The Intentional Divorce Library

Divorce comes with more financial questions than anyone expects. This is where you'll find real answers on asset division, budgeting, retirement, and the mistakes that quietly cost women the most, written by a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst who has helped clients navigate exactly what you're facing now.

No fluff, no fear tactics. Just the information you need to make clear-eyed decisions and protect the life you're building next.

Not sure where to start?

Every article here is written for a particular moment. Start with the stage that matches where you are, and you will find the handful of pieces that actually apply to you.

Browsing by topic instead? Every category is listed in the sidebar, from QDROs and the family home to co-parenting and life after divorce.

How to Protect Yourself Financially When Divorcing a Narcissist asset division certified divorce financial analyst co-parenting divorce coach divorce financial planning financial abuse kids and divorce life after divorce ohio divorce preparing for divorce

If you are divorcing a narcissist, you already know that this is not a normal divorce.

Normal divorce is hard. Divorcing a narcissist is something else entirely. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the hidden assets, the refusal to settle reasonably, the way they can make you question your own memory...

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Divorce After 50: Challenges and Survival Tips for a Gray Divorce alimony/spousal support certified divorce financial analyst divorce after 50 divorce coach divorce financial planning gray divorce life after divorce ohio divorce preparing for divorce

Divorce after 50 is not just a legal and financial event. It is a life earthquake.

You are dismantling a life you built over decades. Your social circle may split. Your identity as part of a couple changes overnight. The future you planned together suddenly needs to be rebuilt from scratch — on you...

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Healing After Divorce: Why Community Is the Missing Piece divorce coach divorce support groups life after divorce preparing for divorce

This blog post was written by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach.

Have you ever noticed the incredible relief that comes from realizing you are not alone in your struggles? Knowing that others have faced similar challenges can be immensely comforting, especially when it feels like your loved on...

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After Divorce Checklist: The Essential Steps to Take Once Your Divorce Is Final budgeting certified divorce financial analyst financial planning health insurance life after divorce life insurance ohio divorce preparing for divorce qdro retirement accounts in divorce taxes

Your divorce is final. You made it through.

Now comes the part nobody warned you about — the long list of practical things that need to happen before your new life actually starts. Accounts to close. Documents to update. Insurance to sort out. A budget that reflects your real life now, not the one y...

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Filing Taxes During a Divorce: What You Need to Know alimony/spousal support certified divorce financial analyst child support divorce after 50 divorce financial planning going through divorce gray divorce life after divorce preparing for divorce taxes

Taxes are probably the last thing you want to think about when you are in the middle of a divorce. But getting this wrong can cost you real money. And the rules are more nuanced than most people realize.

I get tax questions from clients constantly, especially around filing status. So let me walk thr...

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Why Divorce Attorneys Bring in a CDFA: 3 Real Cases certified divorce financial analyst collaborative divorce divorce financial planning going through divorce

This post is written for divorce attorneys and other professionals. If you are going through a divorce yourself, our guide to collaborative divorce and mediation is a better place to start.

When a CDFA and a divorce attorney work a case together, the client gets a settlement that is documented accu...

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Best Co-Parenting Apps: 10 Compared co-parenting kids and divorce

The best co-parenting app is the one both parents will actually use. If your communication is broadly civil, a shared calendar may be all you need. If it is contentious, or if anything might end up in front of a judge, choose a platform that keeps an unalterable record: OurFamilyWizard and TalkingPa...

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A Checklist for Preparing to File Taxes After a Divorce life after divorce taxes

There's that famous quote by Benjamin Franklin about how nothing is certain but taxes or death. Regardless of your previous involvement with tax preparation, your tax situation has likely changed if you're on your own for the first time in a while. And there's no avoiding it; your taxes will need to...

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Is an Amicable Divorce Possible? co-parenting divorce mediation going through divorce mediation

Yes, and it is more achievable than most people expect. An amicable divorce does not mean you like each other or agree on much. It means you handle the process without going to war: talking directly instead of through attorneys, keeping the decisions with you rather than a judge, and choosing repeat...

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Post-Divorce Parenting Conflict Around the Holidays co-parenting holidays

Ways to Manage the Stress of Parenting Conflict

For most of us, the holiday season is full of decorating, shopping, baking, wrapping gifts, and parties. While this can all be fun, we all know it's also stressful!

Then, there is the added pressure of parenting. School grading periods are ending, and ...

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Online Divorce Mediation: How Virtual Sessions Actually Work co-parenting collaborative divorce divorce mediation going through divorce mediation ohio divorce mediation preparing for divorce

Online divorce mediation works the same way as in-person mediation, over video instead of in a room. A neutral mediator facilitates the conversation, screens are shared so you can see the agreement being built in real time, and sessions can be scheduled outside standard office hours. For most couple...

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How Spousal Support Is Calculated in Mediation: The 4 Decisions alimony/spousal support going through divorce mediation

Most jurisdictions have no spousal support calculator, so in mediation the number is negotiated rather than computed. The analysis starts with what the recipient needs and what the payor can afford, both established from a detailed look at income and expenses. From there, four things have to be sett...

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