Divorce has a way of making everything feel urgent. The finances. The paperwork. The uncertainty. The fear of making the wrong decision. Many women believe they need to understand every financial detail immediately before they can move forward. But when you are emotionally overwhelmed, trying to figure everything out at once often leads to paralysis. What you need first is not perfection. You need a plan. As a CPA and Divorce Coach, I help women create clarity.

Retirement planning and college planning are more connected than most families realize. Retirement accounts are not counted as assets when calculating the Student Aid Index, while savings and investment accounts are. Increasing retirement contributions can lower taxable income, protect assets from the financial aid formula, and potentially improve aid eligibility. In many cases, saving for retirement is not competing with college planning. It is part of a smarter overall stra