Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Danielle Mccarthy. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Danielle, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s kick things off with your mission – what is it and what’s the story behind why it’s your mission?

After the death of my husband, I was left financially devestated. We followed all the “good advice” and standard financial advice presented to middle income America by financial professionals. I could not understand how or why I was in this circumstance. As I traversed the widow journey and learned more about money, the financial industry, and the unbelievable numbers of widows who will live in poverty, I knew what my mission and legacy needed to become!

Fifty percent, 50%, of widows will live in poverty, regardless of the age they become widowed. This is deeply concerning to me, I was one of them. This is wholly unacceptable to my mind and heart. I have worked with widows, thorough a non-profit, during their first year journey. Not from a financial perspective, but as a fellow traveler who knows the path and to be a safe presence, an understanding friend and guide. As I have come through my journey, I discovered a financial company that aligned with my values and offered education to their clients, as well as anyone who would be interested. As a retired educator, this spoke to my heart.

We do not have a financial problem in America, we have an educational problem. Schools stopped teaching personal finance, economics, personal relationships, how to be a good person, and how to do this thing called life.

My mission is to educate as many people as possible about money, how to protect wealth, and most importantly how to ensure their loved ones are taken care of financially after their death. I want to drop the awful statistic of widows living in poverty. My legacy, my hope, is money education for all & protecting families.

Danielle, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am tremendously proud of the influence I have on those around me through kindness. I am extremely proud of my strength, resilience, and compassion. I discovered even deeper depths of all these characteristics through an extra ordinary experience related to my husband’s death.

I came into the financial industry, after the death of my husband. Despite my husband and myself doing everything right and following common financial advice, I found myself financially devastated. I discovered an event called Wine, Women, & Wealth® from Five Rings Financial. Through the event and the strong education approach, I found information I was missing. I also noticed how many other women around me who were not aware of this information. I went to another event called Money 101, I noticed a room of 50+ individuals who were as engrossed in the information as I was; I joined that night! I joined Five Rings Financial not knowing a whole lot, other than I wanted to learn and share all I was learning.

I provide families with peace of mind and wealth protection, as well as a financial means to care for their families after death. I provide financial education to middle Americans, especially those that feel as if they missed this information. Living Benefits life insurance is a game changer, as well. Individuals are more eight time likely to have a cancer, stroke, or heart attack diagnosis and survive, yet they will be left financially devastated or medically bankrupt. I can provide a financial vehicle that may prevent such financial devastation to a family. Additionally, I am on a mission to stop widows being in financial poverty at some point in their life, after the loss of their spouse. What sets me apart: my kindness, my ability to provide financial education that empowers and encourages my clientele to feel competent and confident in their financial decisions.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

I am insatiably curious, as such I am an avid reader. I usually have several books in progress, at any time. Books have always been a form of entertainment, escape, learning, and life line. My favorite quote alights my bibliophile personality, “Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a fortune.,” Jim Rohn. Ask any of my friends, colleagues, or family members I recommend a book in almost every conversation. I am a fan of books on leadership, business, money, self help, habits, work flow/productivity, biographies, and finance.

Dare to Lead; Daring Greatly, Rising Strong – Brene Brown
Rich Dad, Poor Dad; Cash Flow Quadrant- Robert Kiyosaki
Mony Master the Game; Awaken the Giant Within; Life Force; Unshakeable – Tony Robbins
Key Person of Interest- Kevin Harrington & Daniel Priestly
Any and all books written by John Maxwell
Atomic Habits – James Clear
High Performance Habits- Brendon Burchard
You Can Heal Your Life- Louise Hay
Seat of the Soul- Gary Zukav
Surrender Experiment by Michael Singer
These are just to name a few!

“Leaders are readers,” Harry S. Truman.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

My resilience can be easily illustrated through the following links.

https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/struggle-recover-funeral-home-stolen-remains/73-9654d86e-2987-4f75-b5c6-d433df31754f

https://www.9news.com/video/news/local/next/next-with-kyle-clark/6-years-after-his-death-woman-is-finally-able-to-bury-her-husband/73-85eb5f3d-67b0-460e-bed2-10f61e39b3af

Walking the journey illustrated in the above links taught me a depth and breadth of strength, the force of resilience, and the skill of compassion for all. Death, grief, and trauma are not easy conversations, most individuals will avoid at all costs. Yet, we, as a society, find true crime podcasts as entertainment, it is not entertaining when it is your life. My hope by sharing my story is to bring awareness and conversations to these topics.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.fiveringsfinancial.com/
• Instagram: @iamdaniellemccarthy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielle.mccarthy.39 & https://www.facebook.com/NotYourTypicalFinancialGal
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-mccarthy-292b2483/

Image Credits

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