Money and Divorce with Gabriella Martinelli
Married? Do you know where your money is? I’m really excited to talk with Gabriella Martinelli, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst, about what we need to know about our finances and protecting ourselves before or during a divorce.
Even if you don’t think you are headed in that direction, you can protect yourself, because if you don’t know where the money is or don’t have access to the accounts, and something happens, you’re stuck.
Divorce is often messy — a mix of emotions, laws that aren’t clear, and financial confusion. Getting clarity around the money can help you make choices from a better place.
We talk about:
- Why so many women don’t know about money — and why it’s a problem
- Financial and nonfinancial contributions to the family
- Fear about not having enough money and trust about money going both ways
- Protecting your business early and keeping business expenses separate from household expenses
- Questions you should be asking and how you can start to find information
- Why you should hire a CDFA before an attorney if you are moving toward divorce
DOABLE CHANGES
At the end of every episode, we share three doable changes, so you can take what you’ve heard and put it into action. Change comes from action.
Doable changes are things that you can add into your life, one at a time to make micro shifts and really create a ripple effect that will create a big change over time. Choose one that really piques your interest and roll with it.
Here are three Doable Changes from this conversation:
- GET A SNAPSHOT OF YOUR FAMILY FINANCIAL PICTURE. What accounts do you have? What investments? What debt? Are your names on those accounts? Ask questions. Collect information. Ask for more access. It’s not only useful in case of divorce, but also in case something happens to your spouse and you need to do more than you are doing financially.
- DIG DEEPER. Gabriella offers some ideas about using tax returns, credit reports, and other documents to start to gather information on your own if you feel you can’t ask questions or don’t trust the answers.
- PROTECT YOUR BUSINESS. While protecting your business may take multiple changes, the first step you can take is to talk to an attorney about protecting your business as your livelihood in case, separate from other assets. From there you can make decisions about what you need to do.
ABOUT GABRIELLA
Gabriella E. Martinelli is a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) and founder of Ever After Wealth®. With 21 years of experience in divorce finance, including 16 working alongside top attorneys, Gabriella helps individuals and professionals navigate the financial complexities of divorce with clarity and confidence. She makes complex financial topics easy to understand, offering real-world strategies that empower listeners to take control of their financial future.
