See How We Work With Family Law Professionals During the Divorce Process
Divorce Planning
At Laurel Wealth Planning, one of our primary focuses is guiding clients through financial and investment planning during divorce.
Our Approach
Over two decades, we have helped divorced or divorcing clients move toward confidence, control, and freedom, with a goal of thriving after divorce. Having a guide who puts your needs foremost may help you move away from confusion and uncertainty and onto the path you want for yourself.
Clients who need a divorce financial advisor generally come to us about halfway through the divorce process. If you have been referred to us, it doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with your financial picture, but rather your attorney is trying to match you with a financial partner who can help you navigate this chapter of your life.
Your divorce attorney is the point person on your strategy, and we advise you and work with your attorney on issues that will affect immediate and long-term post-divorce finances.
Through divorce financial planning, we can help you understand your options, the value of your assets, and the financial implications of decisions made during the divorce proceeding. Our warm style and the way we take time and care for people can feel just right after the formality of divorce proceedings. Divorce is a big transaction, and we want to put you in a position to make decisions that are good for you.
Advice During Divorce
We stay in touch with you throughout the divorce process, offering perspective, advice, and support. There is no cost for this unless the advice you need turns into a project. Then we give you a quote so you can decide if you want us to do this work.
We know that divorces can often last for months, and we are with you all the way to provide important financial perspectives that can help you create the foundation of your post-divorce life.
As we stay in touch, we will get to know your goals and values to help advise you on questions around housing, investment taxation, asset division, and transactions like exercising stock options.
People coming out of divorce need to make cash flow, investment management and tax planning decisions—sometimes for the first time. Our close communication during the divorce helps us hit the ground running when the divorce is final, to help you make these decisions to meet your financial goals.
Help With Financial Decisions After Divorce
If you are new to investing, we will explain the markets and make sure you are comfortable talking about what’s going on under the hood.
The first year of a divorce may be a low-tax year so we will discuss what investment moves can be made to take advantage of that, as well as other strategies to reduce tax.
We review your divorce decree and create an after-divorce checklist of everything that needs to be implemented, and we help you take care of immediate needs like cash flow considerations.
This can include:
Coordinating what money you will receive, from where, and when to make sure none falls through the cracks
Managing cash flow to pay for legal fees, moving and other transitional needs, and living expenses
Deciding where settlement money will go and allocating it accordingly
Splitting and transfering of accounts
Rolling retirement money over
Working with a CPA to make quarterly tax payments
Updating life insurance policies
Moving Beyond Divorce Into the Next Chapter
Clients who work with us during a divorce often transition to our wealth management services, including investment management and financial planning, after their divorce.
Most clients have been strong accumulators and invest $1 million or more with us. However, we have no asset minimum. Instead, we have a minimum annual fee of $7,500 that comes from your investment accounts. Alternatively, we offer a one-time consultation service. This service also has a minimum fee of $7,500, which may be adjusted based on the complexity of your financial situation. You can find more detailed information on our services here.
Attorneys & Family Law Professionals
In addition to our financial advisory services, we also provide expert witness opinions and testimony in the following areas:
Retirement planning
Investment strategies
Settlement sufficiency
Our insights support your team’s efforts to pursue a stable and confident financial future for your client, both during and after the divorce process.
Hear What Our Clients Say:
"As someone that always managed our own finances, I did not take the decision of hiring a financial planner lightly. I looked at many options and talked to several financial planners. In the end, I listened to the advice of our estate attorney: “My clients that work with Laurel Wealth Group love them”.
I am so grateful that we made this leap several years ago. As my husband and I have navigated the first years of retirement, Laura and her team’s advice has been invaluable. They have helped us to fully understand our financial position, our options, and they have been good at guiding us into investment strategies that we might not have considered otherwise.
One particular area of strength for them is tax planning. Early on, LWP developed an income roadmap that considered the effect of capital gains, Medicare rates and projected income tax rates on our annual income. This has proven to be invaluable to us.
We have weathered some turbulent financial times with them in the past few years. It is good to know that they have our back."
Resources
Talk to your financial advisor today!
Why Choose Laurel Wealth Planning?
Hear What Our Clients Say:
"When I went through my divorce after 30 years of marriage, I had never done the finances for my family. My husband was a financial planner and did everything. I was terrified and didn’t know where to turn.
My lawyer had seen Laura Kuntz testify in court and was very impressed with her ability and professionalism. He suggested I call her. She had a wonderful way of walking me through everything and making my finances easier to understand.
Shortly after I became a client of Laura’s, Mallory was hired as office personnel, and she worked with me on different issues. She was wonderful, cheerful, and so professional to work with. Soon Laura encouraged Mallory to begin working towards her financial planning career. She is extremely smart and extremely hardworking. It was seamless how she worked with Laura and me and finally took over my portfolio. Working with Mallory has been wonderful because she has known me since the beginning. I’m so confident in her abilities and her work ethic that I can’t recommend her enough to anyone who needs help with their financial needs.
Women like me, who didn’t have the experience in their own lives, and were suddenly forced into a situation they weren’t comfortable in. Also, anyone who is savvy in finances but doesn’t have the time and resources to do their own.
I highly recommend Mallory at Laurel Wealth Planning."
