What do you do when every financial plan you have ever been handed assumes there are two of you?

Pat Hankin spent her career in financial services and consulting, then found herself inside an online community of nearly half a million single parents, watching the same questions go unanswered over and over. So she wrote the book nobody had written. She is the author of The Field Guide for Single Parents, and about a quarter of it is money.

In this episode, Pat explains why the standard financial independence playbook breaks down in a one-adult household, why head of household is a better bracket than most single parents realize, which three expenses actually move the needle, and the housing decision that has to happen before the dissolution papers are signed. We also get into how to calculate what an hour of your life is genuinely worth, and how to start buying some of it back.

Chapters:

• 00:00 - The Single Mother Retirement Gap
• 01:54 - A Tax Code Built for Marriage
• 04:09 - Inside a Half-Million Parent Community
• 05:52 - Know Your Tax Rate First
• 07:23 - The Big Cuts
• 10:31 - Why Single Moms Hold Less Equity
• 12:20 - Fix Housing Before You Sign
• 14:33 - What Your Hour Is Actually Worth
• 18:33 - Small Automatic Savings Still Win
• 20:31 - Ask Your Employer for Help
• 22:52 - Work Optional as a Single Parent
• 28:12 - The Value of an Hour
• 31:36 - Case Study
• 35:13 - Head of Household, Two Ways
• 36:44 - Poverty Rates and Program Limits
• 39:01 - The System Was Built for Two

Escape The Clock Resources:

📖 The Book — https://escapetheclock.com/book

⬇️ The Planner — https://escapetheclock.com/toolkit

🎙️ The Podcast — https://escapetheclock.com/podcast

🤝 1:1 Help — https://escapetheclock.com/schedule

✉️ Free Weekly Insights — https://escapetheclock.com/subscribe

Episode References & Resources:

ℹ️ Single mothers' retirement and home equity gaps - Pew Research (2024) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/11/04/among-unmarried-adults-women-without-children-have-as-much-wealth-as-single-men/

ℹ️ Households headed by married couples - Census (2024) https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2024/families-living-arrangements.html

ℹ️ Marriage and divorce rates - CDC NCHS https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/marriage-divorce.htm

ℹ️ Retirement incentives and wealth gaps - MIT Sloan (2024) https://mitsloan.mit.edu/ideas-made-to-matter/how-retirement-saving-incentives-amplify-wealth-gaps-u-s

ℹ️ Median family income by type - Census https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-income-families.html

ℹ️ Childcare aid limit, 85% SMI - HHS https://childcareta.acf.hhs.gov/understanding-federal-eligibility-requirements

ℹ️ SNAP limit, 130% FPL - CRS https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/R42505

ℹ️ LIHEAP limit, 150% FPG - ACF https://liheapch.acf.gov/delivery/eligibility-houseincome.htm

Connect with Pat:

🌐 Website — https://pathankin.com

📘 The Field Guide for Single Parents — https://amzn.to/4g8ltDc

Support the podcast:

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This information is for educational purposes only and not financial advice. Consult a qualified professional for personalized guidance.

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