Why the finish line is the most dangerous phase

You’re almost done… which is exactly when smart people make expensive mistakes. In this punchy, practical episode, Andrea and Morgan tackle “divorce senioritis”, that end-of-process urge to rush, stop reading, or pick last-minute fights, and lay out the three biggest mistakes people make in the final stretch of divorce (plus how to avoid them without losing your mind or your money).

✅ What You’ll Learn (Skimmable Takeaways)

1.Don’t glaze over “small” document edits

1. Tiny word shifts like “may / shall / will” can flip legal meaning.
2. Action: Print the latest draft, run a Word Compare, read line-by-line for one quiet hour, and send your written questions to your attorney.
3. Ask explicitly: “Do these changes affect any earlier documents (e.g., parenting or financial agreements)?”

2.Stop the 11th-hour nickel-and-diming

1. Adding minor demands late (or “saving money” by not calling your lawyer) can drag negotiations and raise fees.
2. Action: Bullet the 5–8 items bugging you; ask your lawyer:
3. “Which of these have a realistic chance of success and are worth pushing to get us across the finish line?”
4. Big picture > petty wins.

3.Prepare for the mixed emotions after finalization

1. Relief, sadness, anticlimax—it’s normal to feel the opposite of what you expected.
2. Action: Don’t over-schedule a celebration that day. Give yourself space to process, rest, and recalibrate.

🕒 Suggested Chapter Markers

1. 00:00 Senioritis is real: why the finish line is risky
2. 05:24 The urge to “just sign it” (and how that backfires)
3. 10:14 Compare feature, “may/shall/will,” and cross-document impacts
4. 16:40 Nickel-and-diming at the 11th hour (and how to reframe control)
5. 23:39 Read like a businessperson, not a broken heart
6. 25:39 The post-divorce emotional curve (why it’s anticlimactic)
7. 28:38 Don’t plan a blowout the day it finalizes—plan space
8. 33:12 Mini-game: Marry or Divorce? (PG-13 edition)

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