Blog
5 Stepparenting do’s and don’ts that help children feel at home
The conversations blended families need to have — Part 1 I’ve been a stepparent, so I know how much care the role can require and how little guidance comes with it. In my work as a child custody lawyer, I’ve also seen how easily tensions can arise around a stepparent’s place in the family. Sometimes…
Don’t Divide the Spreadsheet – Design Your Financial Future
When you have spent years building a career, business, investments, real estate, and financial security, dividing assets during divorce can look like a math problem. List the assets. Determine the values. Subtract the debts. Divide the net worth. Simple enough. Except a divorce settlement is not a spreadsheet exercise. Two people can leave a marriage…
Understanding Capital Gains Before You Divide Property
When dividing property in divorce, it is easy to focus on one number: What is the asset worth today? For entrepreneurs, professionals, and high-net-worth families, that number does not always tell the full story. A more useful question is: What will this asset actually be worth to me after taxes, costs, and liquidity are considered?…
The Real Estate Trap in Divorce: Protecting the Properties You Built Together
For many successful couples, real estate represents a significant part of the wealth built during the marriage. It is how much wealth disappears while the divorce is happening.The family home. A vacation property. A rental purchased years ago. Several investment properties acquired as part of a long-term plan. When divorce begins, the conversation can sound…
Hidden Ways Wealth Disappears During Divorce
For successful women, entrepreneurs, executives, and high-net-worth individuals, one of the biggest financial risks in divorce is not only how assets are divided. It is how much wealth disappears while the divorce is happening. You may have spent decades building a business, growing investments, buying real estate, saving for retirement, and creating financial security. During…
The Hidden Cost of Financial Avoidance: Why Looking Away Can Make Divorce More Expensive
I witness one phenomenon in many of my clients over and over: the avoidance of financial decisions. Do you know why? Many people do not avoid financial decisions because they are irresponsible. They avoid them because they are overwhelmed. As a collaborative divorce attorney and mediator, I have met with countless individuals who are intelligent,…
The Entrepreneur’s Money Personality: Why Business Owners Experience Divorce Differently
Owning a business changes the way you think about money. As a collaborative divorce attorney and mediator, I have worked with many entrepreneurs over the years. Whether they own a medical practice, law firm, construction company, consulting business, salon, or technology startup, I often notice something they have in common. They do not see money…
We want to mediate because we do not want attorneys involved!
I hear a version of the same comment regularly from couples who contact me about mediation: “We want to mediate because we do not want attorneys involved.” As an attorney myself, that statement always gets my attention. Usually, what they mean is not that attorneys have nothing valuable to offer. They are worried that bringing…
Why Even the Most Successful Women Struggle with Financial Decisions During Divorce
As a collaborative divorce attorney and mediator, I have worked with many women who are extraordinary decision-makers. They own successful businesses. They perform surgeries. They manage large organizations. They negotiate complex contracts. They lead teams, make payroll, solve difficult problems, and confidently make decisions involving hundreds of thousands—or even millions—of dollars. And many of them…
What’s Your Money Personality? Understanding the Financial Habits That Show Up During Divorce
After helping hundreds of individuals and couples navigate divorce, I have become convinced of one thing: very few conflicts are actually about money. They are about what money means. Over the years, I have sat across the table from couples arguing about retirement accounts, businesses, homes, credit cards, inheritances, and monthly budgets. On the surface,…