In this episode, Jodi turns the tables and interviews Wendy about what financial planning really is, and why an investment advisor and a financial planner are not the same thing. Wendy explains the Certified Financial Planner designation, the "cleaning out the closet" approach to bringing order to a messy financial life, and the money mindset we all absorbed as kids that quietly runs the show.

They dig into why people feel judged or "behind," why there's no such thing as too late (you can absolutely start a plan at 55), and why rules of thumb like "you'll need 70% of your income" can be dangerously wrong for owners. Wendy walks through reverse-engineering your "life after work" from the number you'll actually need, the role your business plays in funding it, and where AI falls short. Then Susie's story takes a turn and Wendy shows how key person insurance, corporate structure, and adequate coverage can be the difference between a grieving family that has time and one that's forced back to work too soon.

This one's about the numbers, and they're sobering. Half of all business transitions are involuntary, driven by one of the four Ds: death, divorce, disability, or disagreement. Roughly 76% of owners intend to sell or transition within seven to eight years, yet only about 9% have a plan. More than half of Canadians don't even have a will.

Wendy and Jodi unpack what that actually costs the people left behind: out-of-date beneficiaries, assets no one knew existed, common-law partners who may be entitled to nothing, and the tax traps hiding inside a "fair" 50/50 split. Jodi shares the personal loss that launched Your Business Executor and what her family learned the hard way about being locked out as non-executors. You'll also learn why your lawyer, accountant, and financial planner are four separate "islands", and why none of them holds the operational plan your family will desperately need. The episode ends with the simplest possible first step: start educating yourself tonight.

Welcome to the series about the two things nobody wants to talk about — and every business owner needs to. In this opening episode, hosts Wendy Brookhouse and Jodi Laking introduce themselves, the show, and the reason it exists: business owners are dangerously unprepared for the day they can't show up for their business, and the planning most of us avoid is exactly what protects our families and everything we've built.

Wendy shares her "bus" analogy for moving a spouse from back-seat passenger to ready-to-take-the-keys, and the pair introduce Susie — the fictional-but-familiar owner whose journey runs through the whole series. You'll hear why people plan their vacations more thoroughly than their estates, why that has to change, and how AI fits in (a helpful tool, never a replacement for the professionals who actually know you). Consider this your friendly on-ramp to the next 11 episodes.