Gray Divorce Financial Specialist
Cleveland Clinic pensions, corporate retirement plans, real estate — the stakes at 50+ don't allow for mistakes. This guide shows you exactly what to protect.
Leanne Ozaine, CDFA® & CFP® | Specializing in gray divorce for 50+
Turn Panic Into Power — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in the Cleveland metro area, you're likely dealing with financial complexity that most people never encounter. 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.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed the family finances. Perhaps your spouse handled the Cleveland Clinic pension, corporate retirement plans, investment portfolios, or real estate holdings while you focused on raising children or supporting their career. Now you're facing questions like:
Pension valuations. QDRO requirements. Deferred compensation. Equitable distribution. You've heard these terms for the first time in the last few weeks.
Your spouse has lived with these financial concepts for decades. They understand the pension statements, the 401(k) vesting schedules, the tax implications of every decision.
You're seeing these documents for the first time — while negotiating a settlement that will determine whether you can retire comfortably or struggle financially for the rest of your life.
At 60, you don't have 30 years to recover from a bad settlement. Every decision is permanent.
Cleveland Clinic pensions, corporate retirement plans, Ohio's equitable distribution laws — these aren't mysteries. They're complicated, but complicated has solutions. You need someone who can decode the pension statements, translate the retirement plan documents, and show you exactly what you're entitled to under Ohio law.
The difference between understanding your finances and not? It can easily be $200,000-$400,000 in your final settlement.
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 — $97Cleveland 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 economy includes major corporations, manufacturing legacy companies, and professional services firms. Many gray divorce cases involve complex retirement benefits accumulated over 20-30 year careers.
Key retirement plan challenges:
Common scenario: Your spouse worked 30 years with multiple employers, accumulating a pension, two 401(k)s, and deferred compensation. That combined retirement wealth may be worth $800,000-$1.5M+ — and you're entitled to the marital share.
Cleveland's diverse real estate market includes affluent suburbs like Shaker Heights, Beachwood, and Pepper Pike, as well as established neighborhoods throughout the metro area. Your home is likely your second-largest asset after retirement accounts.
Cleveland real estate considerations:
Critical decisions:
In the Cleveland metro area, 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, corporate, or professional services for 20-30 years, you've likely accumulated wealth through:
Common scenario: Your spouse worked at Cleveland Clinic for 25 years. You have a $600,000 home, $700,000 in retirement accounts, a pension worth $4,000/month, and deferred compensation of $100,000. 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 Cleveland clients—particularly those who focused on homemaking or supporting a spouse's demanding career—have never personally managed pensions, deferred compensation, or 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, corporate pensions, and professional compensation 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 home before marriage (or inherited it), and it appreciated due to market forces, that appreciation is YOUR separate property—it's NOT divided. This protection is significant 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 Cleveland, 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 the Cleveland metro area, including:
Cleveland Clinic pensions, corporate retirement plans, decades of real estate equity — at 50+, the financial decisions you make now are permanent. Get the education you need to protect your share.
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