After age 50, women are divorcing at dou

After age 50, women are divorcing at double the rate of 20 years ago @PalmBeachPost http://ow.ly/8YqDI Surprising stats RE gray divorce

The Retirement Security Crisis in Black

The Retirement Security Crisis in Black America @SEIU http://ow.ly/8YpM5 Absolutely chillingly BAD stats!

After age 50, women are divorcing at dou

After age 50, women are divorcing at double the rate of 20 years ago @PalmBeachPost http://ow.ly/8YqDI Gray divorce looms large.

RT Back at you @thesilverpurse: #FF Fina

RT Back at you @thesilverpurse: #FF Financially savvy and generous sharers of knowledge @TheSavvyLife @LoraSasiela @MoneyGal2020

Can Boomer Women Afford to Retire? @Forb

Can Boomer Women Afford to Retire? @Forbes http://ow.ly/8YsIn Doin’ better with a ways to go

Valentine’s Day is good time to go on a

Valentine’s Day is good time to go on a money date, expert says @examiner.com
http://ow.ly/8YvWb Not very romantic -But, a great idea for ‘date night’

Retirement Strategy Beyond the Numbers @

Retirement Strategy Beyond the Numbers @equifaxfinanceblog @evebecker http://ow.ly/8YlQI Thx for letting me contribute on this vital topic!

New Regulations Enhance Savers’ Retireme

New Regulations Enhance Savers’ Retirement Security @Brookings http://ow.ly/8YrVJ Fee disclosure and annuities…

Is There a Divorce in Your Future? How a Divorce Financial Planner Can Help You

Whenever I read the statistics on divorce in the U.S. , I still find the numbers of failed marriages quite astounding. Although recent studies show that some marriages seem to be holding together better than in prior decades, the fact is that 50% of first marriages still end in divorce. For second marriages and third marriages the divorce rates are 67% and 74% respectively.  -With statistics like these, it’s likely that one or several of our own family members has been (or will be) divorced.

Divorce often presents a set of extremely difficult challenges for divorcing couples, their children and extended families. While dealing with strong emotions and often very painful family adjustments, there is always the ‘money part’ of  the divorce. For my readers who are not aware, there is professional help available for you when it comes to working through the financial aspects of divorce. There are financial specialists called Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™s who are trained to help you and your attorney with the financials of divorce.

What Does a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™ Do?   

 Certified Divorce Financial Analysts™ are trained to advocate for both men and women. Our main goal is to help our client to achieve an equitable financial settlement –equitable meaning fair, not necessarily equal. Because the financial aspects of a divorce can be complex, we play a role in helping our clients and their attorneys through the financial issues related to divorce.

Common Divorce Settlement Mistakes an Expert Can Help You to Avoid 

There are many potential pitfalls when working on a settlement proposal. Some common mistakes include:

• Negotiating to keep the home when the client can’t afford
• Not understanding the capital gains taxes on the sale of the marital home or how the sale might impact both parties 
• Not looking at the long-term impacts of proposed settlements
• Thinking that retirement assets have the same value as an equal dollar amount of non-retirement assets

Jane Nowak   is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst ™ at Kring Financial Management in Atlanta, GA.  Jane is a Retirement Specialist and Divorce Financial Analyst who provides financial planning for clients in their prime. 

 She has recently had articles published or has been quoted in articles that have appeared online at the NASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, Womenetics.com, Smart Money Chicks, Fox Business News, CreditCards.com, U.S. News &World Report, Financial Planning Association (FPA) and Equifax Personal Finance blog web sites.  

Securities offered by Triad Advisors, Inc. member FINRA/SIPC

Retirement Redux or Rewrite the Plan?

Never place a period where God has placed a comma.                ~Gracie Allen

This quote really resonates with me  when I begin thinking about the myriad of challenges that my clients (especially women)  face when they seriously begin planning for their retirements. 

Punctuating with a period?  Constantly bombarded with the images of that ‘ideal’ retirement, we’ve all seen pictures of retirees walking in the sun on a beautiful beach, playing golf, boating or traveling to exotic destinations. Of course,  these pictures never show a cloudy sky or a hint of rain.

We all dream of being able to have a sunny  retirement. – And, for sure, keep your ideal retirement dream alive!  But, if you’ve got rain in your retirement financial picture, you don’t need to get stuck by placing a ‘full stop’ on your retirement plans when your financial reality doesn’t match up… 

Time to punctuate with  a comma? I have occasion to welcome clients into my office who are very close to or beyond retirement age who despite their best efforts are falling short of attaining their retirement dreams. Many are really ‘down on themselves’ or ‘beating themselves up’ for  their current gap in retirement assets needed versus what they have actually saved. Oddly enough, I say that this is the perfect time to re-evaluate your situation and move forward to ‘reinvent’ your retirement.

As the new year begins, this certainly is the perfect time to rewrite your very own plan for retirement.  Remember it’s not supposed to be the retirement picture or plan that an advertiser has shown you. -Truthfully, who do you know that  really has that idyllic life?  So,  I’m talking about you, drawing-up a retirement picture or plan that matches your financial reality.

 In the last several years, I’ve read and tweeted  many ideas that may be helpful to those of you who are working on retirement redux or reinventing your retirement plans:

• Working longer full or part-time doing something you actually enjoy
• Develop a new computer-based career you can work from the comfort of your home
• Living  together with other ‘Golden Girls’ or Golden Guys’
• Retiring in here or in another country that has a retiree-friendly costs and standard of living
• Move in with a family member

Your picture of your retirement will be as unique as you. Remember it’s not your Mom, Dad’s or an advertiser’s retirement –it’s yours. Take the plunge and reinvent your retirement.

Need more ideas? Give me a call.

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Jane Nowak   is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™  and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst™  who specializes in Women’s Retirement and Divorce Financial Planning for Women. Located in the Smyrna, Marietta, Vinings area of Atlanta, GA,  Jane’s goal is to educate and empower her clients to take control of their daily finances so they can fully fund their retirement dreams and needs. Jane has recently had articles published or has been quoted in articles that have appeared on-line at the NASDAQ, Yahoo Finance, Womenetics.com, Smart Money Chicks, Fox Business News, CreditCards.com, U.S. News and World Report and Financial Planning Association (FPA) websites.

Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Inc. Member, FINRA/SIPC