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.
If you have walked out of a meeting with your attorney knowing that a lot was said but not what was decided, you are in good company. Knowing how to talk to your divorce attorney is a skill, and almost no one is taught it before they need it.
There are three moves that help, all borrowed from basic ...
Ohio does not license divorce mediators, so credentials vary widely and anyone may use the title. What to look for instead: specific divorce mediation experience rather than general dispute resolution, completion of the 40-hour specialized family mediation training the Supreme Court of Ohio certifie...
I need to tell you something that might sound counterintuitive when you're in the thick of divorce:
This isn't a battle to win. It's a puzzle to solve.
I know that feels wrong when emotions are running high. When you feel betrayed. When your attorney is talking about "leverage" and "positioning." Wh...
Divorce coaching is about helping you find your footing again when life feels uncertain. It's both emotional and practical, offering a safe space to think clearly, make confident decisions, and move forward with purpose.
At Intentional Divorce Solutions, our coaching and mediation support are desig...
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...
Yes, women pay alimony. Alimony (spousal support) is gender-neutral, and a court can order either spouse to pay it based on financial need and ability to pay, not gender. Pew Research found that in 2022 wives were the primary or sole breadwinner in 16% of U.S. marriages and earned about the same as ...
An intentional divorce is one where you decide in advance how you want to move through the process, rather than reacting to whatever happens next. In practice it means choosing your process before conflict chooses it for you, gathering the financial facts before you negotiate, deciding which outcome...
The core difference is who is in the room. In collaborative divorce, each spouse has their own attorney and a team of professionals works together toward a settlement, with everyone signing an agreement not to litigate. In mediation, one neutral mediator facilitates and attorneys are optional. Colla...
It's the New Year! Now what?
Post by Liesel Darby, Divorce Coach & Mediator
The New Year is all about starting fresh, starting over, moving forward. Unless you happen to have a giant shiny red REFRESH button to hit on January 1, some intentional pondering must happen before any changes are made. If ...
During mediation, a CDFA builds the complete financial picture and stress-tests every proposal against it. That means analysing assets and debts, working out how retirement accounts and pensions can actually be divided, identifying the tax consequences of options that look equivalent on paper, model...
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...
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...
