Tag: Cancer
The Healthy Advisor: The Toll of Caregiving with Melissa Caro

The Healthy Advisor: The Toll of Caregiving with Melissa Caro

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In 2018, Melissa Caro’s perfectly healthy 72-year-old mother was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and within 24 hours she became her sole caregiver, her financial planner, her life coach and her healthcare advocate. At the same time, her 87-year-old stepdad was falling apart and spiraling into dementia, and her husband was in the hospital with severe back problems.

As a Type A personality, she struggled significantly during this time. During one doctor’s visit for her mother, a nurse reminded her to take care of herself.

In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton speaks with Caro, founder of My Retirement Network, a financial education resource for clients and the advisors who serve them, on how she navigated caregiving while managing her career and other responsibilities.

She discusses the emotional complexity of caregiving, the gap in financial literacy for those without advisors, and how her experience shaped her mission to help people understand their finances during life’s most challenging moments.

She discusses:

  • Her journey into financial services
  • The sudden shift from professional routine to full-time caregiving
  • The financial, physical and emotional toll caregiving can have on a person
  • The things that helped her cope and get through the struggling times
  • How financial fear intensifies during illnesses
  • How her caregiving experience shaped the work she does today with My Retirement Network
  • How personal loss can help advisors listen, communicate and frame their role with clients

Resources:

Connect With Melissa Caro:

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About Our Guest:

Melissa Caro is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, CFP, and the founder of My Retirement Network, a digital media platform dedicated to promoting financial literacy. With a mission rooted in the belief that knowledge empowers people to create the future they envision, Melissa brings decades of experience in finance and education to her work. She has witnessed firsthand the positive impact that understanding finances can have on people’s lives, far beyond just numbers.

Melissa’s goal is to make financial literacy accessible and meaningful for everyone. My Retirement Network was created to bridge the gap between complex financial concepts and the everyday decisions that shape financial futures. The platform empowers individuals at every stage, whether they’re planning for retirement, starting a career, or teaching their children about money, to understand and take control of their financial well-being. Through education and awareness, Melissa supports people on their journey to building a stronger, more informed financial foundation.

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FEATURE
The Healthy Advisor: The Fragility of Life and the True Value of Planning With Matthew Newman

The Healthy Advisor: The Fragility of Life and the True Value of Planning With Matthew Newman

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Having grown up around financial planning, Matthew Newman realized the importance of having everything in place before tragedy strikes. His father’s advice to plan for the negative moments was a lifeline. 

At age 39, he was diagnosed with Grade 3 Astrocytoma, a form of brain cancer. At the time, he had three children under 5, and his father-in-law was battling pancreatic cancer. All of a sudden, he saw life through a new set of lenses. 

Throughout his battle, he sought to make his journey a communal one. He began writing and sending emails about his experiences and reflections to friends and family, which unexpectedly grew into an audience of 20,000 people. His journey resonated deeply and offered a beacon of hope to many enduring struggles.

In this episode, Managing Editor Diana Britton speaks with Matthew Newman, a wholesaler at Pacific Life and author of “Starting at the Finish Line,” about his journey and the impact it had on his life.

Matt discusses: 

  • What happened leading up to his diagnosis
  • How he received the diagnosis 
  • His treatments
  • Where his strength comes from
  • What became his outlet 
  • The importance of revisiting the journey in daily life
  • What his experience can teach advisors 

Resources: 

Connect With Matthew Newman:

Connect with WealthManagement.com:

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found.

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FEATURE
The Healthy Advisor: Living With Cancer With Lynn Ballou

The Healthy Advisor: Living With Cancer With Lynn Ballou

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After selling her firm to EP Wealth in 2016, Lynn Ballou became a fixture among EP’s leadership team that worked to take the RIA to new heights. She’s also served as a mentor for younger advisors and a fierce advocate for greater diversity in the wealth management industry.

Lynn had to put all of that on hold when she was diagnosed with Stage 4 Melanoma, the most serious type of skin cancer. But when she first learned of the diagnosis, she went into denial. The hardest part was accepting the fact she needed to take a step back and focus on her body. In June 2022, Lynn retired from her role at EP Wealth Advisors.

In this episode, Diana Britton is joined by Lynn Ballou, CFP Emeritus and retired senior vice president of EP Wealth Advisors, who shares her story.

Lynn discusses: 

  • What she was feeling the night the doctors told her she wasn’t going to make it
  • Why she went into denial when she was told about the cancer
  • How she felt when she had to let go of her career 
  • How the illness impacted her retirement plan 
  • The importance of slowing down and taking care of your body
  • The current struggle she has to fill her days
  • Her advice for young professionals in the wealth management industry

Resources: 

Connect With Lynn Ballou:

Connect With Wealth Management & NREI:

About Our Guest:

Lynn Ballou, retired as Senior Vice President/Partner of EP Wealth Advisors in June 2022. She also retired in 2022 as the CFP Board of Standards Ambassador for the San Francisco Bay Area, a role in which she educated the public about the importance of financial planning. Prior to joining EP Wealth Advisors, Lynn founded Ballou Plum Wealth Advisors in 1998 with long-time friend and colleague, Marilyn Plum. Under her guidance, the firm became a trusted financial advisory office in the East Bay, one that placed emphasis on an unparalleled level of service for every generation of its client base. Particularly passionate about educating women, Lynn spent her career helping women unravel the financial complexities that accompany retirement, inherited wealth, loss of spouse, divorce and other transitional moments in life. 

If you have a struggle and wish to share your experiences and help others in similar situations, please reach out to Diana at diana.britton@informa.com.

The Healthy Advisor podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Android, Stitcher, Spotify and wherever podcasts are found.



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