Tech Divorce Specialist
Stock options, venture stakes, real estate — Texas is community property. This guide shows you exactly what to protect.
Leanne Ozaine, CDFA® & CFP® | Specializing in tech equity divorces
Turn Panic Into Power — $97If you're over 50 and facing divorce in Austin, custody battles aren't your focus—your children are grown, independent, or pursuing careers in Austin's booming economy. Instead, you're navigating the financial complexity of dividing tech stock options, startup equity, state government pensions, real estate that's appreciated dramatically, and retirement accounts accumulated over decades in one of America's fastest-growing cities.
This is especially challenging if you've never personally managed household finances. Perhaps your spouse handled stock options from Dell, Tesla, or Oracle, startup investments, Teacher Retirement System (TRS) benefits, or real estate portfolios while you focused on family and home. Now you're facing questions like:
Here's what most Austin spouses don't realize: Your spouse's stock compensation wasn't designed to be easy to understand. RSUs vest on different schedules. Options have exercise prices and expiration dates. ESPP shares have complex tax implications. Performance units depend on company metrics you've never seen.
And when you ask for clarity? You get grant agreements with 40 pages of fine print. HR portals that require your spouse's login. Brokerage statements that mix vested and unvested shares. A compensation structure that even your spouse may not fully understand.
This complexity isn't accidental. It benefits the person who controls the information — and in most marriages, that's not the spouse who stayed home, raised children, or managed the household while their partner's career soared at Tesla, Apple, Dell, or Oracle.
The solution? Education before negotiation. When you understand exactly what's in those grant agreements — what's vested, what's unvested, what's community property under Texas law — you negotiate from strength, not confusion. That's what this guide provides: the knowledge to see through the complexity and claim what's rightfully yours.
Austin has become a major tech hub, attracting relocations from Apple, Google, Tesla, Oracle, and hundreds of startups. This creates Silicon Valley-style compensation challenges:
Common tech assets in Austin divorces:
For those new to tech compensation: If your spouse worked for a tech company in Austin for 20+ years, their compensation likely includes substantial unvested equity. Understanding vesting schedules, exercise windows, and tax implications is critical.
Austin's startup scene means many 50+ professionals have equity in early-stage companies:
Valuation challenges:
Texas "just and right" division means courts have flexibility, but valuing illiquid startup equity fairly is complex.
As Texas's capital, Austin has thousands of state employees with Teacher Retirement System (TRS) or other state pensions:
TRS pension division:
State employee benefits: Health insurance, deferred compensation (Texa$aver), and sick leave conversions all have value.
Austin real estate has appreciated faster than almost any U.S. city in the past decade:
High-value Austin neighborhoods:
Homes purchased 15-25 years ago for $200K-$400K may now be worth $800K-$2M+. This appreciation is community property requiring division.
Austin divorces follow Texas's flexible "just and right" standard, not California's mandatory 50/50:
For gray divorce: After supporting your spouse through startup launches or state government service for 25-30 years, you may argue for more than 50% based on contributions and sacrifices.
In Austin, 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 worked for Dell (since the 1990s), IBM (Austin presence since 1960s), or newer tech companies, stock compensation accumulated over decades can be substantial:
Many Austin gray divorce clients are retiring teachers or state employees with 25-35 years of TRS service:
Remember: Texas has extremely limited alimony. Even after 30 years of marriage in Austin, court-ordered alimony is capped at $5,000/month for maximum 10 years. You cannot rely on alimony—the property division (including tech stock and real estate) is critical.
Many of our Austin clients—particularly spouses of tech workers or startup founders—have never personally managed stock options, RSUs, or startup equity.
You're not alone: Tech compensation is complex but learnable. We help you understand what you have, when it vests, and how to manage it post-divorce.
While our primary focus is gray divorce (50+ with grown children), some clients have high school or college-age children. Texas uses guideline percentages, and Austin tech incomes mean support amounts can be substantial. However, for most 50+ clients, children are independent.
As an Austin resident, your divorce follows Texas community property law with "just and right" division:
Very limited alimony: Maximum $5,000/month for maximum 10 years. Asset division is everything.
Learn more about Texas divorce laws and limited alimony →
We provide virtual divorce financial planning services throughout Austin, 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 tech stock for years or you're learning about RSUs for the first time, we provide the education and guidance you need.
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