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The moment the decree is signed, real life begins. We walk through the first months of financial independence after a divorce and show how small, steady actions create relief fast. Our guest, Angela Cipriano, a financial coach who rebuilt her own life post-divorce, explains how to move from overwhelm to ownership with checklists, simple systems, and a mindset that actually sticks.

We start by demystifying the roles: a financial coach handles what most advisors skip—beneficiary updates, utility transfers, passwords, bill flow, and day-to-day budgeting—so you can arrive at your planner’s office organized and confident. 

We also tackle the emotional side of money. If you’ve heard “you’re bad with money,” we show how to replace that script with data and small wins. Then we get tactical: why your emergency fund belongs in a high-yield savings account, how to sanity-check a 401(k) allocation, and where to look for signs of hidden accounts using pay stubs, bank statements, and tax schedules. In our mailbag, we answer two big questions: who pays old medical bills after the divorce, and can a “vibes-only” budget work? Spoiler: numbers give you choices, and your decree often decides the bills.

• Reach out to Angela by clicking this link https://www.aiocoachingmi.com/
• To review and download Jacki's post-divorce game plan form, click below: https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/post-divorce-gameplan-fillable.pdf
• Listen to the Divorce Rich podcast episode, "Ready, Set, Go"..creating your post-divorce Game Plan https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ready-set-go-post-divorce-gameplan-divorce-rich-snacks/id1735150222?i=1000691831731

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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The moment a divorce becomes real, health insurance can feel like quicksand. Premiums spike, deadlines loom, and the plans you relied on may no longer cover the treatments that keep you well. We walk through a real client’s story to show how to evaluate COBRA, employer coverage, and ACA marketplace plans without guesswork or panic. The twist: even with a higher monthly premium, COBRA can sometimes save you money and protect continuity of care when you factor in deductibles, prescriptions, integrative therapies, and network access.


Health insurance choices are also legal strategy. We explain how to document costs and negotiate COBRA into temporary orders, spousal support, or property settlements, especially when one spouse keeps valuable workplace subsidies. To cap it off, our mailbag tackles QDROs—what they are, why your divorce judgment isn’t enough to divide retirement plans, and why using a specialist protects your share.

If you’re navigating divorce and want clarity, control, and peace of mind, this conversation gives you a step-by-step plan to protect your health and your wallet. Follow the show, share with a friend who needs it, and leave a review to help others find these resources.

• Click this link to discover Affordable Care Act options, https://www.healthcare.gov/
• To meet with Jacki and discuss if you're a good fit for divorce financial planning, click here https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/contact-us/

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Divorce doesn’t have to be a courtroom sport. We sit down with Michigan family law attorney Randy Pittler to unpack how collaborative divorce reframes the process from “win-lose” to problem solving—replacing subpoenas and shuttle diplomacy with a trained team, full transparency, and solutions built for real life. Randy explains why litigation so often breeds delay, expense, and post‑mediation regret, and how Collaborative Divorce flips the incentives: each spouse has a collaboratively trained attorney, a neutral financial expert gathers documents and models options, and a mental health coach keeps emotions from steering the deal.

Curious whether you’re a fit? If there’s basic good faith, no active hiding of assets, and a desire to avoid scorched earth, Collaborative Divorce can work—even when emotions run high. We share how to find trained professionals in Michigan and beyond, why ongoing training matters, and how this approach sets healthier patterns for future co‑parenting. Ready to trade conflict for clarity? Follow the show, share this episode with someone who needs it, and leave a review to help others find a better path through divorce.

• Find a Collaborative Divorce trained professional in Michigan by clicking https://www.collaborativepracticemi.org/resources/find-a-professional/
• Live outside of Michigan? Click here to find Collaborative Divorce professionals  https://www.collaborativepractice.com/
• To reach out to Randy Pitler of Pitler Family Law and Amicable Divorce for an initial consult, click https://www.amicabledivorce.com/about

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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What if the most expensive choice isn’t divorce—it’s staying put? We pull back the curtain on the true financial toll of an unhappy marriage, from hidden debts you never signed off on to the slow bleed of funding a lifestyle that later becomes the benchmark for spousal support. Through real client stories, we trace how shared liabilities, unapproved loans, and retirement withdrawals can quietly rewrite your balance sheet while you’re trying to keep the peace.

We talk through practical safeguards—prenups or postnups, shared logins, regular financial check-ins—and offer a structured worksheet to calculate your monthly cost of staying versus leaving. The aim isn’t to push you out the door; it’s to arm you with numbers so your next step—whether to work on the marriage or plan an exit—rests on clarity, not guesswork.

Ready to see your situation in black and white? Stream the episode, download the worksheet, and start your calculation. If this conversation helps, follow the show, leave a review, and share it with someone who needs a clear-eyed view of their options.

• Email us at [email protected] to get your copy of the "Cost of Staying Worksheet"
• Click below to listen to attorney Amy Byer discuss financial infidelity and divorce with Jacki
• https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/financial-infidelity-with-divorce-attorney-amy-byer/id1735150222?i=1000664419011

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Ever had a doctor prescribe surgery but wondered who would guide you through the daily rehabilitation afterward? That's exactly the situation many people face in divorce when they rely solely on their attorney without bringing in a financial expert.

The most successful divorces involve a collaborative team: your attorney handling legal strategy, a financial expert analyzing long-term sustainability, and you—the informed client—making decisions based on both legal rights and financial realities. This approach not only leads to better outcomes but often saves money by having the right professional handle the right tasks.

Listen as I break down the three most common financial mistakes in divorce, share real client stories of settlements gone wrong, and explain the red flags that signal you need financial expertise on your team. You'll learn why the house you're fighting for might become a financial prison, how retirement accounts aren't created equal, and why spousal support calculations require more than just legal formulas.

Don't let your divorce victory turn into a financial defeat. Subscribe to Divorce Rich Podcast for insights that help you build both legal protection and financial security for your future.

To find a local CDFA, click the link below

https://institutedfa.com/

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Ever had your child return from their other parent's house acting like a completely different person? The tears, the aggression, the withdrawal – these aren't just normal post-visitation blues. They might be signs of something more concerning: coercive parenting control.

Child development specialist AJ Gajar joins us to shine a light on this often-misunderstood dynamic that leaves many co-parents feeling helpless and confused. She explains how "strict parenting" can sometimes mask controlling behaviors that profoundly impact children's emotional and psychological development. Drawing from her background in developmental psychology and her own personal experience with divorce, AJ offers practical strategies to support children caught between healthy and unhealthy parenting approaches.

AJ Gajjar is a mom, Parenting and Trauma Consultant, child development specialist, and children’s advocate. She supports parents facing the challenges of post-separation abuse and helps children heal from harmful or coercive parenting.

With 18 years of experience in early childhood development and children’s mental health, AJ understands both the science and the heart of parenting through trauma. As an international best-selling co-author and creator of Trauma Healing Parenting, she offers parents a clear path to protect, nurture, and strengthen their children—even in the midst of ongoing relational harm.

Links:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Website: The Trauma Healing Parent

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Ever wondered who determines what you "could" be earning during a divorce? Meet the vocational expert—a professional whose assessment of your earning potential might significantly impact your financial settlement.

Vocational experts analyze education, work experience, and job market opportunities to establish reasonable income expectations for divorcing spouses. They're often hired when one spouse has been out of the workforce, works part-time, or appears underemployed relative to their qualifications. While their evaluations frequently benefit the higher-earning spouse, understanding their methodology empowers you to navigate this aspect of divorce more effectively.

Our guest brings refreshing candor to this often-contentious topic, explaining how she prioritizes fairness and realism over inflated projections. "It's important to me to be reasonable," she emphasizes. "I don't want them to negotiate a settlement based on something that will never be." Her approach includes comprehensive research using Department of Labor statistics, geographic wage data, and sometimes direct employer inquiries to establish accurate wage ranges rather than arbitrary figures.

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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We're starting off Season 2 with a bang! Divorce is the single largest financial transaction of most people's lives, and making uninformed decisions based on common money myths can have devastating long-term consequences. We debunk five major misconceptions about divorce finances to help you navigate this complex process with confidence and clarity.

• DIY divorce is rarely the money-saving solution it appears to be and can cost significantly more in the long run
• Keeping the house requires careful financial analysis including mortgage qualification, affordability, and evaluating its long-term impact on your finances
• Retirement accounts can be accessed during divorce through QDROs, offering important financial flexibility without the usual early withdrawal penalties
• Alimony needs should be evaluated as part of your complete financial picture, including all potential income sources and a realistic budget
• Divorce settlements must consider future implications like taxes, investment growth, and retirement security, not just division of current assets
• Having proper legal and financial guidance helps you make sound decisions when you're feeling emotionally exhausted near the end of negotiations

Schedule a free 30-minute consultation with me to see if divorce financial planning is the right fit for you, because financial peace of mind is possible. https://calendly.com/roessler-jacki/30min

CLICK the LINK below to download Jacki's budget worksheet and find other resources!

https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/resources/

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Tax strategies that high-wage earners need during divorce but rarely receive proper guidance on - that's the focus of this deep-diving conversation between host Jacki Roessler, CDFA and returning guest Nick Defenthaler, CFP and partner at the Center for Financial Planning.

For executives receiving equity compensation, the conversation turns to concentration risk - the danger of having too much net worth tied to a single company's performance. "Our general rule of thumb is no more than 10-20% within one particular company stock," explains Nick, while acknowledging the emotional attachment many feel to their company shares. The solution? A strategic "capital gains budget" approach that systematically diversifies assets while managing tax implications.

Throughout the episode, both experts emphasize that while technical knowledge matters, successful financial planning during divorce requires balancing mathematical precision with empathy for the client's emotional reality. As Nick puts it: "You can look at the math and it could tell us one thing, but there's this other component called the human element."

• Ready for some advanced tax planning tailored to your post-divorce life? Reach out to Nick by calling 248-948-7900 or clicking this link: CLICK HERE 
• Want to create your idea "paycheck" in retirement? Listen to Nick's previous guest spot on the podcast by CLICKING HERE
• Think you may be a good fit for divorce financial planning? Book a complimentary intro consultation with Jacki by CLICKING HERE

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/

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Ever wondered who pays for your kid's braces after divorce? Or whether your ex can claim half your frequent flyer miles? The Divorce Rich Podcast tackles these questions head-on in our exciting new "Divorce Rich Mailbag" segment.Host Jacki Roessler, CDFA, a veteran Certified Divorce Financial Analyst  introduces her son Kevyn as co-host for this listener-driven Q&A feature that will close every episode moving forward. Together, they dive into the financial questions that keep divorcees up at night, offering straightforward answers with a touch of warmth and occasional humor.

Ready to get your own divorce financial questions answered? Submit them through the link in the show notes and tune in each month for the Divorce Rich Mailbag. While you're there, schedule your complimentary 30-minute consultation with Jackie to discover if divorce financial planning might be right for your situation.

• Send YOUR questions for our mailbag to [email protected]. No question is too small -or too big!
• Schedule a free initial consultation with Jacki by clicking the link below. https://calendly.com/roessler-jacki/30min?month=2024-03

Visit us at https://www.roesslerdivorce.com/ to learn more about Jacki's practice and to find valuable resources for your case.

The Divorce Rich podcast is proudly sponsored by Center for Financial Planning: Striving to Improve Lives through Financial Planning Done Right! https://www.centerfinplan.com/