How to Know If You’re Saving “Enough” — And Why Most Women Already Are

Hey doll — let me ask you something real quick.

How many times have you asked yourself if you were doing enough?

Did I save enough?
Invest enough?
Show up enough?
Prepare enough?
Be enough?

If you’re like most high-achieving women I work with, your brain runs a constant checklist: double-checking, overthinking, overdelivering… and still crawling into bed at night wondering whether you did enough to secure the life you want.

And guess what?
That anxious “never enough” feeling doesn’t stop at your career, motherhood, or relationships.

It flows straight into your money.

Am I investing enough?
Am I setting my kids up enough?
Do I even have enough to feel safe?

Here’s the truth I wish every woman knew:

Most of us aren’t struggling with money problems. We’re struggling with clarity problems.

And clarity — not hustle, not spreadsheets, not perfection — is what creates real financial freedom.

So today, we’re breaking the “never enough” cycle. Because once you understand what your money is actually doing behind the scenes, you can stop obsessing… and start living.

The Real Crisis Isn’t Financial — It’s Emotional

Let’s zoom out.

We’re living in a world that practically begs women to panic. Every headline is:

• “Interest rates rising!”

• “Housing impossible!”

• “Recession incoming!”

• “Groceries up 30%!”

• “People need 50-year mortgages to afford a home!”
  

It’s exhausting.

And when the world tells you everything is harder… your brain automatically answers:

“I’m not doing enough.”

But here’s what I want you to hear, loud and clear:

The real crisis isn’t money — it’s the emotional load women carry about money.

So many women are:

• saving more than they realize

• investing more than they give themselves credit for

• doing everything “right”

• still feeling behind

Why?
Because we’ve never been taught what “enough” actually looks like.

My Era of Spreadsheet Obsession (…and Why It Didn’t Help)

In my 20s, I was freelancing, ambitious, and terrified.

I wanted to live big — travel, explore, enjoy life while I was young — but I also wanted to build wealth and be financially independent early. And the question that haunted me was:

How much is enough for later?
And how much is enough for now?

So I did what many of us high-achievers do.

I checked the numbers constantly.
I tweaked my spreadsheets daily.
I updated formulas like I was doing brain surgery.

And every time life felt chaotic, I clung to those spreadsheets like they were my emotional support cat.

But here’s the funny part…

Nothing I did in the spreadsheet changed my actual money reality.

My investments were compounding quietly whether I panicked or not.

And once I finally understood what my money was already doing, I was like…

“Wait. I’m actually doing REALLY well. Why was I spiraling?”

That moment changed everything.

Financial Freedom Isn’t Just a Number — It’s a Mindset Shift

Most people think financial freedom is:

• hitting a certain dollar amount

• retiring early

• or “never worrying about money again”

Nope.

Financial freedom is unlearning the scarcity mindset you were taught.

It’s knowing:

• what you have

• what it’s doing

• roughly where you're heading

• and whether you’re on track

When you define your version of enough — not society’s, not your parents’, not your fears — that’s when money stops being a cage and starts being a key.

That’s when confidence replaces panic.
That’s when clarity replaces overthinking.
That’s when you stop postponing a life you could actually afford right now.

Why Most Women Feel “Behind”… Even When They’re Not

Here’s what I see over and over:

Women who:

• invest consistently

• save regularly

• earn great money

• have a growing portfolio
  …yet still feel like they’re one step from financial disaster.
  

This isn’t because their finances are broken.

It’s because they’ve never been taught:

• how to assess progress

• how compound growth works

• what “enough” looks like

• how fees impact long-term wealth

• how inflation affects projections

We can’t feel safe in what we don’t understand.

But once you gain clarity?
Your entire nervous system calms down.

The Magic of Running a Simple Projection

Inside the episode, I walk through an example scenario using a compound interest calculator:

• $350,000 invested

• $1,500/month contributions

• 7% average annual return (after adjusting for inflation)

• 30 years of growth
  

Result?

Over $4.4 million in today’s dollars.

Not “theoretical” dollars that don’t account for inflation — today’s actual buying power.

Now, if we ran the same numbers at the raw 10% historical stock market return?

It jumps to over $9 million.

The difference?
Inflation — and the reason we adjust projections to reflect what money will feel like, not just what the literal number will be.

This is the kind of clarity that turns panic into empowerment.

But What About Advisor Fees? (A Million-Dollar Reminder)

If you’re paying a 1% advisory fee?

That same projection drops from $4.4M to roughly $3.5M.

That’s nearly a million dollars lost over 30 years… just from fees.

This is why understanding your investments matters.
This is why personal finance for women is emotional and mathematical.
This is why your portfolio deserves your attention.

And yes — you can absolutely understand it.

CTA: Want to see what fees you’re paying? Download my free guide:
“Three Essential Things Every Woman Should Know About Her Investments.”

Why Perfect Planning Doesn’t Exist (But Direction Does)

Life changes.
Jobs shift.
Kids arrive.
Priorities evolve.
Pandemics happen out of nowhere.

This is why financial clarity matters more than financial perfection.

You don’t need a flawless plan.
You need a flexible one.

When my husband and I realized LA wasn’t right for us anymore — new careers, new state, starting a family — clarity gave us confidence.

Because we already knew:

• what we had invested

• what our baseline expenses were

• how far ahead we were for retirement

• how much freedom we had to pivot

Clarity lets you move with power, not fear.

How to Know If You’re Actually Ahead (Most Women Are)

Here’s a mindset shift that changes everything:

You might already be saving more than you need to.

We ran projections at 65.
But what if you projected for age 55?

With the same numbers — $350k invested, $1,500 monthly, 7% return — the number becomes roughly $2.1 million.

Meaning?

You could hit your retirement number a decade early.

Early retirement becomes a possibility.
Lifestyle upgrades become available.
You can redirect money to:

• vacations

• home upgrades

• childcare

• health

• personal joy

• or simply… breathing room

Sometimes “enough” arrives sooner than you think.

Strong Takeaways to Hold Onto

Clarity is greater than precision.

Direction is greater than perfection.

Here are the truths I want you to walk away with today:

• You don't need to know exact numbers to know that you're on track.

• You need to know what direction you're headed.

• You need clarity on where you're trying to go.

• And you need to ground those feelings in real numbers.

So you can feel in control and take consistent action towards the life that you actually want.

You deserve to feel safe with your money.
You deserve to understand your investments.
You deserve to enjoy your life now, not “someday.”

Ready to Understand Your Portfolio Like a CEO?

If you’re investing but don’t understand where your money goes after you earn it — this is where your power returns.

Download my free Investing Essentials Guide
It walks you through:

• how your investments actually grow

• how to spot dangerous fees

• the three key forces driving your portfolio

• how much risk you're taking on

👉 buildwealthwithkatie.com/investingessentials

And as always — DM me on Instagram @buildwealthwithkatie and tell me what “enough” looks like for you. Because once you define it, your whole life expands.