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.
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...
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...
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...
When you are going through a divorce, you hear a lot of things. From well-meaning friends who went through their own messy split five years ago, from that one aunt who knows somebody who knows somebody, from late-night Google rabbit holes that send you spiraling.
The problem is that when the same th...
Not long ago, I sat with a woman who was terrified.
Her divorce was underway, and for the first time in her marriage, she was staring down a stack of financial documents she didn't recognize. Her husband had always handled the money. Now she was being asked to make decisions that would shape the res...
Divorce Financial Advisor vs. Regular Financial Advisor: Differences
Going through a divorce in Ohio is one of the most financially complex experiences you'll ever face. Between Ohio's equitable distribution laws, the division of retirement accounts, pension plans, and determining spousal support, t...
Divorce changes so many parts of life, including your financial world. Whether you initiated the divorce or not, adjusting to new expenses, new responsibilities, and a new vision for your life can feel overwhelming. The good news is that you can rebuild. You can regain clarity. And you can create a ...
Preparing for an impending divorce is more than just picking up the phone and calling an attorney. There are the emotional aspects, financial, legal, and, of course, there are parenting issues. It means figuring out what life is going to look like when it's all said and done and includes preparing y...
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...
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.
Even...
Let's start with the basics. When it comes to retirement accounts, there is a wide array of options available - from the popular IRAs, ROTH IRAs, and 401(K)s, to numerous other lesser-known plans. With so many choices, it can be overwhelming for individuals who are not dealing with them on a daily b...
Dividing assets during a divorce is rarely straightforward, especially when it comes to retirement accounts. From pensions and 401(k)s to IRAs and Roth accounts, each type of retirement asset comes with its own set of rules, tax implications, and liquidity concerns. Add in considerations like Qualif...
