High-Net-Worth Divorce Specialist
Healthcare pensions, business equity, real estate — Ohio'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 Cleveland's East Side suburbs, 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 Ohio's most affluent regions.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the family finances. Perhaps your spouse handled the healthcare benefits from Cleveland Clinic, manufacturing pensions from legacy industries, investment portfolios, or real estate holdings while you focused on raising children or supporting their career. Now you're facing questions like:
For 30 years, your spouse handled the finances. The Cleveland Clinic benefits. The retirement accounts. The manufacturing pension statements. The taxes.
Now you're expected to negotiate a settlement that will determine what you live on for the rest of your life. You're supposed to understand QDROs, coverture fractions, and the difference between a Roth and traditional IRA — in 6 months. While you're still in shock.
The spouse who controlled the money has every advantage. They know where the accounts are. They understand what assets are liquid. They can make a terrible offer sound reasonable to someone who's never balanced a checkbook.
Women over 50 face a 45% drop in standard of living after divorce. The gap between men (21% drop) and women isn't random — it's what happens when one spouse knows the money and the other doesn't.
You don't need to become a financial expert overnight. You need someone in your corner who already is one — someone whose only job is making sure you understand what you're signing and what you'll actually live on.
Cleveland's East Side is home to some of the nation's most prestigious healthcare employers. Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, and other major healthcare systems offer exceptional compensation packages that create unique divorce challenges.
Cleveland Clinic Benefits Complexity: Clinic employees often have layered compensation including base salary, retirement plans, deferred compensation, retiree healthcare benefits, and pension plans. Dividing these requires specialized knowledge.
Key healthcare divorce issues:
For those new to managing finances: Healthcare benefits are often more valuable than the paycheck itself. Understanding what you're entitled to—and how to protect it—is essential for your financial security.
Cleveland's East Side suburbs were built on manufacturing wealth—steel mills, auto parts suppliers, machine tool companies. While many plants have closed, the pensions remain, creating complex divorce issues for gray divorce cases.
Key manufacturing pension challenges:
Common scenario: Your spouse worked 30 years at a Cleveland manufacturer, retired at 55 with a pension, and now at 60 you're divorcing. That pension may be worth $500,000-$1M+ in present value—and you're entitled to a portion of the marital share.
Cleveland's East Side suburbs are home to attorneys, accountants, financial advisors, consultants, and other high-earning professionals. This creates unique divorce considerations:
Professional practice issues:
Important note: In Ohio, 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.
Shaker Heights, Beachwood, Pepper Pike, Hunting Valley, and surrounding East Side communities feature some of Greater Cleveland's most valuable real estate. Your home is likely your largest single asset—and the most emotionally charged.
East Side real estate considerations:
Critical decisions:
In Cleveland's East Side suburbs, we work with clients divorcing after 20, 30, or 40+ years of marriage. Here's what makes gray divorce financially complex in this region:
If your spouse has worked in healthcare, manufacturing, or professional services for 20-30 years, you've likely accumulated wealth through:
Common scenario: Your spouse worked at Cleveland Clinic for 30 years. You have a $800,000 home in Shaker Heights, $600,000 in retirement accounts, a pension worth $4,000/month, and deferred compensation of $150,000. 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 retire comfortably.
Critical questions:
Many of our East Side clients—particularly those who focused on homemaking or supporting a spouse's demanding career—have never personally managed pensions, deferred compensation, or six-figure investment portfolios.
You're not alone: We help you understand what you have, how it works, and how to manage it going forward. Healthcare benefits, manufacturing pensions, and professional practice valuations aren't intuitive, but they're learnable.
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 employer.
Options to explore:
As a Cleveland resident, your divorce follows Ohio's equitable distribution laws. This means:
The Passive Appreciation Rule: If you owned your Shaker Heights home before marriage (or inherited it), and it appreciated from $300K to $800K due to market forces, that $500K appreciation is YOUR separate property—it's NOT divided. This protection is huge for gray divorce cases.
Learn more about Ohio's equitable distribution laws →
Ohio courts have broad discretion in awarding spousal support. For gray divorce in affluent communities, support is often a central issue.
Factors courts consider:
For gray divorce: If you're 55+ and haven't worked outside the home for 25 years, courts recognize you may never achieve the income your spouse earns. Long-term or permanent support becomes more likely.
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout Cleveland's East Side suburbs, 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're learning to manage Cleveland Clinic benefits for the first time or protecting decades of manufacturing pension wealth, we provide the education and guidance you need to navigate East Side divorce with confidence.
Turn Panic Into Power — $97 Schedule a Strategy Session