Insights Straight to Your Inbox

Tips, freebies, event invites, and more to make your Childfree life even more amazing

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Insights Straight to Your Inbox

Tips, freebies, event invites, and more to make your Childfree life even more amazing

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Melissa Holcombe headshot

Melissa Holcombe

DSW, LCSW

Senior Advisor, Childfree Trust

Melissa Holcombe brings years of insight and an extensive background in guardianship and probate to Childfree Insights.

Her experience includes conducting competency assessments for adult guardianship petitions for Probate courts and serving guardianship clients through Adult Protective Services. This practical, in-the-field experience provides her with a distinctive ability to navigate complex legal and emotional dynamics for individuals.

For three decades, Melissa has distinguished herself through dedicated advocacy and exemplary work in social services. Following a decade of leadership as a child welfare case manager and supervisor, she spent 20 years in the public school system. During her tenure, she served as the McKinney-Vento Homeless Liaison and Foster Care Point of Contact, specializing in support for vulnerable student populations.

Additionally, Melissa is one of the nation's first Certified Veterinary Social Workers (VSW), having earned her certification while completing her doctorate at the University of Tennessee in 2014. She provides compassionate counseling to those grieving the loss of a companion animal and seminars on compassion fatigue within the animal services community. She also shares her knowledge as an adjunct professor of undergraduate level social work.

In her free time, Melissa enjoys camping, hiking, and kayaking with her dog, Darcy.

Episode 207: Scary Stories: Tax Mistakes Childfree People Make

The worst tax stories aren’t about criminals, they’re about ordinary people doing what they thought was fine and walking into a trap. Bri Conn, CFP®, Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP®, and Maddy Roche walk through real cautionary tales, from the passport the IRS can revoke to the partner’s rent that counts as income, so you can make intentional Childfree money decisions with your eyes open.

Episode 206: Tax Planning for Childfree People

Most tax advice assumes you’re married with kids, funding a 529, and leaving an inheritance, so following it when you’re Childfree can cost you. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC break down why the tax code rewards having children and how Childfree people can design their own tax breaks instead, from the landlord advice that falls apart without an heir to the Roth question that changes with your state and your plans to retire abroad.

Episode 205: Guardianship vs. Power of Attorney: Protecting Your Choices as a Solo Ager

The words guardianship and conservatorship usually surface only after a crisis, once the choices have already left your hands. Melissa Holcombe, DSW, LCSW joins Bri Conn, CFP® to explain what these terms really mean, why they are so hard to undo, and how a power of attorney set up ahead of time keeps your medical and financial decisions yours.

Episode 204: The Myth of the Maternal Instinct

Plenty of Childfree people carry a quiet suspicion that they’re missing some piece of wiring everyone else got. Dr. Amy Blackstone went looking for the research to explain what was wrong with her and found there’s no such thing as a maternal instinct. She joins Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® to talk about what the science really says, and why feeling wrong usually means you’re measuring yourself against the wrong population.

Episode 203: Disability Insurance and Protecting Your Paycheck

When you’re Childfree, life insurance may barely make your list, which is exactly why disability insurance is so easy to overlook and so important to get right. Bri Conn, CFP® and Scott Barnes, CFP®, TPCP®, CLTC break down how to protect the paycheck that funds the life you’ve built, and the fine print that decides whether your benefit shows up whole when you need it.

Episode 202: Where to Find Your Community as a Childfree Adult

Building real community as an adult is hard, and harder still when you’re Childfree and the friends you counted on get busy, have kids, or move away. In this episode, Maddy Roche sits down with Kari Cardinale, Florence Wlodarski, Charlie & Ali Higgins, who all stopped waiting and built the Childfree communities they couldn’t find.