Ed Vargois the Co-Founder and CEO of Burning River Advisory Group and enlightenHe,r a community focused on financial mentorship for women. With more than 20 years in financial services, Ed helps women navigate long-term financial planning for all stages, including retirement and transitions related to divorce or spousal death.

In this episode, I talk with Ed about empowering women to gain confidence and clarity around money. Ed shares how his mother’s financial struggles after divorce shaped his passion for helping women gain financial confidence. We discuss the challenges women face—like emotional attachments, societal biases, and confidence gaps—and how holistic financial planning can make a life-changing difference. Ed also highlights his approach to teaching healthy money values, both in his family and with clients, offering practical strategies for women navigating transitions like divorce or widowhood.

In this episode:
(00:00) - Intro
(01:47) - Ed’s background and financial journey
(09:18) - Behavioral differences in financial approaches
(13:30) - The financial services industry and gender dynamics
(25:27) - Creating teachable moments about money
(28:09) - Impact of parental money conversations
(30:26) - Challenges of modern parenting
(32:44) - The role of financial advisors
(34:02) - Holistic financial planning
(38:48) - Navigating divorce financially
(45:33) - Introducing enlightenHer

Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.

ABOUT MINDFUL MONEY:
Do you struggle with money? You’re not alone.

Money is a means, not an end. It’s a necessity of life for sure, but more money does not always guarantee a “good life”. Money enables many aspects of modern life, but as a dominant consideration, it becomes destructive.

The paradox is that more time and energy spent on personal finance does NOT create better outcomes. Unlike many other parts of life, we can’t create better outcomes by being smarter, spending more time, or putting in more effort.

Join Mindful Money author and experienced 40-year investor Jonathan DeYoe as he shares stories from artists, authors, entrepreneurs, and other advisors about how they mindfully minimize their need to think about money and get more out of life.

If you aren’t happy with your finances, feel like money takes more time than it should, or want to place your financial decisions into the broader context of your life, this show is for you.

Each episode will draw the line between the “enough” activities that the academics tell us are additive to family outcomes, and those “little bit more” efforts that take time and sap energy but do NOT improve outcomes.

CONNECT WITH ED:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/edvargo

MINDFUL MONEY RESOURCES:
Website: https://mindful.money
Jonathan DeYoe on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathandeyoe
Mindful Money on X / Twitter: https://x.com/MindfulMoney_Ed
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Mindful Money on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney

🎙️Podcast Production by Turncast: https://turncast.com.