The Challenge

Sophie wasn’t divorced yet — she hadn’t even filed — but she knew the marriage was ending. She wanted to enter the process fully prepared, with a clear understanding of her finances and a plan for what life could look like afterward.

Her questions were practical, but also deeply personal:

• What was her current net worth, and which assets were marital vs. separate?

• Could she afford to keep the home she loved, or would selling be smarter?

• How would her income and expenses change once she was on her own?

• What steps could she take now to protect her financial future before negotiations even started?

She didn’t want to be caught off guard during settlement talks — or worse, discover after the fact that she had missed an important detail.

The Approach

We started by gathering all of Sophie’s financial documents and creating a clear, organized picture of her current situation. From there, we:

• Identified marital vs. separate assets to help her understand what was likely on the table for division

• Estimated her post-divorce living expenses and compared them to her projected income

• Modeled multiple settlement scenarios so she could see the trade-offs in advance

• Suggested steps to protect her credit, ensure access to important accounts, and safeguard her financial information

• Reviewed potential tax impacts of various settlement structures so she could avoid surprises later

The Results

When Sophie began her divorce process, she was ready — emotionally and financially.

• She entered negotiations with a clear understanding of her goals and non-negotiables

• She was able to make smart trade-offs because she had already thought through the long-term impacts

• She avoided common mistakes that can cost divorcing spouses thousands in taxes and missed opportunities

• She felt confident and in control during one of the most challenging periods of her life

Sophie later told us that the preparation work was “like having armor” — it protected her during every stage of the process and set her up for a strong, stable future.

Note: This case study is hypothetical and does not involve an actual FMD Wealth Advisors client. No portion of the content should be construed as a guarantee of future results or satisfaction