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.

Negotiations in Mediation: A Guide to Calculating Spousal Support alimony/spousal support going through divorce mediation

Negotiations around spousal support (also known as alimony or spousal maintenance, depending on where you live) are often ripe with emotion. And, it's no wonder. When people reach out to me, they are often worried about what they will be able to afford after the final divorce. Common questions inclu...

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Divorce and the Family Home (Guest Blog Post) divorce mediation going through divorce house in a divorce preparing for divorce property division in divorce

If you're wondering how to keep your house in a divorce, you're not alone. A lot of our clients have sentimental attachments to their homes. Your home is where you’ve made so many memories. It's where you raised your family. You may have close relationships with your neighbors or other strong ties t...

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Evaluating Your Divorce Settlement: The One Question That Matters Most alimony/spousal support budgeting certified divorce financial analyst child support dividing assets in a divorce going through divorce house in a divorce

After reviewing hundreds of divorce settlement agreements as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, I always come back to one critical question: Can you actually uphold this agreement?

It sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how many people sign divorce settlements they can't realistically maintai...

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Divorce and Open Enrollment: What You Need to Know going through divorce health insurance

You might already be familiar with open enrollment, but let's take a moment to talk about what it really means in the context of divorce and life changes since those things will make an impact on how you select insurance plans during this period! 

While the timing of open enrollment can vary with d...

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What You Need to Know about Health Insurance and Divorce going through divorce health insurance

The issue of health insurance comes up in many of my cases as it can be a huge added expense post-divorce. You can’t stay on someone’s health insurance when you get divorced, but no one talks about the things you need to know and options that are available to you. For instance, what do you do when y...

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Handling Small Business Valuation in Divorce Mediation business in divorce going through divorce mediation

Handling small businesses in divorce mediation presents several challenges and added complexity to the process. For starters, there may be other owners involved in the company, or it could have been a business passed down within a family. The value of the company under consideration for the asset di...

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Considerations When Trying to Keep Your Pension in a Divorce dividing assets in a divorce going through divorce pension in divorce property division in divorce qdro retirement accounts in divorce

It may or may not come as a surprise to you that a pension is frequently the largest asset negotiated in a divorce. With that said, it's not a foregone conclusion that you'll have to give up a portion of your pension as part of your divorce settlement. I'm surprised by the number of cases I see in w...

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How Long Does Divorce Mediation Take? going through divorce mediation

When I first meet with couples seeking mediation for their divorce, I find that many have the same questions. One common question is how long divorce mediation will take to complete. Divorce mediation work involves a series of voluntary and confidential sessions between spouses and a mediator, where...

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FAFSA Tips for Divorced Parents co-parenting college financial aid going through divorce

Looking for FAFSA tips for divorced parents? In many of my divorce cases, how college expenses will be handled is an issue that needs to be addressed. It's common for parents to wait to divorce until their children are teenagers or young adults. This tends to be around the same time that people are ...

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Divorce Mediation Tips: A Guide to Handling Your Emotions going through divorce mediation

Your spouse cheated. They are leaving you for someone else. Perhaps you've argued for years and just finally had enough. Regardless of the reason, in most cases, divorce is an emotional rollercoaster. People experience a wide range of intense emotions during this challenging process. Deciding how ...

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Keep the House in Divorce: 7 Steps to a Smart Decision certified divorce financial analyst debt dividing assets in a divorce financial planning going through divorce house in a divorce

I stayed in my house when I got divorced. At the time, the housing market had declined so much that we had negative equity in our home. Selling our house would have put us in a worse financial situation than keeping it and we had three young children. Keeping them in the house gave them some stabi...

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How to keep your house in a divorce certified divorce financial analyst debt dividing assets in a divorce financial planning going through divorce house in a divorce property division in divorce

If you are wondering how to keep your house in a divorce, you're not alone. A lot of my clients have sentimental attachments to their homes. You've made memories there. It's where you raised your family. You may have close relationships with your neighbors or other strong ties to the community.

Eve...

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