Of all life's financial shocks, few compare to bringing home an infant. Just one tiny person costs $250,000 to raise-not including college! How will you pay for it? That agonizing question fuels mothers' choices about their careers, budgets, and families. Some lean in, some scale back or seek new opportunities-there are no easy answers...but lots of rewarding possibilities. This guide explores how women today are navigating the financially challenging career/parenting years. Written by a national money columnist and mom of two, the book chronicles people who have stayed in the game-full-time, freelance, self-employed, and more-and emerged more prosperous and empowered. It mines their experiences to uncover both career advice and spending and savings strategies that everyone can use.