When you speak to a man or a woman about money, they will use water visualizations. For men, it typically is a river. Money comes in; money goes out. The level rises; the level sinks. For women, when you talk about money, to her... it's a pond. It's a set amount. She husbands it, and it typically goes in one direction... which is down.

In our corporate culture, because someone may have to take some flexibility because of family issues, somehow we continue to believe they aren't fully dedicated.

I was lucky. My children didn't have health issues, didn't have big school problems, etc. And as I watched some of my peers go through this, you can see how quickly a family can get derailed when they are not lucky.

Facts are that the financial advisers on Wall Street today or anywhere depending on which firm, what point in time - 85 to 88 percent male, and that is part of why investing for women they tell us feels unapproachable because they don't see people who look like them.

If a woman is making $85,000 a year, putting aside 20% of her income, putting it in a bank, earning very little...Over the course of her life vs. investing, this can cost her $1.5 million, $2 million, $2.5 million. Life changing amounts.

The truth is, if you are a woman saving 10% of your income for retirement, and you put it in the bank account, your chances of retiring well - living on 90% of your pre-retirement income for your full life - is 0%.

If you haven't had a major fail in your career - face-plant level - you aren't trying hard enough.