Before You Sign Away Your Financial Future, Know What You’re Agreeing To
Divorce has a way of making smart women question themselves.
You can be capable, educated, successful, and still find yourself staring at financial decisions you have never had to make before. Decisions about the house. Retirement accounts. Support. Taxes. Debt. Health insurance. Cash flow. What you can afford now, and what you will need ten years from now.
The hard part is that many of those decisions are made while you are already emotionally exhausted.
That is exactly why I created the Divorce Financial Clarity Academy™. This six-week virtual academy was built for women who are considering divorce, already in the middle of it, or trying to make sense of a settlement before agreeing to something they may have to live with for years.
It is based on my book, Divorce Decoded: A Woman’s Guide to Financial Security and Fair Settlement, but this is much more than simply reading a book together.
We are going to put the information to work.
Over six weeks, we will walk through many of the financial decisions women face during divorce, including income and support, taxes, property division, housing, mediation, building the right professional team, and preparing for the financial life that comes next.
You will also hear from experienced professionals who work with women navigating these very issues.
My goal is not to turn you into a financial expert or teach you how to do your own divorce.
My goal is to help you understand enough to ask better questions, recognize what deserves a closer look, and stop making decisions simply because you feel pressured to get it over with.
Because that is where women can get hurt.
Sometimes it is keeping a house that looks affordable on paper but is not sustainable once the full cost of owning it lands on one income.
Sometimes it is agreeing to an asset because the dollar amount looks equal, without understanding that $200,000 in cash and $200,000 in a retirement account may not give you the same amount of spendable money.
Sometimes it is focusing so hard on getting through the divorce that no one has stopped to ask, “Will this settlement actually support the life I need to live afterward?”
Those are the conversations we will have.
We will talk about what you need to gather, what you need to understand, what you may not even know to ask yet, and how to slow the process down long enough to make thoughtful decisions.
There will be worksheets, practical exercises, real-world examples, and clear next steps. You will not be expected to have everything figured out before you arrive.
You just need to be willing to learn.
Why I believe this matters so much:
Women often tell me some version of the same thing: “I just want to make sure I don’t make a mistake.”
That fear is understandable.
Divorce can change your financial life in a matter of months, while the consequences of those decisions can last decades.
The answer is not to become paralyzed by that fear. The answer is to replace as much of it as possible with information.
Clarity changes the way you walk into a meeting.
It changes the questions you ask.
It changes what you are willing to agree to.
And it can change the way you feel about your own future.
The investment is $297
I want to put that number into perspective.
The entire six-week Divorce Financial Clarity Academy™ is $297.
That is less than what you may spend for a single hour with an attorney or financial professional.
Professional advice is essential, and this academy is not intended to replace it.
But imagine how much more valuable that professional hour becomes when you already understand the language, know your priorities, have your documents organized, and know the questions you need answered.
That is what preparation can do.
And if you are hesitating because spending money on yourself feels difficult right now, I want you to think about this differently.
You are worth a $297 investment in understanding decisions that could affect the next 10, 20, or 30 years of your financial life.
You are worth knowing what you are “agreeing to” before you sign.
You are worth understanding whether the house truly works.
You are worth knowing what your future income may look like.
You are worth understanding what retirement assets, support, taxes, debt, and insurance mean for your life after divorce.
And you are worth walking into the next chapter with something stronger than hope.
You deserve a plan.
You do not have to know everything. You do need to know enough.
One of the messages you will hear throughout the Academy is simple: Do not agree with what you do not understand.
There is no prize for finishing your divorce the fastest.
There is tremendous value in finishing it knowing you asked the right questions, considered the long-term consequences, and made the best decisions you could with the information available to you.
That brings something women desperately need during divorce.
Peace of mind.
Not because every outcome will be perfect.
But because you will know you showed up for yourself.
The Divorce Financial Clarity Academy™ begins September 18, 2026, and meets virtually on Fridays through October 23.
If you are standing at the beginning of divorce, somewhere in the messy middle, or looking at settlement decisions and wondering whether you are missing something, I would be honored to have you join us.
Come learn what you need to know.
Come ask the questions you may have been afraid to ask.
Come build your financial game plan.
Most of all, come prepared to leave with more clarity about where you stand, what matters most, and what your next step needs to be.
Because your divorce will eventually end.
Your financial life will keep going.
I highly encourage you to attend the Academy live. There is real value in walking through this information week by week, hearing the conversations, and having the opportunity to participate as we go. But if you simply cannot make the live sessions work, you will still have an opportunity to learn. The Divorce Financial Clarity Academy™ will be available as an on-demand course beginning in early November 2026.
Disclosures
Money Matters Wealth Solutions is a dba of The Wealth Boutique, a registered investment advisor with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Wealth Boutique and each of the DBAs are not under common ownership but are owned and operated separately. The Wealth Boutique provides all financial planning and advisory services. All investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed. Be sure to consult with a tax professional before implementing any investment strategy.| Full Disclosure | CRS
This content was generated with AI assistance. While we strive for accuracy, AI may not capture all current laws and market conditions. This information is for informational purposes only and should not be considered personalized financial advice. Always consult a licensed financial advisor for decisions tailored to your unique situation and goals. AI is used to enhance insights, not replace professional guidance.
Estate Gurus, an independent third-party provider, offers Estate Planning Services. The Wealth Boutique may engage third-party service providers to assist with the tax and estate planning portion of the services provided to clients. In addition, The Wealth Boutique may use third-party software to analyze a client’s information to help with the provision of estate planning services. Women's Wealth Boutique is not a law firm, nor are any employees acting in the capacity of an attorney or providing legal advice, as Women’s Wealth Boutique is not a law firm and therefore not permitted to practice law. Fees for third-party estate planning services are in addition to the financial planning fees charged by The Wealth Boutique. They are collected directly by that third party based on the client’s direct relationship with the third-party estate planning vendor.
Donna Cates is a licensed insurance agent. From time to time, she will offer clients advice or products from those activities. Clients should be aware that these services pay a commission and involve a conflict of interest, as commissionable products can conflict with the fiduciary duties of a registered investment adviser. This conflict of interest is addressed through the supervision of insurance recommendations and by not recommending insurance products unless a documented insurance need exists. These products are separate from the investment advisory services provided by The Women’s Wealth Advisor, DBA Money Matters Wealth Solutions
Please note that the blogpost above does not represent the thoughts or opinions of Fresh Start Registry and solely represents the original author’s perspective.
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