Knowledge is power! Or at least can help get a better outcome.
Divorce is a very personal process that has much depending on the choices you make (read that as your future may be riding on what you know and don’t know). The impacts of divorce can impact the wellbeing related to your financial, emotional, and physical health, as well as impacting your children.
It is your responsibility to find out your rights and responsibilities – not your professional team’s!
You may ask your professional team (this may include a CDFA, attorney, divorce coach, and more), do an internet search, and speak to others who have gone through divorce about what you need to know, their thoughts, and their experiences. Ultimately, you need to relate all this information to your situation to make the right decisions. Not an easy task when you are going through such a challenging and trying time.
I have been asked many divorce related questions over the years. From is there a Divorce for Dummies to tax impacts of splitting multiple assets – and just about everything in between. I have been keeping a list of questions through the years that I have worked as a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) and CPA. Below is the list I have compiled. It is a great starting point to identifying many of the financial need to knows of your divorce (I am sure different items will resonate with different people). I have tried to group the ideas or put the them into categories to make it easier for you as well as phrased many of them in an internet search type format. The bolded items are the more frequently asked questions that have come my way.
HOW:
How divorce affects children?
How divorce works?
How divorce never ends?
How does divorce change someone?
How does debt work in divorce?
How to split assets in divorce
How to end a marriage
How does shared custody work?
How to file for divorce
How do I find a divorce attorney
How do I split the assets
WHAT:
What divorce does to children?
What can I keep through a divorce?
What is a CDFA (Certified Divorce Financial Analyst)?
What is a Divorce Coach?
What approach is best for divorce?
WHEN:
When is divorce the best option?
When is divorce the right thing to do?
When is divorce inevitable?
When is divorce not an option?
WHERE:
Where do I start with a divorce?
Where do I find divorce help?
ARE:
Are divorce records public?
Are divorce filings public?
Are divorce decrees public record?
Are divorce settlements taxable
CAN:
Can divorce cause PTSD?
Can divorce be reversed?
Can divorce be free?
WHICH:
Which jurisdiction does a divorce take place?
Which are the best divorce lawyers?
Which approach is best for divorce?
Which divorce is fastest?
Which divorce papers do I need to file?
WHO:
Who gets what in a divorce?
Who gets the house in a divorce?
Who decides on how to split the marital assets?
WHY:
Why does divorce take so long?
Why is divorce so expensive?
Why is divorce so hard?
WILL:
Will divorce ruin my life?
Will divorce trigger taxes?
Will divorce ruin me financially?
Will divorce make me happier?
Will divorce ruin my child?
GENERAL:
Alimony
Child Support
Child custody
Maintenance and divorce
Mediation for divorce
Divorce help
Custody agreement
When to get a divorce
Shared custody
Custody laws
Divorce lawyer
Child custody lawyer
Divorce attorney
Fathers rights
Divorce lawyers near me
Best divorce lawyers near me
Uncontested divorce
File for alimony
How does alimony work
Divorce and alimony
Alimony payments
Proving cohabitation to stop alimony
What is alimony
Marital balance sheet
Splitting assets worksheet
Splitting assets in divorce
Divorce can I keep the house?
Divorce can lead to
Divorce can I be forced to sell the house
Divorce can I stay in the house
Divorce for free
Divorce for men
Divorce for women
Divorce for abandonment
Divorce for domestic violence
Divorce with children
Divorce with kids
Divorce with no money
Divorce without a lawyer
Divorce without court
Divorce without children
Divorce without consent
Divorce without kids
Divorce and remarriage
Divorce and 401k
Divorce and family lawyer
Divorce and taxes
Divorce and inheritance
Divorce mediation
Divorce and mediation
Divorce papers
Divorce records
Divorce uncontested
Divorce and social security
Divorce and child custody
Divorce like a boss
Divorce is like grieving a death
Divorce or dissolution
Divorce or separation
Divorce financial advisor
Divorce or annulment
Divorce or stay
Divorce or legal separation
Divorce versus dissolution
Divorce versus separation
Divorce versus annulment
Divorce versus legal separation
Hirsch Serman, MBA, CPA, CDFA is the founder of Lifecycle Financial LLC, a company that helps those going through Divorce and other life cycle changes to navigate the financial pitfalls of a new life dynamic. The company was founded through personal experiences in divorce and watching the changes in an aging parent. He has worked in finance for over 20 years (including financial planning and tax) and has taught on the university level as well as conducted seminars for high school youth on personal finances. Hirsch is a member of the American Institute of CPAs, The Institute of Divorce Financial Analysts, The Amicable Divorce Network The National Association of Divorce Professionals, and the American Association of Daily Money Managers (AADMM).
Get to know Hirsch through his radio show The Financial Wellness Hour or reading his blogs and articles.
INC., US News & World, The Memphis Business Journal, Medium, Authority Magazine, DivorceMoms.com, and many other media outlets have all covered his work in Divorce and Hirsch was selected to be a New Orleans Entrepreneur Week Fellow. Hirsch has a passion to serve others and has worked with numerous non-profit boards including the United Way and is a trustee of Texas College. Please reach out with any comments to [email protected].