Gray Divorce Financial Specialist
Pensions, retirement accounts, real estate — New Hampshire'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 the Manchester-Nashua metro area—including Bedford, Merrimack, Hollis, Amherst, Hudson, Londonderry, or surrounding communities—you're navigating something unique: divorce in New Hampshire's economic powerhouse where technology sector wealth, Boston commuter income, and extraordinary tax advantages converge. Your divorce likely involves stock options from tech companies, cross-border Massachusetts employment income, Fidelity Investments portfolios, or real estate that has appreciated dramatically as people flee Massachusetts taxes.
This is especially overwhelming if you've never personally managed sophisticated financial assets like unvested RSUs, ISO vs. NSO stock options, or understood the tax implications of NH vs. MA residency. Many of our Manchester-Nashua clients are navigating these complex financial decisions for the first time during divorce, often while processing the emotional trauma of a 25+ year marriage ending.
Why Manchester-Nashua is different: This region represents the perfect storm of financial complexity for divorce—high-income tech and financial services jobs (often with equity compensation), substantial cross-border Massachusetts employment, no state income tax creating massive retirement advantages, and rapid real estate appreciation driven by Massachusetts residents fleeing high taxes. Between NH's unique property division rules (courts CAN divide ALL property including separate), fault-based alimony bars, and the MA/NH tax border, Manchester-Nashua divorces demand specialized expertise.
The fear-to-strength progression: Right now, you might be feeling panic about losing half of decades of tech stock appreciation, confusion about dividing unvested equity awards, worry about Massachusetts income taxes if you move post-divorce, or concern about whether you can afford Bedford or Hollis real estate on one income. That's normal. But here's what we do together: we turn that panic into power by understanding exactly what your financial picture looks like, how New Hampshire's laws apply to YOUR specific assets, navigating the MA/NH tax complexity, and building a post-divorce financial plan that preserves your tax advantages and gives you confidence for retirement in southern NH.
Most states protect "separate property" — assets you brought into the marriage, inheritances, gifts. New Hampshire is different.
Under NH law (RSA 458:16-a), courts can divide all property owned by either spouse. That inheritance from your parents? The 401(k) you started before you met? The vacation property you bought with your own money?
In New Hampshire, all of it can potentially be divided in a long marriage.
This isn't meant to scare you. It's meant to prepare you. Because the spouse who understands NH's unique property division rules — and knows how to present their case — gets a very different outcome than the spouse who assumes their "separate" property is protected.
Add in New Hampshire's fault-based alimony rules (where misconduct can completely bar support), cross-border Massachusetts tax complications, and the complexity of dividing pensions and retirement accounts...
This isn't a divorce you can navigate by guessing.
The Manchester-Nashua metro area isn't just another mid-sized market—it's a sophisticated financial and technology hub on the Massachusetts border that creates unique divorce challenges:
Technology sector concentration:
Financial services powerhouse:
Boston commuter economy:
Real estate appreciation driven by MA tax exodus:
Many Manchester-Nashua area divorces involve substantial equity compensation from tech employers—creating complex valuation, division, and tax planning challenges.
Common tech equity scenarios in southern NH:
Key stock option divorce issues:
RSU (Restricted Stock Unit) division challenges:
Example scenario: Your spouse works for a tech company in Merrimack earning $160,000 base salary plus annual RSU grants currently worth $80,000/year vesting over 4 years. They also have stock options worth $250,000 if exercised (triggering federal capital gains tax but NO NH state tax). You've been married 24 years and are now divorcing. How much of the unvested RSUs and options are marital property? How do we divide them? What if the stock price crashes before vesting?
For those new to finances: Stock options are the RIGHT to buy company stock at a specific price. If the stock price goes up, options become valuable. RSUs are actual shares of stock given to you on a schedule (vesting). Both are forms of compensation beyond salary, common in tech jobs. Understanding the tax treatment and vesting schedules is critical for fair division.
The NH tax advantage: Unlike Massachusetts tech workers who pay 5% state income tax on stock option exercises and RSU vesting, NH residents pay ZERO state income tax. This makes a $100,000 stock option exercise or RSU vest worth $5,000 more to a NH resident. This tax advantage factors into negotiations—and creates incentive to maintain NH residency post-divorce.
Fidelity Investments' major presence in Merrimack creates unique divorce considerations for employees and their spouses.
Fidelity employee divorce issues:
Common scenario: Your spouse has worked at Fidelity for 18 years. They earn $140,000 base plus $35,000 annual bonus, have $980,000 in their 401(k), $150,000 in unvested RSUs, and participate in the ESPP purchasing $15,000 of company stock annually. You've been married 22 years and stayed home to raise children. How do we divide the unvested RSUs? What portion of the 401(k) is marital property? How do bonuses factor into alimony calculations?
The knowledge gap challenge: When one spouse works in financial services and the other doesn't, there's often a significant information and sophistication gap. The Fidelity employee understands portfolio construction, tax efficiency, and investment strategies. Their spouse may feel completely overwhelmed. We bridge that gap—ensuring you understand EXACTLY what assets exist, how they work, and what fair division looks like.
Thousands of Manchester-Nashua area residents work in Massachusetts while living in NH—creating significant tax advantages but also divorce complexity.
How the MA/NH tax situation works:
The post-divorce residency decision:
This is where divorce gets complicated. If you're working in MA but living in NH, post-divorce you face a critical decision:
Common Boston commuter divorce scenario: You've lived in Nashua for 15 years while your spouse commuted to Cambridge for a tech job earning $210,000. Your adult children live in Massachusetts. You're 58 and planning to retire soon. Post-divorce, do you stay in Nashua to preserve tax advantages, or move back to MA to be near kids and grandkids? The tax savings are substantial, but so is the value of family proximity. We help you quantify this trade-off and make an informed decision.
Remote work considerations: COVID-19 accelerated remote work. If your spouse works for a Boston company but works remotely from NH, they may have more flexibility to relocate post-divorce. This affects support negotiations—can they move to a lower cost-of-living area while maintaining the same income? Or does their employer require return to office?
Bedford represents some of the most expensive real estate in NH, driven by excellent schools, proximity to Manchester, and appeal to Massachusetts professionals seeking tax advantages.
Bedford-specific divorce considerations:
Critical question: The Bedford schools were great for raising kids—but do you need Bedford for retirement? Could you sell the $750K Bedford home and buy a $400K condo in Manchester, freeing up $350K for retirement investments while reducing property taxes?
Hollis and Amherst offer more rural settings with large lots, privacy, and excellent schools—attracting affluent families seeking space and quiet while maintaining commuting access to Nashua and Boston.
Hollis/Amherst divorce considerations:
Gray divorce reality: The 5-acre Hollis property was perfect for raising active kids. But at 62, divorced, on one income—do you want to maintain that much land? Or would a smaller property closer to services make more sense for the next 20-30 years?
Nashua is NH's second-largest city, sitting directly on the Massachusetts border. It offers urban amenities, diverse housing stock, and maximum commuting convenience to Boston.
Nashua-specific divorce issues:
Downsizing opportunity: Many gray divorce clients sell their Bedford or Hollis family home and downsize to a Nashua condo—reducing maintenance burden, lowering property taxes, and increasing walkability for aging.
Merrimack has transformed with Fidelity Investments' major presence, creating a community of financial services professionals and tech workers.
Merrimack divorce considerations:
Manchester is NH's healthcare hub with Catholic Medical Center, Elliot Hospital, and numerous specialty practices creating significant healthcare employment and complex benefits.
Manchester healthcare industry divorce issues:
Common scenario: Your spouse is an emergency medicine physician at Elliot Hospital earning $310,000 including base, bonuses, and call pay. They have a 403(b) worth $1.1M, own 25% of an urgent care practice valued at $800K, and have retiree health benefits if they stay until age 60 (they're 57). How do we value the retiree healthcare? How do we divide the practice ownership? How do we calculate sustainable "income" given the burnout rate in emergency medicine?
The Manchester-Nashua metro area represents a perfect storm of financial complexity for gray divorce:
Common Manchester-Nashua gray divorce scenarios we address:
You don't need to become a tech equity expert, tax specialist, or real estate analyst overnight. You need a guide who understands Manchester-Nashua's unique financial landscape AND sophisticated divorce financial planning for people over 50.
Here's what we do together:
The Manchester-Nashua advantage: This region offers extraordinary financial opportunities—high incomes, equity compensation, tax advantages, and appreciation. But navigating divorce here requires expertise in tech equity, cross-border taxation, and NH's unique property laws. That's exactly what we provide.
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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Get the Clarity You Need — $97Get expert guidance for pensions, retirement accounts, and gray divorce in New Hampshire.
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