Fee-only financial advisors for divorce — CDFA-trained, no commission conflict.
Divorce is one of the largest single-event wealth disruptions most people experience. Asset division decisions (which retirement account to take, keep/sell the house, QDRO mechanics, alimony tax treatment post-TCJA) are often irreversible and have long tax tails. A CDFA-credentialed fee-only advisor models the decisions a divorce attorney isn't tra
What our matched specialists handle
- Should I take the 401(k) or the house in the divorce?
- How do QDROs actually work — and what happens if my ex is the plan participant?
- Post-TCJA alimony tax treatment for post-2019 divorces — who bears the tax?
- Social Security ex-spouse benefits — when do I qualify?
- My ex owned a business — how is it valued for equitable distribution?
- I'm going from joint to single-filer tax brackets — what's the real hit?
Tools & guides
Divorce Home Calculator: Keep, Sell, or Buy Out Your Spouse
Model buyout feasibility, refinance payment, DTI check, capital gains tax after the §121 exclusion, and a 10-year wealth comparison — keep vs. sell and invest.
Divorce Asset Split Calculator
Model the after-tax value of common divorce asset-split decisions: 401(k) vs house, taxable vs pre-tax retirement equivalency, alimony present value.
Alimony After-Tax Present Value Calculator
Model the true after-tax value of alimony under pre-2019 vs post-TCJA rules: recipient take-home, payer cost, NPV, and bracket-arbitrage analysis.
QDRO Calculator: 401(k) Split & Cash-Out Tax Scenarios
Model your QDRO split, QDRO fees, and the tax difference between rolling vs. cashing out directly — including the IRC 72(t)(2)(C) penalty exception most people miss.
Divorce Financial Planning Guide
Detailed framework — rules, tradeoffs, and common mistakes.
What Is a CDFA?
What a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst does, how they differ from your divorce attorney, and why fee-only status matters when the stakes are this high.
How QDROs Work
Step-by-step: which accounts require a QDRO, the process, cost ($500–$2,500+), pension vs 401(k) differences, and the six mistakes that cost people money.
Alimony Tax Treatment After TCJA
Pre-2019 vs post-2018 divorces: who deducts, who reports income, the modification trap, and what the rule change means for settlement negotiations.
Business Valuation in Divorce
How a spouse's business gets valued for equitable distribution: income vs market vs asset approach, personal vs enterprise goodwill, minority discounts, and the tax basis trap under IRC § 1041.
How Divorce Changes Your Tax Brackets & Filing Status
Divorce halves your standard deduction ($32,200 MFJ → $16,100 single) and compresses your tax brackets. 2026 MFJ vs. single comparison, capital gains rate impact, Head of Household eligibility, and the year-of-divorce planning window.
Social Security Ex-Spouse Benefits
Five eligibility rules, the 50% of ex's PIA formula, early-claiming reductions, divorced survivor benefits at 60, and the 2025 GPO repeal that changes the picture for public-sector ex-spouses.
Post-Divorce Financial Checklist: 12 Steps in Your First 90 Days
COBRA deadlines, beneficiary updates (the #1 missed step), QDRO submission timing, tax withholding changes, LTCG harvesting windows, IRMAA appeals, and when to engage a CDFA after settlement.
How to Split an IRA in Divorce Without a Tax Bill
IRAs use IRC § 408(d)(6) — not a QDRO. Get the transfer wrong and the IRA owner faces a taxable distribution plus penalty. Covers Roth IRA basis, SIMPLE IRA's 25% penalty trap, SEP-IRA rules, and inherited IRA complications.
Stock Options and RSUs in Divorce
ISOs can't be transferred to a non-employee spouse — only NSOs can. RSU grants straddle the marriage and require the Hug or Nelson time rule to apportion. Who pays tax when the non-employee spouse exercises NSOs, and how to structure unvested equity in a settlement.
Military Divorce Financial Planning: USFSPA, Frozen Benefit Rule & SBP
Military retired pay is divided under federal law, not state QDROs. The frozen benefit rule (NDAA 2017) caps the former spouse's share at the servicemember's rank and years of service at divorce. Plus: the 10/10 direct-pay rule, SBP survivor elections, TSP Retirement Benefits Court Orders, and TRICARE eligibility.
Health Insurance After Divorce: COBRA, ACA, and Employer Plans
Divorce ends coverage fast — sometimes the same day. COBRA gives you 36 months at 102% of the employer's full premium. The ACA special enrollment window is 60 days. The enhanced subsidies that held down ACA premiums through 2025 have expired. Here's how to compare the options and not miss the deadlines.
Community Property vs. Equitable Distribution: How State Law Shapes Your Settlement
Nine states split assets 50/50 by law (community property). The other 41 let courts decide what's "fair" (equitable distribution). Neither system is simple — after-tax modeling matters in both. Here's what your state's rules mean for every asset negotiation.
Debt in Divorce: Who Is Responsible After the Settlement?
A divorce decree does not release you from a creditor's claim on joint debt. Mortgage, credit card, auto loan, and student loan liability after divorce — by state law, by debt type, and what your settlement agreement can and can't actually protect.
Grey Divorce: Financial Planning for Divorce After 50
When divorce happens at 55, 60, or 65, the stakes are different — retirement is close, recovery time is short. Social Security ex-spouse strategy, IRMAA traps, RMD-age retirement account division, home §121 planning, and sequence-of-returns risk when you're splitting assets you'll need to live on.
Pension Division in Divorce: QDROs, Coverture Fractions, and Survivor Annuities
Defined benefit pensions require QDRO language tailored to the plan — the coverture fraction, shared payment vs. separate interest structure (the choice affects NPV significantly), survivor annuity elections, and the PBGC 2026 maximum. Federal FERS/CSRS use a separate OPM COAP process entirely.
Who Gets the 529 in a Divorce?
529 account ownership stays with whoever opened it — but the marital contribution fraction is negotiable. Four division strategies (offset, transfer, split, liquidate), state tax recapture traps, SECURE 2.0 §126 529-to-Roth rollover as a settlement tool, and post-2024 FAFSA changes.
Life Insurance in Divorce: The ERISA Beneficiary Trap and Cash Value as an Asset
Failing to update a beneficiary designation after divorce can hand your ex-spouse your life insurance payout — the Egelhoff ERISA preemption case is the landmark example. Cash-value policies are marital assets with their own IRC §1041 and §1035 rules. How to secure alimony with irrevocable life insurance and what happens to group coverage.
Annuities in Divorce: Splitting, Transferring, and the After-Tax Traps
A deferred annuity's nominal balance is almost never its after-tax settlement value. The IRC §1041 carryover basis trap can hide $50,000–$100,000 of embedded tax liability. Surrender charge timing, §1035 exchange opportunities, QDRO rules for employer-plan annuities, and how to compare the annuity against other assets in the settlement.
Estate Planning After Divorce: Will, Trust, and Powers of Attorney
Divorce doesn't automatically remove your ex from your estate plan. ERISA employer plans keep your ex as beneficiary until you file a new form — state revocation statutes don't apply. What to update, in what order, and what happens if you don't: will, revocable trust, financial POA, healthcare proxy, advance directive, and all beneficiary designations.
Hidden Assets in Divorce: How to Find What Your Spouse Isn't Disclosing
Asset concealment is more common than most people expect in high-asset divorces. The 8 most common hiding methods (deferred bonuses, IRS overpayment, phantom loans, crypto, business income manipulation), red flags in financial disclosure, the discovery toolkit, CDFA vs. forensic CPA roles, and what courts do when concealment is proven.
Take the 401(k) or Keep the House? How to Analyze the Biggest Asset Trade-Off in Your Divorce
A $500K 401(k) and $500K in home equity are not worth the same after tax. The 401(k) carries a 22%–32% ordinary income tax drag; the home's §121 exclusion drops from $500K (married) to $250K (single) once the decree is entered. Side-by-side 2026 comparison, the net equalization trap, and the factors that favor each asset for your specific situation.
Rental Property and Investment Real Estate in Divorce
Splitting a rental looks simple on paper — equity divided by two. But accumulated depreciation recapture (taxed at up to 25%), NIIT exposure after the filing-status shift to single ($200K threshold vs the $250K MFJ you had while married), §1041 carryover basis traps, §1031 exchange timing, and LLC-held property complications can hide $50,000–$100,000 of embedded tax liability in the equity figure. After-tax modeling before you sign the settlement agreement.
Divorce Financial Planning With Children: Child Support, Tax Credits, and Head of Household
Child support is not deductible — never was. Head of Household ($24,150 standard deduction in 2026) belongs to the custodial parent even if they sign over the Child Tax Credit via Form 8332. The 2026 CTC is $2,200/child (OBBBA), and the Dependent Care FSA limit is now $7,500. Here's how to model every child-related tax decision before the settlement is signed.
Divorce Financial Planning for Women
Women's household income falls 33% after divorce on average — twice the drop men experience. What the gender-neutral guides miss: Social Security ex-spouse vs own-record strategy, IRMAA spikes from joint-income years, the Roth advantage for lower post-divorce brackets, and the 60-day health insurance clock.
Cryptocurrency and Digital Assets in Divorce
Bitcoin, NFTs, staking rewards, and DeFi positions are among the hardest assets to split in divorce. Asset discovery challenges, the IRC §1041 carryover basis trap (a $300K Bitcoin position may carry $50K–$70K in embedded tax), staking income earned during the marriage, NFT valuation, and how to structure in-kind transfers vs cash buyouts on an after-tax basis.
Capital Gains Tax in Divorce: The Hidden Liability in Your Settlement
IRC §1041 makes asset transfers look tax-free — but the embedded gain transfers with the asset, not away from it. The §121 home exclusion drops from $500K to $250K once the decree is entered. The NIIT threshold falls $50,000 after the MFJ-to-single shift. Capital loss carryovers don't split 50/50. Here's how to find every deferred tax liability before you sign.
Nonqualified Deferred Compensation (NQDC) in Divorce
NQDC plans can't be split with a QDRO — they're exempt from ERISA, and § 409A prohibits accelerating payouts without a 20% excise tax penalty. A $300K NQDC balance may be worth only $125K in after-tax present value. Here's how deferred comp gets divided: the offset math, the if-as-and-when clause, and the FICA timing detail that changes the calculation.
Separate Property vs. Marital Property: What's Protected and What's Not
Pre-marital assets, inheritances, and gifts are generally yours alone — but commingling, title changes, and active appreciation during the marriage can erase that protection. How separate property loses its character, how to trace and document it, and why the pre-marital home is the most contested case in high-asset divorce.
HSA in Divorce: Who Gets the Health Savings Account and How to Split It
An HSA doesn't need a QDRO and can be transferred tax-free incident to divorce — but only if done correctly. Get it wrong and the distributing spouse owes ordinary income tax plus a 20% penalty. How the triple-tax advantage affects settlement valuation, the trustee-to-trustee transfer process, and the post-divorce HDHP eligibility issue that affects future contributions.
How Is Alimony Calculated? Duration, Amount, and What Courts Actually Look At
There is no federal formula — state law governs, and judicial discretion is wide. How courts set the amount (income gap, standard of living, career sacrifices) and duration (marriage-length guidelines), which states have explicit formulas (New York's DRL § 236, Texas's $5K cap and duration tiers), and why the post-TCJA rule change means the gross number is no longer the right number to negotiate around.
Financial Affidavit in Divorce: What Courts Require and How to Get It Right
Every contested divorce requires a sworn financial affidavit listing your income, expenses, assets, and liabilities. Courts use it to set asset division, alimony, and attorney's fees. What goes in each section, how to value complex assets (business interests, deferred comp, pensions), the mistakes that lead to sanctions — and how to spot what's missing on your spouse's version.
Divorce Mediation vs. Litigation vs. Collaborative: Financial Costs and Outcomes
Mediation costs a median of $7,000 per couple. Litigation costs a median of $35,000 per spouse. The process choice alone can be the largest single expense in your divorce. Real cost breakdowns, timeline comparisons, financial outcome differences, and how a CDFA fits into each — as your advocate in mediation, as a financial neutral in collaborative, or as a testifying expert in litigation.
Marital Settlement Agreement: Financial Terms, Tax Traps, and What to Review Before You Sign
The MSA is a binding financial contract — most property provisions are final once the judge signs. What your attorney isn't modeling: embedded capital gains in brokerage accounts and real estate, after-tax equivalency of assets exchanged, QDRO language adequacy, the TCJA alimony regime, and the year-of-divorce filing status decision. Checklist of what to verify before you sign.
Rebuilding Retirement After Divorce: Catch-Up Contributions, Roth Conversions & Social Security Strategy
The settlement is signed — now what? A step-by-step plan for closing the retirement gap: 2026 catch-up contribution limits ($32,500 at 50+, $35,750 at ages 60–63), the Roth conversion window that post-divorce income often opens, Social Security ex-spouse claiming strategy (32.5% at 62 vs. 50% at FRA), IRMAA management, and how to recalculate your retirement date with one income instead of two.
California Divorce Financial Planning: Community Property, CalPERS & Spousal Support
California's community property rules (FC § 2550) default to a 50/50 split — but CalPERS requires its own DRO/Joinder process separate from ERISA QDROs, business goodwill is community property in ways it isn't in most states, and the "10-year alimony rule" (FC §4336) is widely misunderstood. What the rules actually say and what they mean for your settlement.
Florida Divorce Financial Planning: 2023 Alimony Reform, Equitable Distribution & FRS Pensions
Florida eliminated permanent alimony on July 1, 2023 — durational awards are now capped at 50%/60%/75% of the marriage length depending on duration, and the amount can't exceed 35% of the net income gap. FRS pensions require a Domestic Relations Order (not an ERISA QDRO), and the homestead exemption creates deed complications that catch spouses off guard. What Florida's rules mean for your settlement numbers.
Texas Divorce Financial Planning: Community Property, Spousal Maintenance & TRS Pensions
Texas is a community property state — but the court divides assets "just and right," not automatically 50/50. Proven fault (adultery, cruelty) can shift the split. Spousal maintenance is capped at $5,000/month or 20% of gross income and requires meeting a narrow eligibility test. TRS teacher pensions use model DROs (not QDROs). And a home buyout requires an owelty of partition lien to avoid the Texas homestead restrictions. What Texas's rules mean for your settlement numbers.
New York Divorce Financial Planning: Equitable Distribution, Maintenance & NYCERS
New York uses equitable distribution — not community property — and divides assets under a 16-factor statutory test. Maintenance is governed by a formula with a $241,000 income cap (2026), and NYC residents face a combined state + city income tax rate of up to 14.8%, the highest in the country. NYCERS and NYSLRS pensions require DROs, not ERISA QDROs. The after-tax value of every asset in a New York settlement looks different from the face number on the Statement of Net Worth.
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Divorce Advisor Match is a matching service. We connect you with vetted fee-only financial advisors in our network — we don't manage money or provide advice ourselves. Advisors in our network are fiduciaries who charge transparent fees (not product commissions), and we match you based on your specific situation.