Hi Reader ♥,

I have some exciting news to share: I'm featured in MoneySense Magazine!

The article is about how Canadian families are budgeting for kids' extracurricular activities—and why 32% are going into debt to fund them.

The reporter asked me: How should families budget? When should they draw the line? How can they cut costs?

But here's what kept coming up in our conversation: guilt.

Parents going into debt because saying no feels like failing their kids. Families paying more for tournament travel than their mortgage. A $3,000 registration fee for a 7-year-old's hockey team.

[Read the full MoneySense article here →]

The Pattern I Couldn't Stop Thinking About

After the interview, I realized something:

I don't have kids. But I see this exact same guilt-driven spending pattern everywhere:

• Parents overspending on activities they can't afford
• First-generation professionals sending money to aging parents reactively, never building their own security
• Successful women buying expensive holiday gifts to prove their worth, then starting January depleted

Same pattern. Different details. Same enemy: guilt.

So I wrote about it.

I connected the dots between the MoneySense conversation, my Breakfast Television appearance about the retirement talk with aging parents, and my recent newsletter about holiday spending.

The common thread? Guilt is the #1 enemy of good financial decisions.

Whether you're:

• Saying yes to an activity that creates financial stress
• Becoming everyone's retirement plan while sacrificing your own future
• Trying to buy connection through expensive gifts

...guilt is driving the decision. And guilt is a liar.

[Read my full take: What Do Kids' Activities, Aging Parents, and Holiday Gifts Have in Common—and Why It's Costing You Everything →]

The Reframe That Changes Everything

Financial boundaries aren't selfish—they're sustainable.

Saying no when something doesn't fit your financial reality isn't failing—it's teaching.

Protecting your own financial future isn't betrayal—it's necessary.

I break down exactly how to shift from guilt-driven decisions to intentional planning in the article. (Spoiler: The Bridge System™ makes guilt lose its power.)

Here's to making decisions from clarity, not guilt,

P.S. If you missed my Breakfast Television appearance about having the retirement conversation with aging parents, or my newsletter about holiday spending without going into debt—both are referenced in the new article. The pattern is everywhere and you can't unsee it.