By Cathy Dolsen, Senior Vice President and Portfolio Credit Leader at Synchrony

Key Highlights:

• Talking to your daughter about money and financial health is important, especially before she needs to make high-stakes decisions about savings, budgeting and credit.
• Practical, shame-free financial education can start early and build over time, from everyday money moments in childhood to budgeting, credit scores and independence-building in young adulthood.
• Women’s financial health and women’s health are closely linked, with cited research highlighting widespread money-related stress and the relationship between financial strain and physical health.
• The Savvy Ladies helpline offers free, one-on-one financial guidance.

In this article in The News Gazette, Synchrony SVP and Portfolio Credit Leader Cathy Dolsen shares the importance of talking to your daughter about money and financial health.

Synchrony is proud to partner with Savvy Ladies, a nonprofit that provides women free one-on-one financial guidance.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What does “financial health is women’s health” mean?
A: Research shows that money-related stress and financial strain among women is linked with impacts to physical health, and conversations about women’s health and financial health should not be separate.

Q: When should parents start talking to kids about money?
A: Conversations about money should start early in childhood by weaving money talk into ordinary moments, well before a first job or first credit card.

Q: What money topics should be covered in teen years?
A: In teen years, conversations should focus on practical, shame-free basics such as budgeting, tracking spending, savings and understanding what a credit score is and why it matters later.

Q: What should money conversations focus on in young adulthood?
A: Money conversations should focus on protecting independence while building a life – discussing student loans, first apartments, first credit cards, building credit in their own name, keeping an emergency fund and reading documents before signing.

Q: What money topics should you address in your 30s and beyond?
A: Say out loud what’s often avoided: whose name is on the mortgage, what happens to credit in a divorce and what happens to retirement savings if someone pauses a career for caregiving.

Q: What if I’m not sure how to begin the conversation about money?
A: Start small with one honest conversation, a practical step, or a question asked without shame – and listening.

Q: Where can I learn more or get help?
A: The Savvy Ladies helpline gives free, one-on-one financial guidance: https://www.savvyladies.org/get-involved/.