I'm getting divorced and I don't know what happens to my wealth

A divorce is not just a personal break-up. It is also the division of everything you have built over the years.

And the decisions you make in those months shape your finances for the following decade.

That is what happened to Cristina when her 18-year marriage came to an end.

Cristina, 49, human resources director

Cristina and her ex-partner had built up a reasonable amount of wealth, but everything was mixed together with no clear criteria for dividing it. Her situation when she came to Quality Finance:

• The family home, jointly owned and still with a mortgage outstanding
• A flat she had inherited before the marriage
• Investment funds and a pension plan in each of their names
• Two children of university age in her care

Her lawyer was handling the legal process, but nobody was explaining what each option meant for her financial future.

“I don't want to come out of this feeling I've given away what I worked so hard to earn.”

A colleague at work told her about Quality Finance to get the financial side of the process in order.

What did we do together?

We worked alongside her lawyer, focusing solely on the impact of each decision on her wealth.

• A true inventory of the estate: We separated her own assets from the joint marital assets and put an up-to-date value on each one.
• The family home: We analysed the three usual routes (selling, buying out the other party or keeping it) and the real cost of each for her.
• Liquidity and tax: We looked at which assets she could keep without triggering a tax bill she wasn't expecting.
• A portfolio from scratch: We redesigned her investments for one person, with her new level of income and expenses.
• Safety cushion: We defined an emergency fund suited to her new stage in life.

After the report, Cristina understood that:

• Keeping the home was not always the best financial option
• She could reorganise her investments without rushing
• Her retirement remained viable with a few adjustments

Starting again with a plan

Cristina closed her divorce knowing exactly where she stood and where she was heading. Uncertainty gave way to a concrete plan.

All details of this case have been changed to protect privacy. It is an illustrative example and not a recommendation to invest.