CDFA

Certified Divorce Financial Analyst^® 

BROCHURE

Contact us to schedule a complimentary 30-minute phone consultation to discuss your case.

Role of A CDFA^®

Since 2015 Diane has been a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst^® professional and assists clients, couples and their attorneys to better understand the financial complexities surrounding divorce and to forecast the long-term effects of alternative settlement proposals. The role of a CDFA^® is to assist the client and his/her lawyer to understand how the financial decisions he/she makes today will impact the client’s financial future.

Questions that a Divorcing Couple May Have:

• Where will the children live?
• Who will pay for their education and medical treatment?
• How do we value our property?
• Who gets what property?
• What tax issues must we be concerned with?
• How do we divide retirement funds and pensions?
• How will the lower-earning spouse survive financially?
• What additional financial support does that person need?
• Who gets the house?
• What happens if a paying ex-spouse dies?

Responsibilities of a CDFA^®

As a CDFA^®, Diane is someone who comes from a financial planning background and completed an intensive training program to become skilled in analyzing and providing expertise related to the financial issues of divorce. As a CDFA^® she:

• Becomes part of the divorce team, providing litigation support for the lawyer and client, or becomes a member of a Collaborative Law team. In either event, the CDFA^® will be responsible for:
  • Identifying the short-term and long-term effects of dividing property.
  • Integrating tax issues.
  • Analyzing pension and retirement plan issues.
  • Determining if the client can afford the matrimonial home – and if not, what might be an affordable alternative.
  • Evaluating the client’s insurance needs.
  • Establishing assumptions for projecting inflation and rates of return.
  • Bringing an innovative and creative approach to settling cases.
• Provides the client and lawyer with data that shows the financial effect of any given divorce settlement.
• Appears as an expert witness if the case should go to court, or in mediation or arbitration proceedings.
• Is familiar with tax issues that apply to divorce.
• Has background knowledge of the legal issues in divorce.
• Is trained to interview clients so as to:
  • Collect financial and expense data.
  • Help client’s identify their future financial goals.
  • Develop a budget.
  • Set retirement objectives.
  • Determine how much risk they are willing to take with their investments.
  • Identify what kind of life style they want.
  • Determine the costs of their children’s education.