Corporate & Pharma Specialist
Pharma equity, corporate retirement, real estate — Indiana's equitable distribution requires expertise. This guide shows you exactly what you're entitled to.
Leanne Ozaine, CDFA® & CFP® | Specializing in high-asset divorces
Turn Panic Into Power — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in the Indianapolis metro area—particularly in the affluent northern suburbs of Carmel, Fishers, Zionsville, or Westfield—you're navigating one of the Midwest's most economically successful regions. Your divorce likely isn't about custody schedules—your children are grown and independent. Instead, your divorce centers on dividing substantial assets accumulated over decades: Eli Lilly stock and benefits, manufacturing pensions, real estate that's appreciated dramatically, and complex healthcare industry compensation.
What makes Indianapolis/Carmel unique for gray divorce:
Many of our Indianapolis/Carmel clients are navigating financial complexity they never expected: Eli Lilly stock worth hundreds of thousands, homes in West Carmel purchased for $400K now appraised at $850K, manufacturing pensions from 30-year careers, and the question of who gets the valuable retiree health benefits.
Here'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 401(k), 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 Indiana 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.
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 spousal support, assets, 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.
The asset identification system helps you find accounts and property you might not even know exist.
22-page guide + video tutorials + checklists + templates
$97
Instant access. 100% money-back guarantee.
Get the Clarity You Need — $97Eli Lilly and Company, headquartered in Indianapolis, is one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies and Indiana's largest employer. Gray divorce cases involving Lilly employees present exceptional complexity around benefits and long-term compensation.
Founded in 1876, Eli Lilly employs 40,000+ globally with significant concentration in Indianapolis. The company develops drugs like Prozac, Cialis, Trulicity, Mounjaro, and Zepbound—generating tens of billions in annual revenue and creating substantial employee wealth.
Why this matters for gray divorce: If your spouse (or you) has worked at Lilly for 15-30 years, you're likely dealing with multiple layers of compensation and benefits that most divorce attorneys have never encountered. Properly valuing and dividing these benefits requires specialized pharmaceutical industry knowledge combined with Indiana divorce law expertise.
Eli Lilly is publicly traded (NYSE: LLY) and has experienced remarkable stock appreciation—particularly in recent years with blockbuster drugs like Mounjaro and Zepbound.
Lilly equity divorce considerations:
Timing matters: Lilly stock has appreciated dramatically in recent years (from ~$150 in 2020 to $800+ in 2024-2025). If you're divorcing now, the value of unvested equity or stock accumulated during the marriage could be 5x what it was just a few years ago. This creates massive complexity in valuation and division under Indiana's 50/50 presumption.
Tax implications: RSUs are taxed as ordinary income when they vest (federal + Indiana 3.15%), while long-term capital gains on ESPP stock held 1+ year are taxed at lower rates. Division strategy must account for these different tax treatments.
Eli Lilly has maintained traditional defined benefit pension plans for longer-tenured employees—increasingly rare in corporate America but still available for many current and former Lilly employees.
Lilly pension divorce considerations:
Real scenario: Let's say your spouse worked at Lilly for 28 years and has a pension valued at $4,500/month starting at age 65. They're 58 now. The marital portion of that pension (assuming the entire career was during marriage) is subject to Indiana's 50/50 presumption. Do you want to receive $2,250/month when they retire? Or would you prefer a different property division arrangement that gives you other liquid assets instead? This is where financial planning expertise becomes essential.
This might be the most valuable and overlooked asset in your entire divorce.
Eli Lilly provides retiree healthcare benefits for eligible employees—meaning health insurance coverage BEFORE you're Medicare-eligible at age 65, and often supplemental coverage afterward. For gray divorce, this is extraordinarily valuable and must be addressed in your settlement.
Why retiree healthcare matters so much:
The divorce problem: At divorce, the non-employee spouse typically LOSES access to the employee spouse's retiree health benefits (unlike during marriage, where both spouses were covered). This creates enormous financial inequality that must be addressed in property division.
Negotiation strategies:
For those new to finances: If your spouse worked at Eli Lilly and you've been covered by their health insurance, you need to understand what happens to your coverage after divorce. This is NOT automatic—it requires careful planning and negotiation. Don't overlook this critical issue.
Lilly offers a generous 401(k) match and profit-sharing contributions, leading many long-term employees to accumulate substantial retirement savings.
Key considerations:
High-level Lilly executives, scientists, and managers may participate in non-qualified deferred compensation plans that defer income to future years—often to retirement.
Deferred comp complexity:
Lilly scientists and researchers working on drug development may receive royalty payments, milestone bonuses, or other performance-based compensation tied to successful drugs.
IP-related divorce issues:
Example: Let's say your spouse was part of the team that developed Mounjaro (Lilly's blockbuster diabetes/weight loss drug generating $5+ billion in annual sales). They may receive royalty payments for years to come. The portion attributable to work during the marriage is likely marital property under Indiana's 50/50 presumption—but proving the exact percentage requires expert analysis.
Carmel, Indiana has been ranked #1 place to live in America by Money Magazine and consistently appears on "best places" lists. This affluence has driven dramatic real estate appreciation, creating substantial home equity subject to divorce division.
Carmel neighborhoods with high divorce complexity:
Real estate appreciation impact: Homes purchased in Carmel for $350,000-$450,000 in the early 2000s are now worth $700,000-$900,000+. This appreciation represents substantial equity subject to Indiana's 50/50 division presumption.
This is often the most emotional decision in gray divorce—and it requires clear financial thinking.
Option 1: Sell the home and split proceeds
Option 2: One spouse buys out the other
Critical question for Carmel homeowners: Your home might be worth $850,000 with a $200,000 mortgage, meaning $650,000 in equity. Under Indiana's 50/50 presumption, that's $325,000 per spouse. Can you afford to keep a $850,000 house on one income? What are the property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities? Will keeping the house jeopardize your retirement security?
Property taxes in Carmel: Indiana caps residential property taxes at 1% of assessed value, so a $850,000 Carmel home has a maximum annual property tax of ~$8,500. Plus homeowner's insurance, utilities, lawn care, and maintenance. Make sure you can truly afford it before buying out your spouse.
The Indianapolis metro area has significant manufacturing employment, particularly in diesel engines (Cummins), defense (Raytheon), and aerospace (Rolls-Royce). These jobs often include traditional pension benefits.
Manufacturing pension considerations:
Indiana has significant automotive manufacturing with Subaru (Lafayette), Honda (Greensburg), and Toyota (Princeton), plus countless auto parts suppliers in the Indianapolis area.
Auto industry pension issues:
IU Health is Indiana's largest healthcare system with major hospitals in Indianapolis and statewide presence. Healthcare employment creates unique gray divorce challenges.
IU Health divorce considerations:
Indianapolis has many successful private medical, dental, and specialty practices. If your spouse owns a practice, business valuation becomes critical.
Practice valuation issues:
Indianapolis has significant concentration of finance, insurance, and technology companies creating high-income professional wealth.
Major employers with complex compensation:
These employers typically offer 401(k) plans, stock compensation, annual bonuses, and executive benefits that all become subject to Indiana's 50/50 division presumption.
While Carmel gets the most attention, the entire Indianapolis northern corridor from Fishers to Zionsville to Westfield represents substantial affluence and gray divorce complexity.
Fishers (Hamilton County):
Zionsville (Boone County):
Westfield (Hamilton County):
Indianapolis northern suburbs have numerous prestigious country clubs—Crooked Stick, Woodland Country Club, Carmel Country Club, Bear Slide Golf Club—that represent both financial and social capital.
Country club divorce considerations:
Negotiation strategies: Can one spouse buy out the other's interest in the membership? Should you sell the membership and split the refundable portion? Does one spouse value the social connections more than the other? These are negotiable assets that often have more emotional than financial value.
Indiana law presumes equal division—here's what that means for affluent Indianapolis/Carmel couples:
Example scenario: Married 28 years, both age 57, children grown and independent
Under Indiana's 50/50 presumption: Each spouse would receive approximately $1.19 million in assets. But HOW you divide determines your financial security:
Division Strategy Option A:
Division Strategy Option B:
The critical question: Which strategy better serves your post-divorce financial security? Can the wife afford the Carmel house on one income even though she gets it in the divorce? Does the husband have enough liquid assets to pay the equalization? What are the tax consequences of each option?
This is where expert financial planning is essential. Indiana's 50/50 presumption makes the math straightforward, but the execution strategy determines whether you thrive or struggle financially after divorce.
From Eli Lilly benefits to Carmel real estate appreciation, get the financial clarity you need before you sign anything.
Turn Panic Into Power — $97 Get the Guide Now