A Backyard ADU Story: How One Family Built a Multigenerational Home Together

The Multi-Gen Finance Workshop- Details Here

This week's episode is a short one, and that is intentional. I wanted to come straight to you with something I think could genuinely change the conversation your family is having right now. If you have been thinking about creating a multi-generational home but keep getting stuck on the money side of things, this workshop was built for exactly that moment. On May 14th, I am hosting the Multi-Gen Finance Workshop live on Zoom with my mortgage lender partner Michael Pankow. Michael and I are both Certified Senior Advisors, and we approach family financial solutions the same way: creatively, practically, and with your whole picture in mind. What we will cover: Non-lender financing options, including family contributions, shared equity agreements, and rental income strategies Traditional and non-traditional loan products: conventional mortgages, bank statement loans, construction loans, reverse mortgages, cash-out refinances, VA loans, FHA loans, and more. Which financing paths work best depending on your credit, savings, employment type, and monthly budget goals Whether your family is just starting to explore this or you have been circling the idea for a while, this is the place to finally understand what is actually available to you. Workshop Details Date: Thursday, May 14th Time: 11 a.m. Pacific / 2 p.m. Eastern Format: Live on Zoom Cost: Free REGISTER HERE: https://juliford.myflodesk.com/finance [https://juliford.myflodesk.com/finance] This episode is brought to you by the MultiGen Money Guide. If you have been thinking about combining households, the guide walks you through every financial decision to make before anyone signs anything. Ownership options, financing paths, and the conversations that protect everyone. Get it at juliford.com/multi-gen [http://juliford.com/multi-gen]. Connect with Juli Website: juliford.com [http://juliford.com] Email: juli@juliford.com [juli@juliford.com] Instagram: @itsjuliford

The Home Sale That Went Wrong: What Older Adults and Their Families Need to Know

This episode is one I almost didn't record. It's a true story about someone I know, and it did not have a happy ending. I'm sharing it anyway because I believe it could protect someone you love. In this episode, I walk through a real situation involving a woman I worked with years ago who recently sold her home under circumstances that were far from ideal. She was ill, isolated, and was approached by a neighbor who happened to be a real estate agent with a cash buyer in hand. She signed the offer without counsel. She closed without the legal protections that could have safeguarded her home equity and her future care. By the time I found out, it was too late to go back. What you'll hear in this episode: Why your primary residence carries legal protections that your home sale proceeds do not, and why that distinction matters enormously for older adults  The difference between having a real estate agent and having a real estate agent who actually understands what aging clients need What a Certified Senior Advisor® designation means, why I pursued it, and why a quick one-day certification is not the same thing The one question that I believe every professional, neighbor, and family member should ask before an older adult moves forward with a home sale Why I always slow the conversation down and start with where someone is going, not what they are selling Resources and professionals you should have in your network before a transition like this ever arises, including elder law attorneys and your local Council on Aging Who should be listening to this episode: If you are an older adult, a family member or friend of one, or a professional who works with older adults, especially in real estate, this one is for you. This is not a comfortable episode. But I believe someone out there needs to hear it. Resources mentioned: Elder law attorney referral: reach out to Juli directly at juliford.com [http://juliford.com] Council on Aging: search your county or municipality for your local COA Certified Senior Advisor® (CSA®) credential: csa.us [http://csa.us] Seniors Real Estate Specialist (SRES): designation offered through the National Association of Realtors Connect with Juli: Website: juliford.com [http://juliford.com] Instagram: @itsjuliford If you found this episode valuable, please share it with someone who has an aging parent, an older neighbor, or anyone navigating a home transition without much support. Following and subscribing helps more people find the show.

A Backyard ADU Story: How One Family Built a Multigenerational Home Together

When Rhea and her wife Abi could not find a home that worked in Massachusetts’ highly competitive housing markets , they made a different choice. Abi's parents had 1.7 acres, a hill, and an idea. What followed was a brand new ADU built from foundation to staged in 110 days, and a family bond that grew stronger in the process. Juli sat down with her niece Rhea right in the beautiful new kitchen to have a real, unscripted conversation about what this path actually looks like, from the first family conversation to move-in day. What You Will Hear in This Episode * How the idea started and what the early conversations with Abi's parents sounded like * The $40,000 budget shift that came from a setback requirement, and how they got creative to make up the difference * The 110-day build timeline and how the family saved roughly $35,000 through sweat equity, including clearing 200 trees and laying their own floors * How they financed the build using a combination of a home equity line of credit, construction loans, personal loans, and individual savings * The conversations they had with Abi's brother about what this arrangement means for the family long term * What Rhea wishes more people understood about the stigma around this choice, and why she says it is not moving backward, it is just succeeding in a different way RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED Multi-Gen Money Guide: juliford.com/multi-gen [http://juliford.com/multi-gen] Free multigenerational home financing workshop coming in May: sign up at juliford.com [http://juliford.com] to be notified when registration opens ABOUT THE GUEST Rhea Creighton-Ford is Juli's niece and a recent first-time homeowner who built a backyard ADU on her in-laws' property alongside her wife Abi and Abi's parents, Terry and Kevin. juliford.com/multi-gen [http://juliford.com/multi-gen] | @itsjuliford on Instagram | juliford.com [http://juliford.com]

Reimagining Life (and YOU) After Work with Gregg Lunceford

What if everything you thought you knew about retirement was built on an outdated model designed for a life expectancy that no longer exists? That is the question at the center of this conversation, and the answer might surprise you. Gregg Lunceford is a Managing Director and Wealth Advisor at Mesirow Wealth Management with over 33 years of experience in financial services. But what makes him truly unique is this: in the middle of a successful career, he went back to school and earned his PhD specifically to study what people actually experience when they transition out of work. Not just the financial side. The human side. He is also the author of Exit from Work: What Will the New You Look Like? and today he is sharing some of the most important ideas from that book. In this episode we talk about: * Why 65 is an arbitrary retirement age that was set when the average person did not live past their early 60s * Why the IRS already assumes you will live to 90, which means retiring in your 60s puts you closer to middle age than old age * The difference between retiring FROM something and retiring TO something * Why this is the only life transition that comes without a guidance counselor, a mentor, or a plan * How the Golden Girls actually modeled one of the most financially and socially smart living arrangements for this stage of life * The growing movement of university-based retirement communities and why they are worth knowing about * How multi-generational living fits into the bigger picture of building a rich third age and how multi-generational friendships are critical to thriving through all stages of life The way Gregg speaks of the idea of the Third Age will stay with me. We are living longer, we are need to stay healthier longer, and most of us still have so much to give. The question is whether we are going to drift into this chapter or design it. This episode is for you if you are anywhere near 50 or beyond and starting to wonder what comes next. LINKS AND RESOURCES Gregg's book, Exit from Work: What Will the New You Look Like?  https://a.co/d/07eL72SP [https://a.co/d/07eL72SP] Connect with and learn more about Gregg Lunceford at Mesirow Wealth Management: https://www.mesirow.com/bio/gregg-lunceford [https://www.mesirow.com/bio/gregg-lunceford] Multi-Gen Living Guide. Toolkit, and Money Guide: juliford.com/multi-gen [http://juliford.com/multi-gen] Work with Juli: juliford.com [http://juliford.com] Follow Juli on Instagram: @itsjuliford [https://www.instagram.com/itsjuliford]

Put on Whatever Pants Fit

Juli just returned from speaking at Rise Retreat in Scottsdale, Arizona and she cannot stop thinking about what happened in that room. This episode is her reflection on what it means to step into your leadership, your authority, and your full self at this stage of life. Whether you are navigating multi-generational living, rebuilding your business after your kids leave home, or just trying to get out of your own way, this one is for you. WHAT JULI COVERS IN THIS EPISODE Last year at Rise Retreat, Juli felt completely out of place. She barely knew anyone. She was at a crossroads in her business and honestly questioning whether she belonged there at all. This year she returned as a speaker to a room of over 300 women and everything was different. Not because she had changed on the outside, but because she stopped waiting until she felt ready and just showed up anyway. She shares the moment from her talk that she did not plan, the one about putting on whatever pants fit and getting out there and doing your life. And she shares why the response from women in that room, many of them with tears in their eyes, stayed with her. Because this is not just about real estate conferences. This is about every woman over 50 who is holding herself back because she does not feel like enough. Not thin enough, not young enough, not polished enough. And Juli talks about the real cost of that, not just for us, but for the people we are meant to serve and the lives we are meant to live. Here is what she knows to be true. Your experience and your authenticity at this stage of life are your superpower. The wisdom you carry, the decades behind you, the way you hold your family together in the sandwich generation, the way you show up in your home, your business, your community. That is leadership. And it is time to own it. WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR Women in their 50s, 60s, and 70s navigating major life transitions Women in the sandwich generation caring for aging parents while still raising or launching their own children Women exploring or living in multi-generational households Women rebuilding or relaunching a business in this chapter Anyone who has ever let how they look or how they feel about how they look keep them from showing up fully RESOURCES AND LINKS Juli Ford website: juliford.com [http://juliford.com] Multi-Gen Living Free Guide: juliford.com/multi-gen [http://juliford.com/multi-gen] Follow Juli on Instagram: @itsjuliford KEEP THE CONVERSATION GOING If this episode landed for you, share it with a woman in your life who is ready to step into her own leadership. And come back next week.