By Staff Report Sunday, August 23rd, 2026

For our August Women & Wealth panel, we asked our experts to weigh in on longevity planning and some of the non-financial considerations for retirement. Our Q&A was conducted via email in mid-August and the responses were lightly edited. Our panelists are: Austyn Shepherd Abbas, senior vice president and private client manager at Bank of America, Nicole Allen, chief compliance officer and wealth advisor for Monarch Wealth, Claudia Arnold, partner and senior wealth advisor, Mission Wealth, Danielle Brinkman-Mallare, CPA and founder of Brinkman and Co., Hannah Buschbom, chief transitional wealth planner for Ameriflex Group, Jessica Caruso, executive managing partner at Mercer Advisors, Maria Vallejo Meza, wealth advisor at Channel Wealth. 

Q1: The longevity dilemma: Women often outlive their spouses and also face career interruptions. What are one or two tips for planning for extended retirement?      

Claudia: Women often face a unique retirement challenge: planning for a longer life while potentially having fewer years in the workforce due to caregiving or other career interruptions. One of the most important steps is to plan to age independently. Stress-test your retirement plan for the possibility of living well into your 90s, accounting for healthcare costs, long-term care needs and the potential of managing your finances independently later in life. It is also important to protect your earning and saving years. If caregiving responsibilities take you out of the workforce, strategies such as spousal IRA contributions can help keep retirement savings on track. When you return to work, consider intentionally increasing contributions to rebuild savings. Finally, stay actively involved in your financial life. Understand where your assets are held, how they are invested and the income they may provide throughout retirement. That knowledge can create greater financial confidence and independence at every stage of life.

Jessica: First, plan for flexibility, not perfection. A successful retirement plan assumes there will be life transitions along the way, whether that’s caregiving, a career pause, widowhood or unexpected health events. Building a diversified portfolio, maintaining adequate liquidity and creating multiple sources of income can help ensure your plan remains resilient no matter what chapter comes next. Second, become the CEO of your financial life. Even when financial responsibilities are shared, it’s important to understand the plan, know where assets are held and build a trusted team around you. Confidence comes not only from having resources, but from understanding them and feeling empowered to make decisions. One of the most valuable outcomes of planning is the freedom that comes from knowing you’re prepared for whatever lies ahead.

Austyn: Women often outlive their spouses and also face career interruptions. What are one or two tips for planning for extended retirement?Focus not only on accumulating assets but also on creating income streams that can last throughout retirement. Increase retirement savings during working years when possible. Take advantage of employer retirement plans, IRAs and catch-up contributions once eligible. Build a retirement plan that assumes a longer life expectancy. Stress test your retirement income strategy for longevity risk, inflation and healthcare expenses. Life insurance planning is an important tool to help protect against future income interruptions.

Maria: For women, a longer retirement and the possibility of living independently later in life are important scenarios to plan for. For perspective, in 2024, U.S. life expectancy was 81.4 years for women versus 76.5 years for men. As a result, our financial planning conversations include the potential impact of career interruptions for caregiving, as well as the possibility of a long-term care or other health event.

Planning for the longevity of a portfolio requires considering the possibility that one spouse may eventually become a caregiver or outlive the other, along with rising healthcare costs and changing lifestyle needs throughout retirement. We also evaluate portfolio return expectations, inflation, insurance policies in place and the appropriate level of investment risk needed to support a long lifespan.

A good advisor will assess the trajectory of your assets under a range of scenarios. The goal is to ensure that, whether you are single or married, enjoy long and healthy lives or experience an unexpected health event, your financial plan and investments are positioned to withstand both the best- and worst-case scenarios.

Hannah: Caregiving is one hidden longevity risk. According to A Place for Mom’s 2025 caregiver report, the average family caregiver is 52 years old and nearly three-quarters spend up to 30 hours a week caregiving — essentially a part-time unpaid job. That means less income, smaller Social Security benefits and less saved, right in peak earning years. And 42% report emotional strain or burnout weekly — spousal caregiving takes a real toll on the caregiver’s own health. Two tips: First, know your Family Index^® — the personalized rate of return your plan needs to meet your family’s goals. As Transitional Wealth Planners, we build it around your entire balance sheet, including liquidity to bridge income gaps without depleting your accounts. Second, stress-test it. Run the what-ifs: early illness, burnout, the cost of respite care. Your plan should work for the longevity version that includes caregiving.

Nicole: Financial education and planning ahead are incredibly important, particularly as women are living longer. Either spouse may step away from a career for children, caregiving or other responsibilities, but historically that interruption has more often fallen to women and can have a lasting impact on retirement savings. When possible, I’ve seen couples successfully live on one spouse’s income while directing much of the other toward retirement savings. Working longer can also strengthen a retirement plan by providing additional years to save and fewer years relying on accumulated assets. I recently met with a client in her 70s who saved diligently with her husband before unexpectedly losing him. Her experience reinforces something I encourage throughout a client’s lifetime: stay educated and engaged. Understand what you own, how it’s invested and why and what retirement could look like both together and independently. Planning for longevity also means preparing for life to look different than you expected.

Danielle: My main recommendation would be to have a team in place as early as possible — before you need it.  A financial planner, estate planning attorney and CPA who can help you put a financial plan in place so you can make sure to be covered later in life.  By projecting your future retirement income, you can plan for when to take Social Security, if you should take the Social Security survivor benefit, at what age you should start taking retirement distributions, etc. This will help make your money last as long as you do.   Additionally, contributing to retirement through employment or self-employment as much as possible in the earlier working years — to make up for years that you were off work due to family commitments will help with a future nest egg.  And it’s never too late to put money into retirement — even later in life.  

Q2: Tapping your “inner wealth”:  What are one or two concepts for integrating physical and emotional well-being into a successful financial plan?

Nicole: I encourage clients to treat their physical and emotional well-being as part of the financial plan, not something separate from it. Make room in your budget for the things that support your health and bring meaning to your life, whether that’s exercise, hobbies, travel, time with family or simply creating more freedom in your schedule. The second concept is understanding what “enough” means for you. For lifelong savers, this can be surprisingly difficult. We spend decades reinforcing the importance of saving, investing and preparing for the future, but there can come a point when the conversation needs to shift from accumulation to purpose. What do you want your wealth to allow you to do, experienceor give? Preparing responsibly for tomorrow is important, but so is living today. A successful financial plan should give you the confidence to spend intentionally.

Danielle: My recommendation would be similar — as far as putting a plan in place to help relieve stress from decision-making later in life.  By having a plan in place, you will take a lot of stress off your plate and this will help with your emotional well-being. Additionally, having insurance in place early on (or planning for future insurance needs) will also help with emotional well-being because once you have taken care of it, you can relax and know you are covered for the long-term.  Obviously, things change, but I sleep much better knowing things are already in place.  Health, disability, long-term care and life insurance can all be part of your plan, depending on your personal needs.  You may not need all of it, but having the conversations and facing the fear of the inevitable will be good for your overall well-being. 

Claudia: A successful financial plan should support more than your financial goals. It should also help you build a life that feels healthy, meaningful and fulfilling. One way to do that is to budget intentionally for wellbeing, treating spending on your health, relationships, meaningful experiences and personal growth as investments in your overall quality of life rather than financial afterthoughts. It is equally important to define what “enough” means to you. Financial success looks different for everyone and identifying what genuinely brings you fulfillment can help you align your spending, savingand time with your priorities. Finally, understand your personal “money story.” Our experiences can shape the beliefs, fears and habits behind financial decisions. Developing greater awareness of those influences can help you make thoughtful choices based on your values and long-term goals rather than comparison, anxiety or expectations from others.

Maria: The time and energy required to balance a career and family, particularly for women managing both professional responsibilities and caregiving, is an important consideration in a comprehensive plan. Financial planning should include creating financial flexibility to afford time off, family activities, travel or other experiences that support a healthy work-life balance for emotional health. Having sufficient savings while working and planning for potential career interruptions with your advisor can help ensure that when life’s transitions occur, you have financial flexibility and peace of mind to navigate the ebbs and flows. Having an emergency fund that covers a few months of income, looking at insurance coverage options and making retirement plan contributions are some of the best first steps. Technology can also help integrate physical well-being into a financial plan. Today, smartwatches and smartphones can track sleep, activity, exercise, heart rate and other health metrics, helping us become more aware of our habits and make healthier choices. These tools are a reminder that time is also a valuable resource. Balancing financial security, career, family, health andquality of life is much easier said than done, but having the financial resources and flexibility to spend more time on what matters most is an important part of financial success.

Hannah: Wellbeing isn’t a luxury line in a financial plan — it’s an expense that needs planning like any other. Most plans budget for major medical or prolonged healthcare events and stop there. But the things that actually restore quality of life often aren’t covered: therapy or mental health support for clients or their families, acupuncture, functional medicine, respite care, even elective procedures that improve how you feel in your own body. A good financial team will build a wellbeing reserve into your plan. When we run what-if scenarios with clients, we’re not just modeling market downturns — we’re modeling the year you need a sabbatical or the treatment insurance won’t touch. They’re not indulgent — they’re maintenance on your most important asset: you.

Jessica:  One concept is to think about health as a form of wealth. We spend a lot of time focusing on financial capital, but your energy, physical wellbeing, emotional resilience and relationships often have a greater impact on quality of life than an extra percentage point of portfolio return. A strong financial plan should intentionally create room for preventive healthcare, exercise, meaningful experiences and the people who matter most. Second, define wealth broadly. Financial security is important, but true wealth is the intersection of purpose, health, relationships and financial resources. In the Women & Wealth community, we often talk about aligning money with what matters most. The goal is not simply to accumulate assets, but to create a life that reflects your values and gives you the freedom to spend your time, energy andresources in ways that bring fulfillment and impact. At its best, money is a tool. 

Austyn: Your health directly influences healthcare costs, longevity, quality of life and the ability to remain active and independent. Budget for preventive care, fitness, nutrition and wellness activities just as you would for insurance or investments. Consider long-term care planning and healthcare funding strategies early, particularly when longevity runs in your family history.

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