Ed Vargo — Empowering Women with Financial Confidence with Ed Vargo

Ed Vargo is the Co-Founder and CEO of Burning River Advisory Group and enlightenHer a community focused on financial mentorship for women. With more than 20 years in financial services, Ed helps women navigate long-term financial planning for all stages, including retirement and transitions related to divorce or spousal death. In this episode, I talk with Ed about empowering women to gain confidence and clarity around money. Ed shares how his mother’s financial struggles after divorce shaped his passion for helping women gain financial confidence. We discuss the challenges women face—like emotional attachments, societal biases, and confidence gaps—and how holistic financial planning can make a life-changing difference. Ed also highlights his approach to teaching healthy money values, both in his family and with clients, offering practical strategies for women navigating transitions like divorce or widowhood. In this episode: (00:00) - Intro (01:47) - Ed’s background and financial journey (09:18) - Behavioral differences in financial approaches (13:30) - The financial services industry and gender dynamics (25:27) - Creating teachable moments about money (28:09) - Impact of parental money conversations (30:26) - Challenges of modern parenting (32:44) - The role of financial advisors (34:02) - Holistic financial planning (38:48) - Navigating divorce financially (45:33) - Introducing enlightenHer Get full show notes and links at https://mindful.money.  Watch the episode on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@MindfulMoney.