Money & Life Events

Every major life event carries a financial weight — the hard ones and the hoped-for ones alike. Here’s how to navigate the money side of what you’re facing.

Some of life’s biggest financial moments arrive as a shock: a death, a divorce, a diagnosis, a job loss, caring for someone you love, or a scam that never should have happened to you. Others you choose and plan for: buying a home, saving for retirement, building the future you want. What they share is that they all reshape your financial life — often more than you expect.

When the moment is a hard one, the debt or strain that follows isn’t a personal failing. It’s the financial footprint of something difficult you lived through. And when the moment is a planned one, the right preparation can be the difference between a milestone that steadies your life and one that stretches it thin.

These guides meet you wherever you are — in the crisis you didn’t see coming or the milestone you’re working toward — with compassion and a practical path forward. Because navigating a life event well takes both emotional and financial footing.

Our approach is grounded in the Financial Wellness RESET™ Framework, created by Dr. Erika Rasure: whether life knocks you off course or you’re planning your next big step, it starts the same way — getting steady, so you can move forward from solid ground.

Explore our money and life events library to find your way forward …

Start With These Guides

How to Save for a Big Purchase

Posted on October 4, 2026

By Stella Martin

Most people set a savings goal, pick a number that feels reasonable, and find out months later it was nowhere close. The fix takes about ninety seconds — and if the number that comes back is more than you can afford, there are three real moves worth knowing before you assume the goal won’t happen.

How to Save for a Down Payment When Money Is Tight

Posted on October 4, 2026

By Stella Martin

If you’ve been avoiding homeownership because 20% down feels impossible, you’ve been solving the wrong problem. That figure was never a requirement — it’s just the point where one specific fee disappears. The actual minimum is a lot closer than you’d guess, and once you know your real number, there’s a second question that matters more than the down payment itself.

Recovering Financially After Being Scammed

Posted on July 8, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Being scammed is devastating — and the shame that follows is often the hardest part. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ walks through what to do first, how to report it, how to avoid being targeted again, and how to recover financially and emotionally — starting with the truth that it wasn’t your fault.

How to Manage Your Finances After a Health Crisis

Posted on July 8, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

A health crisis attacks your finances at the same time it attacks your health. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ walks through stabilizing your income, lowering medical bills, protecting your credit, and handling the debt an illness can leave behind — starting with the reminder that your recovery comes first.

Financial Recovery After a Job Loss: How to Rebuild & Move Forward

Posted on July 7, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Job loss takes your income and a piece of your identity at the same time. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ walks through recovering from both — stabilizing your finances, navigating the search, and clearing the debt a stretch without income can leave behind.

Rebuilding Financially After Divorce: The Practical and Emotional Steps

Posted on July 7, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Divorce can dismantle your entire financial life — your credit, your budget, your sense of who you are with money. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ walks through rebuilding all of it, the practical steps and the emotional recovery alike, on the other side of a marriage.

When Life Derails Your Finances

Posted on June 30, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Most debt doesn’t start with overspending — it starts with a life event: a divorce, a job loss, a diagnosis, caring for someone you love. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ explains why these moments hit so deeply, and how to rebuild from steadier ground.

How Much Do I Need to Retire?

Posted on June 23, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

How much do you really need to retire? A common estimate is 25x your annual spending — but the real answer depends on you. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD in Personal Financial Planning, breaks down the methods, what changes your number, and what to do if you’re behind.

The Financial Reality of Caring for Aging Parents

Posted on May 15, 2026

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Caring for aging parents is one of the most financially consequential decisions American families face — and one of the least planned for. Dr. Erika Rasure, PhD, CFT™ covers what caregiving actually costs, how to have the money conversation with your parents, and how to protect your own financial future in the process.

Weathering Financial Storms

Posted on November 7, 2025

By Dr. Erika Rasure

Prolonged financial hardship isn’t the same as a financial crisis — and it doesn’t respond to the same advice. Dr. Erika Rasure on the neuroscience of endurance, why financial storms feel so isolating, and what it actually takes to weather them.