#284- Solving the Financial Planning Gaps for Child-Free Clients with Dr. Zay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP®
Solving the Financial Planning Gaps for Child-Free Clients with Dr. Zay Zigmont, PhD, MBA, CFP®
Kathleen and Amy speak with Dr. Jay Zigmont, PhD, CFP®, founder of Child Free Wealth and Child Free Trust, a fiduciary solution built specifically for the growing population of adults without children. Dr. Zigmont is on a mission to address what he calls the “fiduciary void” for the roughly 25% of U.S. adults who are child-free yet are still served by an industry that typically assumes every client has (or will have) kids.
Jay shares his personal path from healthcare leadership and academia to financial planning, and what he discovered while earning his CFP®: the standard planning “life script” is baked into the education, tools, and assumptions of our profession. That insight led him to research child-free households, write books on the topic, and ultimately build a planning model aligned with child-free client goals—including a flat annual fee structure designed to eliminate conflicts that can arise when clients want to intentionally spend down assets.
We discuss:
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Why traditional AUM pricing can clash with “Die With Zero” goals
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How Jay uses a “Die With Zero Safety Net” approach, including long-term care planning, delayed Social Security, and a lower Monte Carlo target paired with ongoing adjustments
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The estate planning reality for child-free adults—why many don’t have documents in place, and how the system assumes a next-of-kin safety net
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How Child Free Trust works as a nationwide backstop for medical and financial decision-making (POA, executor, trustee), coordinated with care teams and 24/7 support
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Why long-term care planning is a fiduciary responsibility for every advisor—especially for solo agers—and how clients weigh self-insuring vs. standalone coverage
This episode is a practical, thought-provoking look at how our planning process, tools, and business models may need to evolve to better serve a large (and growing) segment of clients—particularly those navigating retirement and aging without children.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jayzigmont/
