Gray Divorce Financial Specialist
Pensions, retirement accounts, ranch property — Montana'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 — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in Billings or Bozeman, you're navigating divorce in two of Montana's most economically dynamic communities—but with vastly different financial profiles. Child custody typically isn'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 communities experiencing significant economic and demographic shifts.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the family finances. Perhaps your spouse handled healthcare benefits from Billings Clinic, energy sector compensation from oil and gas companies, Montana State University retirement plans, or profits from an outdoor recreation business while you focused on raising children or supporting their career. Now you're facing questions like:
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 the 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.
As Montana's largest city, Billings serves as the state's healthcare and energy hub, creating unique gray divorce financial considerations.
Billings Clinic & Healthcare Industry:
Energy Sector Employment:
Coal Industry Legacy:
Cost of living advantage: Billings remains more affordable than Bozeman, making it a viable option for post-divorce relocation if Bozeman has become unaffordable on one income.
Bozeman has transformed from a college town into one of America's fastest-growing cities, driven by tech industry remote workers, retirees, and outdoor recreation enthusiasts. This growth has created extraordinary real estate appreciation—and complex divorce challenges.
Bozeman real estate explosion:
Critical gray divorce question: Your Bozeman home may be your largest asset. Selling captures appreciation but forces relocation. Buying out your spouse requires cash or refinancing—can you qualify on one income? Keeping the home may jeopardize retirement security due to property taxes and maintenance costs.
Montana State University (MSU) Employment:
Both Billings and Bozeman are gateways to world-class outdoor recreation. Many gray divorce cases involve businesses built around fly fishing, hunting, rafting, skiing, and mountain guiding—often built together over decades.
Outdoor recreation business valuation:
Bridger Bowl & Big Sky Resort employment: Ski industry jobs may include housing benefits, season passes, and retirement contributions that need division.
For gray divorce: When you've built an outfitting or guiding business together over 20-30 years, dividing it is emotionally and financially complex. Often one spouse wants to continue operating while the other wants out—requiring creative buyout structures.
The areas surrounding both Billings and Bozeman include significant agricultural operations—cattle ranching, hay production, wheat farming—that often become central to gray divorce cases.
Agricultural asset challenges:
One of the most important decisions in gray divorce is where to live post-divorce. For couples divorcing in the Billings-Bozeman corridor, this choice has major financial implications:
Bozeman (High Cost):
Billings (More Affordable):
For gray divorce planning: Can you afford to stay in Bozeman on one income? If not, relocating to Billings provides similar Montana lifestyle at 40-50% lower housing costs. This choice dramatically affects your retirement security and quality of life.
Montana PERS (Public Employees Retirement System):
Private sector 401(k) and IRA accounts:
Social Security strategy:
Healthcare is a critical issue for gray divorce in both Billings and Bozeman, but with different considerations:
Billings healthcare advantage:
Bozeman healthcare considerations:
Bridging to Medicare (age 65):
As a Billings or Bozeman resident, your divorce follows Montana's equitable distribution laws. Key points:
Learn more about Montana's equitable distribution laws →
Montana courts may award maintenance to either spouse after considering various factors. For gray divorce in Billings and Bozeman:
Factors increasing likelihood of maintenance:
Bozeman-specific consideration: If the higher-earning spouse insists you can "get a job" in Bozeman, remember that Bozeman's service economy pays $15-$20/hour while housing costs are among Montana's highest. Courts recognize this disparity when evaluating maintenance needs.
Montana's progressive income tax (4.7-5.9%) affects your divorce planning:
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout the Billings and Bozeman metro areas, including:
Billings area:
Bozeman area:
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 — $97Whether you're navigating healthcare benefits in Billings, explosive real estate appreciation in Bozeman, energy sector compensation, or MSU retirement plans, we provide the education and guidance you need to navigate Montana divorce with confidence.
Turn Panic Into Power — $97 Schedule a Strategy Session