The Healthy Advisor: The Toll of Caregiving with Melissa Caro

In 2018, Melissa Caro’s perfectly healthy 72-year-old mother was suddenly diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer, and within 24 hours she became her sole caregiver, her financial planner, her life coach and her healthcare advocate. At the same time, her 87-year-old stepdad was falling apart and spiraling into dementia, and her husband was in the hospital with severe back problems. As a Type A personality, she struggled significantly during this time. During one doctor’s visit for her mother, a nurse reminded her to take care of herself. In this episode of The Healthy Advisor, host Diana Britton speaks with Caro, founder of My Retirement Network, a financial education resource for clients and the advisors who serve them, on how she navigated caregiving while managing her career and other responsibilities. She discusses the emotional complexity of caregiving, the gap in financial literacy for those without advisors, and how her experience shaped her mission to help people understand their finances during life’s most challenging moments. She discusses: Her journey into financial services The sudden shift from professional routine to full-time caregiving The financial, physical and emotional toll caregiving can have on a person The things that helped her cope and get through the struggling times How financial fear intensifies during illnesses How her caregiving experience shaped the work she does today with My Retirement Network How personal loss can help advisors listen, communicate and frame their role with clients Resources: Listen to The Healthy Advisor on Wealth Management Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Apple Podcasts Subscribe and listen to The Healthy Advisor on Spotify Connect With Melissa Caro: LinkedIn: Melissa Caro LinkedIn: My Retirement Network Website: My Retirement Network [email protected] Connect with Wealth Management: Wealth Management LinkedIn: Diana Britton [email protected] LinkedIn: Informa LinkedIn: Wealth Management About Our Guest: Melissa Caro is a Certified Financial Education Instructor, CFP, and the founder of My Retirement Network, a digital media platform dedicated to promoting financial literacy. With a mission rooted in the belief that knowledge empowers people to create the future they envision, Melissa brings decades of experience in finance and education to her work. She has witnessed firsthand the positive impact that understanding finances can have on people’s lives, far beyond just numbers. Melissa’s goal is to make financial literacy accessible and meaningful for everyone. My Retirement Network was created to bridge the gap between complex financial concepts and the everyday decisions that shape financial futures. The platform empowers individuals at every stage, whether they’re planning for retirement, starting a career, or teaching their children about money, to understand and take control of their financial well-being. Through education and awareness, Melissa supports people on their journey to building a stronger, more informed financial foundation.