Minimize financial worries and maximize goal achievement in your next chapter

Getting divorced is a major hassle. I speak from experience.

The process of legal separation from a spouse comes with a lot of extra meetings, paperwork, fees, and negotiations that are often stressful and can be high-stakes. It can feel, at times, like a full-time job that costs you money. It can cause major stress or even trauma not only to you but, if applicable, to your children.

It’s also not a short process. An uncontested divorce will usually take between two and six months, while contested divorces usually take between one and three years (and sometimes much longer).

So people often arrive at the other side of a separation with a major sense of relief. You get more time back in your schedule and less stress in your life. You also, hopefully, get a sense of closure and the rush of excitement that comes from beginning a new chapter in your life.

This sense of simplicity is also found in the financial planning sphere. Finalizing a divorce removes a major source of financial uncertainty, which makes it much easier to implement your financial plan.

After your divorce, your financial advisor will be able to help you move towards a prosperous future. Expect them to help you with:

Implementing your financial plan.

The plan you built during the divorce process can only make a difference if it’s actually implemented. Your advisor can help you do this and will do so more quickly than if you’d waited until after your divorce to start planning.

After working with you through your divorce, your advisor will have a strong sense of your circumstances and goals. They will also have a database of other clients in situations similar to yours, which can alert them to concerns or issues that you might not think to ask about.

This will all make implementing your financial plan more efficient and effective.

Revisiting your will and other important documents.

Wills and other estate documents often need to be changed as a result of a divorce. But as they are often not the most urgent concern, it’s common for these changes to be postponed until after the divorce. Your financial advisor can help you track key documents in need of review and, where relevant, connect you with other trusted experts like attorneys if needed.

Establish and maintain investment accounts.

This is the bread and butter of any financial advisor’s practice. You should feel informed, empowered and confident in their expertise as they guide you through this practice. Again, the earlier you engage with the right advisor, the smoother this process will be. In my experience it takes about two years for a client and an advisor to really get to know each other and work together well.

Continue the conversation per your preference.

Working with a financial advisor is an ongoing conversation. You’ll need to meet regularly, but your advisor should be able to accommodate your preferences for venue and timing. Some clients want to meet every quarter, others prefer once a year. Some want to proactively send questions to the advisor while others prefer for the advisor to initiate each conversation.

Your advisor should accommodate your preferences in these areas and in the amount of information they share in each meeting. Some people want the nitty gritty while others are satisfied with the big picture developments. The right advisor will meet the client where they are and share information in a way they can understand.

Updating your plan through major life events.

Any financial plan is only as useful as the accuracy of the information that goes into it. That means major life changes will require updating your plan. This includes some milestones that might seem obvious, like getting married again, the birth of a child, or a change of income. But it can also be necessary for events that might surprise you, like becoming the caregiver to a parent. Your financial advisor will check with you in meetings for events that require changes to your financial plan.

It’s a common misconception that financial advisors focus exclusively on client investments. That’s part of their practice, but a true advisor should seek to understand a client’s situation and goals, and then provide advice that brings them closer together. After a divorce, both client and advisor should be able to focus more closely on this important work.

I am happy to connect with you to discuss your situation and respond to questions you may have.