What Is Enough? with Melissa Yano

Melissa Yano didn’t get into financial planning because it was some lifelong dream.

She got into it because she thought she needed it as a young single mom.

Growing up, money was a source of stress and wasn’t talked about. It wasn’t something that was taught but she thought it was something she should learn so she started taking the financial planning classes and kept going.

She enrolled in a CFP program because she wanted and needed those skills for herself. She then wanted to help others with the knowledge and skills that she had learned. She knew that this information could make a difference in people’s lives.

Today, Melissa owns her own firm, Capital Wealth Planners, and primarily works with small business owners — many of them women who are the primary breadwinners in their families like she is. She understands them deeply because she had to learn how to run her own business too. She wasn’t trying to become a business expert — she had to become one.

In this conversation, we talk about:

• Why money is a learned skill (and why no one should feel embarrassed about not knowing it)
• The pressure women feel in this industry to prove themselves
• Choosing depth over scale
• Letting go of “more is better”
• And defining what “enough” really looks like

Melissa loves the impact she has on her clients’ lives. She helps business owners move from just trying to make ends meet… to being strategic, intentional, and building something that supports both today and their future.

There is always more to learn in this profession. And there is always more room to grow — not just financially, but personally.

This conversation felt honest and steady. I could relate to so many of the things Melissa said. I hope the episode gives you permission to build your practice — and your life — in a way that truly fits you.

Episode Highlights

• Melissa’s path into financial planning as a single mom who needed and wanted the skills for herself
• Growing up without conversations about money — and how that shaped her mission
• Why money is a learned skill, not a moral judgment
• Becoming a business owner — and realizing she had to learn how to run one and once again wanting to share that knowledge and expertise
• Working with small business owners who are often just trying to “keep the doors open”
• Helping clients shift from reactive to strategic
• The unique pressures women face in a male-dominated industry
• Choosing a smaller, deeper practice instead of chasing scale
• Delegating, outsourcing, and creating margin for herself
• Defining what “enough” looks like — personally and professionally