But Who Will Take Care of You When You're Old?
FINANCIAL PLANNING FOR LIFE WITHOUT KIDS
The financial planning industry's entire playbook is based on people looking to build generational wealth. This is the book for the rest of us — enjoying our money during peak health years, figuring out healthcare outside of traditional employment but before Medicare, deciding what to do about their long-term care, estate planning without kids but maybe for pets... all from a CPA financial planner who's also childfree and living a non-traditional life.
Kelley C. Long, CPA/PFS, CFP® - from Wiley - February 2, 2027
A book for the rest of us.
Every financial planning book assumes if you don't have kids yet, that you're planning to, and therefore your goals default to buying a home, maybe taking time out of the workforce to raise your kids, saving for college, building a legacy, or retiring at 65 to hang out with your grandkids. When none of that applies, the standard advice ranges from irrelevant to quietly insulting — and the one annoying question everyone asks, "but who will take care of you when you're old?", gets treated like a gotcha instead of a planning problem with actual answers.
It has answers. This book walks through the technical ones — the accounts, the care costs, the tax strategy, the living arrangements — without the pronatalist assumptions baked into everything else on the shelf, and without pretending the emotional part isn't real too.
"This book is the guide I need to handle my finances without the fear, shame and judgement so prevalent in personal finance."
Chrissy King, Creator of The Body Liberation Project™ and Co-Founder of the Childfree Coven
"Being childfree already makes us rich in ways the world doesn't count. Rich in time, in freedom, in the people we choose. What we have never been handed is a financial plan that assumes any of that. Kelley Long wrote it, in language that actually makes sense and without the gatekeeping, and she gives permission to go off-script whether that came by choice or by circumstance."
- Rachel Cargle, author of A Renaissance of Our Own, founder of The Loveland Group and creator of Rich Auntie Supreme
"As someone who relates personally to this journey and professionally to values-based financial planning, I believe this is essential reading for both those navigating a child-free life and the financial professionals who serve them."
Amy Mullen, CFP® & President of Money Quotient, Inc.
“Most financial planning advice assumes children, grandchildren and a legacy to leave behind. Kelley asks a different and increasingly important question: What does a good financial life look like when children aren’t part of the plan? With equal parts expertise, candor and common sense, Kelley offers a thoughtful roadmap for using your money not simply to prepare for an uncertain future, but to live a richer, more intentional life today.”
-Robert Powell, CFP®, RMA®, Editor, finStream.tv
"A necessary guide to financial planning for non-parents. Get ready to revisit everything you think you know about saving for old age."
- Ruby Warrington, author of Women Without Kids
Pre-order your copy now!
Out February 2, 2027 from Wiley. Pre-orders help more than you'd think — they tell retailers this book has an audience.
Please consider purchasing through Bookshop.org, in support of independent, local booksellers. You may choose your own bookstore to support, or clicking the button above will route the sale through Elizabeth's Bookshop & Writing Centre, a Black-owned, woman-owned and queer-owned shop that's part of the Loveland Group providing mental health support to Black woman and non-binary individuals.
About the author
Hi! I'm Kelley Long...
I'm a CPA/PFS and CFP® in Tucson, and I write and speak about money for a living — you may have heard me narrating Calm's series on financial stress. I went through IVF, came out the other side childfree, and went looking for the book that would tell me how to actually plan for this life. It didn't exist. So I wrote it.
I've spent over twenty years helping people untangle their money from the stories they inherited about it. This book is that work, written specifically for the people my industry tends to forget.
I wrote this for women in mid-life who thought they might be moms some day, but for whatever reasons, are realizing it's not in the cards. But I also think there's something in here for everyone, regardless of gender identity, relationship status, or even if you happen to be a parent. I hope you find a nugget to help you on your own journey to finding financial bliss.
