What does that mean to you?
AUTHOR: Michelle Petrowski, CFP®, CDFA®
CREATING THE LIFE YOU WANT TO LIVE
Does this sound like you?
You’ve worked hard to build your career, maybe in tech like I did - long hours, demanding projects, and high-pressure environments; maybe navigating an industry that often wasn’t designed with women in mind —all while managing life outside of work.
You’ve earned a great income, and maybe you have stock options or a solid 401(k), but with that success comes a unique set of financial challenges—equity compensation, tax complexities, concentrated stock positions, and the constant juggle of career, personal fulfillment, travel and family.
You may be asking yourself things like
💡 How do I plan for my future while juggling everything else?
💡 How can I leave a job that I hate, move to Greenland to live with my boyfriend and start my next chapter?
💡 Can I afford to move abroad and seek employment in Italy?
💡 Can I afford time time-off and have a baby?
and you may still feel like you're just winging it
If you’re the primary breadwinner, that pressure is even heavier. You might be wondering:
💡 Am I making the most of my equity compensation?
💡 Can I afford to take a step back or pivot to something more fulfilling?
💡How do I balance my financial goals with my family’s needs?
💡 Am I on track for long-term wealth, or am I missing opportunities?
I get it—because I’ve been there.
HOW I INVENTED MY LIFE ON MY TERMS - finding grace and ease
For over 20+ years, I enjoyed a successful career in tech. I remember being a single mother on call 24/7 with an absent-tee ex-husband, scrambling to figure out how I could afford babysitting with someone I trusted (maybe a nanny?), while balancing the demands of my job. But I knew my value and what I wanted for my daughter. Luckily at this juncture, I pressed forward and I was able to negotiate the first telecommuting agreement for my division in tech for 2 days a week within Chase. This was 1995, the internet had just arrived on the scene, and it was dial-up - Hello AOL!
Later when I remarried, as part of a dual-income household, I wanted to work part-time to create more “balance” (there’s that word ) when I had my son, but I struggled with how to make that financially possible. To be real, my husband was not about me leaving my job at all. “How would we manage on one income?”, he asked. But I knew I had to find a way and would. And I did.
At the time I was no longer at Chase. But while on maternity leave from my new employer, I was able to negotiate the first fully telecommuting agreement with my previous employer Chase and this time it was part-time) I only worked 3 days a week! SCORE!!
Years later it was 2005. Chase merged with Bank One and the culture shock was untenable. I always valued turning over quality deliverables, that didn’t get generate calls in the middle of the night and actually did something that benefited our internal business clients and bank customers; not this "multi-phase" BS that we were now working with after the merger. It was so bad that I actually felt guilty to get paid. The crazy thing is, I was working only 3 days a week at this, totally from home and supporting cross functional teams. I got to be class mom, attend field trips and serve on the school board. All the things I wanted. Career-wise I later transitioned from a project managing / software engineer role to a business analyst after my system was migrated, and eventually I was offered a position in which I would go from business analyst to tester, which did not align with my career goals at all. Perhaps this was because I wouldn’t return to full-time status, but I wasn’t really ready to give up that life of freedom I had created and go back to the full-time grind.
When I told my colleague Tom H. that I was considering a career transition, even though I only worked 3 days a week, made good money, and a tester role would be less stress, he said, “So what you are telling me is you can be a prostitute, but you can’t be a whore!”.
YES! I was prostituting my values for a paycheck for far too long. I’m not going to lie, the self-talk, guilt and self-shaming was loud, “Do you know how lucky you are?” “Do you know how many women wish they were in your shoes?” “Wow, you sound ungrateful”. To be honest I felt that to continue this way, to compromise myself, my career and what I was capable of would be whoring myself out. Why was it wrong to want to create, to invent and seek the life I wanted to live, even if it was against conventional norms and a position that many women wish that they had?
I knew I had to leave but to do what? When I finally decided to leave tech to start a new career as a Certified Financial Planner in 2008, I had to navigate a massive financial transition—going back to school, leaving a stable paycheck, and trusting that I could create something meaningful for myself and other women and families.
So, I know the weight of being the “responsible one.” The one who makes sure the bills are paid, the retirement accounts are funded, the household runs smoothly. The one who stays in the high-paying but exhausting job because what would happen if I didn’t? The one who tries to find “balance” between family and career, to forge my own path that aligns with my values.
I was financially prepared, thanks to the guidance my grandfather given me when I was 14 on creating "margin" which allowed me to make these choices.
Ultimately, I became a financial planner because I saw a gap—women needed financial guidance from someone who truly understood their world. As a breadwinner woman, you deserve a partner who can help you take control of your wealth, create a clear strategy, and open up new possibilities for your future.
Let’s dream together!
TIPS FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER
These are a few things that I have learned and that have served me well over the years:
- Know your values & priorities (be true to yourself)
- Know your worth
- Know what you are willing to give up
- Know what you need (what are those non-negotiables)
- Create a plan - that addresses taxation of exec comp and concentrated positions
- Have an emergency fund
- Limit your debt
- Front loading your retirement before you have additional responsibilities like a spouse, family, a home can be a game changer
According to CNBC article, various studies cite that 80% of women will be the primary financial decision-makers in their lives either by choice or not (divorce or widowhood). So we need to be prepared.
HOW I CAN HELP
When we work together, we focus on:
✔️ Making the Most of Your Money – Optimizing your equity compensation, maximizing saving opportunities, diversifying your investments, and reducing unnecessary taxes.
✔️ Creating More Freedom – We’ll align your money with your values. Whether it’s funding a sabbatical, outsourcing household tasks, or preparing for a career shift, we plan for what really matters to you.
✔️ Long-Term Financial Confidence – Building sustainable wealth that supports your lifestyle today and secures your future.
I know firsthand how powerful financial clarity can be—it gives you choices. The choice to step back, to pivot, to breathe. To focus on your career and your family without feeling stretched thin. To build the life you want, on your terms.
I know this because I’ve lived it.
HOW TO GET STARTED
📅 Schedule a 20 minute "Financial Next Steps" Consultation – because you deserve a financial plan that works as hard as you do.
If you value a mentor, want a thought partner, and accountability…
If you’re ready to start creating a financial plan that supports the life you actually want…
let’s talk.
We’ll schedule a complimentary virtual 20-minute conversation so that I can understand what’s important to you and what you may be struggling with. If we seem like a good fit and it makes sense, we’ll schedule a longer 60-minute discovery call. If not, I’d be happy to make a referral to another professional or a resource
At that next meeting, I’ll explain my services and present 1-2 options in which we can work together in order to accomplish your goal(s) or address your concerns; this includes my suggested recommendation based on what I’ve seen work as well as a lesser one.
Then you decide if that makes sense and how to proceed. No hassles, no obligation, no guilt.
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