Saving With Steve, September 1, 2026

Ep298, Leah Hadley, Emotional And Financial Complexities Of Divorceeeting
Divorce, Money, and the Next Chapter: Building Financial Clarity Through Life’s Biggest Transition
Divorce as an Emotional and Financial Turning Point
Steve Sexton introduces divorce as a major life event with both emotional and financial consequences and welcomes Leah Hadley to discuss how people can navigate the transition with greater clarity. Leah explains that her interest in this work is rooted in both her childhood experience with her parents' divorce and her own divorce later in life. Although she was already a financial professional, she says the experience showed her how overwhelming financial decisions can become when someone's personal life feels as though it is unraveling. She emphasizes that professional expertise does not eliminate grief, fear, anger, or uncertainty. That realization ultimately motivated her to focus on supporting families through the divorce process.
Managing Communication, Children, and Family Relationships
Leah explains that spouses often enter the divorce process on very different emotional timelines, especially when one person has been considering divorce for months or years while the other is just receiving the news. She encourages couples counseling even when reconciliation is not the goal, because stronger communication skills can help people move through the next stage more constructively. The conversation also addresses protecting children's relationships with both parents and avoiding unnecessary negative comments about the other parent. Leah recommends being honest with extended family while limiting the amount of personal detail shared. She warns that outside opinions can add noise, intensify conflict, and make it harder for people to make grounded decisions for themselves and their immediate families.
Rebuilding the Financial Foundation After Divorce
The discussion turns to the financial reality of supporting two households after a separation. Leah says people who were already spending beyond their means before divorce are likely to face the greatest difficulty, while households that lived below their means and maintained savings may have more flexibility. She describes divorce as potentially one of the largest financial transactions a person will experience and urges people to think beyond immediate discomfort when negotiating assets. Instead of trying to preserve every part of the old lifestyle, she recommends identifying what truly matters and building a new budget around the life a person wants to create. By putting fears and unanswered questions on paper, she says people can replace vague anxiety with specific financial questions that can be addressed through planning.
Choosing Attorneys and Handling High-Conflict Situations
Leah explains that divorce cases can involve collaborative divorce, cooperative approaches, mediation, or litigation, and that the right attorney depends on the type and complexity of the case. She recommends asking attorneys about their experience, how many cases go to trial, whether they support mediation, whether they are trained mediators, and how responsive they are to clients. She also stresses the value of referrals from professionals who have already worked with particular attorneys. In higher-conflict cases, including situations involving possible financial abuse or other forms of abuse, Leah says physical safety must come before financial planning. She notes that anger and grief can cause people to behave at their worst during divorce and says divorce coaches can be especially useful for keeping communication focused and limited to what is necessary.
Financial Advisors, Neutral Analysis, and Post-Divorce Support
When discussing whether someone should keep the same financial advisor after divorce, Leah recommends focusing first on the settlement rather than making an immediate advisor change. She says an independent Certified Divorce Financial Analyst can provide divorce-specific analysis as either an advocate for one party or a neutral working with both parties. In a neutral role, she explains that she first learns what matters to each person, then works with both parties on financial analysis aimed at producing a reasonable settlement while minimizing taxes and administrative costs. After divorce, she recommends choosing financial professionals whose experience matches the client's circumstances and whose communication style feels supportive. She also emphasizes financial literacy and confidence, explaining that some clients want to learn to manage their own money while others prefer a more hands-off advisory relationship.
Intentional Money and Preparing for Financial Uncertainty
Leah closes the interview by describing her Intentional Money Method, which she says is organized around six pillars: clarity, values, mindset, strategy, action, and support. She argues that financial strategy works best when people first understand what matters to them, examine limiting money stories, and take action that builds confidence over time. She also stresses that people do not need to manage every financial challenge alone and can seek support from family, professionals, or a community. After the interview, Steve shifts to portfolio construction and discusses comments he attributes to BlackRock and Goldman Sachs about selective investing, artificial-intelligence spending, real earnings, and risk management. He encourages listeners to consider whether their portfolios are built to handle uncertainty, capture opportunities, and absorb market shocks without resorting to panic.
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