deMauriac

05/18/2026

PSA: Nearly ALL abusive relationships include some level of financial abuse. Recognize red flags early.

Weather presenter Ruth Dodsworth’s ex-husband was jailed in 2021 for coercive control and stalking her. Even though he is now free, he was given a lifetime restraining order stopping him from contacting Ruth or their two children.

At times he would contact her up to 200 times a day while she was at work, but Ruth was unable to tell people the truth about her relationship. It took one extreme night for the police to become involved. Years on, Ruth is still learning to be fully free.

Financial abuse rarely starts with someone emptying your bank account. It usually starts with control.

🚩 “I’ll handle the finances.”
🚩 Restricting access to money or accounts
🚩 Monitoring every purchase
🚩 Ruining credit or forcing debt
🚩 Discouraging work or financial independence

Protect yourself by:
• Keeping some money in your own name
• Building your own credit
• Understanding all household finances
• Never signing documents you don’t understand
• Maintaining career skills, networks, and access to important records

Financial independence = safety, autonomy, and freedom of choice.

🎥 from

05/01/2026

Over $300 BILLION in charitable money is held in donor advised funds, and you may not control where it goes.

Fidelity Charitable and Vanguard Charitable, the two largest donor-advised fund providers, sit at the center of modern philanthropy, holding the largest market share of donor advised funds (in the ballbark of $80 BILLION...with a 😎. According to reports from The New York Times (and multiple other media outlets), both have restricted grants to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

So… whose money is it, really? When you contribute to a donor-advised fund, you may be giving up more control than you think. In today’s politically charged environment, that tradeoff matters.

👉Who decides which causes are “acceptable”?
👉What happens when your values don’t align with the sponsor’s policies?
👉And what alternatives exist if you want full control over your giving?

If you care about where your charitable dollars ACTUALLY end up, this story is worth your attention.

Fidelity and Vanguard have restricted donor-advised fund grants to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Learn why it’s happening, how DAFs work, and what alternatives donors have for charitable giving.

04/26/2026

“More than 20 million single women are homeowners, according to the NAR- an all-time high. And women aren’t just entering the market: They’re significantly outpacing men. While the majority of home buyers are married couples, 21% today are single women, compared to just 9% of single men.

Single women are buying homes in spite of — not because of — the system. Single-income households often appear riskier to lenders, and research shows women pay more for mortgages and face less favorable outcomes across the home-buying process.

The average mortgage rate on a new loan for female borrowers is about 3 basis points higher than for men, and women’s overall loan costs (including fees that are often paid at closing) are about 16 basis points higher, according to a 2024 research paper by Athena Tsouderou and Selale Tuzel, business professors at the University of Miami and University of Southern California, respectively.

Based on the current average 30-year fixed rate of 6.23%, a woman buying a $398,000 home with a 20% down payment could pay roughly $2,236 more in interest over the life of the loan, plus about $510 more in closing costs, compared to a man with the same profile.

Comparing similar home sales in the same markets, a 2022 Yale School of Management study found that women pay 1% to 2% more than men for the same property, and sell for 2% to 3% less.

The record number of home buyers is especially striking considering women have gone from being excluded from the market to becoming one of its fastest-growing forces. Before 1974, banks were allowed to require women to have a male co-signer to obtain a mortgage.

Women are outpacing men in homeownership in part because more are navigating life on their own, including after divorce, and prioritizing financial independence and stability, even if it means taking on the risk of buying solo, said Leah Bunning, a mortgage broker in West Palm Beach, Fla.

‘We have the choice to be financially independent. Fifty years ago, you couldn’t. As women, you needed a man to survive — you needed a man to get a mortgage, a credit card, bank account,’ Bunning said. ‘We don’t need men anymore.’”

✍️

04/18/2026

How is it possible that a billionaire like Jeff Bezos has a lower tax rate than the average American? The tax expert Ray Madoff joins columnist Ezra Klein to explain how the ultra-wealthy pay a disproportionately low amount of federal income taxes in comparison to their overall wealth.

🎥 from

04/16/2026

It was an absolute pleasure to speak to the ABWA - Crescent City Connections group today. In true Marigny deMauriac fashion, a photo wasn’t captured until the end, on the walk out of the restaurant. Thanks to Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar for hosting. The server in our room was AMAZING and we are pushing for her to get a raise STAT! 👏

Thanks, again, to those who attended and brought your A+ game today.

Happy Financial Literacy Month. 🎉

04/15/2026

“Despite the global instability caused by the Trump administration’s war in Iran, the markets are doing well. reveals what her Wall Street sources are telling her.”

Regardless of what happens in the world, rest-assured: someone is always profiting and traders will trade. Period.

🎥 from

03/31/2026

Join Marigny deMauriac for a Financial Literacy Month Executive Briefing for High Earners.

You’ve built the income. But rising income alone does not create financial freedom or generational legacy. In this focused presentation, we’ll expose the structural gaps that quietly prevent high earners from building lasting, generational wealth, even when you believe you’re doing “all the right things.”

This is not about budgeting.
This is about intentional financial design.

Who This Is For:
-Professionals earning $250K+
-Business owners
-Dual-income, high-performing households
-Anyone who feels financially successful, but strategically unsure

Most professionals accumulate accounts.
Very few build coordinated systems.

What We’ll Cover:
-The difference between investing and true wealth architecture
-Why high income without structure leads to inefficiency
-The hidden gaps that can quietly erode long-term wealth
-How strategic coordination changes EVERYTHING.

RSVP @ wbecsouth.org/event/power-hour-the-invisible-gap-what-stands-between-rising-income-true-wealth/

03/19/2026

Are you financially ready for life's shakeups?

Unexpected changes can alter your plans, but smart preparation helps create stability. What's your first step toward financial security?

03/17/2026

America’s retirement paradox: record highs…and rising hardship.

Retirement savings in the U.S. are booming. In 2025, balances climbed again:

• 401(k)s: +11% YoY
• 403(b)s: +13% YoY
• IRAs: +7%
(According to Fidelity)

That’s the third straight year of double-digit growth for workplace retirement accounts. But beneath the surface, a different story is unfolding.

➡️ Hardship withdrawals are rising. About 6% of 401(k) participants tapped their savings early last year, up from 4.8% in 2024 and now above pre-pandemic levels (Vanguard).

➡️ This isn’t just older workers. Nearly half (46%) of Gen Z savers report using hardship withdrawals to cover unexpected expenses or pay down debt.

What does this mean? Short-term financial pressure is starting to erode long-term financial security. And there’s a bigger structural issue. Only ~40% of working-age Americans even have access to a workplace retirement plan.

The result: a growing divide between those building wealth, and those forced to draw it down early. If you want to understand what’s driving this shift, and what it means for the future of retirement, read the full article below.

Retirement account balances in the US are rising at double-digit rates for some savers as financial insecurity for others drives hardship withdrawals.

03/17/2026

Longevity is a gift, and a financial challenge many women face. Longer lives mean retirement plans must stretch further, covering healthcare, lifestyle, and unexpected costs.

Building resilience means planning beyond savings: getting the most from Social Security, diversifying income, and preparing for life's twists.

How are you future-proofing your retirement?
Comment FUTURE PLAN to start the conversation.