Automotive & Corporate Specialist
Automotive retirement, corporate equity, real estate — Michigan's equitable distribution requires 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 — $97Your spouse spent 25 years at Ford, GM, or Stellantis. They understand every layer of their compensation — the pension, the deferred comp, the stock options, the SERP. You supported that career, but you never needed to understand the details. Now you're divorcing, and suddenly you need to know exactly what's marital property and what you're entitled to.
Auto industry compensation is complex by design. Deferred comp that won't pay out for 5 years is still marital property. Stock options with unvested shares have specific division rules. Pension survivor benefits can disappear if you don't protect them in the divorce decree. Your attorney handles the law — but who's handling the money?
The Fearless Divorce Guide breaks down exactly what you need to identify, value, and protect — from Big Three pensions to executive stock compensation. You'll walk into negotiations knowing what you're entitled to, not guessing.
Get the Guide — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in Oakland County—Michigan's wealthiest county—you're likely dealing with financial complexity that goes far beyond dividing a checking account. Child custody battles typically aren't your main concern—your children are grown, in college, or building their own careers. Instead, your divorce centers entirely on protecting and dividing decades of accumulated wealth in one of America's most affluent regions.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the family finances. Perhaps your spouse handled the Big Three auto pension from Ford or GM, executive compensation packages with stock options and deferred comp, healthcare benefits from Beaumont Health, investment portfolios, or the Bloomfield Hills home that's appreciated to $1.5 million. Now you're facing questions like:
Oakland County is home to thousands of Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis (formerly Chrysler) retirees and executives. Auto industry compensation creates some of the most complex divorce challenges in the nation.
Traditional Auto Industry Pensions:
If your spouse worked for Ford, GM, or Stellantis for 20-30+ years, you likely have a traditional defined benefit pension—one of the most valuable retirement benefits still available in America. These pensions can be worth $500,000 to over $1 million in present value.
Key auto pension divorce issues:
Executive Compensation Packages:
If your spouse is an auto industry executive or works for a Tier 1 auto supplier, compensation goes far beyond salary and pension:
For those new to managing finances: Auto industry compensation is layered and complex. Understanding what you're entitled to—and how to protect it—requires specialized knowledge. We help you navigate these complexities so nothing gets overlooked.
Oakland County is home to major healthcare employers including Beaumont Health and Henry Ford Health System. Healthcare compensation packages create unique divorce planning challenges.
Healthcare industry benefits in divorce:
Professional practice valuation: If your spouse is a physician with practice ownership, you need to understand:
Oakland County's affluent communities are home to attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, consultants, and corporate executives. This professional services wealth creates unique divorce considerations:
Professional practice and partnership issues:
Corporate executive compensation:
Important note: In Michigan, professional degrees and licenses are NOT considered property subject to division. However, the income-earning capacity from that degree IS considered in spousal support calculations.
Oakland County is Michigan's wealthiest county and the 12th wealthiest county in the United States. Birmingham, Bloomfield Hills, West Bloomfield, Rochester Hills, and Troy feature some of the highest real estate values in Michigan. Your home is likely your largest single asset—and often the most emotionally charged.
Oakland County real estate considerations:
Critical real estate decisions:
In Oakland 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 wealthiest county:
If your spouse has worked in the auto industry, healthcare, or professional services for 20-30 years, you've likely accumulated significant wealth through:
Common scenario: Your spouse worked at Ford for 30 years and retired at 55 with a pension. You have a $1.2M home in Birmingham, $800,000 in retirement accounts, a Ford pension worth $6,000/month, deferred compensation of $200,000, and investment accounts totaling $400,000. How do you divide this fairly while protecting your retirement?
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 Oakland County lifestyle and retire comfortably.
Critical retirement questions:
Many of our Oakland County clients—particularly those who focused on homemaking or supporting a spouse's demanding auto industry or healthcare career—have never personally managed pensions, stock options, deferred compensation, or million-dollar investment portfolios.
You're not alone: We help you understand what you have, how it works, and how to manage it going forward. Auto industry pensions, executive stock options, and professional practice valuations 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 in Oakland County, healthcare coverage becomes critical. You're too young for Medicare but may lose coverage through your spouse's employer.
Oakland County healthcare options to explore:
As an Oakland County resident, your divorce follows Michigan's equitable distribution laws. This means:
For gray divorce in Oakland County: If you've been married 30+ years, expect property division close to 50/50. The key is making sure ALL marital assets are identified, 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 Oakland County gray divorce cases where income disparity is significant.
Michigan spousal support factors:
For gray divorce: If you're 55+ and haven't worked outside the home for 25+ years while your spouse built an auto industry or executive career, Michigan courts recognize you may never achieve comparable earning capacity. Long-term or permanent support becomes more likely.
Tax consideration: For divorces finalized after December 31, 2018, spousal support is NO LONGER tax-deductible for the payor or taxable for the recipient. This significantly changes the economics of support negotiations.
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout Oakland County and Detroit Metro, 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 your share of the Ford or GM pension, spousal support, and assets — so you negotiate from facts, not fear.
Document gathering checklists tell you exactly what to bring to your attorney — including deferred comp statements, stock option grants, and pension benefit summaries.
Learn what you're entitled to from Big Three pensions, how QDROs work, and why survivor benefit elections matter for your financial security.
The asset identification system helps you find executive compensation, stock options, and deferred payouts 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 — $97Whether you're learning to manage Big Three auto pensions for the first time or protecting decades of executive compensation wealth in Oakland County, we provide the education and guidance you need to navigate divorce with confidence.
Turn Panic Into Power — $97 Schedule a Strategy Session