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.
- I am considering divorce. Can I afford it, what happens to the house, what should I know before talking to an attorney.
- I am preparing for divorce. Documents, credit, insurance, retirement accounts, and choosing your professional team.
- I am going through divorce. The house, support, dividing retirement, QDROs, taxes, and evaluating a settlement.
- My divorce is final. Retitling assets, confirming the QDRO, beneficiaries, rebuilding cash flow and credit.
Browsing by topic instead? Every category is listed in the sidebar, from QDROs and the family home to co-parenting and life after divorce.
Divorce changes everything. Even when it’s the right decision, it can leave you wondering who you are now and what comes next. If you’re trying to figure out how to pivot after divorce, you’re not alone. The transition into life after divorce often requires more than practical adjustments. It calls ...
Congratulations on setting up your first session with a divorce coach! That took some courage—many people never even acknowledge that they could use some help to get through this very challenging time and needlessly suffer in silence. You, however, took steps to actually do something about it. Now ...
Divorce does not just divide assets. It can shatter your sense of financial security and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about money. Whether you were the money person in your marriage or left financial decisions to your spouse, the emotional and logistical upheaval of starting...
by Liesel Darby, ADR Certified Divorce Coach, Divorce Mediator
You Deserve More Than a Sandwich Over the Sink – A Story of Self-Care After Divorce
You may be wondering about the title for this blog—"That’s a weird thing to say, what’s that about?” I was thinking about how far I’ve come since the ve...
Divorce at any age is hard. But when you are over 50, the financial stakes are different.
You do not have 20 years to rebuild. The decisions you make about your retirement accounts, your home, your Social Security, and your settlement are decisions you will live with for the rest of your life. That
...
If you are adjusting to new financial realities after a divorce, the holiday season can feel more overwhelming than joyful. The short version: set a number before you shop, decide what actually matters to you this year rather than matching last year, keep credit out of it where you can, and remember...
by Liesel Darby, M.Ed., M.A., CC - Divorce Mediator & Certified Divorce Coach
Two Words for the Same Moment
Consider the word "chaos." The images that come to my mind all have speed in them. Something happened fast, out of the blue, and your world is suddenly upside down. Chaos is the opposite of co...
by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach
What do the following have in common?
- You’re in the grocery store, looking for your favorite brand of stone-ground mustard, only to find that they no longer carry it. The replacement brand is twice the price, and you don’t like the packaging either.
- You’re...
by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach
Growing up, you likely heard others, at some point, say the “F- word”, and it wasn’t’ “fudge.” It was a taboo word and could possibly land you with a bar of soap in your mouth. In this blog we will discuss a different “F-word”, and it still isn’t “fudge”, b...
by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach
Divorce—a stark winter landscape where the familiar, leaf-laden trees of love and partnership are suddenly bare. But what if I told you that beneath that ice lies seeds of resilience waiting to sprout? Just as the arrival of spring heralds rebirth and new be...
Communicating with a difficult ex works best when you stop trying to change them and start controlling your own side of it. Keep responses brief, factual, friendly and firm. Answer only what was actually asked. Do not defend yourself against bait. Move the conversation to a documented platform if it...
If you’re searching for a divorce support group, I get it. You’re looking for people who understand what you’re going through. The sleepless nights. The financial overwhelm. The grief that hits you out of nowhere in the middle of a random Tuesday.
You’re not wrong for wanting that. In fact, reaching...
