere in the age range of my mid-50s to mid-60s but Dr. Jay burst my bubble. He also got me thinking about what I would do about my father if he needed this assistance. Updates since the episode:Multiple states (including CA, NY, MD, and PA) have continued to study WA-style long-term care programs, but as of late 2025 no other state has fully implemented a mandatory LTC payroll tax.Medicaid and state long-term care rules change often. The examples in this episode are from early 2023 – if you’re making decisions, please check current rules for your state or talk with a qualified planner or elder-law attorney.The free February planning sessions Jay mentions were a one-time 2023 offer. You can still find his current services at ChildfreeWealth.com.About our guest:Jay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP® is the Founder and CEO of Childfree Wealth®, a life and financial planning firm dedicated to helping Childfree and Permanently Childless people. Childfree Wealth is the first firm dedicated to serving Childfree people.Dr. Jay is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, Childfree Wealth Specialist, and author of the book “Portraits of Childfree Wealth” and the upcoming book “The Childfree Guide to Life and Money.” Dr Jay is the co-host of the Childfree Wealth podcast. His Ph.D. is in Adult Learning from the University of Connecticut.He has been featured in Fortune, Forbes, MarketWatch, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Business Insider, CNBC, and many other publications. In 2023, he was named a “Rising Star” by Financial Planning.Childfree Wealth Website The Childfree Guide to Life and Money: Make Your Finances Simple So Your Life Without Kids Can Be Amazing by Dr. Jay ZigmontSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Nov 27, 2025 • 51min
Don’t Wait Until You Have An “Estate” To Plan - Episode 153 (Classic Episode)
Send us a textPortia Wood, Esq our Estate Planning expert joins us to discuss why estate planning is important for every adult. Learn the three aspects of estate plans that are a must. Understand the difference in using AI generated estate plans versus working with an estate planning attorney. Estate planning is an important step in making sure that your wishes for the future are clearly put in writing. That way, your wishes will be followed no matter what happens. You also want to make sure that your beneficiaries are informed and that they understand how to access your assets after you pass away.Access Wood Legal Group’s Resource Library For FREEAbout Our Expert: Portia works tirelessly to help people protect their assets and provide for the transfer of resources and values to their families. She helps clients avoid probate, save on taxes, protect their hard-earned savings and preserve wealth at the generational transfer. She concentrates in the areas of Legacy Wealth Planning and asset protection planning.Support the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Nov 20, 2025 • 41min
When Success Is Literally Making You Sick and How To Redefine It - Episode 152
Send us a textIn today's episode I sit down with coach and author Amina AlTai to talk about what she calls the Ambition Trap and how it can push us toward stress and burnout instead of a life we actually enjoy. We share our own stories of chasing “perfect” success in work and money, getting sick and tired, and then slowly learning to listen to our bodies, heal old hurts, and make choices that fit who we really are. Amina explains how big goals, toxic work culture, and doing everything alone can hurt women and especially women of color, and we talk about building community, setting kind boundaries, and creating careers and businesses that support both our health and our wallets.About our guest:Amina AITai (pronounced AH-MIN-UH) is an executive coach and leadership trainer, proud immigrant and chronic illness advocate. A leading coach to notable leaders, executives, and founders—Amina's mastery is in connecting us to our brilliance and teaching us to live and lead from it each day. She is the bestselling author of The Ambition Trap: How to Stop Chasing and Start Living, with Penguin/The Open Field.Amina has partnered with progressive companies such as Google, Meta, Roku, Snap, Outdoor Voices, NYU and HUGE. She's an Entrepreneur Magazine expert-in-residence, a Forbes contributor and was named one of Success Magazine’s Women of Influence. Additionally, she's been featured in goop, Well+Good, The New York Times, Yahoo, NBC, Adam Grant’s Next Big Idea Club and more.Amina AlTai's WebsiteThe Ambiion Trap by Amina AlTaiSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Nov 13, 2025 • 59min
Make Your Nine to Five Fund Your Freedom Not Your Burnout - Episode 151
Send us a textIn today's episode, I talk with Angel Mathis about how she paid off a big debt, saved a lot, and made work optional as a nurse. We share simple steps you can copy, like tracking your money, using your benefits, and investing a little each month. Angel also tells the real story of burnout and how clear boundaries and a plan helped her heal. We talk about buying a home with cash, taking time off to hike and travel, and building a life you love without fancy math.About our guest:Angel Mathis is the founder and CEO of Nurses Investing For Wealth. She’s been a nurse for 23 years and an NP for 17. She’s served as President of the King County Nurses Association in Seattle, WA and is a former American Nurses Association Advocacy Institute Fellow. Her work has been featured in journals like the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA, and Journal of Infectious Diseases.When Angel became a nurse, she started building her own money method with a singular goal: to break her family’s generational poverty cycle. Even though her first nursing job paid her just $16/hr, she was able to pay off $200,000 of debt, buy her home in cash, cars in cash, and make work optional by her mid-thirties. She’s so glad she did, because the realities of nursing left her exhausted, and she took 5 years off to recover.Now she has turned her money method into a State Board of Nursing Continuing Education program, called Ultimate Nurse Investing. In it she teaches nurses how to fund their future using small portions of their paycheck so they can work less (and still retire early) if they want to. You can learn more, and even get her free training on her website at https://learn.nursesinvesting.com/Fellow Nurses: How to Become Work Optional in One Hour a Month Support the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Nov 6, 2025 • 41min
Historical Fiction That Explains Your Money Better Than a Textbook - Episode 150
Send us a textIn today's episode I sit down with Terry Kirk to talk about money lessons from the 1929 market crash and the Great Depression. Terry tells real stories from his book Pitfall and from life on the Chicago trading floors. We break big ideas into simple steps you can use today like how to stay calm when markets drop how to protect your savings and how to keep a long term plan. We also talk about mindset shame and starting over after a loss. By the end you will know what went wrong back then what still happens now and what you can do to be ready.About our guest:Terry Kirk holds a Juris Doctor (Law) and a master’s degree focused on tech innovation. After practicing law and several executive leadership roles, Kirk plunged into Canada’s fintech and innovation sectors. As a Founder & CEO of three investor-backed ventures, she oversaw capital raising and shareholder exits into large-scale companies. She also served as a Director, Private Capital Markets Association of Canada, and was named Top Female Innovator and Entrepreneur by the Advanced Technology Alliance of Canada. Following the sale of Fundingportal.com, Kirk has achieved success writing fast-paced historical fiction stories about cataclysmic events. Her debut novel, Pitfall, was published in June 2025, named A Top Book to Read by CBC Books, and is for sale on major book-selling platforms, including Indigo and Amazon. Her second novel, Plunder, expected to hit bookshelves in 2026, follows the character in the build-up to World War II. Kirk, a popular public speaker, has appeared on BNN-Bloomberg’s The Pitch, delivered a TEDx Talk on financing innovation, and is presenting Pitfall on podcasts and morning television and at literary and financial events Canada-wide. Her author site is: https://www.TerryKirkBooks.comSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Oct 30, 2025 • 46min
What Ally Bank Learned About Your Wallet and Anxiety - Episode 149
Send us a textIn today's episode, I sit down with Jack Howard to talk about money in a real and simple way. We share our first money memories, why feelings shape how we spend, and how to make a plan that fits your life. Jack explains Money Roots from Ally and how it can turn worry into calm. We talk about values based budgeting, easy money dates you can do with a partner, and why more people use prenups to protect love and goals. You will learn small steps you can try today like naming what you value, setting one weekly check in, and choosing one habit to practice.About our guest:Jack Howard serves as a leading voice in financial health and wellness, with a focus on money psychology and behavioral financial education. As a passionate advocate for financial social inclusion, Jack is committed to be a change-maker by creating programs that help prepare Brown and Black communities with tools for wealth creation that recognize the significant historical wealth disparities faced by those communities. Ally BankAlly Money RootsSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Oct 23, 2025 • 43min
Save Like It Is 1950 With Modern Gold You Can Carry - Episode 148
Send us a textIn today's episode, I sit down with Jeremy Cordon to talk about simple money ideas you can use today. We chat about why prices keep going up, what gold has meant in the past, and how Goldbacks work like small, spendable pieces of gold. I ask the questions you would ask, and Jeremy gives clear answers in plain words. You will learn easy steps to start saving, spending, and gifting in a smarter way. If you want your money to hold its value, this show is for you.About our guest:Jeremy Cordon, Founder & CEO of Goldback Inc., is passionate about precious metals and sound money. During an internship at the Libertas Institute, he connected with Larry Hilton, which led to a role at the United Precious Metals Association (UPMA). There, he helped grow membership from 400 to 25,000. Jeremy later focused his efforts on creating Goldbacks—a physical gold currency designed to preserve wealth and strengthen local economies. Under his leadership, Goldbacks have expanded to multiple state series, empowering individuals and communities with a practical tool for financial stability. Learn more about Goldback hereGet a free GoldbackSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Oct 16, 2025 • 46min
Careers In Flux And The Five Day Reboot That Actually Works - Episode 147
Send us a textIn today's episode I talk with Mike Dwyer about simple steps to find work and grow your career right now. We share an easy plan you can do in five hours or five days or five weeks to build momentum and take more shots on goal. We show how to make a small personal board of three or four people who will give you honest feedback and help you try new things. We also talk about durable skills like telling a clear story and using basic tools, plus ways to explore paid paths like Salesforce training and platforms such as LinkedIn and Upwork.About our guest:After a long career in private and public sectors, consulting stints with Ernst & Young and Deloitte Consulting and a Master's Degree in Management from Salve Regina university, Michael Dwyer and a select group of advisors developed Emplana, the career pathway.Emplana Career, based at Cambridge Innovation Center, 50 Milk Street, Boston, primarily helps seniors discover their next chapter and white-collar professionals, especially in tech, financial services and accounting, law, risk, professional services.Emplana CareerSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money

Oct 9, 2025 • 45min
Heal Your Money Story and Lead Your Family to Freedom - Episode 146
Send us a textIn today's episode, I sit down with Gino Barbaro, an investor and certified money coach, to talk about money, family, and simple steps to take control of your future. We dig into money stories from childhood, how they shape our habits, and how to heal them so we can find peace with our spouse and teach our kids with confidence. We break down how banks make money and what it means to become the boss of your money with values based choices, cash flow, and real estate you can understand. By the end, you’ll have small, clear moves you can start today to build wealth and feel good about money at home.About our guest:Gino Barbaro is an investor, Certified Money Coach®, entrepreneur & podcast host. As an entrepreneur, he has grown his real estate portfolio to over 1,800 multifamily units & $450,000,000 in Assets under management.His mission, through Barbaro 360, is to empower families to build lasting legacies by focusing on restoring traditional values in family life, finance, and helping families create a healthier relationship with money.Gino is the best-selling author of Happy Money Happy Family Happy Legacy. He resides with his beautiful wife Julia and their six children in St. Augustine, Florida.Barbaro 360Happy Money Happy Family Happy Legacy: How to Use Money as a Tool to Create Happiness in Your Family’s LifeSupport the show--- Grab your spot in my free Financial CPR class and learn the simple steps I used to go from paycheck to paycheck to my first million. Please join me here, and follow me on social media, Instagram, and Facebook.Need help getting started on your path to financial freedom? Start Here Join the Financially Intentional Community Oh and please subscribe and leave a review on whatever app you're using to stream this podcast. Get my book Smart Money


