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.
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After more than 20 years of working with divorcing clients as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, I have seen a lot. I have sat across the table from women who were sharp, capable, and completely blindsided by the financial consequences of decisions they made during their divorce. Not because the...
When you're in the middle of a divorce, everyone seems to have an opinion about what you should do. Get a lawyer. See a therapist. Talk to your pastor. Call your sister.
The advice is well-meaning, but it can also leave you more confused than when you started.
One question I hear a lot from the p...
One of the most common questions I hear from women sitting across from me is some version of: "Can I actually afford to do this?"
They are not asking because they want to stay in a painful marriage. They are asking because they are terrified of the financial unknown. They have heard horror stories....
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." ...
Divorce is one of the most financially significant events of your life. Every decision from how you divide retirement accounts to whether you keep the house can shape your financial security for decades. One of the most common questions I hear from women going through this transition is: “Do I need ...
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 ...
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 ...
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. Th
...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 ...
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”, ...
Written by Liesel Darby, Mediator and Divorce Coach
Going through a divorce is hard enough on its own. When your co-parent is difficult, dismissive, or deliberately provocative, it can feel like the emotional work never ends.
The good news is this: you do not have to control them. You only have to...
If you are divorcing a narcissist, you already know that this is not a normal divorce.
Normal divorce is hard. Divorcing a narcissist is something else entirely. The manipulation, the gaslighting, the hidden assets, the refusal to settle reasonably, the way they can make you question your own memor...