Government & Medical Specialist
Government pensions, healthcare retirement, real estate — California's community property law requires expertise. This guide shows you what to protect.
Leanne Ozaine, CDFA® & CFP® | Specializing in gray divorce for 50+
Turn Panic Into Power — $97Here's what nobody tells you: A "fair" settlement can still leave you struggling.
50/50 sounds equal. But if you take the house and your spouse takes the CalPERS pension, only one of you has retirement income. A pension isn't cash. Tax treatment turns "half" into 40% or 60% depending on which half you take.
Your lawyer knows California law. They don't know what you'll live on for the next 30 years.
Most people sign their settlement while still in emotional shock. The brain is in survival mode — the prefrontal cortex that makes rational decisions is literally offline. By the time the fog lifts, the settlement is final.
You need someone whose only job is protecting your financial future — not billable hours, not legal posturing. Someone who can show you exactly what different settlement scenarios mean for your life 5, 10, 25 years from now.
If you're over 50 and facing divorce in the Sacramento area, child custody likely isn't your main concern—your children are grown, in college, or established in their own careers. Instead, you're navigating the financial complexity of dividing decades of accumulated state employee benefits, CalPERS pensions, and real estate in California's capital region.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the household finances. Perhaps your spouse handled CalPERS retirement planning, deferred compensation accounts, and state benefits while you focused on family and home. Now you're facing questions like:
Sacramento is California's capital, home to tens of thousands of state employees. CalPERS (California Public Employees' Retirement System) pensions are a common and valuable asset in gray divorces.
How CalPERS works in divorce:
For those new to public pensions: CalPERS pensions are often the largest asset in state employee divorces. Understanding the rules and options can mean the difference between comfortable retirement and financial struggle.
Many California state employees have retiree health benefits through CalPERS. After divorce, who gets access to these benefits?
Important considerations:
Many state employees participate in deferred compensation programs (457 plans), similar to 401(k)s. These are divided via QDRO-like processes and represent significant retirement assets.
Contributions made during marriage are community property and split 50/50 under California law.
Sacramento real estate has appreciated significantly in recent decades. Homes purchased 20-30 years ago for $150K-$250K may now be worth $500K-$700K or more.
Key questions for gray divorce:
In Sacramento, we work with clients divorcing after 20, 30, or 40+ years of marriage—often public sector employees with unique financial considerations:
After decades of state service, the CalPERS pension may be your most valuable asset. Understanding your rights and options is critical:
Sacramento's cost of living is lower than Bay Area or LA, making retirement more affordable. However, gray divorce clients still face critical questions:
Many of our Sacramento clients—particularly spouses of long-term state employees—have never personally managed CalPERS accounts, deferred compensation, or public sector retirement planning.
You're not alone: Public sector benefits are complex but learnable. We help you understand what you're entitled to and how to access it post-divorce.
While our primary focus is gray divorce (50+ with grown children), some clients have high school or college-age children. California's child support formula applies based on both parents' income and custody time. However, for most 50+ clients, children are independent, and divorce centers on pension division and retirement security.
As a Sacramento resident, your divorce follows California's strict community property laws:
The Rule of 65: If your age plus years of marriage equals 65 or more, spousal support may continue indefinitely—important for spouses who supported long public sector careers.
Learn more about California's community property laws →
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout the Sacramento region, including:
The 5-step system that shows you what you'll actually live on, so you stop guessing and start knowing.
Calculate your real post-divorce income — including CalPERS pension share, 457 deferred comp, and earning potential — so you negotiate from facts, not fear.
Document gathering checklists tell you exactly what to bring to your attorney — so you walk in prepared, not panicked.
Map out your real expenses as a single person — before you fight for something you can't actually maintain on your pension share alone.
The asset identification system helps you find accounts and property you might not even know exist — critical for state employees with complex benefits.
22-page guide + video tutorials + checklists + templates
$97
Instant access. 100% money-back guarantee.
Get the Clarity You Need — $97Whether you've managed CalPERS benefits for years or you're learning about public pensions for the first time, we provide the education and guidance you need.
Turn Panic Into Power — $97 Schedule a Strategy Session