How college gets funded in a California divorce, what happens to a 529 you already have, and how to keep child and spousal support from vanishing if the paying parent dies.

In this episode of Advisor in Your Corner, Alex Weinberger, CFP and CDFA, walks through the part of divorce that worries parents most, the money behind their children's future. He covers the California rule that surprises almost everyone, that courts generally will not order a parent to pay for college, so it has to be negotiated into the settlement; what happens to a 529 college savings plan when one parent controls it; how custodial accounts differ from 529s; and the protection almost no one raises, that child and spousal support generally end if the paying parent dies, and how California law lets a court require life insurance to secure it. He closes with the beneficiary designation mistakes that send money to the wrong place, and the questions to ask before signing. Learn more about the firm at Marriage Financial Solutions, https://marriagefinancial.com, and about the affiliated fiduciary advisory firm at Weinberger Asset Management, https://wamasset.com. To schedule a confidential, complimentary conversation about where you stand financially, visit https://calendly.com/abwcalendar/inquiry-30-minute.

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How businesses are valued in a California divorce, why the it is worthless claim is often a low starting position, and how goodwill and a neutral expert reveal what a company is really worth.

When a spouse says the business is worth little in a divorce, it is often a starting position rather than a fact. In this episode of Advisor in Your Corner, Alex Weinberger, CFP and CDFA, walks through how a business is valued in a California divorce, the three valuation lenses experts use, why goodwill is where the biggest dollars and disputes live, the specific places the spouse who did not run the business gets shortchanged, and how to test the claim without becoming a forensic accountant. Learn more about the firm at Marriage Financial Solutions, https://marriagefinancial.com, and about the affiliated fiduciary advisory firm at Weinberger Asset Management, https://wamasset.com. To schedule a confidential, complimentary conversation about where you stand financially, visit https://calendly.com/abwcalendar/inquiry-30-minute.

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How to manage a divorce settlement: the first financial decisions to make when the money lands. When a divorce settlement is finalized and the money arrives, the early decisions shape the next several decades. In this episode, Alex Weinberger, a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA), explains what to do first with a divorce settlement, why the headline number is rarely what you can actually spend, and how to build a financial team after divorce.

What this episode covers:

• Why a settlement is worth less than its stated number, and how house equity, retirement accounts, and taxable accounts each carry different taxes and rules
• What to do first with a divorce settlement: why the strongest opening move is to make no large or irreversible decisions
• How cost basis and tax character determine what each asset is really worth to you
• How to find a financial advisor after divorce, and what fee only and fiduciary actually mean
• How to turn a lump sum settlement into income that lasts across your full time horizon

Common questions answered in this episode:

• Is a divorce settlement taxable? Dividing assets between spouses in a divorce is generally not taxable in itself, but the tax comes later and depends on the type of asset.
• How much of a settlement can you safely spend each year? There is no single percentage; a sustainable level depends on your cost of living, time horizon, taxes, and how the money is invested.

Marriage Financial Solutions is a financial consulting firm in Los Angeles that helps individuals and their attorneys understand the financial side of divorce, serving clients across California. Learn more or schedule a confidential consultation at marriagefinancial.com.

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