Finance & High-Asset Specialist
Finance compensation, real estate, business equity — New York'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 New York City, custody battles aren't your concern—your children are grown, independent, or building careers in NYC's competitive marketplace. Instead, you're navigating the financial complexity of dividing Wall Street bonuses, professional licenses, luxury co-ops or condos, investment portfolios, and retirement accounts accumulated over decades in the world's financial capital.
This is especially overwhelming if you've never personally managed the household finances. Perhaps your spouse handled Goldman Sachs bonuses, carried interest from a hedge fund, real estate portfolios spanning Manhattan and Brooklyn, or partnership interests while you focused on family and home. Now you're facing questions like:
Wall Street bonuses. Deferred compensation. Carried interest. Professional licenses. You've heard these terms for decades. You know they're valuable.
But do you actually understand what they mean for your settlement? Which bonus payments are already earned? What portion of the deferred comp is marital property? How do you value a medical license acquired during the marriage?
Your spouse has navigated these complex financial structures for years. They understand partnership agreements, vesting schedules, and tax implications.
You're seeing these documents for the first time — while negotiating a settlement that could determine your next 30 years.
NYC wealth isn't magic. It's complicated — but complicated has solutions. You need someone who can decode the compensation statements, translate the partnership agreements, and show you exactly what's yours under New York equitable distribution law.
The difference between understanding NYC wealth and not? It can easily be $300,000-$500,000 in your final settlement.
NYC is the global finance capital. Divorcing finance professionals face uniquely complex compensation structures:
Common Wall Street assets:
For those new to Wall Street comp: Finance compensation is extraordinarily complex, heavily back-loaded into bonuses and equity, and subject to market volatility and firm-specific clawbacks.
New York is the ONLY state where professional licenses are marital property. This is especially relevant in NYC with its concentration of highly credentialed professionals:
Common scenarios:
Courts calculate the present value of enhanced future earnings attributable to the degree, which can be worth $500K-$2M+ depending on the profession and earning history.
NYC real estate is uniquely complex and expensive:
Co-op apartments:
Condo apartments:
Rent-controlled/stabilized apartments: If you have a rent-stabilized apartment, it has value beyond market rent and must be addressed in divorce.
NYC residents pay the nation's highest combined state and local income taxes:
Divorce tax planning:
NYC has the highest concentration of high-earning professionals in the nation:
NYC professional goodwill valuations are among the nation's highest due to established clientele, reputation, and earning capacity.
In New York City, we work with clients divorcing after 20, 30, or 40+ years of marriage. Here's what makes gray divorce financially complex:
If your spouse worked on Wall Street for 25-30 years, accumulated bonuses and equity can be substantial:
If you supported your spouse through medical or law school 25-30 years ago, their enhanced earning capacity over that career may be worth $1M-$3M+ in present value.
Post-divorce, the question becomes: can one person afford the NYC lifestyle that required two incomes?
Many of our NYC clients—particularly spouses of finance professionals—have never personally managed carried interest distributions, partnership accounting, or complex deferred compensation.
You're not alone: Wall Street finance is intentionally complex, but it's learnable. We help you understand what you have and how to manage it.
While our primary focus is gray divorce (50+ with grown children), some clients have high school or college-age children. NYC has the nation's highest child support amounts due to high incomes. However, for most 50+ clients, children are independent.
As a NYC resident, your divorce follows New York equitable distribution law:
Maintenance (alimony): Formula-based with duration guidelines. After 30-year marriage, expect 10.5-15 years of maintenance, not permanent.
Learn more about New York divorce laws and professional licenses →
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout New York City, 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
Instant access. 100% money-back guarantee.
Get the Clarity You Need — $97Whether you've managed Wall Street finances for years or you're learning about professional license valuation for the first time, we provide the education and guidance you need.
Get the Fearless Divorce Guide Schedule a Strategy Session