The Price of Parenthood: Why raising a family is more expensive than ever

For working moms, the rising cost of raising a family isn’t just a financial burden — it’s a daily source of stress that impacts careers, well-being, and the ability to plan for the future. In this episode, we dive into the rising financial pressures facing working parents today. From the skyrocketing costs of childcare, school supplies, summer camps, and college tuition to the everyday expenses of raising a family – the financial burden has never been higher. We speak with Kendra Cole, a PR professional and mother of three, about the crippling costs of summer camps across the U.S., with families shelling out thousands of dollars just to cover the school summer vacation. Meanwhile, wages haven’t kept pace with inflation, leaving many parents stretched thin as they try to provide stability for their children. We speak with MarketWatch personal finance reporter Venessa Wong on how parents are going into credit card debt to cover costs. And how she herself feels the pressure to start saving for her kids’ college education before they reach high school. And we speak with Priya Krishnan, chief transformation officer of Bright Horizons, about how some employers are trying to bolster their benefits to help offset some of these stressors, providing on-site childcare and backup childcare services.

You can listen to The Price of Parenthood: Why raising a family is more expensive than ever online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Price of Parenthood: Why raising a family is more expensive than ever is an episode from The Return.

This episode is 31:50 long.

This episode was published on Apr 5, 2025.

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