And Why I’m Not Letting It Happen to You
I’ve worked in brand and content my entire career. I’ve told Emmy-winning stories, crafted powerful stories for iconic brands like Mattel’s Barbie and Sundance, and led high-performing creative teams. But it wasn’t until I joined PensionBee—a retirement provider—that I realized I had made a massive financial mistake.
For nearly a decade, I didn’t save for retirement. Not a single dollar.
It wasn’t because I didn’t care. I had a 401(k) at every corporate job I held before I became a mother. But when I had my first child, everything shifted. I started freelancing and doing contract work so I could be more present—at drop-offs, dance recitals, and doctor appointments. Then came my second child, and while I had intended to go back in-house somewhere full time, my freelance chapter continued. It was flexible, I made a lot of money, and honestly, the only way I could show up the way I wanted to for my family.
But here’s what I didn’t know: That flexibility came at a long-term cost.
When I stepped back into a full-time staff role nine years later, I realized that I hadn’t contributed anything in almost ten years. Ten years of lost time. Ten years of missed compounding.
And I’m not alone.
This is what happens to millions of women—especially mothers—every single year.
One in four mothers takes a break from the full-time workforce. We downshift. We freelance. We pause. And retirement planning pauses right along with us. It’s one of the biggest—and most common—mistakes we make. The result is unsurprising: women retire with 30% less than men, on average. Thirty percent.
Let me say that another way: We earn less, we save less, we live longer—and we’re expected to figure it out. Spoiler alert - we don’t. Women are 80% more likely than men to be impoverished at age 65 and older, with women ages 75-79 being three times more likely to live in poverty during retirement.
That’s why I’m here.
