Take Charge -- Divorce Sense

Wealth for Women

When women marry, often they are lulled into a false sense of security. Even though a woman may take care of the household expenses and balance the family's checkbook, it is usually her husband who brings home the biggest paycheck and makes the major financial decision.

Women need to understand that money from their husbands cannot be counted on for life, and if a woman divorces — as did more than 1.1 million couples last year — she is at great risk of becoming poor.

Divorce is a prolonged financial transaction that is overloaded with emotion. It is difficult for both men and women to make the best financial decisions while under the strain of separation.

The first step in a successful divorce is separating the financial from the emotional.
The second step, if at all possible, is to cooperate with your soon-to-be former spouse to create the best possible outcome for each of you, both during and after the divorce.

The third step is to understand the financial impact of divorce in order to avoid mistakes when negotiating a divorce settlement.

When your marriage ends, financial decisions are made that will impact you for the rest of your life. It is important to get qualified financial advice even before seeking legal advice.

Take Charge

Achieving an Equitable Divorce

A woman's lifestyle typically goes down 40 percent after a divorce, while a man's goes up 10 percent. Many of the decisions made during a divorce are clouded by emotions — and too often the long-term financial effects of the settlement are overlooked or unknown.

To improve the financial equity in my clients' settlements, I use specialized software that analyzes decisions such as "keeping the house" and how they will affect they will affect someone in the future. This software considers more than distribution of current assets. It forecasts whether clients can live on the terms of their settlement in the future.

What my clients receive

help with determining the short and long-term financial impact of a proposed divorce settlement using DivPlan software
valuable insight into the pros and cons of different settlement proposals
personalized reports and graphs that illustrate the financial status, cash flow and graphic net worth of both parties
tax projections for various added exemptions and deductions

Where my expertise lies

personal vs. marital property
valuing and dividing property
retirement and pensions
alimony and child support
claiming child tax credit and dependent exemptions
splitting the house
tax problems and solutions
expert witness testimony

Sharon Lockhart, CDFA™
FAIR Financial Group
4200 Somerset, Suite 120
Prairie Village, KS 66208
913-649-5300
or 888-649-5300
Fax: 913-649-5302
email me

How my clients benefit

having an advocate on their side
hearing an objective viewpoint to an emotional situation
having the peace of mind that her or his settlement is financially feasible
getting expert advice about special financial needs

Your marriage may be over, but the rest of your life lies ahead. By using my certified divorce planning skills, you can increase your chances of arriving at a settlement that fully addresses your long-term financial needs and puts you much closer to a better tomorrow.