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.

Guilt Spending After Divorce: Why You Overbuy for Your Kids budgeting co-parenting kids and divorce life after divorce

A client came to me a couple of years ago, right before Christmas, worried about money. Very specific money. Her furnace was failing and her roof needed work, the kind of repairs that could not be put off another season. She knew the number to the dollar. She had run it more than once, mostly becaus...

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Can I Buy a Car While My Divorce Is Pending? budgeting debt divorce financial planning going through divorce preparing for divorce

This question comes up more than you would think, usually because a car has picked the worst possible moment to die.

The honest answer is that it depends, and the things it depends on are worth understanding before you sign anything. A car is often the largest purchase a woman makes while her divorc...

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Rebuilding Financial Confidence After Divorce: Your Path to Financial Independence budgeting financial coaching financial planning life after divorce ohio divorce

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...

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How to Keep the Winds of Change During Divorce budgeting divorce coach divorce support groups

by Liesel Darby, Mediator & Divorce Coach

What do the following have in common?

  1. 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.
  2. Yo...
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10 Effective Strategies to Make Your Divorce Settlement Last asset division budgeting financial planning life after divorce

Divorce is undeniably a tumultuous period in anyone's life, characterized by emotional upheaval and significant financial changes. The impact of a divorce on one's financial future can be destabilizing if not handled with care. However, by engaging in careful planning and making thoughtful decisions...

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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 ...

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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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How to Make a Holiday Budget After Divorce (On One Income) budgeting holidays life after divorce

Your first holidays after divorce may also be your first holidays on one income. That can make the season feel more stressful than joyful. The single most helpful thing you can do is set your holiday budget before you start shopping, not after.

A budget isn't about saying no to everything. It's a pe...

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The Budget That Builds the Life: A New Way to Think About Money After Divorce budgeting certified divorce financial analyst financial coaching financial planning life after divorce

Creating a post-divorce budget is one of the most important financial steps you can take after your marriage ends. But most women approach it in a way that's almost guaranteed to fail.

They restrict everything. They cut joylessly. They build a plan based on fear instead of intention. And within a f...

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