The process of divorce is scary enough, but dividing financial assets can be its own nightmare. In this episode, Gabriella is joined by Gerard Zielinski and Rhonda Noordyk to share the divorce horror stories they’ve seen happen to their clients and how they helped clients avoid a scary outcome whenever possible.
Rhonda Noordyk is a CDFA®, Amazon bestselling author, and host of the Disrupting Divorce Podcast. After witnessing the financial industry fail women, Rhonda channeled her experience as a financial advisor to become a CDFA® and financial divorce advocate for women.
Gerard Zielinski is a CDFA® who has spent the last 15 years providing individuals, couples, and family law attorneys with financial tools, resources, and expertise in divorce. Gerard specializes in the valuation and division of retirement benefits including Military Retired Pay and the Federal Service Retirement Systems.
Phone: 888-203-7117
Some key takeaways from this episode include:
Retirement accounts and pensions should very rarely be split 50/50. Unfortunately, judges and attorneys are not the financial experts CDFAs® are, and might order these assets to be split 50/50 if there isn’t an expert present to educate both parties.
Never sign documents or make decisions without input from your divorce team. An attorney might come to you with a deal that looks great on paper, but your CDFA® will be able to see if you’re leaving money on the table.
You should have direct access to and communication with every member of your divorce team. Your attorney should not be the go-between for the experts brought in for your case, you should be privy to - and ultimately, in control of - the strategy to ensure you’re getting what you actually want.
Marriage is about love, but divorce is about money. The Divorce & Money Podcast, hosted by Gabriella E. Martinelli, CDFA®, CDS®, is all about how to navigate your separation and divorce so you can set yourself up for a strong financial future. Gabriella is the Founder at Ever After Wealth®, a divorce financial strategy firm.
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