Tag: Financial Awareness

Making Better Divorce Decisions to Protect Your Financial Future (Ep. 104)

Making Better Divorce Decisions to Protect Your Financial Future (Ep. 104)

Divorce can feel overwhelming, especially when emotions and financial uncertainty collide.

How do you make clear decisions when everything feels uncertain? And how can the right guidance help you avoid costly mistakes along the way?

In this episode, I sit down with Carolyn Daly, Managing Partner at Cohen Seglias, to talk through how women can approach divorce with clarity and structure. We cover the importance of understanding your assets, avoiding emotional decisions, and working with the right professionals early. Carolyn also shares how alternative processes like mediation can reduce stress and costs, along with practical ways to move forward with confidence and protect your financial future.

Key takeaways:

  • Why understanding all assets early helps avoid confusion and poor decisions during divorce settlements
  • How emotional attachment to the house can lead to long-term financial strain and missed opportunities
  • The importance of reviewing tax implications, especially capital gains, when dividing investment assets
  • Why delays in the process often increase stress, conflict, and overall costs for both parties
  • How mediation and arbitration can offer more control, reduce conflict, and speed up resolution timelines
  • And more!

Resources:

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About our Guest: 

Carolyn Daly is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Seton Hall University School of Law. She is admitted to practice in both New Jersey and New York, with a primary focus on New Jersey, and is certified by the Supreme Court of New Jersey as a Matrimonial Law Attorney.

She is a fellow of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers and previously served as president of the New Jersey Chapter. Carolyn is an active member of the New Jersey State Bar Association, including its Family Law Section and Family Law Executive Committee. She also serves on the New Jersey Courts’ Supreme Court Family Practice Committee.

Her professional involvement extends into the community, where she volunteers with the battered women’s legal assistance project. She has also contributed to the Morris County Child Support Partnership Committee, participated in a domestic violence task force, and supported the Morris Family Justice Center.

Carolyn has written for the New Jersey Family Lawyer, including an article titled “College Contribution: A Contrarian View,” and contributed a chapter titled “What To Do When Your Spouse Says “I’m Out of Here!” to a book focused on navigating financial crises.

Her practice is centered on family law matters, including divorce, custody, domestic violence, grandparents’ rights, and non-dissolution issues. She is also a trained mediator and an AAML-certified arbitrator.

How to Turn Your Tax Return into a Planning Tool (Ep. 103)

How to Turn Your Tax Return into a Planning Tool (Ep. 103)

Most people think tax season ends when the return is filed, but that may be where the real opportunity begins.

What if your tax return could guide smarter financial decisions instead of sitting untouched for a year?

In this episode, I explain how your tax return can become a valuable planning tool instead of something you file away. I walk through how to review your return for accuracy, compare it year to year, and identify missed items that could impact your taxes. 

We also share how understanding key numbers like income and tax rates can shape better decisions, and how building a “base case” early in the year helps you plan ahead and avoid last-minute tax surprises.

Key takeaways:

  • Why reviewing your tax return after filing can uncover missed details and potential savings opportunities
  • How comparing year-to-year returns helps identify changes, errors, or missing income and deductions
  • What key numbers like taxable income and tax brackets reveal about future planning decisions
  • How small reporting mistakes like Roth conversions or QCDs can lead to unnecessary taxes
  • Why using your return early in the year creates a base case for proactive tax planning 
  • And more!

Resources:

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