University & Tech Specialist
University pensions, tech equity, real estate — Washtenaw County's unique assets require expertise. This guide shows you exactly what you're entitled to.
Leanne Ozaine, CDFA® & CFP® | Specializing in gray divorce for 50+
Turn Panic Into Power — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in Washtenaw County—home to the University of Michigan and one of America's most educated communities—you're likely dealing with financial complexity unique to this academic and research hub. Child custody battles typically aren't your main concern—your children are grown, possibly U-M graduates or establishing their own academic or professional careers. Instead, your divorce centers entirely on protecting and dividing decades of accumulated wealth in one of Michigan's most affluent and intellectually vibrant regions.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the family finances. Perhaps your spouse handled the University of Michigan retirement benefits, academic pension planning, medical practice finances from Michigan Medicine (formerly University of Michigan Health System), research grants and patents, or the Ann Arbor home near campus that's appreciated to $800,000. Now you're facing questions like:
ORP. BRP. Stock options. TIAA accounts. Startup equity. You've heard these terms for years. You know they're valuable.
But do you actually understand what they are? Which retirement plan does your spouse have? What portion of those Google RSUs is legally marital property? How do you value startup shares that haven't vested yet?
Your spouse has lived with these compensation statements for 15-20 years. They understand vesting schedules, pension formulas, and TIAA annuity options.
You're seeing these documents for the first time — while negotiating a settlement that could be worth $500K-$2 million.
Ann Arbor's unique mix of university benefits, tech compensation, and medical practice wealth isn't magic. It's complicated — but complicated has solutions. You need someone who can decode the U-M retirement statements, translate the stock option grants, and show you exactly what's yours under Michigan equitable distribution law.
The difference between understanding your marital assets and not? It can easily be $200,000-$400,000 in your final settlement.
The University of Michigan is the dominant employer in Washtenaw County, employing thousands of faculty, researchers, administrators, medical professionals, and staff. U-M employment creates distinct divorce financial considerations that differ significantly from both private sector and other public sector jobs.
U-M Faculty and Staff Retirement Options:
University of Michigan employees have two primary retirement options, and understanding which one applies to your spouse is critical for divorce planning.
1. Optional Retirement Plan (ORP):
2. Basic Retirement Plan (BRP):
Critical U-M retirement planning questions for divorce:
For those new to managing finances: University retirement benefits are often confusing even to the employees who have them. ORP vs. BRP, TIAA vs. Fidelity, voluntary contributions vs. mandatory contributions—it's a lot. We help you understand exactly what your spouse has and what you're entitled to receive.
University faculty and senior researchers often have income streams and wealth-building opportunities beyond their base salary. These "academic extras" are marital property but often overlooked in divorce.
Income streams to identify and divide:
Timing issues: Some of these income streams (like book royalties or patent licensing) may continue for years after divorce. Determining how to divide future income from work performed during marriage requires careful negotiation and often creative settlement structuring.
Common scenario: Your spouse is a tenured engineering professor who wrote a widely-used textbook 10 years ago. The textbook generates $20,000-$40,000 annually in royalties and will likely continue for another decade. How do you divide this future income stream?
One of the most misunderstood aspects of academic divorce is tenure. Let's clarify what tenure means financially:
What tenure IS:
What tenure is NOT in Michigan divorce law:
How tenure affects divorce settlement:
Example: If your spouse is a tenured U-M professor at age 55 with secure employment until 70, this 15-year earning window must be considered when negotiating spousal support—even though tenure itself isn't divided as property.
Michigan Medicine is one of the nation's top academic medical centers, employing thousands of physicians, researchers, nurses, and healthcare professionals. Medical professional divorce in Ann Arbor presents unique financial challenges.
Physician compensation at Michigan Medicine:
Medical practice ownership vs. employment:
Research physicians and dual appointments:
Important consideration: Medical professional income can be highly variable depending on clinical volume, research funding cycles, and academic year calendars. This variability complicates spousal support calculations and requires careful financial analysis.
Ann Arbor has a thriving tech sector driven by University of Michigan research commercialization, entrepreneurship, and tech company growth. Tech sector divorce creates unique financial planning challenges.
Ann Arbor tech ecosystem:
Tech industry divorce considerations:
Example scenario: Your spouse is a software engineer at an Ann Arbor startup with 50,000 stock options at $1 strike price. The company isn't profitable yet, but venture capital investors just valued it at $5 per share. How do you value and divide these options in divorce?
Ann Arbor real estate is unique in Michigan due to University of Michigan's presence, highly educated population, excellent schools, and cultural amenities. Your home is likely your largest single asset and often emotionally significant.
Ann Arbor real estate characteristics:
Real estate division considerations:
Critical real estate questions:
Example: You purchased your Burns Park home in 1995 for $280,000. Today it's worth $750,000. That's $470,000 in appreciation—all potentially marital property subject to division. Can you afford a $375,000 buyout to keep it?
Washtenaw County has one of the highest percentages of graduate degree holders in the nation. This educated population creates wealth through professional services, executive positions, and knowledge work.
Professional practice and partnership issues:
Dual high-earner households:
In Washtenaw County, we work with clients divorcing after 20, 30, or 40+ years of marriage. Here's what makes gray divorce financially complex in Michigan's intellectual capital:
If your spouse has worked at University of Michigan, Michigan Medicine, or in Ann Arbor's professional community for 20-30 years, you've likely accumulated significant wealth through:
Common scenario: Your spouse is a tenured U-M professor age 58 with $800,000 in ORP retirement accounts, $150,000 in textbook royalties received during marriage, a $650,000 Ann Arbor home, and $200,000 in investment accounts. How do you divide this fairly while protecting both your futures?
When you're 50, 60, or older, you don't have decades to "start over" financially. Every asset division decision affects whether you can maintain your Ann Arbor lifestyle and retire comfortably.
Critical retirement questions:
Many of our Washtenaw County clients—particularly those who focused on homemaking or supporting a spouse's demanding academic or medical career—have never personally managed university retirement plans, patent royalties, research grants, or complex investment portfolios.
You're not alone: We help you understand what you have, how it works, and how to manage it going forward. ORP vs. BRP, TIAA vs. Fidelity, vested vs. unvested stock options, textbook royalty structures—these aren't intuitive, but they're learnable. Our role is to educate and empower you to make informed decisions.
If you're 50-64 and divorcing, healthcare coverage becomes critical. You're too young for Medicare but may lose coverage through your spouse's U-M benefits.
Healthcare options to explore:
As a Washtenaw County resident, your divorce follows Michigan's equitable distribution laws. This means:
For gray divorce in Ann Arbor: If you've been married 25+ years, expect property division close to 50/50. The key is making sure ALL marital assets are identified (including those academic extras like royalties and consulting income), properly valued, and that separate property is protected.
Learn more about Michigan's equitable distribution laws →
Michigan law allows permanent spousal support, and this is often a major issue in Washtenaw County gray divorce cases where income disparity is significant.
Michigan spousal support factors:
For gray divorce in Ann Arbor: If you're 55+ and haven't worked outside the home for 25 years while your spouse built a tenured faculty career or medical practice, courts recognize you may never achieve comparable earning capacity. Long-term or permanent support becomes more likely—especially in marriages of 20+ years.
Academic career support: If you supported your spouse through graduate school, post-doctoral research, tenure track, or building a medical practice, Michigan courts consider this contribution when determining support—even though the degree or tenure itself isn't divisible property.
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout Washtenaw County and surrounding areas, 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 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
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