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.

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.

Scott Barnes

CFP®, TPCP, CLTC

Childfree Wealth Specialist®

Scott Barnes is Childfree Insights's resident expert in insurance and long-term care.

He's a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and Childfree Wealth Specialist® with more than 20 years' experience guiding clients through complex financial markets, from the height of the dot-com bubble and 9/11 to the Great Recession, COVID-19, and other ongoing global economic uncertainties.

His passion for financial planning is deeply personal: He grew up middle class in Virginia, and after losing his mother to breast cancer at an early age, he witnessed firsthand the financial strain a family can endure. Later, like many young adults, he faced his own challenges with credit card and student loan debt. His journey to financial independence ignited a desire to help others take control of their financial futures.

Today he focuses on helping Childfree individuals and families align their life goals with smart financial planning strategies for retirement, sabbaticals, international relocation, or long-term care.

He lives near Raleigh, North Carolina, with his wife, Etta, and their spirited cat, Louise (Weezie!). When he's not working with clients, you'll likely find him under the hood of a car or enjoying a drive with fellow enthusiasts.

Episode 195: LGBTQ+ Solo Aging: What Childfree Adults Need to Know

For LGBTQ+ adults aging without children, the question of who will be in your corner is not abstract, it is the plan. Maddy Roche sits down with Sherrill Wayland, Senior Director of Special Initiatives and Partnerships at SAGE, to talk about what affirming care looks like, why chosen family needs legal backing, and what resources exist right now to help LGBTQ+ older adults age with dignity and intention.

Episode 194: Business Growth Without the Burnout

Business growth and burnout do not have to go hand in hand. Licensed mental health counselor and life coach Nikolai Blinow joins Bri Conn, CFP® to talk about building a successful business from a calmer, more intentional place, and why 40% of your day is supposed to be rest.

Episode 193: AI and the Future of Work: How Childfree Adults Can Prepare

The next five years are going to reshape the workforce in ways most people are not prepared for, and Childfree adults have a unique opportunity to get ahead of it. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® brings his takeaways from the TED Conference to talk about what the AI economy means for your finances, your career, and your identity when work stops being the center of everything.

Episode 192: Renting, Buying and Vacation Homes

Buying a home has been sold as the responsible default for so long that most people have never asked whether it actually fits their life. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® and Fiona Waller, CFP® break down the real math on renting versus buying, why rental properties are not passive income, and why the vacation home is the worst housing decision a Childfree adult can make.

Episode 191: What Longevity Science Means for Childfree Adults

Childfree adults are planning for a future without a traditional family safety net, which makes the quality of later life especially personal. Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® sits down with Joshua Herring, President and CEO of the Longevity Science Foundation, to talk about the research being funded right now to extend not just how long you live, but how well.

Episode 190: What No One Tells You About Rental Properties

Rental properties look a lot more passive on social media than they do in real life. Justin Brown-Woods, Accredited Financial Counselor® and co-founder of Price of Avocado Toast, joins Bri Conn CFP® to share exactly what three years of long-distance real estate investing actually cost him,v and what he would do differently.