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.

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 209: How to Talk About Money With Your Partner

Money is one of the top reasons couples split, and nearly half of us avoid the conversation to keep the peace. Bri Conn, CFP® and Dr. Jay Zigmont, CFP® get honest, and funny, about how to talk money with your partner, from the credit report date to weekly money dates, and why the fight is almost never really about the dollar amount.

Episode 208: Long-Term Care Planning for Childfree Adults

Most people file long-term care under “deal with it later,” which is exactly the wrong time to start. Jesse Vickey of Long Term What? joins Bri Conn, CFP® to make one of the most avoided money conversations feel clear and even hopeful, from the four ways people pay for care to why your healthy window is the moment to decide your options.

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.